Who's the most important person when it comes to a live performance? No, not the singer. Not the band manager. Not even the guy who removes all the blue M&Ms.

If you're in a band about to do a show, the sound engineer or sound tech is the person you want on your side. They can make you sound great on the night. (And vice versa if you're being a turd to them.)

Like our guest, Mark Jason. Mark has helmed the soundboard at pubs of past and present, including Balaclava, Wala Wala, and Blackbird. You've also probably heard his handiwork at many events, including this year's BigO 40 festival and the SG50 show at the National Stadium.

But why did he become a sound engineer? What were his most memorable gigs he's worked on? And what does a sound tech do, anyway?

In this episode, he answers all those questions, and as a bonus, reveals how you can get on the good graces of your sound tech (note: adult beverages may be involved).

*this episode was recorded in August 2025

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"Screen Scars" performed by K. Mat. All other live audio was recorded at Blackbird.

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LINKS

Follow Mark Jason here: Instagram

Follow Writers' Hall and Blackbird

Follow Lion City Rock: Facebook / Instagram

What would you like us to talk about? Email us: lioncityrocksg@gmail.com

Update: The Lion City Rock Playlist (new tracks from Shye, Dru Chen, Namie and more!)

Read Kevin's Power of Pop Substack / Bizarro World

Read Chris' Full Sput Ahead! (Substack review)

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Like, share and subscribe to Lion City Rock on RedCircle, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Give us a 5-star rating and review – it really helps others discover some good ol' Lion City Rock!

What is it like being an experimental jazz singer-songwriter in the Lion City? How does one navigate a musical niche in a space like Singapore? How easy is it to explore out-of-the-box musical inspirations in a place where traditional forms seem to be favoured more?

Namie Rasman, lead singer of Namie & The Waves and a jazz singer in her own right, takes the hot seat to answer these questions and share her jazz odyssey. (PS: Namie & The Waves' new EP, Tides, is expected to drop later this year.)

*this episode was recorded in May 2025

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"Screen Scars" performed by K. Mat. "Postcards" performed by AWOL. "The Lion City Rock Theme" performed by Kevin Mathews and Chris Toh. "Gone", "Wander", "Queenfisher", "What's The Beauty" performed by Namie & The Waves.

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LINKS

Follow Namie here: Instagram

Follow Namie & The Waves here: Instagram

Listen to Namie & The Waves here: Spotify / Apple Music

Follow Lion City Rock: Facebook / Instagram

What would you like us to talk about? Email us: lioncityrocksg@gmail.com

Update: The Lion City Rock Playlist (new tracks from Shye, Dru Chen, Namie and more!)

Read Kevin's Power of Pop Substack / Bizarro World

Read Chris' Full Sput Ahead! (Substack review)

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Like, share and subscribe to Lion City Rock on RedCircle, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Give us a 5-star rating and review – it really helps others discover some good ol' Lion City Rock!

With nightlife and entertainment spots closing over the past few weeks – Projector, Vertigo26, and for one hot minute, even Wala Wala – Kevin and Chris ask the hard question: How can dis be allow?

In this special extended episode, the TCSS returns – iykyk – as they also unpick the "now you can drink alcohol in pubs until 4am" scheme (but only in selected areas, T&Cs apply) and pick their choice gigs that you can spend your Culture Pass on.

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"Screen Scars" performed by K. Mat. "Postcards" performed by AWOL. "The Lion City Rock Theme" performed by Kevin Mathews and Chris Toh. "You're The Boy" performed by Shirley Nair & The Silver Strings. "Let 'Em Come" performed by Mike and Herb & The Silver Strings. "Angel In The Night" performed by Lovehunters.

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LINKS

Get tickets for Silver Strings: WhatsApp Audie Ng at 9818 4198

Get tickets for Concert Lovehunters Renaissance

Get tickets for Sing60

Get tickets for Welcome To The Machine's The Wall

Follow Lion City Rock: Facebook / Instagram

What would you like us to talk about? Email us: lioncityrocksg@gmail.com

Update: The Lion City Rock Playlist

Read Kevin's Power of Pop Substack / Bizarro World

Read Chris' Full Sput Ahead! (Substack review)

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Like, share and subscribe to Lion City Rock on RedCircle, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Give us a 5-star rating and review – it really helps others discover some good ol' Lion City Rock!

What do echoes, money, dogs and time have in common? What's the dark side of tribute bands? And how much stroking is necessary before a podcast episode can actually begin?

Laurence and Noel of Welcome To The Machine, a Pink Floyd tribute band from Singapore, answer those questions and more. Their new show, a complete performance of Pink Floyd's landmark album, The Wall, is a cross between a musical and a rock gig. But more importantly, it answers the age-old question: which one's Pink?

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"The Wall", "Time", "Comfortably Numb" & "Coming Back To Life" performed by Welcome To The Machine.

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LINKS

Welcome To The Machine: Website / Instagram / Facebook / YouTube

Get tickets for The Wall

Follow Lion City Rock: Facebook / Instagram

What would you like us to talk about? Email us: lioncityrocksg@gmail.com

Oh, and Kevin wrote a song for National Day too! Listen here

Listen: The Lion City Rock Playlist

Read Kevin's Power of Pop Substack / Bizarro World

Read Chris' Full Sput Ahead! (Substack review)

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Like, share and subscribe to Lion City Rock on RedCircle, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Give us a 5-star rating and review – it really helps others discover some good ol' Lion City Rock!

Dominic Chin has been singing ever since he was in his teens. His first original song, "You First Believed" – a tribute to Singapore's founding father and first Prime Minister, went viral. Now, 11 years later, he's back with a new single, "Needy" and plans for a new album drop at the end of the year. In between, he's performed thousands of shows – on his own and with the MDC – as well as collabed with some of the coolest name in the scene, including Jean Seizure, lamin and Marian Carmel. Oh, and he's co-written a song for National Day, called For Singapore, along with RINES and Gail Belmonte.

So what was that music journey like? How is songwriting helping cope with mental health? And what did LKY have to say about that song dedicated to him?

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Recorded in May 2025. "Screen Scars" by K.Mat. "You First Believed", "Needy" & "Cry" by Dominic Chin. "You Do You" by Dominic Chin & lamin. "CLSE2U (Re-License To Cry version)" by Dominic Chin and Jean Seizure. "Here (Re-License To Cry version)" by Dominic Chin and Gail Belmonte.

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LINKS

Dominic Chin: YouTube / Instagram / Spotify

Follow Lion City Rock: Facebook / Instagram

What would you like us to talk about? Email us: lioncityrocksg@gmail.com

Oh, and Kevin wrote a song for National Day too! Listen here

Listen: The Lion City Rock Playlist

Read Kevin's Power of Pop Substack / Bizarro World

Read Chris' Full Sput Ahead! (Substack review)

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Like, share and subscribe to Lion City Rock on RedCircle, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Give us a 5-star rating and review – it really helps others discover some good ol' Lion City Rock!

Can you believe that it was 60 years ago when Naomi and The Boys released their megahit, "Happy Happy Birthday Baby"? That same year, the Lion City decided to make its way in the world by itself! Coincidence? Maybe.

But to mark SG60, we decided to do what all Singaporeans do best: go makan chicken rice – what else?

Oh, and Kevin wrote a song for National Day too! Listen here

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"I Love Singapore" performed by The Fast Colors.

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LINKS

Follow Lion City Rock: Facebook / Instagram

What would you like us to talk about? Email us: lioncityrocksg@gmail.com

Listen: The Lion City Rock Playlist

Read Kevin's Power of Pop Substack / Bizarro World

Read Chris' Full Sput Ahead! (Substack review)

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Like, share and subscribe to Lion City Rock on RedCircle, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Give us a 5-star rating and review – it really helps others discover some good ol' Lion City Rock!

It's been a long time coming, but we finally did it! We have Leslie Low on the show! Sure, it took us the better part of three years – specifically three years, seven months and 3 days – but hey, who's counting?

Leslie one of Singapore's finest songwriters, and if there ever is a Rock 'n' Roll Hall Of Fame for Singapore musicians, he should be in it! So we got him to answer all our crucial questions:

How did he get started all those years ago?

What did author Don Bosco and Lion City icon Chris Ho do to shape his music journey?

And who's going for his gig on 10 Aug, 5pm at the Esplanade Recital Studio? (tickets going fast, don't say we never say - link below)

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"Screen Scars" by K,Mat, remixed by Chris. "Jump Back", "Daddy In The Lift" by Leslie Low. "Circling Square" by Humpback Oak. "How's Life" by The Observatory. Special thanks to The Substation for arranging this and to Bad Habits for hosting us.

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LINKS

Get tickets for Passing: Leslie Low in Concert

Read Kevin's Power of Pop Substack / Bizarro World

Follow Lion City Rock: Facebook / Instagram

What would you like us to talk about? Email us: lioncityrocksg@gmail.com

Listen: The Lion City Rock Playlist

Read Chris' Full Sput Ahead! (Substack review)

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Like, share and subscribe to Lion City Rock on RedCircle, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Give us a 5-star rating and review – it really helps others discover some good ol' Lion City Rock!

Let us know what you like (or don't like!) so we can improve it. Also, we can do much more if you drop a donation in the link provided. Every little bit helps. Thank you very much for all your support! We appreciate you!

WE'RE BACK! Welcome to the new phase Lion City Rock, which is... pretty much like the old phase Lion City Rock, if we're being honest – but with more sprinkles!

We've quite a few things in the pipeline, though, and we're going to do our best to make sure they all come to pass. Just what are they all about? Listen to find out, lah...

"Nothing Is Real" and "Screen Scars" by K,Mat; "Finer Life (Cover)" by The Fast Colors. Episode image done by Olly Maguire.

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LINKS

Get tickets for Passing: Leslie Low in Concert

Find out about Rockoustika

Read Kevin's Power of Pop Substack / Bizarro World

Follow Lion City Rock: Facebook / Instagram

What would you like us to talk about? Email us: lioncityrocksg@gmail.com

Listen: The Lion City Rock Playlist

Read Chris' Full Sput Ahead! (Substack review)

******

Like, share and subscribe to Lion City Rock on RedCircle, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Give us a 5-star rating and review – it really helps others discover some good ol' Lion City Rock!

Let us know what you like (or don't like!) so we can improve it. Also, we can do much more if you drop a donation in the link provided. Every little bit helps. Thank you very much for all your support! We appreciate you!