TONG DEE began in January 2022 when Kru “Roger” Rungould Bouthong started practicing with me regularly and working on original songs, some about Thailand. These songs presently cover subjects such as gun control, deforestation, cyber-bullying, road death, and war. However, I have written a couple of lighter ones to balance things out and keep the wife happy!
Thai pop and rock music is quite fantastic, but it’s not so well known outside Thailand. Our intention is to help Thai bands to write and perform their Thai original songs in English. We believe this will help to make these songs more accessible and appreciated by an international audience.
My wife and I have run a small translation company for ten years now so we can easily get Thai lyrics translated into English if needed. I’m a retired English teacher and I have teacher friends who are willing to help train Thai singers to pronounce English words properly.
Roger is a professional drum teacher from Suratani, and he works for Yamaha Music School. He manages the Ozone kids band and plays with Phuket bands Gypsy Sun and the Moody Band. I taught Roger English for three months before we started this project. He’s Thai liaison.
We are already playing low-key in Thai venues, but we hope to perform together at Thai music festivals and events at some point in the future. We may invite some Thai musician friends to help us out when we do.
Oh,…. we have a Facebook page ทองดี, but… sorry…it’s all in Thai!
Best wishes
Andy Tong Dee