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Phuket Music Scene: Rocking in Phuket, Thai style
Phuket Music Scene: Rocking in Phuket, Thai style
Sunday 10 July 2022 01:57 PM
I’m sometimes asked about the best places to go to listen to Thai music, to which I reply, “What kind of Thai music?” For, as in Western music, there is a variety of genres including pop, country, protest, rock, Isan and Northern music.
Phuket Music Scene: The Ozone Band – a real breath of fresh air
Phuket Music Scene: The Ozone Band – a real breath of fresh air
Saturday 14 May 2022 11:00 AM
Once when teaching English, I had to explain to a class what child “prodigies” were. I said, “They’re kids who do something a whole lot better than most adults.” And if you want to see some playing classic rock at local markets, you need look no further than Phuket’s OZONE Band, whose average age is just 10. They’ve already won the Gold Medal and 2nd Prize of the under-15s 2021 Valaya Alongkorn Music Competition.
Phuket Music Scene: Eurasia PK ‒ Staying alive in Phuket
Phuket Music Scene: Eurasia PK ‒ Staying alive in Phuket
Sunday 10 April 2022 11:00 AM
Once upon a time there was a very popular live music venue in Phuket Town called Timber Hut. I enjoyed many happy evenings there soon after I arrived in Phuket over 10 years ago. I love to hear live music and the Timber Hut band was absolutely outstanding, reputed to be the best on the island. 
Phuket Music Scene: Hitting the right note
Phuket Music Scene: Hitting the right note
Saturday 19 March 2022 11:00 AM
It is now a year since I first had an article published in The Phuket News about live music venues in Phuket Town. Such venues had been shut for over six months because of COVID and my musician friends had suffered very badly during that time. Some had to sell instruments to buy food, others left Phuket to return home, a few waited patiently for better times. I knew too that live music venue owners were very upset about having to fire Thai staff and reduce pay for any they kept on. We should not forget it has been a terrible time for them and their staff too.
Phuket Music Scene: Rocking around the island
Phuket Music Scene: Rocking around the island
Saturday 26 February 2022 02:00 PM
I’ve had a busy few months as I’ve tried to get around as many live music venues as possible post-lockdown, not always easy as my wife and designated driver doesn’t like Classic Rock or Blues music as much as I do.
Chasing a dream
Chasing a dream
Sunday 6 February 2022 11:00 AM
After outperforming thousands of other contenders, Phuket teenager Tangton “TT” Prattranasanti last month made it to the final 18 of the LAZiCON (“Lazada Icon”) national talent quest to identify five young men to launch Thailand’s latest “boy band”. Here, TT, just 18 years old, talks with The Phuket News about what it took to make it through such a contest, and what his plans are for chasing his dream of being a star.
Phuket Music Scene: Time to get Moody
Phuket Music Scene: Time to get Moody
Sunday 16 January 2022 11:00 AM
Moody Paul is well known in Phuket as a gifted Burmese Blues and Rock guitarist and singer, particularly in Patong where he played in the Moody Café for many years before COVID. However, Moody had to return to his home when the pandemic started. Happily, he has now returned and is playing here again, all made possible financially by an online crowd-funding appeal run by his fans. Andy Tong Dee met him to ask him about his life and about why he seems so particularly fond of playing the Blues.
Phuket Music Scene: Having fun for a good cause
Phuket Music Scene: Having fun for a good cause
Saturday 18 December 2021 11:00 AM
Phuket’s got talent! A Night at the Popra, held at Underwood Art Factory’s new Junkyard Theatre on Dec 4 was the third of a series of charity shows run by Gary Crause of Legend Music and the Phuket Academy of Performing Arts. This time the show was centered around music from films, covering 36 songs from 34 popular movies. 
Phuket Music Scene: Homecoming at Hard Rock
Phuket Music Scene: Homecoming at Hard Rock
Saturday 27 November 2021 01:30 PM
If you have never heard of the Hard Rock Café, then you must be an alien visitor from another planet who needs to get out more, for there are nearly 200 of its establishments now around the world. Hard Rock Phuket opened on November 29, 2009, 12 years ago now, but the first Hard Rock started up in London in 1971. I can still remember my excitement when I first went there in 1979 just after I left university. So I was delighted to be invited to Hard Rock’s official reopening ceremony in Patong on November 1, arguably the jewel in the crown of Phuket’s live music scene.
Phuket Music Scene: Getting down in Phuket Town
Phuket Music Scene: Getting down in Phuket Town
Saturday 30 October 2021 11:00 AM
The live music scene on Phuket was dealt a severe blow by COVID, but happily not a mortal one. We are now starting to see green shoots of recovery, particularly in Phuket Old Town.
‘Nightbooks’: A Halloween horror story for the family
‘Nightbooks’: A Halloween horror story for the family
Saturday 9 October 2021 11:00 AM
Netflix’s countdown to Halloween starts off with a family affair in the form of David Yarovesky’s (Brightburn) new film ‘Nightbooks’ which has just arrived on the streaming platform. There was once a time when the horror and family genres of films were kept wide apart, but with the rise in popularity in horror literature for young adults such as Goosebumps, it soon became a blend that Hollywood realised was an untapped venture.
Green Thoughts: How does your garden grow?
Green Thoughts: How does your garden grow?
Sunday 3 October 2021 11:00 AM
As readers of these columns can attest, for years, I included a ‘Tip for Gardeners’ to my weekly peregrinations about plants. Due to space restrictions, the practice was discontinued. Now, making up for lost time, I propose to devote this article entirely to hands-on advice.
The Suicide Squad goes cult classic
The Suicide Squad goes cult classic
Saturday 2 October 2021 11:30 AM
The original Suicide Squad movie may have been much maligned, although the ‘Director’s Cut’ version certainly didn’t deserve to be, but it did show the world that DC did know how to mix their darkness with some good times and surprising humour. But like Green Lantern before it, it did split DC movie fans over whether it was a good or bad film, so much so that I doubt many people would have ever expected that there would be a follow-up film.
Phuket Music Scene: The essence of Dark Fiber
Phuket Music Scene: The essence of Dark Fiber
Saturday 25 September 2021 11:00 AM
Gary Crause is well known in Phuket as a music producer, running his Legend Music company in central Phuket. He also heads up the Phuket Academy of Performing Arts (PAPA) which grooms wannabe pop and rock stars for success. What he is less well known for is his own band Dark Fiber.
Phuket Music Scene: When three become one
Phuket Music Scene: When three become one
Sunday 18 July 2021 11:00 AM
Having covered quite a lot of music venues in my articles for this column, now seems a good time to tell you about an exciting new band I have seen playing that has come out of the COVID crisis.
Blue Tree Phuket reopens
Blue Tree Phuket reopens
Wednesday 30 June 2021 09:39 AM
PHUKET: Blue Tree Phuket is delighted to announce it will be opening its Lagoon, Tree House Restaurant and Beach Lounge from this coming Saturday (July 3), while also re-introducing the bi-monthly Wansao Market from Saturday onwards.
Laguna Phuket Hits Pause On Revive 555 Festival
Laguna Phuket Hits Pause On Revive 555 Festival
Tuesday 6 April 2021 03:40 PM
In response to recent news regarding a band member who travelled from Bangkok to perform in Phuket last weekend having a positive test for covid-19, Laguna Phuket has decided to postpone all Revive 555 Festival events with immediate effect. Swift actions have been taken to test the other band members and people who were in close contact with the person. To-date, all tested people have shown negative results and will self-isolate for 14 days as a further precaution.   
Sustainably Yours: Delicious plant-based dishes
Sustainably Yours: Delicious plant-based dishes
Sunday 14 March 2021 02:00 PM
A year and a half ago Netflix released the documentary The Game Changers, about injured MMA fighter James Wilks looking for a way to heal his body. What he found was that many professional athletes, including Olympic cyclists, runners, weightlifters and American football players, had all switched to plant-based diets to improve their performance.
Phuket Music Scene: Rocking in Rawai
Phuket Music Scene: Rocking in Rawai
Saturday 6 March 2021 02:00 PM
In a previous article in The Phuket News, I described how the live music scene in Phuket has changed dramatically as a result of COVID-19. Some live venues have closed, others are hanging on, but some are thriving again and well worth a visit.
Phuket Music Scene: Colin ‘Illy’ Hill rockin’ on strong
Phuket Music Scene: Colin ‘Illy’ Hill rockin’ on strong
Saturday 27 February 2021 11:30 AM
Phuket’s veteran rock guitarist Colin Hill played with the band Dating Blondes last Saturday (Feb 20) in the multi-genre music show ‘The Lost Legends’ at the Grind Café at Underwoods on the bypass road, an event which may well be repeated. Andy Tong Dee interviewed him after the show.

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