Tsunami Day, which was studio recorded on Phuket island in Thailand, starts off with the lyrics ‘Just another Christmas day’, and recorded for the 10th anniversary of the 2004 Tsunami, and also to aid Charity & Orphans after the 2004 Boxing day Tsunami which devastated the west coast of Phuket.Tsunami Day Song Intro
7 years after the Tsunami the song ‘Tsunami Day’ was wrote and composed in 2011 by ‘Mark Hopkins’ on a 4-track in his bedroom in the UK.
The song is about his own personal experience of what happened when he was living in Patong when the Tsunami hit on Boxing day, 2004.
Mark tried to studio record the song in 2011 but due to numerous reasons and circumstances it’s taken a few years for him to get around to recording the song. It was only when Mark returned to Phuket he set out to organize the studio recording of the ‘Tsunami Day’ song.
Mark said “It’s been a long and hard road over the past few years, probably a lot longer, but even though my circumstances are still far from rosy right now this is simply something that I feel I must do – no matter what. It’s basically the reason I am here on Phuket right now.”
The Recording:
During early October 2014 Mark met and hired session musicians to back the Tsunami Day song and then had one practice session. Then the ‘Tsunami Day’ basics of the song (Base, guitar, drums and keyboard) was recorded on the 28th of October, 2014 in a Phuket recording studio.
On the 5th of November Mark returned to the Phuket recording studio with George Cordeiro, the guitarist, and added first vocal track, one backing track and some extra guitars were added. Mark knew that his voice and vocal was far from professional but due to it was his own personal experience, and the fact that there was no money left to pay for a professional singer, write or wrong he stuck with the original vocal. Then on the the 12th of November the ‘British International School’ choir added the backing vocals and then on the 13th of November Mark returned to the recording studio once again to tweak, mix and master the ‘Tsunami Day’ song.
Between recording sessions Mark also decided that his vocal needed to change in some parts and the keyboard and choir volume level needed to be slightly higher, so he returned to the studio once again to edit these parts.On the 15th of November 2013 to song was finished.Tsunami Day. Song Video In English To view the video please simply click on it.
Tsunami Day song in Thai
After recording the Tsunami Day song in English in November 2014 Mark decided that the song needed to be in Thai so he set about finding and hiring a Thai female vocalists (Arina Kaiser), rented the studio again and recorded. During the recording Mark also added a male vocalist (Weerachai Tomgpan). Arina adds a hauntingly beautiful vocal.By the 28th of November both the Thai version of Tsunami Day song were finished ready for the 10th anniversary of the 2004 Tsunami.Tsunami Day Song Video In Thai
Tsunami Day Song Credits
The Charity
After Mark managed to find enough sponsors to studio record he then contacted all known local charities and orphanages on Phuket and ‘Tina Hall’, from the ‘Phuket Has Been Good To Us Foundation’ replied. Unfortunately the rest did not? From there they worked out a campaign that would suite both the charity and the idea’s Mark has to promote both music and the arts to the orphaned children on Phuket.
The ‘Coconut Club’, which the ‘Phuket Has Been Good To Us Foundation’ runs, offers a program of on-going leisure and education development activities, that provide weekend and inter-session experiences, to the 130 residential students of the Rachaprachnukroh School in Kamala, Phuket so this suited Mark’s idea of enhancing further education in the arts.
The residential students are orphans or children whose families are not able to look after them. They rarely, before the Coconut Club was established, had the opportunity to leave the school grounds or engage in any activity outside the routine of their school lives. The Coconut Club enhances not only their English language skills, but also stimulates their imagination, experimentation and independent thinking abilities. It provides a safe and comfortable developmental environment, which raises their self-esteem and confidence, allowing them to use and apply what they are learning in their English class to their everyday life.
Donations will also be used to pay for the occasional trips to local music concerts and events, to buy books, accessories and for educational items for the music and arts classes. There is also a wish list of items that they urgently need so dependent on donations we intend to fund these items also if we can.
The ‘Phuket Has Been Good To Us’ Foundation welcomes donations of any size. If you would like to donate please go to the Phuket Has Been Good To Us website and contact them directly from there. Thank you 🙂
Help & Sponsorship Credits
Just some credits from Mark: “Due to the website ‘Tsunami Day’ has long gone I would like to acknowledge the below for there help. Without them the ‘Tsunami Day’ song would not have been possible.I would like to thank: Michael Dietvorst’ ( Owner of Oriental Living, Phuket ), Phuket Hash House Harriers, ‘Stuart Baker’ ( Managing Director of Food Hygiene Asia ), ‘Alan Cooke’ (MBE), ‘Adam Goodman’ ( Who was the general manager of Two Chefs Restaurants on Phuket ), and ‘Cassius Rolfe-Johnson’. Unfortunately my mate Cass and also Alan Cooke have both now past away a few years back. RIP
Mark says “I would also personally like to mention and thank ‘George Cordeiro‘, who is the guitarist on the song and who has helped me with the recording and general mixing, Mick Bates and Jason Beavan for basically being mates and understanding what I am trying to do, even though I am a pain at times. Also special thanks to ‘Neill Thacker’ and the ‘British International School’ choir (BIS) for donating there time.”
Final note: The 20th anniversary of the Tsunami is coming up next year (2024) and Mark is going to try and entice a famous classical vocalist to re-record the ‘Tsunami Day’ song. Time will tell…
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