Thursday 27th June 9.00 P.M. @ NO BLACK TIE . RM25 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 hopes to be 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 second concert of the series, we are proud to present to you:
Rafique Rashid
Rafique will not thank me for writing this, but he is as close to an institution in the local songwriter scene as you can get without bumping into things. A veteran of over 20 years of writing and performing original materials, he is wildly popular and always superbly entertaining. Although primarily known for his satirical songs, he nevertheless has a huge collection of heart-wrenching compositions – little performed gems that he might be persuaded to play if you scream real loud. A fervent supporter of local original music, he is also one of the most generous-spirited musicians I have ever met.
Daryl Kho
Daryl’s first reaction upon being invited to play at the Round is: “sure, it’d be a dream come true, but am I good enough ah?” Okay, the truth is – his mastery of the guitar is elementary at best, and he can just about hold a tune if he doesn’t faint first – but his words are charming, and sad, and funny, and clever, and penetrating, and cute, and honest, and funny, and funny, and funny. Suffice to say he brought the house down when he played open mike at our first show. Daryl’s is a testimony that good music is not about blind virtuosity and affected hip cat attitude. Be prepared to feel fluffy all over.
Ariff Akhir
When he wasn’t belting out Rolling Stones, Guns & Roses and Aerosmith covers, Ariff used to make the girls swoon with Frank Sinatra classics at the student union bar at his university in the UK. Since coming back home in 1999, however, he has spent all his spare time writing original songs and making DIY recordings in his bedroom. We are glad that Ariff has finally emerged from isolation to play in public for the first time in Kuala Lumpur. Hopefully, he will be one of many hitherto under-exposed songwriters that will grace the Round in the future. Ariff writes songs about love, friends and all things good and nasty.
Sherry
Sherry is a full time busker. Slight of frame and quiet of disposition, he is one of those musicians you don’t get to see often. I first saw him at one of Joe Kidd’s ‘Unclogged’ gigs and knew at once this guy is special. He was playing Van Morrison, Led Zeppelin, Bob Marley covers that night, but everything he played was re-interpreted with intelligence and belief. The quiet intensity he held himself was magnetic, his 12-string guitar full, and his voice as brittle as the songs he sang. We are proud to bring to you another superb local talent. Sherry will be playing his original compositions.
Open Mike: How 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 main 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 logistical 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.]