From musician to entrepreneur, Danny Loong cofounded the $13 million Timbre group, which has provided a stage for local musicians to showcase their talent and for patrons to enjoy fine pizza and learn to play in a band.
The local music scene has seen several ups and downs. Mainly downs. What was a lively scene in the 1950s and ’60s faded away for a while before picking up in the ’80s. As the digital revolution kicked in, live music in Singapore was all but relegated to a distant memory. Bucking the trend, and spotting an opportunity, Danny Loong applied his love for the blues effectively by partnering it with tasty food and a school to feed the business with ongoing talent while building a stage to keep the music live.
He talks to STORM about the rise of Timbre.
STORM: What impact has Timbre had on the music scene in Singapore?
DANNY LOONG: Most importantly, Timbre has helped gain interest for live music among Singaporeans. We wanted to offer a venue where people could enjoy an evening of live music with their friends and fellow music lovers. We are happy that Timbre has also become a part of many of our customers’ lives. We have seen wedding proposals, birthday celebrations, hen parties and stag nights. So, other than the music, we are glad that our customers enjoy the atmosphere and the food and they are still coming back for more of the Timbre experience. As for the musicians, what’s perhaps most satisfying is that when we first started, only 10% were full-time as they still needed their day jobs to supplement their incomes. However, after seven years, with more opportunities and the expansion of the Timbre music eco-system, I am glad to say that about 50% of our musicians turned full-time as other than their regular paid club gigs, they also get to earn from teaching at the Timbre Music Academy and from the corporate engagements arranged and managed by Timbre. This proves that with the right business environment and strategy, creative spaces can attract a growing pool of regular music supporters and patrons (80-90% of Timbre’s patrons are local) and, of course, with hard work and dedication, musicians can make a professional career out of something they love.
STORM: What is the status of live music in Singapore today? How has it evolved over the years?
LOONG: The live music scene has taken some big steps compared to seven years ago before we started Timbre. The combination of having more arts-dedicated spaces such as the Esplanade and more live music venues opening, means Singapore has become a fantastic place for great live entertainment. Having said that, I think it’s also important to encourage and cultivate a strong local music scene showcasing original material by our own musicians. This builds up our cultural capital and value. It’s a step-by-step approach — a vibrant live music scene demands creativity from our musicians and we are doing our part to promote local musicians by organising and supporting songwriting projects. These have raised the profile of the songwriters thanks to the support of music lovers and fans at the events as well as via online social networks.
STORM: How did your journey originate?
LOONG: I started playing the guitar at age 14 in church, but the spark was triggered only two years later when a friend introduced me to Have You Ever Loved A Woman by Eric Clapton when he was with Derek and the Dominos. I taught myself how to play the piano and Hammond B3 and that came from watching boogie woogie legend Jimmy Yancey on television.
I was then introduced to the exciting nightlife of live music while working as a waiter at age 18 at the Chicago Bar & Grill in Duxton Road. I remember being fascinated by the bands performing there and that evolved into a personal dream to one day open a live music venue. After graduating with honours from Murdoch University with a Bachelor of Arts (Media Studies), I worked for nine years as a musician with Ublues, a band I startedwith my lead singer, Trevor Jalla. With Ublues, I was fortunate enough to perform and represent Singapore at international music festivals and other events in Spain, Italy, Memphis and Chicago in the United States, Australia’s Byron Bay and Perth, and Jakarta, Indonesia, among others. I developed a belief that Singapore bands can dream big and be recognised internationally. I wanted to be part of the process of supporting Singapore’s musicians and helping to bring them to the next level.
Playing the blues in Singapore was really tough as it was still ‘niche’ music then and there weren’t many blues bars around, but we got our break hosting a morning spot on 98.7FM with Rod Monteiro and Glenn Ong’s radio show “Five Guys and a Girl” — we were their regular Monday morning guests for their “Sing the Blues Mondays” segment. That helped propel the band to new heights and the gigs started coming in.
STORM: How did music lead to restaurants?
LOONG: The most important turning point was when I met my partner and Timbre co-founder Edward Chia when he invited Ublues to perform at an event organised by his youth arts organisation, Arts For Us All. We discovered that we have a common passion for Singapore music and hit it off, and at the time we were both looking to open a live music venue. We are the only two partners of the Timbre Group; he takes care of the business side of things and I look after the music, creative, marketing and public relations end of it. The bar and restaurant business is not exactly the easiest to be in, but we thought our concept of using the venue to support Singapore musicians was a unique one and decided to give it a go. We finally found a home at The Substation Garden and took the plunge to open Timbre in 2005, not knowing what was truly going to happen in the future.
STORM: Why has the Timbre concept proven to be a success?
LOONG: I think it’s the good mix of live music performances by our fantastic bands, both local resident bands and other artists visiting us once every month for different shows, the natural setting and the popularity of our pizzas which contributed to the success.
Timbre at Substation alone churns out up to 200 pizzas on a weekend night and our most popular topping — roasted duck in hoisin sauce — is a hit with our mostly local patrons.
The personal stories of both co-founders also attracted media attention and helped propel the Timbre brand in the early years. We have worked hard to be consistent and maintain the Timbre standard and that has helped keep us relevant and still attractive to consumers. Edward and I also benefitted from the support, partnerships and collaborations with agencies such as Singapore Tourism Board which has helped us tremendously in our journey. In 2010, STB awarded us “Tourism Entreprenuer Of The Year 2010”.
STORM: What are the challenges you face as an F&B entrepreneur? Where would you like to see greater assistance and support provided?
LOONG: Manpower is a challenge because a lot of Singaporeans don’t aspire to work in this particular field of the service industry. If there could be some assistance in hiring manpower, perhaps making it easier for F&B operators to hire from the region, that would help a lot. Our overall revenue for 2011 is S$13 million and we always challenge ourselves to improve our revenue figures each financial year.
STORM: What are your expansion plans?
LOONG: We’re looking to expand regionally; we’ve been floating some ideas but at the moment, nothing’s definite. What we have been doing is collaborating on projects, such as music exchange programmes with regional outfits like No Black Tie in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Basically, we bring our bands to KL on tour and they do the same here with their bands. This is an aspect of the business which we are focused on and we are exploring new working relationships with music businesses in other countries such as Canada, Australia, Philippines and Indonesia.
STORM: How comfortably does the musician co-exist with the businessman?
LOONG: To start and maintain a business requires a tremendous level of dedication and discipline. It took a while for me to find my comfort zone and it’s something I do struggle with at times, even now, but there is no other way around it and I have taken steps to work the business side of things more effectively.
It’s important to appreciate, and respect, all facets of the business. I’ve also had to learn not to be emotional and to look at situations and issues completely objectively which is hard to do for someone in the arts and creative field. It’s always about balance and ensuring that whatever it is, solve the problem and move on.
STORM: Who are your role models, in life and in music?
LOONG: I lean towards cultural and historical icons such as Bruce Lee, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, all of whom made an impact on society. I also have a deep respect for my parents and in general older Singaporeans who have had to struggle so much in the early years. I still listen to their stories of hardship and how they and their contemporaries overcame them. In terms of music, there are so many: Eric Clapton, BB King, Muddy Waters, Albert Collins and Buddy Guy strike me for their sincerity, heart and passion.
STORM: What’s the future strategy for the organisation?
LOONG: To grow and maintain the Timbre eco-system, that is, to get the different subsidiaries of Timbre to work better as a group. For me, the focus is also to stay passionate for the cause of live music in Singapore. It is the reason we started Timbre and we have to focus on how we can stay a part of that growth. Our company motto is “Nothing Without Passion” and that is the part of the company’s DNA which we will work hard to maintain. We have to stay creative and fresh in order to contribute to Singapore’s creative, arts and music landscape.
We also want to carry on with the good work that we’re doing with Timbre Music Academy, which is our music school set up in