Audio waves wafting from a Cashew Chemists tune embrace the ear drum like the scent of coffee caressing the olfactory nerve in the morning. Here’s an embodiment of freshness served in the form of a five-man rock band named after a nutty concept only they comprehend. Yuji Kumagai, Elliot Sng, Brian Chia, Ulrich Chia and Zachary Chia returned with a second EP “Previously On…Cashew Chemists” last December and are journeying on to musical magnificence.
Their year took off with a memorable gig at Laneway Festival and the band is currently working on its greatest project yet (more details in the interview below). In collaboration with Converse, we stole a chat with Cashew Chemists and discovered their desire to remain true to their music, while witnessing how the boys jam in their spanking new Chucks.
Nookmag (N): You guys are sounding super fresh in your second EP “Previously On…Cashew Chemists”! Could you take us through the song writing and creative process?
Yuji (Y): [Youthful exuberance] is pretty much the premise of this EP. It features songs that we’ve been playing for a long time before. They are past materials; we sort of regard them as new-old songs. Our song writing method has since become more different now.
Brian (B): We started playing those songs in 2013 and we played them in Australia a few times. That was before the EP was released. It’s a collection of our favourite live songs that we finally put together for everyone.
N: Before releasing your second EP, you guys took a break from the band. Could you still relate with the materials you came up with previously?
Elliot (E): Brian, Zachary and Ulrich were overseas. When they came back every year, it’ll be something different when we jam. I guess that’s part of our evolution as a band. We still gel well together at the end of the day. We’ve been playing together for so long.
Ulrich (U): After the first EP, we had our own time, doing our own individual stuff like our day jobs. At the same time, we’re also discovering new music. A lot of our new materials are inspired by the music that we were influenced by between the old EP and the new one. We still rub off each other. We tell each other what we’re listening to and we respect each other’s music taste. Whenever we hear about new bands from each other, we’ll just check them out. When we write, it’s quite cohesive and in-sync.
N: You guys rocked the Laneway Festival stage for the first time in January. How was the experience?
U: We were nervous as hell. It was quite nerve-wrecking. We were backstage watching the other acts like Thundercat performing, and we were actually sharing the exact same stage as them. It was exciting at the same time. We learnt a lot about how festivals work and what we can do to improve our sound. For example, we didn’t get to do sound check and it was quite rough and messy at the start.
B: It turned out quite well. The crowd was very supportive. We got pretty good feedback from our friends who came. We had fun. The whole festival was a treat for us. We were pretty drunk after the festival.
Y: Shout-out to Tan Xing Wei, Juhardi and Hanis – thanks guys! If not for them, we wouldn’t be able to pull off the show. They were the important people in the crew. We also learnt that being in a band, we need these people around.
E: I think we had a good time slot, which was 5pm. There was a good crowd. It was very nice to see people singing along and rocking out to our music.
N: After Laneway Festival, any other big plans for Cashew Chemists this year?
U: Coachella, definitely.
Everyone: (Laughs)
E: We’re focusing on writing our full-length album right now. That’s our biggest plan for 2016.
N: What we can look forward to from this album?
E: It’ll definitely be different from our previous two EPs.
U: Much louder, heavier.
N: Is this a natural progression for the band?
U: Yes. It’s going to be different from the pop-rock that we’re doing now, which was more feel-good music. The sound will be heavier. There will not be just one sound in the whole album; our sound will be varied.
N: How do you envision the band conquering stages moving forward?
U: We’re going to write our full-length album and try to tour with it. We’re banking everything on our new album. That’s what going to determine our future, which is quite uncertain.
N: Who are your favourite musicians?
Zachary (Z): The Strobes.
B: Radiohead, Hendricks.
U: Stevie Ray Vaughan
B: John Mayer
U: Gary Clark Jr, Albert King
E: Beatles, Coyote, The Sam Willows
U: Pleasantry…
N: How well are you guys acquainted with the local bands?
Y: We’ve got friends from all corners of the scene.
B: The local indie scene is quite close.
N: How do you support one another in the scene?
U: We go to each other’s shows. Whenever we can, we’ll try and promote the shows of other bands too. Buying each other’s merchandise provides financial help. Pleasantry had a huge fund-raising event and it was quite heart-warming to see the whole scene going down to support them. It went really well.
N: How would you like the audience to remember Cashew Chemists?
Z: Fun-loving.
U: A band that you feel happy watching.
E: Good music, good times.
Y: Good vibes.
N: Tell us more about your personal style and how Converse complements it.
U: We own Converse shoes. We love their classic Chucks – can’t go wrong with that. We don’t really pay much attention to fashion. Zach doesn’t even wear shoes sometimes; he doesn’t wear his shirt…
B: We like to be comfortable.
U: The new Chucks II gives us a lot of comfort with the Lunarlon. It’s light too.
N: Let’s get a little personal here. What are some quirks that you guys have?
E: Yuji talks very softly on the phone. But when he sings, it’s loud.
Y: I think these guys are so weird, it’s become normal already.
N: What’s your general attitude towards your music?
E: Do what you love and…
Y: Love what you do.
U: Our music comes straight out from our hearts.
Y: It’s an extension of our lives. Our lives are always changing. Our creative process and songs will always change. One thing we do not want to do is pander, which is one step above selling out. We just want to be creative.
U: It’s quite evident that our direction changes and will be changing. That keeps us excited about our music and the band. It’s quite inevitable that everybody will grow out of their music influence, genre or music. What keeps us going is playing what we like.
Y: We’ve been lucky that people still like us.
N: What are some challenges that you face?
B: Our different schedules. All of us are working now, so it’s quite hard to find time to jam but we try.
U: We have our day jobs, which are our livelihood. As much as we want our music to work, we need to keep ourselves afloat.
Y: The dream is do [music] to feed ourselves and live comfortably.
Conversation seeks out inspiring individuals who possess a creative spirit and brim with passion. It offers an insight into the lives of these individuals and the things that drives them. This edition is proudly sponsored by Converse.
As featured in the images, Cashew Chemists is decked in kicks from the Converse Chuck Taylor All Star II Mono collection, a coveted spring release that contrasts against an array of fresh colourways from the brand. The monochrome series is backed by innovative features such as the new Lunarlon footbeds, padded tongue and micro-suede lining. Comfortable and versatile, this series is available in both high-top and low-cut silhouettes.
Available at all Converse boutiques.
RTP: SGD99.90 – SGD109.90
Ulrich is wearing Men’s Chuck Taylor Core Crew Tee
Available at selected Converse boutiques – Bugis Junction, Causeway Point, Junction 8, Jurong Point, Queensway, Tampines Mall, Vivo City, LOT 1 CCK, ION Orchard, Orchard Central, NEX, JEM, Ngee Ann City.
RTP: SGD 29.90
Zachary is wearing Zaki Men Short Sleeve Tee
Available at selected Converse boutiques – Queensway, Tampines Mall.
RTP: SGD39.90
Photo Credits: Chee BP
