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Sometimes, finding a group of musicians that work well together — let alone get along on a personal level — can be a difficult task. As conflict often seems to be part and parcel of band life, some artists choose to go solo when writing and recording their material.

Pugar Restu Julian, more commonly known as Uga, is one such musician. His “band,” thedyingsirens, consists of a computer and some borrowed electronic gear.

He explains, “I had just left my previous band, Vessel, and tried to stay away from music for a while but I couldn’t.” He began playing drums for independent bands Pop Up and Planet Bumi (Planet Earth), but was soon keen to start creating his own songs.

Uga began using thedyingsirens moniker in 2002 in Jakarta. During a period of inspiration, he wrote a bulk of songs that combined his love for alternative rock and his growing interest in acoustic-based singer-songwriter music. He cites artists such as Richard Ashcroft from British group the Verve, Nirvana, Pearl Jam and the Lemonheads as influences, explaining that he was a “1990s alternative rock kid.”

The band did not start out as a solo project. “Two other guys were actually along for the ride,” Uga says. “It was Ebbe from the band Lull and an art school alumni called Harlan Boer.” Ebbe eventually left to focus on Lull, while Harlan became a fixture on the independent scene — playing with bands such as The Upstairs, running his own record label and managing the trio Efek Rumah Kaca (The Greenhouse Effect).

Uga forged ahead, and in 2002 he spent three months recording 20 songs with instruments on his personal computer at home. Working on a computer gave him a chance to also incorporate other influences, including the more experimental genre — often called “post-rock” – that he was interested in.

He used the software Cakewalk and Fruity Loops to record, which he learned from a friend, Aroel from Planet Bumi.

“I just wanted to record my own stuff — I didn’t care if I was doing it the right way or the wrong way,” Uga says.

In 2003, Uga performed under thedyingsirens name for the first time, replacing the headline act, gothic band Silent Sun, who had canceled their performance. The gig was an AIDS benefit held in the Bulungan area in South Jakarta. With a guitar borrowed from a fellow performer, Uga played one of his original compositions, “Don’t Need to Be,” and also a cover of a song by American singer-songwriter Pete Yorn, called “A Girl Like You.”

At the show, Uga quickly sold 30 copies of his self-produced demo, complete with covers printed out from his PC, prompting him to focus on releasing a full-length album.

Unfortunately, not everything went exactly to plan. Uga began working full-time as well as drumming for other bands — something that was to became his forte. Between 2003 and 2006, he was the drummer for a number of bands, including C’mon Lennon, Blossom Diary, Tika, Zeke and The Popo, Sore, Sugarstar, The Safari, A Boy Named Santiago, Clover, Morning Bell and Gods Must Be Crazy, just to name a few.

“I like playing in new bands; playing with different people and learning to understand their different attitudes — it’s always a challenge and I love challenges,” he says.

But in 2006, Uga returned his focus to thedyingsirens. He was offered a slot on the soundtrack for the local independent film “Thank You and Goodnight Mother,” which was a documentary on local surfers directed by Ivan Handoyo.

Uga says, “The song chosen was ‘Goodnight, Pumpkin.’ It was an instrumental song — but I was proud nonetheless because there were other musicians there that I admired, like Bonita and Cozy Street Corner.”

He released an EP in November 2006, called “Kapalku Telah Pergi” (“My Boat Has Left”), through his own record label, Sirene Sekarat (Dying Siren). The album featured backup musicians assembled by Uga from his group of friends. It served as a teaser for the full-length album, which was released a month later.

“Sketches of a Humming” was released through former bandmate Harlan’s Paviliun Records. The record threw thedyingsirens into the limelight as the press jumped on its potential. In a review, Playboy Indonesia said the album was “dark but not depressing … it is strangely calming,” while Rolling Stone Indonesia said the band sounded “intimate” and had “great potential.”

While his recent job as a digital promoter at Sony Music Indonesia has kept him too busy to release a follow-up to “Sketches,” Uga has not been resting on his laurels. He has performed actively since 2006 — both acoustically and with a full band — under thedyingsirens name, and has also been busy recording a new album that he says has been in production for two years.

“Mondo, from the band Sore, is producing the record, and I have a few people helping me with the instruments. We’ve only completed one full song, ‘Bye Bye,’ which can be downloaded for free from our Web site,” Uga says.

Uga promises that the new album will be different from his previous recordings. “My hope is that thedyingsirens can continue to evolve without following trends. And hopefully more and more people will begin to appreciate the music.”
thedyingsirens live



Oct. 11

7 p.m. - onward

Entry:Donation

Event:Solitaire

Venue:Green Café, Jl. Diponegoro, Bandung (in front of the Geological Museum)

With: Hazel Gazel and other acts

For more information, go to: thedyingsirens.com