THURSDAY 27th FEBRUARY 9.00PM @ NO BLACK TIE RM20 per cover
The Songwriters’ Round performance format was made famous at the legendary Blue Bird Cafe in Nashville. It subsequently spread outside of Nashville, and has now become a popular means of showcasing works of songwriters all over the world.
The idea behind the Songwriters’ Round is simple: four performers sit on stage at the same time and take turns to play. The performer is encouraged to chat a little about his or her work before s/he performs each song. After the song ends, the next performer would follow, and so on. Thus, round and round it goes, as original songs are performed in an environment that is more reminiscent of a chatty living room than a concert stage.
Planned as a series of concerts, the Songwriters’ Round is a platform for local or visiting songwriters to showcase their work. The selection criteria of the producer will not be based on reputation or genre, but only that the music performed should be good original compositions, and that people would have a good time listening to them.
In the Seventh concert of the Songwriters’ Round series, we are proud to present to you:
Singletrackmind
Since his debut performance at Songwriters Round 4 last November, Singletrackmind has been a busy little boy. His single ‘People In My Own World’ was mixed by Grammy award-winning engineer Tom Lord-Alge (who also mixes for Avril Lavigne, The Wallflowers, The Rolling Stones) and the completed album is slated for independent release in the U.S. later this year. He also recently performed to 7,000 rock enthusiasts in the ‘Rock The World’ concert on New YearÃs Eve in Kuala Lumpur. But being a down to earth guy, as well as a talented one, he is now back to how we all started – modestly crooning in a small intimate club stuffed full of people – ingesting beer and bad ventilation. To all you ladies who wrote in to say how you enjoyed his music last time, here is another chance to get all weak-kneed and glassy-eyed. Leave your boyfriends at home for this one.
Pang
Although a well-known personality in the indie arts scene, Pang is a writer and not a musician. I got him to read some stuff at open mike last year and he ended up stealing the damn show. Pang says this of himself: “Born in Malacca. Studied secondary school and got toilet trained in Singapore. Freelance photographer.†Started from†the†lofty heights of architecture photography, then descended to fashion photography, and†now sunk to the depths of wedding photography.†Writes for Kakiseni and The Edge. Pretends to review theatre and classical concerts, if only for the free tickets. Edited a Christian youth magazine. Now trying to edit an anthology of Malaysian Alternative Lifestyle short stories.†Need to move out from family nest.†Looking for a cheap apartment…” There you go. Be prepared for bitter sweet snippets of shared memories.
Shanon Shah
An unassuming and soft-spoken 25 year old, Shanon learned the piano when he was 6 years old and wrote his first song at the age of 12. For years, he thought his songs were crap until one of them won first prize in a patriotic song competition in 2001. I first heard Shanon when he played open mic at Round 5. The first thing that struck me was his very discernible broadway theatrical style. Perhaps having been trained as a stage actor has something to do with it. The next thing that struck me was his sincerity and craft. The last thought, just before I passed out from alcohol poisoning, was that I must get this guy on the show. So here he is folks. Enjoy. This guy sounds like no one who has appeared at the Round before. Remember to get him to sing that Malay ballad that contained such tender poetry that it’ll melt the hearts of all you folks who still…er… believe.
Jam
Jam is our second Mandarin singer songwriter at the Round. She came highly recommended by Eugene Ng, who played the last Round and charmed us with his well-horned Mandarin pop. Like Eugene, she was a regular performer at the Halo Cafe on Petaling Street – although she is found at the Wow Wow Cafe nowadays. Equally adept on the keyboard as on the guitar, Jam has a sweet sweet voice and personality to match. Some of you may know of the Taiwanese label ‘Rock Records’ – they broke Asian pop convention by signing and heavily promoting singer songwriters who have non-formulaic personality and style, and in the process became one of the biggest labels in Asia. And what do you know? Jam is signed to Rock Records. Amid street noise and a bad connection, I believe Jam said she’d just finished recording her album. But I might be wrong about that. You’ll have to ask her yourself. Leave the girlfriend at home, guys.
Open Mike: How would you like to perform your original songs at the Round? We welcome new, old, or otherwise non-professional songwriters, and will open the floor to those who wish to play after the featured acts are done. Please bring your own instruments if you can, and talk to me ahead of time on the night. You can also contact me in advance at [erased]. Unfortunately, due to logistic limitations, the open mike is for acoustic solo performers only and we are not able to accept bands.
Contact Info & Road Directions:
27 Jln.Mesui Off Jln.Nagasari (behind the Istana Hotel), Bukit Bintang, KL. TEL: 03-21488110 Email: noblacktie@hotmail.com
[Make a left at the slip road right after the Istana Hotel on Jalan Raja Chulan if you are heading away from Shazhan Towers. Then the second right turn takes you to Jalan Mesui. Its the building with loads of plants growing all over it on the left.]