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In the footsteps of the legendary rockers
âGadis Genitâ (Flirty Girl), a popular pop song, was resoundingly rendered by T-Koes when the band staged a weekly show at Plaza Cibubur, Bekasi, recently
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'Gadis Genit' (Flirty Girl), a popular pop song, was resoundingly rendered by T-Koes when the band staged a weekly show at Plaza Cibubur, Bekasi, recently.
People of all ages sang along and danced to the rock-and-roll tune. Murry, a member of the legendary pop band Koes Plus, wrote the song in 2000.
Retaining the soul of Koes Plus, T-Koes has drawn large audiences from Greater Jakarta to the teenage group's Friday gigs, which last from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the plaza.
Also playing at North Jakarta's Pluit Junction on Wednesdays and South Jakarta's Blok M Plaza on Thursdays, T-Koes performs at other places on other days of the week.
The members of T-Koes Band are three adolescent brothers, Fajaru 'Jaru' Alzhari (lead guitar, keyboard, vocals), Galihva 'Galih' lbaladi (rhythm guitar, vocals) and Qory Algivari (bass guitar, vocals), as well as their father Agusta Marzall, who plays the drums. The group strives to preserve the achievements of Koes Plus.
The name T-Koes was adopted from Koestono 'Tony' Koeswoyo, the man behind Koes Bersaudara and Koes Plus, which also features three brothers: Tony (now deceased), Yon and Yok, with Murry as the drummer. But T-Koes does not belong to the Koeswoyos.
As the brothers of T-Koes grow up, the band is shooting to fame.
'I had no idea about T-Koes at first. A neighbor told me about the young group's attempt to preserve the works of Koes Plus, which piqued my interest,' said Clara, a Jakarta college student living close to the plaza.
Flanked by Galih and Jim during a break in the show, Clara and her younger sister Eva, a junior high school student, said they never missed the performances of T-Koes at Plaza Cibubur on Fridays.
'I've heard Koes Plus songs, although I used to be fond of western hits. After watching T-Koes so attractively presenting the same songs, I got hooked on Koes Plus' creations,' revealed Clara, who is the same age as Jaru.
'As I become more familiar with T-Koes members and their parents, Pak Agusta and Ibu Watie, I become more absorbed in downloading the songs of Koes Plus, and listen to them most of the time,' said Eva, who is the same age as Jim.
The sisters described Koes Plus songs as not only divine but also patriotic, natural and socially themed in addition to conveying the feeling of love. While satisfying older people's nostalgic longings, T-Koes also makes youngsters familiar with and enjoy these songs.
'Koes Plus is a classic ensemble not to be forgotten and T-Koes is a band with great potential,' said Agusta. 'T-Koes is here to please the senior community and invite the younger generation to be conversant with Indonesian music, especially Koes Plus with its ever popular hits,' he added.
Many teenagers these days sing along to Koes Plus songs, which were previously regarded as old tunes. T-Koes also performs songs rarely heard by the public because hundreds of them have been written by Koes Bersaudara and Koes Plus since the 1960s.
In this way, fans are not limited to a selected number of favorites.
T-Koes does not modify the original classics of Koes Plus, so as to maintain their lyrics, rhythms, notations and arrangements.
Only one word of the song 'Bis Sekolah' (School bus) has been changed, which is kekasihku (my lover), to become temanku (my friend).
The same is true when T-Koes presents the songs of The Beatles, the Everly Brothers and Credence Clearwater Revival.
The older enthusiasts of Koes Plus call themselves Jiwa Nusantara (Soul of the Archipelago) and teenage fans of T-Koes are Teman T-Koes Nusantara (Friends of T-Koes).
'I always take my children, Nicho and Kinan to T-Koes shows. We all like Koes Plus songs and live near the concert location. My husband arrives later in the evening because it's quite a long way from his office in Cikarang,' said Reni Dondit.
Another couple, Sispur and Enies Maryana, work in Jakarta, live in Cimanggis and are also regular T-Koes concertgoers. They sometimes accompany their daughters, Clara and Eva, to the band's concerts at Blok M, South Jakarta.
'Galih has developed a mature voice, which after some practice will nicely combine with the vocals of Jim and Jaru to produce the typical signature of T-Koes. It's like Koes Plus with the characteristic voices of Yon and Yok Koeswoyo,' said Enies.
'Koes Plus songs aren't identical to sentimentalism. Besides pop albums, the group also renders Javanese, Malay, keroncong [Portuguese-tinged pop], Christmas carols, Qosidah [religious verses], English and children's songs,' she added.
'Koes Plus writes all the songs and arrange their music meticulously, so that they are timeless and can be enjoyed for decades, unlike the short-lived hits of present-day bands,' said Sispur. He and Enies are convinced that the T-Koes brothers have a bright future, catering to new and old fans of Koes Bersaudara and Koes Plus.
Yon Koeswoyo, who continues to perform Koes Plus music, was surprised to see a large number of children and teenagers watching his Koes Plus collaboration with T-Koes at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, East Jakarta, some time ago.
'Kids the age of my grandchildren love and sing the songs of Koes Bersaudara and Koes Plus. It means in the next 50 years these songs will be kept alive and vibrant by children,' Yon said.
Follow the band at twitter.com/TKoesBand1.
