Singing for joy
The three veteran musicians known collectively as Duek Dam Bun celebrate their friendship in an upcoming concert
RATHRONG SRILERT, editor of Neekrung, a so-called “city detoxification” magazine, promises to make miracles happen on July 2 with “Assajan … Rak”, the first in its concert series “Neekrung … Mai Phon Krung”.
“The first miracle is getting together three ‘old-time’ musicians, who once called themselves, albeit playfully, a ‘Duek Dam Bun’ boy band. These guys have been close friends since they studied at Ramkhamhaeng in 1971. The second miracle is they all became part of the music circle, while the third miracle is that the boy band Duek Dam Bun became popular. That’s why we are celebrating them in this concert,” Rathrong told reporters during the recent press conference at Hard Rock Cafe.
“Assajan … Rak”, or “Miracle of Love” features producer and composer Phonthep “Toon” Suwannabun, who is now 65 years old, together with veteran vocalists Charas “Tam” Fueangarom, 65, and Paiboonkiat “Pan” Keiwkaew, 64.
“We’ve remained friends and worked together on our music while pursuing our own careers. These days, perhaps because of age, I’ve been thinking of the happy times we had together. Tam and Pan have often come to my concert and while I have invited them to jam with me on stage, they’ve always refused. So, I teased them for being real old men. I mentioned ‘Duek Dam Bun’ during a recent show and my guest Thee Chaiyadej liked the name,” says Phonthep.
“We have been working on music together, but this time, it will be different. We’ll be introducing a new music style with vocal harmonies similar to those of our favourite bands such as Crosby, Nash & Young and the Bee Gees,” says Charas.
The provisional song list is comprised of 22 new songs and blasts from the past and the three will be joined on stage by Singto Numchok, who is currently a judge of “The Voice Thailand”.
“I feel very confident about this concert,” says Phonthep, adding that he isn’t dividing the songs into several segments then linking the sets by theme. “Instead I’m categorising the songs into four moods, tones and rhythms,” he explains. “I’ve written most of the songs and I am rearranging them for the show. For example, ‘Mai Mee Wasana’ has more rhythms and different dynamics. Tam’s song ‘Thalay’ is changed from pop to samba.”
The three offered a foretaste of what’s in store by singing “Phroh Rak” during the press conference, showcasing an intricate vocal harmony in the chorus. The song was a soundtrack of the movie, “Khao Riak Chan Wa Khwam Rak” (“My Name Is Love”), and originally sung by Thee Chaiyadej.
“Singto Numchok will be singing one of Tam’s numbers, which has been reworked with more of a reggae beat,” Phonthep adds.
The magazine is no newcomer to the concert organiser business, having previously staged “Kalakrang Nueng Neekrung” at Suan Phueng in Ratchaburi and “Kalakrang Song Neekrung” at Silverlake Vineyard in Pattaya, Chonburi.
“Our magazine is now seven-and-a-half years old and has gone from a free copy to one from sale. The main focus is travel stories, which are richly illustrated with creative photography,” Rathrong explains. “With Neekrung, we try and push Thais to spend more time out of Bangkok and get away from the stresses of urban life.
“Our aim is to encourage readers to appreciate nature and also music and we’ve done that by organising music festivals with many bands and food booths. This time, we are bringing the sound to the city with a rare concert.”
LISTEN UP
- “Assajan … Rak” will be held at GMM Live House on the eighth floor of CentralWorld on July 2 at 7pm.
- Tickets cost from Bt1,500 to Bt3,500 at Thai Ticket Major counters and online at www.ThaiTicketMajor.com.
- For more information, contact the Neekrung Call Centre at (084) 714 0000.
- See more at www.youtube.com/watch?v=cY0YUnGJ77Y.
