SONGWRITERS’ ROUND 8

THURSDAY 8th May 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 Eighth concert of the Songwriters’ Round series, we are proud to present to you:

Mei Chern

Among the songwriters who have graced the Round so far, 30% come to us via the ‘open-mike route’, i.e. open-mike performers who impress us so much that we invite them back as featured performers. Of those in this category, Mei Chern remains one of our best finds. She stole the show when she debuted in Round 3 and bewitched the crowd to such an extent that we’ve been inundated with requests for her return ever since. Now, to those of you who have not heard her before, Mei Chern’s music isn’t imposing or flashy – rather, it seeps into you gently, almost tentatively – it’s never insistence – it simply ebbs quietly like a late night conversation with your best mate. Blue flame. Intimate magic. As still as the small hours of the night. Lurvely. I am a big fan. And not just because I am a lecherous drunkard. She is also really nice. Dress casual and come prepared to be wooed.

Eugene Ng

Another 30% of our performers come from recommendations and referrals. Eugene is one such. One day, I received a call from a weak-kneed friend. Said she spotted this Mandarin singer cute enough to cross legs at 50 paces and that I simply MUST have him on the show. Now, an anvil fell on my head when I was small – thus I have an unusually cynical disposition – so I ignored her. But she continued to pester me. For weeks. To get some peace and quiet, I finally submitted and put Eugene on at Round 6 despite having never heard him. And thank God I did. Armed with impeccable stage craft, catchy tunes and accomplished vocal work, Eugene turned out to be a real gem. The girls thought he was the cutest thing and the boys clapped begrudgingly. Anyway, Eugene is a signed artiste – so when he becomes a big star (STAR), remember you saw him here first.

Mia Pelancia

The last 30% of our performers come via our direct invites to those already well known. This was the case with Jason Lo, Rafique Rashid, Amir Yussof, Rabbit and Julian Mokhtar in previous shows, and it is so with Mia now. In the last 12 months, unless you have been completely uninterested in local music (or dead), you would have come across Mia and her guitarist Roger Wang as the sensational jazz duo ‘Double Take’. While Roger is easily one of the most accomplished guitarists in Malaysia today, Mia is rapidly gaining a reputation as potentially one of our finest singers. Anyway, although principally known as a singer of jazz standards, Mia has a repertoire of originals she is keen to showcase. So here she is. 19 years of sheer class and playing solo. Best of all – she’ll be singing her own stuff. I am told it’ll be folk and bossa nova influenced. Can’t wait. You clap loudly now.

Pete Teo

Those of you numerically astute and sober would have gathered that 3 times 30% doesn’t make 100%. So where is the remaining 10%? Well, you are looking at it. That’s right. Me – the Tequila snorting verbose schizophrenic hyperactive singer songwriter whom no one has ever heard of. Okay, I’m exaggerating – a few people have heard of me, but they are dubious of reputation and extremely unreliable – so you can ignore their references. Still, I’ll be releasing a record early June and thought it might be mildly profitable to exercise the producer’s prerogative by featuring myself ahead of time. And in order to square up with my unashamedly avaricious motivation, I will only be playing songs on the record. Hm. Okay, if you buy me enough drinks, I might play something new, but it is unlikely. And yes, I will be playing ‘Jesselton Tonight’ if you promise to sing along. Damn Philistines…

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.]