Alex Peters

Ok, so I'm posting this because it is occupying space in my drafts folder. :D It's been sitting there since A Li Yaa, so I've finally decided it is long enough :) to be published. This one is for Ness and it's for me. It ends tonight. Enjoy.

CLUELESS?
I can't decide how to start this one, so I'll dive right in. Hiding behind the walls of Flatfish, is a musical genius. Flatfish is not a state penitentiary in any country I assure you. It's a studio, and I promise i'll get to the bottom of that name. Alex Peters (not uncle) is someone who needs no introductions, unless of course, you were born in the 21st century with no musical background whatsoever. I spent some of my childhood trying to figure out who he was exactly. Everyone who knew him, raved about him and I was clueless. My brother Brendan, who took a couple of drum lessons from him, chose to also rave about his house and Flatfish, the studio. Again, I was clueless. So, for those who are as clueless as I was, who is he? Alex Peters is a musician (surprise,surprise) who has been around in the music scene longer than I've been alive. He has yet to put out an album, despite being given the opportunity. He says it's too time consuming and such, I think he's just being selfish with his magic [joke]. XD His current project EAR is brewing in the pots at Flatfish, thus he has no time to answer any more questions I might have. So this will have to do for the time being. :D
Oh yes, if I may so cheekily add, he is single too. ;D

HOME SWEET HOME @ Machines Outlet.
Somewhere in early December 2008, I started to see what all the fuss was about. Wooden interior, dim lighting, jazz music playing softly in the background. Forty guitars (only) arranged on the wall, on the floor, on a cabinet and some line the walls of the staircase that lead to his 2 rooms. In his room, a giant DVD cabinet, a fluffy bed, and I think a 32" TV. Attached is his bathroom, or what Brendan dubbed "pissing heaven". No, don't ask me what I was doing in his room *cheeky smile*. Back to the ground floor, unlike most people who have magazines and coasters, his coffee table dons a 24" inch Apple iMac, some iPods, his iPhone (which is yet to be released in Malaysia) and some other boy toys. Quite cutely juxtaposed with his iMac is his gramaphone and now thanks to his demo I finally know what it means when people say "crank and wind". Step into his kitchen and behold, his only housemates, Fa Mulan and Fu Manchu. Faye and FooFoo are not dragons from the Disney cartoon nor do they belong to any sort of lizard family (I think). They are his dogs and boy are they cute! Of course I wouldn't be doing any justice if I forget to mention Ming his adorable ball of fur who he just lost to cancer. Yes, I know it sucks, dogs get cancer too. So I'm playing with the dogs, when I absent-mindedly look around me and I notice a door on my right and (just to be a little dramatic) I see a light shining from beneath the door. Slowly, pushing the door open, I hear the throngs of angels sing in my head. Flatfish.
I walked in with mum and Kim who was threatening to tie mum's hands up if she even attempted to touch anything. Mum's only reaction was when she was leaving, she stared at the back of the door and she said, "Look at all those wires." Trust mum to notice things. Nevermind the other 'small things' like his Macnotebook and some more 3-5 mac screens on the walls, and the control panels, and the keyboards (yes, he plays them darned keys too) and all the buttons and gadgets and... I could go on for awhile. Then he enters and asks me if I'm interested in music and whether I'd like to come back another day and try out some of the stuff in his studio. (Oh, yes please!) :D

A LI YAA
Finally, after much persuasion (bugging) we went to see him perform in A LI YAA. We entered in the middle of his EAR version of U2's With or without You. EAR is Ethnic Alternative Rock, and after spending a considerable amount of time trying to figure out what that kind of music would sound like, I was pleased to find out it was simply Alternative Rock with an Ethnic twist (how slow am I?). In this case it was him on lead vocals and guitar, minus one which included the tabla and the cherry on top was the two sisters Shankari and Keshvi dancing the Bharathanatyam to the music in front of him. The rest of the night I stood there in the middle, and was awed although by now I can't quite remember all the songs he played. One song stuck though, 'Saw Her Standing There' by the Beatles, "she was just 17, if you know what I mean...I'll never dance with another,oooooh!" Sorry, got carried away. So yes, that night I found out why people rave about him, and I know why whenever he plays the venue is jam-packed (cos daddy always covers it the day before) haha, just kidding. On the 20th of December, 2008 I saw magic, and just like I said to daddy after Alex played his last song "That was definitely worth bugging you for." Nowadays, I rave about Alex Peters, I think it is contagious. The reactions I get? "How the hell is he still single?" Well, ladies, it is all quite simple actually. He's too busy making love to his guitar! (no pun intended) xD