Voices of Pen

What's Wrong?

On last several days, Surabaya was raining. What's wrong with Surabaya?
Come on! Write your article about Surabaya raining days.
Send it to e4funesa@gmail.com
and get the reward.











***


The Tielman Brothers The Legend of World-Indonesian Rock

Now, most of rock bands, often be seen have high-energy shows, tossing guitars across the stage, plucking strings with their teeth and playing while perched on top of the standing bass. Most of Indonesian peasants know that they have come from west. Unfortunately, they all are totally wrong. All the things that mentioned on the first sentence have come from Andy, Reggy, Ponthon and Loulou Tielman that is called the Tielman Brothers and so, they are all Indonesians.
It began in 1957, when they packed clubs and stadiums with their high-energy shows, tossing guitars across the stage, plucking strings with their teeth and playing a wild Rock ‘n’ Roll. They all totally rocked Europe. They were being talked in Rolling Stone magazine and appeared in German TV. Furthermore, their music was called Indo Rock. It mean that their music was original and some critics said that their rapid-fire Les Paul riffs are the influence of rock ‘n’ roll that is heard today.
Then, when rock ‘n’ roll was talked, everyone always thought the Beatles in his/her head. The Tielman Brothers was born before the Beatles. Though already falling under the influence of Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Bill Haley and others, Andy said he and his brothers knew they had to be more than imitators and created a sound and style that came to be known as Indo Rock by some — by others, pure rock n’n roll. When Andy Tielman, the vocalist and guitarist of Tielman Brothers, was asked that they influenced Beatles’ music, he said, “I know John Lennon, then playing backup for the Tony Sheridan band, saw us perform, a lot of the British did. But I'd never dare say we influenced them.” So, who knows the truth? In fact, Tielman Brothers with their Indo Rock is the one of the world-wide rock music history makers.
After 50 years, Andy Tielman, now 72, came back to home and played in Jakarta Rock Parade on 13 July 2008. Dressed in black with coloured spotlights setting his long grey hair ablaze, he played Rock Little Baby of Mine, which in January was officially recognized as Holland's first-ever rock and roll song (1958). That accolade got the Tielman Brothers their first press coverage in Indonesia — the article in Rolling Stone. He was still rock. Some audiences still confused and when one of them was interviewed by Rolling Stone magazine, he said, “They are rock. Why did I never hear of these guys!?”
“These were the happiest moments in my life,” Andy, one of two surviving brothers, said at an emotional post-gig press conference in Jakarta, the Indonesian capital. "It was fun when we were older, too, of course. But when I was a child, with my brothers, that was really something."
Now, with the freedom of press, unlike years ago when everything was limited and being in cage, most of Indonesians know that they have a legend of rock, not just in their country, but, in the world.

Febrian Eka Aditya
English Literature '06