December/January, 1998
No. 032/VI/97
cover story
Christians in
Paradise
How Christianity came
to Bali
Once Upon a
New Years Eve
MC-ing a New Year's
Eve party during a
blackout
bali focus:
nusa dua and
jimbaran
The Origin of
Nusa Dua
A fable
People of a
Fertile Sea
The fishers of
Jimbaran beach
Center Stage
Steve Charles revamps
the Candraloka
Amphitheatre
Nusa Dua Nights
How to survive them
The Sacred
Wilderness
Colonial encounters with
Bali's southern peninsula
arts and
culture
Latter Day
Laksamana
A.A.M. Djelantik's
recently launched
autobiography
Kulkul
new Fiction by Gde
Aryantha Soethama
The Rat Pack
Who are Bali's literati?
beyond
bali
An Eddy in The
Counter of Time
Kayaking off the west
coast of Lombok
Round midnight at the
famed Lombok resort
regular
Fashion
Adventure
Into the blue
Food
Jewel of the southren rim
Jungle Drums
Bali Update
On the Road
Home Grown
Made Adi Putra
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Slick and Cool in Senggigi
The daytime streets of
Senggigi, Lombok are hot and lazy. Many shops are closed for siesta, tourists flock to the
beaches to escape the heat, local youths survey the street from atop motorcycles parked in
the shade. In the midday heat everything is slow-moving and calm. With the coolness of
night, things start to stir a little. Tourists head to the restaurants and cafes, and the
Lombok youth venture in for a party. At night, the Senggigi clubs are a magnet to revelers
from Mataram and beyond. The slick and cool come to this sleepy oasis to partake of a
different kind of entertainment than that on offer in the daylight hours. Considering its
small size, Senggigi has a disproportionate allotment of clubs and night-owl cafes. For
lovers of live music, many offer great entertainment. Moving from club to cafe one recent
weekend, I felt like I was at some kind of Senggigi folk festival, there was so much on
offer.
I started with the dinner line up at the Warung Ronaldo where an outdoor stage is home to a revolving selection of local musicians whose skill is first class. Musician and manager Markus Woti brings in the musicians and usually hops on stage to join them for a tune or two. The acoustic line up features folk favorites skillfully rendered and often with improvisational twists. Regular performers Yodi Astrianto and Yanny worked their way through a repertoire of Simon and Garfunkel, The Eagles, Elvis and pop classics with Yanny throwing in some amazing Spanish guitar solos that were so crisp they raised goose bumps. Woti, a big supporter and promoter of local talent, spoke with enthusiasm of the Lombok's musicians. This month the Warung Ronaldo is planning to host a music competition, inviting the entertainment planners from major hotels and restaurants in the area. The result, hopes Woti, is that the reputation of, and demand for, local musicians will spread far and wide. Some of the musicians said they have done stints in Bali, but prefer to return to the quieter pace in Lombok. Other musicians are hoping to hone their skills and expand their play list in hopes of eventually jumping islands.
There are three time sets of entertainment at the Senggigi folk fest. The dinner hour specials, like at Cafe Ronaldo, run from about 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. There are a few drinking and dancing places that may run until 1 or 2 a.m. and then there are the dance 'til sunrise discos.
The Blue Coral is another establishment that features early hour live music. The Blue Coral Band is a full line-up with two electric guitars, keyboard and drummer that serve up an eclectic brand of pop music. Oasis, Santana, Tracy Chapman, the Rolling Stones and the ubiquitous Bob Marley are belted out by Liugi, the band's sound man who doubles as its remarkably talented singer. The restaurant at the Bukit Senggigi Hotel also offers live acoustic music, as does the up-market Bayan Restaurant and the Blues Garden.
The infamous Pondok Senggigi (one of the first party palaces in Senggigi), the Bar Pasifik and the Marina Pub have full bands specializing in rock and reggae until about 2 a.m on weekends, 12 -12:30 a.m. on weekdays. The Bar Pasifik and Pondok Senggigi have the classic thatch roofed, open-air atmosphere, with the Bar Pasifik comfortably nestled on the roof atop of the main supermarket. The layout in both clubs offers a full view of the band and dance floor. The Marina Pub, however, offers a dark, smoky, neon setting. Here the band, illuminated in a constant flicker of red and green lights, is tucked into a corner of large dance floor. All patrons have a good view of the band and dance action from the multi-leveled layout of the surrounding seating area. On the topmost level, a large Coke sign provides most of the lighting for those more interested in a few games of pool. There is also a sidewalk patio where you can listen to the music, but not see the band, in fresher air.
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