http://www.friends-international.org/blog/?p=869

Friends International - The Like Me’s – first ChildSafe rock band in the world!

‘Ladies and Gentlemen, may we present the world’s first ChildSafe rock band… all the way from Northern California, its…Laura & the Like Me’s!’

No, not some elaborate joke, but the honest-to-goodness truth. Laura Mam and her three bandmates, Loren Alonzo, Helena Hong and Monique Coquilla, who are currently on tour in Cambodia, took time out from their hectic schedule to not only visit the FI office and the Mith Samlanh center in Phnom Penh, but to undertake training from our ChildSafe team.

The hotly-tipped band are the first rock group to have completed this training, and have very graciously agreed to be global ChildSafe Ambassadors, spreading the word on ChildSafe and the work of Friends-International wherever their travels take them. The all-female group are definitely musicians with a mission, ‘Healing through Expression, Interpreting Adversity, Celebrating Adventure’ being the tagline on their website. We’ll keep you up to date with how this exciting collaboration evolves in the coming weeks, but for the moment you can read (and hear) more about the Like Me’s on their website, http://thelikemes.com/

http://khmerican.com/2013/02/16/khmericans-must-watch-top-12-for-2013/1-laura-mam/

Khmerican’s Must Watch Top 12 for 2013

1. LAURA MAM

This year’s top honor goes to the fastest-rising musical talent in Khmer America—San Jose’s Laura Mam. While at UC Berkeley, Mam was already generating buzz in her circle, performing for YouTubers and at Cambodian Student Association functions. But not until the formation of the all-girl quartet The Like Me’s did Mam’s music career blossom. Two viral tracks in 2010 paved the way: an original Khmer song, co-written by Mam’s mother Thida Buth, called “Pka Proheam Rik Popreay” released in February and a hip remake of the Pan Ron classic “Sva Rom Monkiss” in April. And 750,000 views later, Cambodia began calling, not once but three times—for concerts, interviews, and public appearances. With her trailblazing success, Mam has prompted a new willingness in Cambodia to open its arms to creative professionals from overseas. “My goals as a Cambodian American artist are focused solely on bridging the gap between the diaspora and our homeland,” Mam told Khmerican from Paris. “It is my greatest hope that others can follow a bridge I am building so that those abroad can come and fall in love with our home in the same way I did and contribute to national growth.” With that goal in mind, Mam has set 2013 as the year to return to her acoustic roots; she will be going public with a new solo EP in English and Khmer. Furthermore, Mam has a Khmer documentary project in the works to be announced shortly. “This year is definitely going to be a ‘work hard, play hard’ kind of year,” said Mam.

- See more at: http://khmerican.com/2013/02/16/khmericans-must-watch-top-12-for-2013/1-laura-mam/#sthash.3KM7qIUp.dpuf

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/7days/global-voice-khmer-music

Phnom Penh Post: A global voice for Khmer music

Khmer-American singer Laura Mam and her band The Like Me’s have finally made the jump from internet to television with the release of their first music video, Pka Proheam Rik Popreaym (Morning Flowers Blossoming) on CTN and MyTV, while a second video – Sva Rom Monkiss (Monkey Dance Monkey) – will have its TV debut as early as today.

The all-girl band – two Khmer-American and two Filipino-American members – has a large following here and among the Southeast Asian community in the States, but it has its sights set on a much larger audience.

“One of my ambitions has always been to fly the flag for Cambodia’s music overseas. With my background and upbringing, I think that I am in a unique position to do just that,” Laura Mam told 7Days. “When it comes to music, Cambodia has always had a lot to offer – to the country and to the world.”

The Like Me’s style – blending traditional Khmer music with pop and rhythm and blues – has drawn more than a million hits on their website, while their single Morning Flowers Blossoming has had more than 500,000.

Over the next year they plan to release nine songs: three will be covers of Cambodian classics and the other six will be written by the band, whose mission is to help revive Cambodia’s once vibrant music scene by showing that originality works.

They also plan to release English versions of some of their songs. “We intend to write and produce as much of our music as possible,” Laura Mam said

“Cambodia is ripe for new and original music. While on tour last year in Cambodia, something struck me and has stayed with me since. The Cambodian youth, whether abroad or in Cambodia, all share one trait: they are hungry – hungry for honesty, creativity, modernity and identity. I think that our generation has the heavy responsibility of honouring our past and yet finding a new voice for the future.”

Laura Mam will return to Cambodia next week, and the rest of her band will follow.

http://www.thecambodiaherald.com/cambodia/detail/1?page=14&token=Y2NmMjA5OTQwN2ExNzhlYmRhYTU4YTBmYWRkNTJm

The Cambodia Herald: Laura Mam and The Like Me's to Debut on Cambodian Television

PHNOM PENH (Cambodia Herald) - California-based Cambodian singer Laura Mam and her all-girl band The Like Me’s are planning to launch their first music video on Cambodian television.

Their song, "Pka Proheam Rik Popreay", will be broadcast by CTN, MYTV and CTN International and will also be available as a ringtone and call tune through Cellcard. It has already been viewed hundreds of thousands of times on the internet.

"Our song has been warmly welcomed by ordinary Cambodians on the internet and when we performed directly in Cambodia last year," Laura Mam said. "We're now delighted to be able to officially promote our song to our Cambodian fans."

She says The Like Me’s plan to release nine songs this year, three covers of old classics and six original songs. English versions of seven songs will also be broadcast in Cambodia.

"We think Cambodians need a sound, that is, the original sound. And we want to become that sound. That's why we intend to write and create as many of our own songs as possible."

After "Pka Proheam Rik Popreay," the band expects to release another music video of a song called "Sva Rom Monkiss" which has been viewed 100,000 times on the band’s website.

Apart from Laura Mam, the Like Me’s comprises Cambodian-American Helena Hong and Filipina-Americans Monique Coquilla and Loren Alonzo.

- See more at: http://www.thecambodiaherald.com/cambodia/detail/1?page=14&token=Y2NmMjA5OTQwN2ExNzhlYmRhYTU4YTBmYWRkNTJm#sthash.1y10yb2o.dpuf

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126976258

NPR: Seeking Inspiration From Cambodian History

Cambodian-American singer-songwriter Laura Mam shares her soulful sound with NPR's Tell Me More.

You would not tell from her sweet-as-honey voice and gentle lyrics that Laura Mam's family history has been one of pain and struggle.

Her parents managed to escape the brutal regime of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge, but many of their family members were less fortunate. Mam's father lost both of his parents and four of his five brothers. Throughout Mam's life, he refused to talk about the painful memories. Yet, despite the silence she was able to learn bits and pieces about her family's past from a book written by Mormon relief workers who helped Mam's family get to the United States.

"There are a lot of broken chains that people...they don't want to necessarily talk about because it was very painful. I've been very lucky to know just a little bit of history because most Cambodian kids don't know much about their parents at all," Mam explains.

But in addition to the millions of lives, the viciousness of the regime also did not spare the cultural life of the country.

"Cambodian music after the war — the Khmer Rouge, was so intent on destroying everything that existed beforehand; they got rid off everything. They got rid of all the artists, all the intellectuals and they did not want this to be known," says Mam.

Now, the recent UC Berkley graduate, together with her band, The Like Me's, have made it their mission to revive the long lost, thriving Cambodian music scene of the 1960s.

"It inspires me to want to hold onto something and to know who I am because it feels like everything has been forgotten and left in shadow," Mam says. "And I'd like for our generation to bring that back to light because often times we grow up not knowing much about ourselves at all."

As a tribute to Pan Ron, one of Cambodia's first female singer-songwriters who perished during the regime, Mam and her band did a cover of her famous song — "Sva Rom Monkiss."

Mam and The Like Me's have only been able to record a few songs with the help of friends and family in garage studios. However, their powerful music and message of hope has turned them into an inspiration for the Cambodian community all over the United States.

"I really want to kind of show Cambodians that we have so much that we have forgotten and if we were just to remember it through music then we could have a good time while also becoming self-conscious in a way," Mam says.

http://www.voacambodia.com/content/the-like-mes-strike-a-chord-in-cambodia-117401043/1359162.html

VOA Khmer: The Like Me’s Strike a Chord in Cambodia

Laura Mam and her band, The Like Me’s, are a new group that is fast gaining popularity in the US. The band is on a quick tour of Cambodia that ends with a free show Saturday night at Phnom Penh’s Diamond Island.

Born in the US, 24-year-old Mam says she hopes her music will reach even more people in the homeland of her parents.

The local band from San Jose, Calif., plays original music as well as a cover of the 1960s hit, “Sva Roam Monkiss.”

Mam plays guitar and sings. Her Cambodian-American cousin, Helena Hong, 31, plays bass. Mam says her songs reach two generations of Cambodians and have prompted discussions between the generations about their similarities.

Mam writes and sings original songs that have proven popular with young Cambodian-Americans in search of a voice.

Mam says she hopes her music will reach more people on this Cambodian tour, but she never expected to find so many fans here already.

“I thought Cambodians didn’t know who we were, but now that we’re in Cambodia, we already have fans here,” Mam said between shows in Siem Reap recently. “They came to the stage and asked us questions. And there were journalists asking us a lot of questions. So I’m very excited, and I feel like a rock star.”

The Nov. 22 Diamond Bridge tragedy led her to write a song dedicated to the victims, called “Diamonds.” The slow ballad, in Khmer and English, compares the victims of the tragedy to diamonds that will shine forever.

Fans and new listeners can hear Laura Mam and The Like Me’s on Saturday night at 6 pm in a free concert at Phnom Penh’s Diamond Island. It will be the last show the band has in Cambodia. At least for now.

http://www.expat-advisory.com/articles/southeast-asia/cambodia/air-guitar-and-apsara-dancing-crowd-loves-mes

Expat Advisory: Air Guitar and Apsara Dancing: The Crowd Loves the Like Me's

At the end of a dusty, half-abandoned mall, Parkway Studios is a multi-tiered concert hall hewn from a thick concrete that gives it a subterranean feel. Early in the evening, Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind” was blasting over the crowd as KlapYaHandz prepared to take the stage. Loosened-up Expats were putting in dance work, as you’d expect. The more conservative Cambodian half of the crowd was mostly standing still or taking iPhone pictures – again, as expected.

Suddenly, classic Khmer music surged through the speakers. Some expats paused, mid-groove, but the Khmer crowd surged to life as KlapYaHandz rapped over the kind of music you usually hear at Khmer karaoke. KlapYaHandz held their shoulders with the loose swagger of hiphop, but their hands traced the precise, exquisite paths of Khmer dance.

It was a fitting opening for the Cambodian-American Like Me’s. “They bring a lot of new style and they have that Khmer style in there,” explains KlapYaHandz’s Lisha, who joined Laura Mam on vocals for an emotional duet after rapping for KlapYaHandz’s set. Lisha also performed with the Like Me’s at Bayon Temple.

The Like Me’s took the stage to thunderous applause. Laura Mam walked out with rockstar confidence, clearly accustomed to her band’s celebrity reception in Cambodia; Monique Coquilla (drums) stopped, still incredulous, to take a picture of the wild crowd. Once Loren Alonzo (keyboard) and Helena Hong (bass) took their places and a last-minute sound issue was fixed, the Like Me’s started their set.

Though they’ve spent most of their careers on the other side of the world, YouTube had already brought the Like Me’s into Cambodian homes before their tour. Many expats hadn’t heard of the Like Me’s before they arrived in Cambodia, but much of the Cambodian audience had been eagerly following the band in America. “Most of them know about them through YouTube,” says Lisha, who accesses her hip-hop influences through the site as well. She and Mam had struck up a musical relationship before meeting in person – “we’re connected online, we chat here and there,” she says, but of course, “right here face to face we had a lot more chances to exchange experiences. We thought of two songs while we were backstage waiting to perform at Bayon Temple.”

The Like Me’s YouTube following was out in force on Thursday. Introducing one song in Khmer, Mam invited the audience to sing along, suggesting they might know the words – and they did. Some Khmer women in the audience had even, it seemed, prepared choreography in advance of the concert. In a move not often seen at rock shows, they formed small dance lines and moved in practiced uniformity.

Most Cambodians were more spontaneous, shaking their butts, throwing their hands up and jumping around, all pre-concert calm forgotten. At least one Khmer man proudly displayed his skills on the air guitar. The expat community, for its part, kept up, unable to sing along but easily moved by the fresh, catchy rock songs.

It was an emotional concert for the Cambodian-Americans touring their homeland, featuring songs like “Refugee,” written “for Cambodians living in the diaspora, who miss it,” explained Mam, and “Devotion,” a rock ballad “from my grandma” that showcased the Like Me’s frontwoman’s formidable guitar skills.

When asked how Cambodian audiences compare to American crowds, “I have to say the Khmer audience is way more rocking, they get a lot more excited, the energy is really thick, you feel crazy on stage,” says Mam.

The audience welcomed the Like Me’s home with open arms, waving Cambodian flags and shouting declarations of love in English and Khmer between songs. For their first number, the Like Me’s were accompanied by a children’s chorus standing in a balcony; only two had microphones, but the roughly 30 students in matching t-shirts all sang as loud and earnestly as if the whole hall could hear them.

There was no one who wasn’t dancing to the Like Me’s final number, Sva Rom Monkiss, a classic Khmer song rendered in the style of 60s rock. “This is an old song!” exclaimed a surprised French-born Cambodian who is apparently not one of the 76,000 people who have watched the YouTube Video. “This is an old song but it is new!” he shouted, dancing like crazy with the rest of the full hall.

The Like Me’s are part of a growing movement to make Cambodia’s mark on international music. “For the young generation, they don’t really pay attention to an older or traditional song,” says Lisha, and their music tastes can run towards Cambodian bands merely parroting Western styles – “it’s embarrassing." Lisha may be a hip hop, but she brings a thoroughly Cambodian spin to music: "I used to be an apsara dancer, I studied that at university, I know my culture," she says proudly. "I want to put in hip hop culture and rock culture and combine them.”

“We hope that this story speaks to ending the silence between the young and old Cambodian generations,” Mam writes on Sva Rom Monkiss’ YouTube page. “It’s about time that we make this small but necessary effort to understand ourselves by understanding each other.”

After the show, the band was energized by their reception. “Tonight we saw people singing along and dancing, my eyeballs were bulging when I saw all the people” reacting, said Helena Hong. “It was beyond anything. I think it’s changed us in that we’re ready to do more and keep going.”

Back in the states, the rock stars all have day jobs. “This is our vacation,” says Mam, laughing. “We don’t even know what the real definition of rock star is but this is pretty damn cool.”

The Like Me's play a free concert at Koh Pich tonight before flying back to the United States Sunday morning.

http://www.lepetitjournal.com/cambodge/a-voir-a-faire/loisirs-et-shopping/73674-musique-the-like-mes-le-girls-band-made-in-asie

Le Petit Journal: MUSIQUE – The Like Me’s, le girls band made in Asie

Elles sont quatre. Jeunes, belles, pétillantes, talentueuses et aux prémices d’une carrière musicale prometteuse. Elles ce sont The Like Me’s, le groupe mené par la chanteuse khmère américaine Laura Mam.

La musique comme remède aux peines de coeur. Un refrain maintes fois fredonné mais toujours aussi efficace. C’est donc suite à des déboires sentimentaux, que le quatuor en provenance de San José en Californie composé de la chanteuse et guitariste Laura, de la bassiste Helena, toutes deux Khmères Américaines, de Monique à la batterie et Loren au clavier, originaires des Philippines, s’est constitué en mars 2009. “La chanson est comme un exutoire, elle nous a permis de nous remettre de nos chagrins respectifs”, confie Laura, la parolière du groupe. Guérison et passion de la musique ont été les leitmotivs du premier girls band asiatique. Résultat de la rencontre de ces quatre jeunes femmes meurtries, un savant cocktail de douces ballades romantiques et de mélodies pop endiablées, chantées en anglais, français et khmer.

Un vent de fraîcheur sur la scène cambodgienne
Aux influences éclectiques, The Like Me’s se positionnent dans un registre rock alternatif-Rn’B-hip hop. “Nos références ? Lauren Hill, Incubus, Lady Gaga, Alicia Keys, Carlos Santana... et des groupes locaux !”, énumèrent-elles à tour de rôle. Via la Toile, le groupe se fait peu à peu connaître du grand public. C’est en effet en postant des vidéos de reprises de classiques khmers sur YouTube que Laura a fait le buzz l’année dernière.
Fier de ses origines, le quatuor souhaite insuffler un vent nouveau à la scène musicale du sud-est asiatique. “Nous voulons faire découvrir ou redécouvrir la musique cambodgienne en reprenant des standards oubliés, mais aussi encourager les jeunes artistes féminines d’Asie à vivre pleinement leur passion”, explique la chanteuse.
En tournée au Cambodge pour la première fois, le girls band, créé à l’origine juste pour le fun, et encore surpris de sa notoriété naissante, enchaîne les concerts et rêve aujourd’hui de jouer dans les quatre coins du monde. “Nous rêvons de nous produire à Paris ! C’est une ville que nous adorons !”, s’exclament en choeur Laura et Helena. En attendant de partir à la conquête de l’Hexagone, The Like Me’s poursuivent leur périple à la rencontre du public cambodgien. Le groupe se produira le 27 au FCC Angkor et le 3 mars à Phnom Penh au Parkway studios.

Solina Prak (www.lepetitjournal.com/cambodge.htlm) jeudi 24 février 2011
Laura Mam et son groupe The Like Me’s en concert le 3 mars à 20h, au Parkway studios, 133 boulevard Mao Tsedoung. 8 dollars la place.
Billets en vente aux enseignes suivantes : Java Café, Equinox, Rubies, Promesses, Comptoir, CLA, Brown coffee, Lyon d’Or, Esquisse.
Infos et réservations : 012 209 614 ou contact@anvaya.info
Pour plus d’infos : www.thelikemes.com ou bookings@thelikemes.com
Les recettes du concert seront reversées aux associations Anvaya Initiative et Cambodia Living Arts.

http://www.hyphenmagazine.com/blog/archive/2011/06/bittersweet-issue-release-party-artist-spotlight-mes

Hyphen Asian America Unabridged: Bittersweet Release Party Artist Spotlight

Hyphen's San Francisco Bittersweet Issue Release Party

Date: Friday, June 3, 2011

Time: 9:30pm-2am

Place: 111 Minna Gallery (SF)

Get ready, Bay Area! Hyphen had a blast at our L.A. party, but we're returning to San Francisco for our Bittersweet Issue Release Party on June 3rd! We've got a lot of great music acts set to entertain, including The Like Me's, an eclectic, all-female group on a mission to revive the Cambodian music scene.

The Bay Area group describe themselves as an "alternative/R&B/pop" band, and they sound like the best mash-up of their diverse influences: you'll hear anything from hip-hop to Mary J. Blige to house and experimental music. The Like Me's began in 2009, when Loren Alonzo, Helena Hong, Monique Coquilla and Laura Mam decided to take a difficult experience and transform it into something positive. After undergoing simultaneous break-ups, they used music as their escape and outlet for expression. Out of that, The Like Me's were born.

From the sugary '60s-style dance-pop of "Sva Rom Monkiss" to the jazzy, ambient soul of "Music Love," The Like Me's transform a multiplicity of musical stylings into something that everyone can understand. The band's ethnic roots remain a driving force in their music: they perform songs in English, Cambodian and French, and hope to inspire other young Southeast Asians to find power through creative expression.

"None of us have seen real Southeast Asian women music groups," says Laura Mam. "We want to take that history of victimization and of a drifting identity, to one of empowerment and healing." Citing Cambodia's turbulent history and ensuing diaspora, The Like Me's feel honored to be part of the movement to re-ignite a Cambodian music scene.

The group recently did a tour of Cambodia this past February, where they received an enthusiastic response from audiences. "I’m one of two Filipinos in the group, and I had a really wonderful experience [in Cambodia]," says Monique Coquilla. "I spent a lot of time in a Cambodian home, but there’s nothing like being in the homeland."

The Like Me’s have a busy schedule ahead of them -- they'll play shows in Modesto and L.A. over the summer, and plan to get into the studio and create more music for their fans across the globe.

We guarantee that by the end of the night, like us, you'll be loving the music of The Like Me's.

- See more at: http://www.hyphenmagazine.com/blog/archive/2011/06/bittersweet-issue-release-party-artist-spotlight-mes#sthash.UmflCmzQ.dpuf

http://www.fcccambodia.com/newsletter/0211/like-me.php

FCC Cambodia Monthly Newsletter: The Like Me's

The Like Me's, the world's only all-Cambodian girl band, is gearing up for its debut tour of the Kingdom.

The Like Me's are on a mission.

Since 2009, the California-based quartet has been promoting the sounds of Cambodia's oft forgotten 1960s-era music scene in an attempt to rekindle the Kingdom's "Golden Era" of music.

And while it's foreign audiences who are usually most mesmerized, the music, says the band, is aimed squarely at homeland hearts and minds.

"I really want to show Cambodians that we have so much that we have forgotten, and if we were just to remember it through music then we could have a good time while also becoming self-conscious in a way," band front-woman Laura Mam told National Public Radio in the US.

A recent University of California at Berkley graduate, Mam got together with Monique Coquilla and Helena Hong and formed The Like Me's in March 2009. Keyboardist Loren Alonso later joined the trio, and the band has worked with different bassists including Ben Everett of Case in Theory and Raymond Bernal of Fake Republic.

Mam and The Like Me's have sustained a growing international following through press coverage and YouTube videos. Mam's online anthem to quitting drugs, title "Smoke Weed," has garnered nearly 100,000 views.

The band performs songs in English, Khmer and French.

"It inspires me to want to hold onto something and to know who I am because it feels like everything has been forgotten and left in a shadow"
—Laura Mam

The Like Me's made a tribute to Pan Ron, a Cambodian female singer-songwriter who died during the Khmer Rouge regime, by doing a cover of her song, "Sva Rom Monkiss."

The band's desire to revive the pre-war Cambodian music scene stems from concerns over the way the Khmer Rouge destroyed the local music industry, which continued to stagnant for many years afterward.

"It inspires me to want to hold onto something and to know who I am because it feels like everything has been forgotten and left in a shadow," Mam said in the radio interview in the US. "And I'd like for our generation to bring back the light because often times we grow up not knowing much about ourselves at all."

The effects that the Khmer Rouge regime had on Cambodia society is an issue that is close to Mam. While Mam's parents managed to escaped the brutal regime, other family members did not.

Her father lost both of his parents and four of his five brothers. er father never discussed those painful memories, and Mam learned a lot about her family's past from a book written by Mormon relief workers who helped her family get to the US.

"There are a lot of broken chains that people ... they don't want to necessarily talk about because it was very painful. I've been very lucky to know just a little bit of history because most Cambodian kids don't know much about their parents at all," Mam told NPR.

http://www.cambodianallianceforthearts.com/laura-mam-her-all-female-band-%E2%80%9Cthe-like-me%E2%80%99s:%E2%80%9D/

Cambodian Alliance For the Arts: Laura Mam & Her All-Female Band, “The Like Me’s”

Similar to Sex and the City, the Like Me’s consists of four females, half of which are Cambodian and the other half Filipina. With different talents and varied ages, they complement one another to form a unique sound. The R&B/Alternative/& Pop Southeast Asian American band is much like the Cambodian Alliance for the Arts since they target both a global and domestic audience to accomplish their mission; to empower and to heal. Just like any crew or organization, the band was established through common experiences and interests. It was due to painful, personal breaks-ups that the ladies formed a common bond and decided to empower and unite themselves as the Like Me’s. It often takes an accident of fate to bring people together, but from this chance occurrence, new beginnings arise…

The all female band focuses on performing songs that bring back Cambodian classics (Sva Rom Monkiss) from before the Khmer Rouge era. They sing songs in Khmer, English and French. As a Southeast Asian all female band, they hope to inspire the younger generation both in Southeast Asia and in the western world. By providing an outlet for the Southeast Asian community, the Like Me’s are making history, one country at a time…now they are on their way to Cambodia!

With constant laughter and happiness the divas joined me for a Skype interview. The band members; Helena Hong, Loren Alonzo, Laura Mam and Monique Coquilla (from left to right in above picture), seemed to be both nervous and excited. I spoke with them about how they got started, how they are as a band, and how they feel about their upcoming tour in Cambodia on February 13th. Lead singer and guitarist Laura Mam explains how the Like Me’s got started. She hopes that fans can similarly find empowerment and healing by turning to art:

The Like Me’s got together through heartbreak. I mean all of us by different people. But thanks to those people, we got together. We made music together. Then we found our healing process in each other. We found ourselves through music. It was incredible because we spent time expressing ourselves. Being honest with our music and sharing it. In the end, we created a lifetime friendship due to the broken hearts. So really our message is about empowerment and healing. In other words, finding yourself by digging deep, finding who you are, and actually having the courage to express it in whatever form that isn’t violence or drugs. You can actually take that energy and put it into something you actually love in many art forms.

Who is in the band (Name, instrument play, nationality & age)?
Like Me’s: Laura Mam- Guitar & Vocals (Cambodian, 24), Monique Coquilla- Drums (Filipino, 25), Loren Alonzo- Keyboard (Filipino, 24), Helena Hong- Bass (Cambodian, 31).

Where were you born?
Laura Mam, Loren Alonzo, and Monique Coquilla were all born in the United States. Helena Hong was born in Cambodia in the middle of the jungle while her family was escaping from the Khmer Rouge regime.

Where are you based?
We are based in San Jose, California.

How did you start the band? Are you friends? Or did you just meet?
Monique: I grew up with Helena a little bit. Loren and Laura were middle and high school friends. In March 2009 the three of us (Laura, me, and Helena) got together just for fun and started to play at open mic, local bars, and house parties. About a year later, Loren joined the group. Two years later here we are, the Like Me’s.
Helena: Loren and I are first cousins and that is how we are connected.
Loren: We are basically friends and family.

What is the dynamic of the group?
Helena: The dynamic is getting four creative women together who all have a common goal, which is making music that we love and makes us feel good when we are playing it. The dynamic is really great because we also listen to each other and all want the same things as long as we are together.

How did you come up with the band name, the Like Me’s? What is the significance?
Helena: It took all of four days for us to come up with the name of the band. Before our first show after writing our first song, we were a little under the gun looking for a group name. It was homework for all three of us; me, Laura and Monique to come up with the name. We regrouped the night before our first performance, ran down the list of names, and for me personally, I was just sitting down on the couch with my roommate, and was looking for a name that wasn’t too serious and wasn’t too fun or too anything. When I (Helena) came up with the Like Me’s, it was one of those things that kind of rolls off the tongue. After we played our first show and they introduced us as the Like Me’s and we started telling people we are the Like Me’s, it gained a little bit of notice. Besides wanting to be fun, after we had a little bit of time to be a band, developed our sound, and relationship in general, us four women came together as a group. It has taken on all definitions as far as learning to like yourself, and teaching others to do the same and liking what we do. There are many plays on the word “like” in any kind of dimension in our lives. So the name kind of grows to be more than just a catchy name for our band.
Laura: It could be anything. For example, please like me or it could be like, you know, you like me. Or you better like me. It could be whatever you want it to be because everybody has a similarity with everyone else. It is a connected word; it connects all of us in a way.

Who writes your songs?
Loren: Usually I come up with the sound through the piano. Then, Monique would just jam with me. She would make up some beats. Followed by Helena playing the baseline. Finally, Laura usually does the writing. She would come up with the lyrics and add the guitar.
Laura: I normally write the lyrics in English. My mom actually helps write Khmer lyrics. She actually turned out to be more of a poet than we imagined. I think she enjoys doing the writing and it’s a nice way for her to get her work out there. As it turns out she is as much as an artist as the rest of us are.

Do you sing/write music to share because of your political views? If so, in what way do you express this?
Laura: We are not political. We like to stay neutral. Cambodia has a lot of issues in the country right now, but our focus is empowering the individual. I don’t think we are in the position to sway or have a political sway. It’s not really our arena. What we rather see is Cambodian youth and the younger generation find empowerment among themselves because that is what’s lacking. We are more focusing on nurturing our own community as opposed to trying to control what is going on in the political arena.

Who is your audience? Do you have a fan base?
Laura: We are targeting the Cambodian communities not only the youth, but everybody. In general, we want to target everybody, all Southeast Asians, all females and Americans too. Our fan bases are Cambodian and Southeast Asian with Internet access, especially through YouTube.

What is the best show you ever played?
Monique: We recently had a send off show where we wanted to perform for our friends and family at our favorite spot in downtown, San Jose, CA. It was a perfect way to say goodbye to our friends before we left on our tour to Cambodia. They brought such great energy. The sound system was off the hook! We had so much support and fun on stage that we were floating. We are actually still floating.

Who are your influences?
Helena: Laura and I grew up with really strong women in our family. They all came here as refugees. For me personally, I would have to say my family. They are huge influences on me.
Monique: I would say my dad. He is a big music guy. He was my basketball coach throughout my entire life.
Loren: My mom is a great inspiration to me. She actually wanted me to take piano lessons since I was five years old because it was her dream. Now, I am a piano teacher.
Laura: Just like these girls, my parents are my biggest support. I mean in everything that I do. Both of my parents are music lovers. They just wanted me to live life as full as possible.

Like Sex and the City, do you party or are you straight edge?
Helena: All of us are very good dancers. We love to dance. As you can tell it takes a lot of hard work from all of us. We are equal hard work and equal fun. We know when to be in good times, but we also know when to be on point.

What do your parents think about the music you play from their generation?
Laura: Our parents are totally a part of it. The music video of the “Sva Rom Monkiss” is from the real life story of Helena’s mom. Growing up her mom really loved that song and was always telling us about it and how it brings her back to her past. If you watch the video it has all real characters, Helena and her mom. With songs like those we want to reconnect parents and children. We want Khmer kids to ask their parents, “Did you also party? What music did you used to party with?”
Helena: That cold stare my mom was giving me. That was real! My mom is funny like that.

I heard you’re leaving to Cambodian soon, when and how do you feel?
Helena: We are leaving next Friday (February 11). We are actually very excited! Neither of our Filipinos has been to Cambodia. This will be their first time! Both Laura and I have been there; this will be our fifth trip back.
Laura: It feels like a dream come true. When our band started two years ago, we only used to dream about one day traveling to Cambodia and we would sit around the dinner table fantasizing about it, and now that it is a reality, it feels like a dream come true.

Loren and Monique, what kinds of tips have you been getting to help you prepare for Cambodia?
Monique: We have just been told to not drink the water, watch what we eat, and have a buddy system. I just got my vaccination shots, so I should be ok.

What do you look forward to most on your first tour to Cambodia?
Helena: Besides food hunting and getting cheap massages, all of us are really looking forward to playing music!

What do you hope to gain out of this tour?
Laura: One thing that we hope to gain out of this tour are new fans. I hope to meet more interesting people. Cambodians are well known for their kindness and for being very sweet and humble.

Who are your sponsors for the Cambodian tour?
Laura: The Like Me’s are being sponsored by the non-profit Friends of Khmer Culture (FOKI) on this music tour. Our hope is to raise awareness for their great work especially at the Banteay Chhmar project. The Like Me’s are thrilled to be supporting Banteay Chhmar, a project that actively deals with issues of unsustainable tourism, which will soon become a major issue for Cambodia and its future.

Besides Cambodia, where else do you want the band to go on tour? Is the Philippines next?
All girls: Yes, Philippines!
Helena: We want to go anywhere that people want us to play our music.
Laura: We are looking at an East coast tour, maybe France, Sweden, Australia, and many more countries ahead.

What else do you have in store for this year?
Helena: Our Cambodian tour starts February 13 and will end in March 2011. You can check out our website at thelikemes.com for the list of the shows. Check out our newly released song, “Music Love.”
Laura: We are currently working on songs with Helena for the stampede victims in Cambodia. Traditionally in Cambodian culture when someone dies, we wait for a hundred days to honor his or her death. It will be one hundred day after November 22nd; the song will be released on March 1st, 2011. It is called “Pich,” which mean diamond. This is our way to remember those who lost their lives during the stampede. Click here to Stampede Victims Information

Do you have an album? If so, where can we access this?
Laura: We currently don’t have an album. It costs too much for us to make one at the moment. However, we do have demo that our fans can purchase from our website.

What are your future goals as a band?
Laura: Our hope and dream is to make this lifestyle sustainable. That way of life is making music; hopefully inspiring people and reuniting a cause through music.

What advice do you give to people who want to start their own band and go on tour?
Monique: Find your influence. Start there and do whatever you can to do it. Use resources like YouTube. Use the people around you. Don’t stop. It will be a long way, but if you keep going and don’t give up, you will get there. Go find your network.
Helena: Starting the band is the hardest part. Going on tour is the easy part. I didn’t learn how to play an instrument until later in life. Like Monique just said, you really need to love what you do and don’t stop.

Do you think you are a role model in the Cambodian Community?
Laura: I think that is difficult question. I don’t recommend this lifestyle to everyone, only if you like music. I think we are role models in that we encourage you loving what you do and what your passions are in that aspect alone we are role models. As a Southeast Asian American band, we are well aware of the feeling of being under represented and somewhat feeling like a lost minority in this world. The Like Me’s came together as a result of simultaneous heartbreak. However, we were able to find our empowerment together in writing the music, finding ourselves in it, and healing ourselves with it. We wish to spread this ability among so many other young Southeast Asians in the very same position that we once were. We only hope to see our young brothers and sisters find their answers by looking deeper.

What is your favorite Khmer dish?
Monique: Babaw
Laura: Samlor machu Kreoung
Helena: I like everything
Loren: Anything with eggs

http://www.cseashawaii.org/2010/12/the-like-mes/

Center for Southeast Asian Studies, University of Hawaii: The Like Me's

This week we have a special treat for our CSEAS audience as we bring you a month of songs from The Like Me’s! Each week we will showcase a different song from this up-and-coming band!

The ears of our entire office were smiling when we initially heard The Like Me’s a month ago. This unique group hails from California, but they have shown their love and devotion to Khmer music by showcasing modern Cambodian music is alive. We applaud their efforts and invite everyone to check out the amazing talent of these four women! We guarantee your ears will fall in love, too…

The Like Me’s are an R & B/Alternative/Pop band that started in March of 2009. Bonded by simultaneous heartbreaks and empowered by the love of music, members Loren Alonzo, Helena Hong, Monique Coquilla and Laura Mam found solace in making music and performing. Their inspiration was founded on the ideals of music and art as a means to heal and empower all while having fun. Though the ideology hasn’t changed, they have grown with a new keyboardist, Loren Alonzo, and have worked with different bassists to help nurture their current sound. They include Ben Everett (Case In Theory) and Raymond Bernal (Fakepublic).

The Like Me’s creed still stands as, “Healing through Expression, Interpreting Adversity, and Celebrating Adventure.”

Although The Like Me’s are a Northern California-based band, their audience has expanded nationally and internationally through viral exposure such as YouTube and press coverage. Their fan base is quite diverse; however, they are extremely popular among Southeast Asian youth and Cambodian communities around the world because of their efforts to re-establish a Cambodian music scene. The band performs songs in English, Cambodian and French.

Over the last 30 years, Cambodia has been recovering from a state of post-war devastation following the 1975-1979 genocide that took place during the Vietnam War. Since then, the Cambodian music scene has been limited at best and prone to copying musical compositions from neighboring or influential countries. The Like Me’s have made it one of their goals to reverse this trend and re-spark a lively tradition and appreciation of original music in Cambodia. In addition, the all-female band is attempting to achieve Southeast Asian female representation in the international music scene and hope to inspire other young Southeast Asians. Given many of the similar social problems found in contemporary Southeast Asian communities domestically and internationally, The Like Me’s hope to discourage negative outlets of expression and encourage the next generation to find healing, understanding and empowerment through the expression of art.

http://blog.angryasianman.com/2010/05/music-video-sva-rom-monkiss-by-laura.html

MUSIC VIDEO: "SVA ROM MONKISS" BY LAURA MAM OF THE LIKE ME'S

Laura Mam a UC Berkeley graduate who's trying to revive the coolness of Khmer music, and from the looks of it, doing an awesome job. She's bridging the gap. Here's a little more story behind the music video:
After 3 months of planning, creating, networking, shopping (lots of shopping), story-boarding, daydreaming and then MORE re-planning...its finally here!!!

I have finally consolidated all my music--English and Khmer--with my band and will be making music with The Like Mes. This is our rendition of the infamous Pan Rons Sva Rom Monkiss. We hope that this story speaks to ending the silence between the young and old Cambodian generations. In my belief, it is about time that we make that small but necessary effort to understand ourselves by understanding each other.

This is dedicated to the incredible Cambodian musicians of the 60s, may their spirit live on in all of us and may they bless us with the ability to express ourselves once again.

A HUGE THANK YOU to every single person that contributed to making this video. It is this communitys heart and soul that you are witnessing, so please share in the love.
For more from Laura Mam, check out this video for "Pka Proheam Rik Popreay," an original mostly-in-Khmer song that showcases her beautiful voice. Also see her YouTube channel here, and this article from The Phnom Penh Post: Speaking through songs. (Thanks, Quynh.)

http://activate.metroactive.com/2012/02/the-like-mes-go-viral-headline-gals-rock/

The Like Me’s Go Viral, Headline ‘Gals Rock’

At one show on their Cambodian tour last year, South Bay all-girl rock band the Like Me’s played for over 5,000 people. This was less than two years after their first show ever—at Iguanas Taqueria in San Jose. Their bass player, Helena Hong, had only just started playing the bass four days earlier.

The band, who headline the “Gals Rock” show at X Bar on Saturday, has never confined their music to any one genre. They play rock, funk, R & B, folk, reggae, or whatever else they feel like, but in the beginning all their songs were confined to English. Then they started thinking of ways they could better represent their cultures (two of them are Cambodian and two are Filipino). They made some videos in Khmer, the common language in Cambodia, and those went viral.

“We got contacted by this one woman who invited us to play in front of the Angkor Wat Temple Complex because of those videos. To us it was like, we have to make this happen. When will we ever be invited to play in front of this sacred temple again?” Hong says.

This was not a typical rock concert by any means. Angkor Wat was constructed in the 12th century and has been a place of religious significance for the Khmer people ever since. The show was a two-day event, called “a tribute to the masters.” The other performers at the event were master violinists, trombonists, cello players and even an old woman that performed an ancient dance. The Like Me’s were the only group anywhere near the realm of rock music.

“It was an honor because they were saying we were masters of our music,” Hong says.

When word got out that the Like Me’s were coming to Cambodia, other people offered them shows. None of the shows in Cambodia were the typical rock shows they were used to. One show, for instance, was for children at the international North Bridge School. Another was in the heart of Capital City, where they played in a pop-up truck downtown while people shopped and rode their bicycles. Another was at a fancy benefit dinner with $175 VIP tickets, which people paid, some specifically so they could see the Like Me’s.

“There’s not a lot of young Cambodian artist who make original Khmer music. I think that’s what sets us apart,” says drummer Monique Coquilla.

After the success of the Like Me’s original Khmer rock songs, Hong’s mom insisted that they cover her favorite old Khmer tune, “Sya Rom Monkiss” (“Dance Monkey Dance”), a pop song from late 60s originally made famous by singer Pan Ron. Ron was killed during the Khmer Rouge Regime in Cambodia in the late 70s by dictator Pol Pol. His regime murdered countless artists and intellectuals and, amongst other things, ended original music. Cambodia has only recently had new artists emerge making original Khmer music.

“What we’re trying to do now is pick up where original music stopped in Cambodia. Bring original music back and bring our flavor. We’re attempting to bridge the gap,” says Coquilla.

The Like Me’s headline “Gals Rock” at X Bar in Cupertino on Saturday, 8pm; $8. Cleveland Browns and Dog Party also perform.