Sunday, January 25, 2009

The gig

It all went down pretty well; despite the CNY holidays ahead, we had a reasonable crowd ... Zubira warmed them up, Norton 500 kept the spirits flowing, SquareCircles did their unpredictable stuff, the acoustic Soft Touch wowed them and Julian Mokktar blew 'em away with his sheer artistry. Thanks to all that came and others who helped out.

We like to thank these excellent people for making "Touchwood" happen and seeing it through:

All the bands
The management of VR1 (for letting us use of the place)
Ann Marie (for the organisation and ticketing)
John (for the flyer art)
Lohan (for keeping it flying high)
Lemang Music (for having Hassan Peter Brown)
Geraldine Loh of Rock Unite Inc & Julian (we owe you both)
Wong Lip Kee (for being the impromptu soundman)

Another edition coming up ...

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

"TOUCHWOOD" updates

Guess what, JULIAN MOKHTAR, Malaysia's legendary bluesman, has agreed to play at short notice ... gracias, Jules.

Sam Ponnudorai had to pull out, reluctantly, for personal reasons.

Monday, January 12, 2009

"Touchwood" 2009 - the first one ...


"TOUCHWOOD"
... Where the music isn't too loud. Mostly acoustic, from veteran and new talents. To make you listen.


"TOUCHWOOD"
Venue: VR1 Cafe, Block A, Damansara Intan, Petaling Jaya
Showtime: 9pm, Jan 24 (Sat), 2009
Entrance: RM15 only
Contact: 03-7729 4255
Featuring the legendary SAM PONNUDORAI, MARKIZA & PETER BROWN, NORTON 500, ZUBIRA & special guests SQUARECIRCLES


SAM PONNUDORAI
They say all he needs to entertain are a nylon-string acoustic guitar and a microphone. He's the one and only recipient of the 1990 MUM Best Musician’s Award. He's performed regularly in various pubs and hotels in the Klang Valley, Kuantan and Penang - you can catch him at the Little Penang Sunday Market once a month these days.
Sam plays mostly the blues and a little other stuff. The likes of Ray Charles, Jose Feliciano, BB King, James Taylor, etc, etc, are all up his alley, and then, there are his own songs.
Sam performs mostly with just his guitar, a nylon-stringed thin body acoustic electric which has seen better days, and his custom made Gibson Les Paul Jr.


MARKIZA & PETER BROWN
Peter Brown aka Hassan and Markiza are the husband-and-wife team that have been writing music together and performing for over two decades. Hassan has released a number of solo works, gong back to the 1970s, while the duo have also recorded under the guise of Passion (two albums) in the 1990s, and more recently, Soft Touch (one album). They have an independent label, Lemang Music.
Currently, Hassan is putting songs together for another solo album, and he and Markiza have been writing and performing new songs about the environment, refugees and the threat to the planet.


ZUBIRA
Zubira is a singer/songwriter/guitarist whose music is a fusion of old school and modern rock, blues, alternative and pop. His debut album, Like Never Before, was released under his own indie label, Zeztone Productions.
He has worked with indie film producer/director Linus Chung in a local Chinese movie, A Note of Love, for which he wrote two new songs. His single, Never Mine, from the debut album, was also featured in the movie.


NORTON 500
Planes, trains and automobiles get you where you want to go; but really, only a motorcycle can offer one mobility as well as romance and yes, death on two wheels... Oh wait! This is supposed to be an introduction to Norton 500, the acoustic side project of The Dolphin Conspiracy's Edward Gomez and Chris Felix, NOT the motorcycle!
Edward and Chris endeavor to provide anyone who cares to listen with musical snippets of life, romance and death. True, you don't get the wind in your hair, dust in your eyes, soot on your new white shirt and flies in your face; but perhaps, that's just as well.
Norton 500 are currently in the midst of recoding their debut release, tentatively titled the Parallel Lines EP, which they hope will do even better, commercially and critically, than Blondie's similarly named third album.


SQUARECIRCLES
SquareCircles, a relatively new, geometrically-challenged, semi-acoustic band from the Klang Valley formed in October, 2008. They play mostly original material ... in whatever style they feel like playing, with elements of the blues, folks, surf and country. They will play for money, or hope to, some day. Until then, they'll take any gig that'll take them. Their songs are about songs about songs about ... oh, just come and listen!

Monday, January 5, 2009

FOR THE RAWK DAWGS VI


And SquareCircles is barging in for 30 minutes ...

Sunday, January 4, 2009

FOR THE RAWK DAWGS VI

Our first gig for the new year will be opening for the series For The Rawk Dawgs, now in its sixth edition.

Starring retro rockers Cats In Love, folk rockers Soft Touch and alternative rockers Stonebay
Featuring guest artiste SquareCircles

Date: 10/1/09
Showtime: 8.30pm
Place to be: VR1 Cafe, Block A, Damansara Intan, PJ
Admittance: RM15 only
Tel: 03-7729 4255

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Happy 2009!

Best wishes for the New Year ... more music, more gigs, more fun, we hope, to banish all our troubles ...

Mostly, best wishes for good health and a peace of mind.