They ran out of beer.

13th July 2006. Mark your calenders dammit! Moonshine coming your way =) Ok the following entry is gonna be abit the long la, you'll find act write-ups for the upcoming Moonshine, a promo blurb for this year's KL Sing Song and a review (with pics!) of the last 2 Moonshines.

Az Samad
Az is one of Malaysia’s finest acoustic fingerstyle guitarist with compositions influenced by the music of Michael Hedges, Don Ross and Eric Roche. After releasing his first solo guitar album, Acoustic Gestures in 2004, he left Malaysia to study under scholarship at Berklee College Of Music, Boston, Massachusetts, USA for his second degree in music. Besides accompanying his dad, National Laurete A. Samad Said’s poetry recitations, he often performs with singer-songwriter Shelley Leong.

He has performed in Malaysia, Singapore, United Kingdom and recently even in the US when he played at the Berklee Performance Center, April this year. He is currently back in Malaysia for the summer break till this August. Find out more here.


Lied
A message from the boys - "Lied wants to take you on a jouney with its music,". The band is on a constant quest to look for sincere emotions and turn them into songs. The group has been steadily gigging since late 2004 playing everything from full-on electric shows at big outdoor events to small intimate acoustic shows in small venues. The band is steadily amassing a strong following both here in Malaysia and in Singapore and their sound is a melancholic brew of alternative rock and '80s music influences. Check out the band's music at www.myspace.com/lied.


Broken Scar
Broken Scar is actually a combination of solo singer-songwriter Kevin Teh with Alda Tan(Cosmic Funk Express) on bass and Manshaan(Dragon Red) on drums. The band has just released their debut album Midnight In St. Kilda in April and has also been nominated for Anugerah Era in the "Artis Inggeris Tempatan Pilihan" categery. Best known for the song 'Scratch' which went to #1 for 4 consecutive weeks on the independent charts on Xfresh FM , you can bet your bananas they're gonna make you sing along. Visit - www.brokenscar.com or www.myspace.com/brokenscarmusic


Telebury
Those of you who have heard of these boys might be familiar with their brand of dreamy, classic UK-style indie-pop. I last saw them do an acoustic set for the KLue/Starbucks Music Series last year as well as the last KLue Urbanscapes. A 5 piece consisting of Adrian (vox/guitar), Abi (guitar), Edan (guitar), Sam (bass) and Ajar (drums), they're heavily influenced by Radiohead, The Cure, Longpigs and Elbow.

Coincidentally their first recorded song, a Malay tune titled "Di Mana Bulan Selalu Retak" was written as the soundtrack for a local play written by poet and national literature laureate A. Samad Said, who also happens to be Az Samad's (see above) dad. Small world KL. Find out more here.


Malokaigruv
An act I spotted at a recent installment of Troubadours, I was quite taken by their chilled out vibe and groovy disposition. This is what they have to say for themselves - "This 5 piece pop outfit which hails from the heart of the capital city offers something slightly different by blending together pieces of pop, soul, jazz and even indie in their own groovy way," Compromising of Pedd on vocals, Lee on rhythm guitar & backing vocals, Boy on lead guitar, David on bass and Wan on drums, they're the new guns for the night. They have recently signed with Cat Presents Production and will be releasing an album by end of 2006.


And on the next 2 days after Moonshine, KL Sing Song is happening again thanx to the Troubadours. Check it out! This is a once a year event folks so don't miss it =)

From Jerome:

KL SING SONG 2006 @ KLPAC

KL Sing Song is happening on 14 and 15 July, at KL Performing Arts Centre (KLPAC) .

It's going to be a singer songwriter extravaganza, featuring no less than 12 Malaysian singer songwriters in performances and workshops.

Shanon Shah ~ Best Male Vocalist, AIM 2006
Pete Teo ~ Nominated for four AIM awards in 2004
Shelley Leong ~ Best New English Artist nominee, AIM 2004
Pak Pandir ~ Winner of Juara Lagu (Irama Malaysia) 1992
Mia Palencia ~ Best Solo Vocal nominee, Cameronian Arts Awards 2005
Mei Chern ~ Musicanteen.com's Most Downloaded Artiste 2005
Reza Salleh ~ Founder of Moonshine concert series
Meor ~ Legendary independent singer songwriter
Fathulistiwa Soundscapes ~ Local independent music pioneer
Broken Scar ~ Emerging fiery singer songwriter
Ariff Akhir ~ Charismatic leader of The Sofa Sessions
Rhapsody ~ Upcoming female duo with melodic jazzy songs


Bookmark this site and check always for more details. We'll be posting more info and bios and whatnot. Or you can visit Troubadours KL blogsite for other info and stuff.


****

Below is the Schedule and Ticketing details.


KL SING SONG 2006 - PERFORMANCE 1
14 July, 8:30pm
Pentas Dua @ KLPAC
featuring
Mia Palencia
Shelley Leong
Reza Salleh
Ariff Akhir
Pak Pandir
Fathulistiwa Soundscapes
Tickets: RM25 Adult; RM15 Student, Elderly & Disabled (limited to 50 seats).

KL SING SONG 2006 - WORKSHOPS 1, 2, 3 & 4
15 July, 1pm to 5:30pm
Indicene @ KLPAC
Shelley Leong - "Singing With Style"
Shelley Leong and guitarist Az Samad share useful handy tips on performing with panache
Pak Pandir - "Lyrics & Creativity"
Pak Pandir talks about how to explore your environment through lyrics
Shanon Shah - "Make It Live"
Shanon Shah shares his experiences onstage and what it takes to be a live performer
Pete Teo - "The Indie Path"
Pete Teo talks about how to build a music career as a solo independent performer
Tickets: RM20 Adult & Student.

KL SING SONG 2006 - PERFORMANCE 2
15 July, 8:30pm
Pentas Dua @ KLPAC
featuring
Pete Teo
Shanon Shah
Mei Chern
Meor
Broken Scar
Rhapsody
Tickets: RM25 Adult; RM15 Student, Elderly & Disabled (limited to 50 seats).


Tickets available at KLPAC (03 - 40479 000) and The Actors Studio, Bangsar Shopping Complex (03 - 2094 9400). Or email tickets@klpac.com. No advance bookings.


PAST SHOW REVIEW
11th May 2006



All shots taken by Cris Chen

Two Moonshines have come and gone, and yours truly has been to caught up to write anything about it. Being busy is a good thing or so I've been told =)

The past 2 shows have been pretty good at the newly opened Laundry. The first of the two which featured Ariff Akhir, Azmyl Yunor, Rizal Hefni, False Opus and Stonebay started off pretty slow and this had me worried for abit (it was the first time Moonshine was held there) but thanfully the feeling was temporary. Ariff launched into his usual chilled, laidback tunes and he was followed by the more grungy and raw Rizal.

By the time Rizal took the stage the place had filled up pretty good and I finally breathed a sigh of relief. Azmyl went up and was slightly hampered by a sore throat and combined with the semi-attentive crowd, I really wished I could have provided the ambience that the good ol' busker deserved.

False Opus was next and the sudden change in dynamics caught the audience off guard, a sure sign that the place was better geared for bands rather than solo acts. They did well that night, pop rock being the dominant flavour in their set. Stonebay closed the show with material I would be really interested to hear in a full electric format, most of which was raw, edgy and laced with alot of Seattle, and eventually the night ended with a few open mic-ers and a very tired Laundry floor crew =)

1st June 2006




All shots taken by Cris Chen
The show billed for the 1st of June was to be an all band affair, a pleasant surprise since 2 of the solo acts (one of them being me) billed came armed with more than one musician.

Qings & Kueens opened with something very country rock, and eventually they slipped into their usual pop rock boots. I sensed a heightened level of confidence from frontman Vima and was glad to see that these boys were tight as ever despite their hectic day jobs.

Mia Palencia went up next with the smallest lineup of the night, with fellow singer-songwriter Zalila Lee on 2nd guitar, Hardesh on the udu and Mia herself on main vocals and 1st guitar. A fairly well known name in the local KL jazz scene, she took breaths away with half an hour of original compostions, written in both English and Malay. Alot of people came down to see her that night and she didnt disappoint.

Couple took the stage with a toned down acoustic version of their usual power pop tendencies and frontman Aidil took advantage of the large crowd by engaging in his usual onstage banter. Fresh with a new music video under their wings, they were infectious, reckless and very sing-a-long-able.

I went up next with my brand-spanking-new band, a group of individuals so talented I silently thank the heavens after each practise session. Like a content parent seeing his lil' children grow up, putting my 6 year old tunes through the whole band process makes them sound reborn. I'm a happy camper!

I wasn't the only act that night that came equipped with multiple-musician dynamics, as Rhapsody did their set joined by Loon from Qings & Kueens on bass and Jimmy from Tempered Mental on drums. Initially meant to play at the beginning of the show, they had such a full complete sound I couldn't resist slotting them as the closer.

Whew. It was a good show. I think about 500 people showed up. They ran out of beer. I'm a happy camper =)

posted by bob @ 1:43 AM