How many rock bands try to mix music and education? Not many. But we have one here in Indonesia, and they have just released some new tunes.

Our local scene has not seen many good local rock bands recently. Most of our mainstream bands just offer the audience the same boring music, while underground, the minorities play their version of good music. Compared to the mainstream, the underground scene does give us some alternative music, but few of them are really good.

Names like Seringai, Superman is Dead or Koil are veterans from the minorities and the people behind those bands have been dedicating their lives to playing music they really like. Their DIY ethos has brought them real life success, where they are able to spread their music throughout the country.

Now, please add one more name to the list, The Super Insurgent Group of Intemperance Talent or, for short, The S.I.G.I.T.

The band was formed when four teenage guys decided to play music together, Rektivianto Yoewono (guitar and vocals), Aditya Bagja Mulyana (bass), Farri Icksan Wibisana (guitar) and Donar Armando Ekana (drums) and have been the only and only lineup since then until today.

They released Hertz Dyslexia on June 20: it is their third EP. The first one was a self-titled EP back in 2004; the second was Australian Edition EP in 2007. In addition, they produced an album, a phenomenal one called Visible Idea of Perfection, released in late 2006.

This gave them the opportunity to travel around the country, visiting places they had never even imagined.

After they had conquered Indonesia, Australia came calling in mid-2007. They had the chance to support Dallas Crane, Australia's legendary rock band, for a month. As a follow-up to this, Visible Idea of Perfection was released in Australia and distributed internationally by their Australian label. The word spread.

In 2008, they were scheduled to visit the United States to participate in the South by South West (SXSW) Festival. Unfortunately, the trip was cancelled as Donar Armando Ekana's visa was rejected at the very last minute. Bravely, they tried again this year; this time, they succeeded. They did a small tour of the United States, playing four gigs with the main show being the SXSW Festival.

Despite these ups and downs, the band kept on playing their music with huge energy and passion and their fan base grew daily. The fans called themselves "The Insurgent Army".

The culmination point of this was in the music itself. Hertz Dyslexia is a good example of the band only playing what they want to play. The album is filled with rock music experiments, a bit different from what they have previously released. They move a little away from traditional Led Zeppelin-style rock n' roll and define a new sound. Some of their fans will probably be surprised with the material.

"It's a new thing for us. We have never done this before, in terms of the musical journey as a band. It's pretty hard to describe, actually. Even though songs on this album come from our early period, their execution has become a new expression of our ideas," Rektivianto Yoewono, the lead vocalist and a charismatic front man, said.

"Hertz Dyslexia is a rough outline of our second full album," added Farri Icksan Wibisana.

They have shown people they are strong enough to decide for themselves which musical direction they will take in the future. Not many bands can bravely stand at the top of their careers and choose to do the unpopular thing; to release an experimental album. Well, they have not changed that much, but still, a lot of people will be surprised by these changes.

"The arrangements that we used in Visible Idea of Perfection were deconstructed in Hertz Dyslexia. We aimed at giving people something unpredictable, but not too confusing. We tried lots of new methods and used many different instruments in the sessions," explained Wibisana.

This album is a gateway to their second full-length album. Behind the scenes of their promotional sessions for Hertz Dyslexia, the band is working on material for their new album. "If possible, I really want to see the new album released sometime in early 2010," added Yoewono.

As well as their strong rock music disposition, there is another cool thing about these guys. Do you remember a college rocker collective called R.E.M. from Athens, Georgia, in the US? Well, Indonesia has its own - The S.I.G.I.T.

These lads are still pursuing their love of learning, formally, in school. Yoewono has just finished his postgraduate studies in environmental engineering at the Bandung Institute of Technology. Wibisana is studying at the same postgraduate school, majoring in architecture. The other two members are the same; Aditya Bagja Mulyana is studying for his joint degree and Ekana is a full-time architect.

"Now, I am really confused. What should I choose to do? These two things, rock music and architecture, are both cool things to do. Both are my passion. I'm really at a crossroads," tells Wibisana.

"Have you ever realized that music is very, very scientific?" asked Yoewono. He decided to extend his graduate study, majoring in physics, as something related to what he does with the band.

"People here think being in a band is always related to happy things. I want to change it. During our tour in Australia, I met lots of new people. Most of them were engineers and they were very knowledgeable about what they did for a living, because they had learned things formally in school. Our own engineer, Budi Badot, is the same as he finished his studies in sound engineering abroad. It tells me that we really need knowledge in music. For me, music is a physics thing," Yoewono said, explaining his decision to pursue his studies.

"Music is always supported by technology. It's not our own intuition that speaks. If you mix it with knowledge and focus on the details, you'll have the complete package as a performer," he added.

A strong character builds good things. This has happened to The S.I.G.I.T. They have achieved their teenage dreams and now there are new dreams coming their way.

"After all, we still have dreams to fulfil. It's always hard to start with, but I always want to do it. For me, I want to make the music industry here change. Whatever it may take," says Yoewono.

While Wibisana concludes, "We're going to be bigger than this."

These guys have been in concert all the way and as long as they work things out together, they will be here forever.

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