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Acoustic Jam 15
was
held
at
Commonwealth
Club
(Tun H.S. Lee Room) 4,
Jalan
Birah, Damansara Heights, Kuala Lumpur on
26th January 2008
starts
8 pm (was a little late starting: about 9 pm)
charge
RM15.
Sound
supplied and engineered by Mokhtarizal
starring
Paolo
Delfino
 Mojo Pin  Prema Yin  Milli'z  Open Mic:
top: Jeremy Lim, Ashley Surin bottom: Khai, Lipei
 Mar
& Peter
Acoustic Jam 15 was a great evening with some memorable performances by Milli'z, Mojo Pin, Paolo Delfino&Prema Yin and the many fine musicians they brought along to accompany them and play the cool arrangements. There were also some fine demonstrations singer-songwriting ability by Jeremy Lim, Ashley Surin, Khai Bahar and Weipi who turned up to play for the Open Mic. We thank you all for doing your thing and making the whole show possible. Also making the whole show possible were Mokhtarizal with his equipment and his sound man Azmi, who very conscientously did the hands-on stuff throughout the evening. Markiza and I( Hassan Peter) also managed to render about three songs right at the beginning. There was no-one in the audience when we started playing, so we thought no-one was going to come except the musicians but it turned out all those folk sitting around and drinking coffee and beer etc like normal Commonwealth Club members in the lounge downstairs were actually waiting for the show to start while we were waiting for an audience to show up so we could start the show. So by the time we had finished the last song the small Tun H.S. Lee room was almost full. So much for the rather late start - sorry! Thanks to you all for shewing up and helping to keep us in the blue. And thanks to the Club for letting us host the show there. And that's all I want to say apart from the fact that we really enjoyed all the music and hope to put on another in the future, though when is another question. I have to get to it and put up the page with the performance photos which might take a little time because of my ineptitude with the computer and because I have to do all sorts of other things like be Markiza's driver n clean the house, hang out the washing and do the annual accounts. So please be patient folks! (TIS DONE!!) We also did two other gigs that weekend (see link below) www.lemang.com/pastgigs2008.html bios of the artists: Lyrical
Polaroids of Paolo Delfino
Lush guitar playing and soulful sounds would perfectly describe Philippines-born and Malaysia-bred, Paolo Delfino (yes, that’s not his stage name, thank you very much). With a style of
music that incorporates strong melodies, acoustic textures and
old-school soul
mixed with pop sensibilities and a dash of retro vibes, Paolo is quickly garnering attention with his fresh sound and quirky songwriting. No self-indulgent 5 minute solos here, he's on a mission to entertain and he aims to please. A corporate
jailbird by day, he is a guitar-wielding, leg-kicking performer by
night and he also happens to be one of the
co-organisers of Fireflies and Something Something. As such, he is responsible for pooling together some of Malaysia’s best local talents, showcasing them at gigs around town. And Paolo himself has steadily performed his songs to the public, displaying his wide range talents of singing and songwriting, while being backed by Edwin Lau on djembe and Eugene Koh on bass. Currently
unsigned to any music label, Paolo has begun recording his material for
an upcoming EP.
Even though he’s in no rush to cut an album, Paolo quips, “Life should come with a soundtrack. So I’m making my own.” To stream his
music, please visit http://www.myspace.com/paolodelfino
Prema
Yin
Prema started
singing when she was 3. Since then she has been performing
whenever the opportunity arises.
By the Age of 14 she started writing her own songs to express her feelings in the best way she could... Prema writes songs from the heart. Asked about her songs she says: "I'm not really bothered if it isn't commercial or great.. as long as the heart feels good, I'm okay :)" She's inspired
by a whole lot of different artists ranging from Aerosmith to Jill
Scott and Erykah Badu.
Prema has been singing around Malaysia for quite a while now. She started out singing in pubs but has stopped that. Currently doing gigs with Aseana Percussion Unit and performed for Bands like Transient Vortex, Ash Nair, recognized and well respected musicians like Jerry Felix, Simon Justin, Albert Sirimal, etc. After all those
years singing in the Pub Scene and freelancing for some local acts,
she is finally able to present her own material,and it is for her the best feeling ever. Currently
recording her first few Songs with renowned Producer Greg Henderson and
is very excited and anxious about it.
Milli'z
Formed in 2006, Milli'z is the brainchild of two ambitious songwriters- Michelle and Ling. With a wide collection of sounds, the band consist of lead guitarist Adil, bassist Timothy, and Stephanie on the drums. But sometimes they play acoustic with musicians like Melina (bass) and Lorna Henderson (violin). Playing their own repertoire that revolves around the genre of alternative, pop, rock and acoustic music, Milli'z is set to satisfy the appetite of audiences who appreciate originality and enjoy tuning into sounds that will enchant the mind as well as provoke the soul. Having performed in a list of acoustic gigs around town including The Bedroom Series, Troubadours as well as band gigs like Moonshine and KL Jam Asia , Milli’z will certainly provide a new palate to the Malaysian audience. further info: www.myspace.com/millizland Mojo Pin Mojo
Pin
On a bright spring morning in the Year Of Our Lord 2000, a fluffy little lamb skipped down a Swiss hillside – Oh, sorry, wrong story..... Sometime that same year, Edward Gomez and Daphne Lee, craving adulation and fame, decided to form a band. The fact that they actually had no talent did not deter them. "If
Amir Yusoff can do it so can we," boasted Edward and Daphne,
already picturing herself dressed in leopardskin on the cover of URTV, agreed. Mojo Pin was thus born. Songs
were written and a gig was planned,
but ill health put paid to that and, besides, Edward and Daphne were beginning to grate on each other's nerves. They
decided it was time to recruit other members as this would lessen the
need for them having to talk to each other.
They advertised for a bassist, a cellist, a violinist or just anybody really who'd be willing to play with a bad tempered and talentless pair of prima donnas. Several people came to auditions. Some left, muttering with scorn. Others wanted to stay and were promptly shown the door (Edward and Daphne are nothing if not perverse). At
the end of 2000 a young man who bore a distinct likeness to the
Incredible Hulk
wandered off the streets and into a Mojo Pin practice session. In his paw he clutched a couple of drumsticks with which he proceeded to make the unholiest of sounds. Somehow, Edward and Daphne just knew that Eddy Lim was meant to be part of Mojo Pin. "He'll make even us look good," said Daphne, hitting the nail right on the head. Henry
Tan came next. With skin like porcelain and tresses like black silk
(not anymore, unfortunately),
Henry was obviously always going to be the pretty boy of the band (not anymore either). The fact that he also plays lead and rhythm guitar, bass and drum like an angel doesn't really endear him to the founding members of the band, but he's allowed to stay because he cooks a mean bak kut teh. Mojo
Pin is inspired by a variety of things, people, animals and sexual
positions.
Their music is reminiscent of '60s bands you've never heard of so there's no use listing them here, but their audience and fans (all five of them) have said that they detect influences such as Portishead, Gene Pitney, Enid Blyton, Kirsten Dunst, Les Rythmes Digitales, Clark Gable, Glen Campbell, Axl Rose, Rahim Razali, Jamal Abdillah, Buster Keaton, Johnny Weismuller, William Shatner, String Driven Thing, Rin Tin Tin and Timothy the Dog. Acoustic
Jam the FULL story
AND THE REST IS HISTORY... Acoustic Jam started in 2001. This was because I was in London in April 2001 and went to an Open Mic show in which a young Chinese Malaysian performed called Joe Wee. I thought he was extremely good, fine songs sung with a passion and skilled guitar accompaniment. I told him that if I could find a venue then when he made the annual visit to see his family in Malaysia I would arrange a gig for him. Privately I doubted that I could ever find a venue - at that time there was no own-song acoustic scene in M'sia. There was Amir Yussof and a lot of pub singers who sang covers of such ss's as James Taylor, Don MacLean and Jim Croce. However I remembered that the now dormant KL Folk Society (salute to Ian Durrant) used the Commonwealth Club as a venue for their monthly musical get-together. So I booked it and Joe brought along a British guy called Marcus and we had a modest audience of about 30 and a good time on July 16th 2001. By
the 4th AJ we were getting over 100 people and they were sitting on the
stairs because they couldn't get in the small room.
An acoustic performance by Love Me Butch netted over 200 in the BIG room and Markiza and I were satisfied as we had at last found an audience for our own music albeit a captive one. The jams went into the following year and moved to the Actors Studio on invitation of Joe H and Faridah. We continued to put on regular shows right up to August 2003. After that we stopped for a time as M and I were getting more involved in our rock band Soft Touch and recording their album. However
Soft Touch broke up and in November 2006 we put on an Acoustic Jam
again at the Commonwealth Club
(or Royal Commonwealth Society - as they prefer to be known) because my son Theo was visiting, who is also a fine singer, guitarist and songwriter (his current band is called Pocus Whiteface www.myspace.com/pocuswhiteface ). We had Melina, Reza Salleh and Mei Chern on the bill and Mokhtarizal doing the sound and it went very well. This
year, as the number of genuine acoustic gigs seems to have fallen off,
owing in part to venues being lost and some of the organisers being busy with necessary commercial projects, we decided to give it a try again. So do come along and if you perform your own songs or read poetry or make people laugh then come early and put your name down on the list - there should be room for at least six or seven slots depending on whether we are efficient and start on time. Bands are welcome but drums are not provided. So dont be shy - we'll see you there! (never mind if you didn't make it this time there'll probably be another one with more Open Mic slots) (for more historical details of all past acoustic jams, performers lists, pics etc go to www.lemang.com and click on Acoustic Jam on the left) Peter
Hassan Brown
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