SONGWRITERS’ ROUND 6

THURSDAY 5th DECEMBER 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 sixth concert of the Songwriters’ Round series, we are proud to present to you:

Saz Lo

Saz came to our attention at Songwriters’ Round 4, where she came up to do a couple of songs on open mic and silenced the room. Armed with a head of flaming orange hair and a velvety voice oozing to the brim with passionate words, Saz posseseses a certain intense magic that demands attention. Although fairly new to the local music scene, she has opened for Anggun with her band ‘Kohl’. The band is in the process of completing a 5 track demo by January 2003 and I am sure you will be hearing a lot more of them. Saz will be backed on the guitar by her regular guitarist Fahmi. Anyway, I think she’s great. Like her brother Jason (except prettier, heh). Come catch a slice of raw, edgy passion.

Chak

Dear old Chak says this of himself: “I write for CHIP Magazine, which is a geeky IT publication. I play a lot of computer games and I won 3rd place (and a crappy ass JVC mini-compo) in the MTV/JVC Sound Education 2002 competition at Nuovo last month.” A writer of radio friendly tunes best described as pop / rock, his enthusiasm is infectious, his music upbeat and cheery, and he certainly doesn’t lack anything by way of confidence and charm. Chak hopes to be a rock star one day (unlike me then, for I want to be Britney). I hope he succeeds. Hmph. Anyway, Chak is a happy songwriter – what a nice break from those awfully angsty ones. Ha. Not funny.

Jordan Suleiman / Flatline

Jordan is the lead singer of the band ‘Flatline’. He will be backed by co-founder of the band Rauf Fadzilla and fellow band member / brother Mussadique (Dique). Those of you who have been following my recording diaries may have noted that multi-instrumentalist Dique made a guest appearance on my record playing the Fender Rhodes. And boy was he good. Anyway, these boys write quirky and intelligent words then put them to an eclectic mix of musical influences from jazz to rock. The band is working to release an EP by the end of 2003 under FYI Records, so catch them before they go all famous on us. Take a bow, Mr Jordan, Mr Rauf and Mr. Dique. Oi, clap your hands.

Eugene Ng

I’ll come clean – I’ve never heard Eugene, but some friends spotted him playing at Rabbit’s ‘World Peace Concert’ in Johore and haven’t stopped talking about him since. So I checked with his management company and they said he (i) plays at the Halo Music Cafe on Petaling Street; (ii) writes and sings in Mandarin but sounds like John Mayer with a bit of R&B thrown in; and (iii) is very cute. So I figured that’s good enough. Besides, I’ve been trying to feature non-English songwriters for a while now and Eugene is our first. By the sound of the buzz this guy is making in the Mandarin music community, you’ll love him. Buy him loads of beer to make him feel welcomed, and buy me lots of tequila for introducing him to you.

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.]