Friday, February 13, 2009
An Upward Musical Spiral
Lag lag lag. I have mental jet-lag now thanks to the (very much appreciated) holiday on Monday, therefore there were moments today when my mind felt like a Thursday.
There is nothing quite like the jolt of happiness when one side of the mind reminds the other that it is in fact, a lovely Friday. The 13th, no less. Whoopee!
And there's something to look forward to next week! Another session of Time Out KL's "Time Out on the Up" music night at No Black Tie! And this time, I shall be attempting to drag a few friends along for the ride. Dudes, this is totally right up your alley.
Anyhoo, I had a blast at January's "On the Up" session where there were 4 local music acts performing as usual (all for the merry sum of an RM10 entrance fee).
No one's coming near Yatz's bukkit!
The usuals who entertain me with good music in the background.
MTV poster boy, Nigel. That grin will knock you dead ;)
First up in the spotlight that night was singer-songwriter (always a sexy combo) 2StoreyHeart (who sometimes goes by his alter-ego, George Wong).
His thing? Emo all the way yo.
He's got the hair for it.
His songs were all about love. Lost, unrequited, abandoned, unnoticed and leaving on a jet plane. I just wanted to pat him on the back and tell him to cheer up, but he makes such good songs out of it, so I'll just leave him be.
Singing his heart out.
Though he did try to scream out some high notes in some of the songs (ala Chris Carrabba), but its a tough thing to try and he didnt quite make it all the way at times. But thats ok. Its a brave thing to try, and he was kinda sick too =)
I may be biased towards emo songs though, but that's just me.
Not just the hair, but the shoes too!
[myspace]
Take a tea break!! That's actually a really creative calendar from an ad agency. That's real tea fyi.
Enter stage right - Brokenscar! Already a name in the local music scene, Kevin's back in full force and with his entire band too!
Are joo readehhhhhhhhhhh!!!
With Alda who has been everywhere.
I think most of the people who were there that night were there highly anticipating their performance, and they were really good. All that experience has made their act packed with all the rocking energy that you need! Great showmanship, excellent crowd interaction (with the sing-song of an easy verse) and it was fun to watch the interaction between the band members.
This is.. Intense.
Their music is really good. Rocking beats with lots of guitar twanging and drum banging. But in my opinion, it was good but had a pretty common sound that I can get from a lot of other local bands that are starting up. Its not a very diversified sound, and I could easily mistake them for another band in the crowd if I didnt know who was playing.
I prefer a more unique touch to music, which helps distinguish it from all the other rockers out there.
Behold the shoes, of a rock star.
They also had a guest violinist! Rohnie Tan who I first saw with The Snow Symphony at the previous TOKL gig.
[website]
You need a break.
After that was acoustic singer-songwriter, Izzy Mohamed.
With her guitar and voice.
Her music was simple, calming, soothing and the kind that makes you sway gently side-to-side with a palm-tree-smile on your face. There were some upbeat songs, and some slower ones which captured the audience and had everyone at attention.
Alone again?
After a few songs, she then brought her band up on stage with her to get a different feel of her songs, and it was a great way to end her set because it added that extra beat to it. I like!
[myspace]
Never leave home without it.
The last band up was a fusion rock group called Secret Love Affair.
Giving us his fusion.
I had no idea what a fusion rock group would sound like, so I was quite eager to have a listen.
I love it!!! They sound like an odd combination of The Killers and Muse, with a hint of Jamiroquai around the edges! It must be the repetitive keyboard beats give it a feel of being in a videogame, which was really fun!
Lets not forget the rock portion.
My only gripe is, the lead singer needs to work on his vocals abit more. Not quite up to standard with the music they were playing, and it didnt quite gel. But I still really liked their music!
That's the great thing about a music platform like this. The performers arent exactly perfect, but its about giving them the right opportunities to bring their sound to the public, that counts.
Shoe-cam!!
[myspace]
The next TOKL "On the Up" is next Wednesday (18th Feb), 8.30pm at No Black Tie! Everyone knows the drill for this one! Its RM20 for entry, but with a voucher printed out from [here], its just RM10 for a night that's totally worth it!
Next week's line up are:
- Singer-songwriter Rina S.
- Acoustic duo Ray & Ash
- Pop band Coffee
- Reggae bunch Rivernation
I'm there for sure! =)
*pics courtesy of David*
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