Tuesday, February 28, 2006








Abigail DeVries
, writer and keyboardist for Ferns, wrote a feature on the singer songwriter scene in KL, talking about its rise in the late 90s up to its present state, in the March issue of KLue magazine. Look out for it! It features quotes from singer songwriters Pete Teo, Peter Hassan Brown, Reza Salleh and Jerome Kugan. Ha ha ha. Toot toot!
UNLEASHING POTENTIAL: Celebrating Women in Music

International Women's Day falls on 8 March each year. In conjunction with this special day, Troubaganger's decided to put on a special gig to celebrate this year's theme: "Unleashing Potential" with an all-women line-up. Actually, this time the Troubadours team is taking a bit of a rest from organising duties as Jaz aka Jasmine Low, the organiser Doppelganger (our sister night), and her band of sistas have taken over the steering wheel. We're looking forward to it!!! This special edition of Troubaganger won't just be a celebration of talented women, it'll also be helping to raise money to purchase a guitar or two to be donated to an orphanage for galz. Cool, eh? Come lah!

UPDATE from Jaz:
The guitars will be for House of Peace - a home for galz in Taman Seputeh. Also, any singer/songwriter looking to offer two hours of their time to share some songwriting skills and to teach a couple of basic chords on guitar, pls contact Jaz at openmickl@gmail.com

Troubaganger International Women's Day Special
Sunday, 5 March 2006

La Bodega KL, Tengkat Tong Shin
Show begins 8.30pm
RM20 with a free drink

8.30pm Ida Liza (aka Lisa Zahran)
9.00pm Jasemaine Gan
9.30pm Izzy Mohamed
9.50pm Rhapsody (Nicole & Ywena)
10.10pm Melina William
10.30pm Zalila Lee
11.00pm Lynie
11.30pm Jac Kee (reading)
12.00pm Jaz (reading)

Also, there's going to be a Doppelganger show at No Black Tie on 8th March, the special day itself! Go to Doppelganger's blogsite for more details!
TROUBADOURS/OPEN DOORS
GIG REPORT


Troubadours/Open Doors, 26 February 2006, KLPAC, 3pm

Hey hey, we just did our Troubadours/Open Doors kick-off show at KLPAC. About 80 people came on what at first seemed like a cloudy-drizzly afternoon (which cleared up soon enough) to enjoy performances by Azmyl Yunor, Broken Scar, Ian Chow and Da Praise Project. Plus there were screenings of short films by James Lee, Tan Chui Mui and Azharr Rudin.

To be sure, the Pentas Dua space where the kick-off was held is bigger than the other spaces where we've done previous Troubadours events, and of course that affected the ambience and feel of the show. But still the performances retained their intimate feel.

The show started off with two short films "Dancing Kites" by Azharr Rudin and "Esperando Por Felicidad" by Tan Chui Mui. After that, Broken Scar aka Kevin Teh (plus bassist buddy Alda) delivered a sweet set of his rocking, uplifting songs. Kevin even got the crowd to sing along to one of his songs "Come back down... Won't you come back down!"

Then Ian Chow, a newcomer to the scene and also the guy behind the Open Doors concept, took to the stage, backed up by friend Tony Leo Selvaraj and a percussionist friend (sorry we didn't catch the name, forgive us!) to share with the audience his tender acoustic numbers. After Ian's set, the music took a bit of a break for James Lee's darkly ironic short film "Survivor".

Azmyl Yunor, a perennial favourite at Troubadours, then bravely rocked the mic as the sole soloist of the day. Though one of his guitar strings broke during the middle of his set, he kept the audience fixated and tapping their feet to his irresistible songs. Tony Leo then returned to the stage with four of his friends as Da Praise Project to close the afternoon of wonderful music with their gospel songs.

Thanks to all who came. Thanks to KLPAC for having us.

The next Troubadours/Open Doors show will be held on Sunday, 19 March 2006 at KLPAC, 3pm. A little note: the next show won't be inside Pentas Dua but on the second floor up the stairs at Indicene, KLPAC's own bar. List of featured performers and short films to be screened will be announced here as soon as they're confirmed. See you there!!!

Here's a few nice photos for you to glean through!



















Broken Scar














Broken Scar














Broken Scar














Ian Chow














Ian Chow



















Ian Chow














Azmyl Yunor



















Azmyl Yunor














Azmyl Yunor














Da Praise Project














Da Praise Project














Da Praise Project

And please don't forget our Troubaganger International Women's Day Special this Sunday at La Bodega KL featuring an all-women line-up!!! See you there!!!


The Star Online > Central



A musical collaboration

TROUBADOURS, the brainchild of Azmyl Yunnor, Tan Sei Hon and Jerome Kugan, is a regular music event that has been held around the Klang Valley since April 2005. Originally organised at La Bodega KL as a showcase for local talents to perform their original music, the event has become a get-together for young arts lovers as the shows gained prominence.

The new collaboration with KL Performing Arts Centre (KLPAC) has given Troubadours a more exciting venue to continue their efforts. With the better infrastructure, the event has grown to encompass not only music acts but also film screenings by local independent filmmakers.

“Our tagline for Troubadours is ‘Real people, real music.’ We want to feature people with real substance and talent,” said Tan.

They have also been working with several other young arts groups like Doopleganger to organise young events for the arts community.

“It’s very encouraging for us because people just come out of nowhere and play their original music at Troubadours that blows the audiences away. Talents are unearthed at our sessions,” Tan continued.

“We have very supportive audiences and they are usually young people. We meet new faces at every session, which means that word has been going around about our event,” explained Azmyl.

To kickstart their new collaboration with KLPAC entitled Troubadours Open Doors, they featured a mix of old and new acts. The singer-songwriters were Azmyl Yunor, Broken Scar, Ian Chow and Da Praise Project.

The independent filmmakers featured were James Lee, Azharr Rudin and Tan Chui Mui.

“The small space at La Bodega KL was very cosy and playing for the first time in Pentas 2 KLPAC was a little daunting. But, of course, I got used to it after the first song,” said Kevin Teh of Broken Scar.

Troubadours will continue to run on the first Sunday of each month at La Bodega KL while Troubadours Open Doors will run on the third Sunday of each month in KLPAC.

For details, visit www.troubadourskl.blogspot.com



© 1995-2005 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D)

Saturday, February 25, 2006


Troubadours / Open Doors

Come 26 February, KLPac & Troubadours Enterprise will be launching Troubadours / Open Doors, an all-new monthly series of live performances.

For those who are unfamiliar with Troubadours, it is a regular music event held around the Klang Valley since April 2005. Helming this enterprise are singer songwriters Azmyl Yunor, Tan Sei Hon and Jerome Kugan who organise Troubadours as a showcase for local talents performing original music. Troubadours nights are intimate and friendly, and attended by a diverse group of musicians and music-lovers.

With this new collaboration, the core objective remains the same – to feature talented Malaysians who write and perform original material, solo or in a band. However, this series is partly driven towards introducing new musicians to the local scene. It serves as a much-needed platform for such musicians to showcase their work.

To kickstart Troubadours / Open Doors, an exciting line-up of old and new names on the local circuit promises a refreshing fusion of original music. Featured musicians include Azmyl Yunor, Broken Scar, Ian Chow and Da Praise Project. Exclusive to the launch will also be an independent short film screening prior to the performances, featuring the works of James Lee, Tan Chui Mui and Azharr Rudin.

Troubadours / Open Doors series will take place on the third Sunday of each month at KLPac.
Those interested to showcase their music, please email your biodata and song lyrics to troubadourskl@gmail.com and ian@klpac.com.

Status : Active
Category : Concert
Duration : 26 February 2006
Venue : Pentas 2
Price : RM10
Presenter : KLPac & Troubadours Enterprise

website: http://www.klpac.com

***************

Check out this article that came out in The Star

The Star Online > eCentral > Sound & Stage



Opening doors

In its first step to bridge the divide between local indie musicians and filmmakers, Troubadours Enterprise and the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPac), are launching a new series, which will feature live performances and film screenings every third Sunday of the month. The show’s debut, entitled Troubadours/Open Doors, kicks off this Sunday from 3pm to 6pm, at KLPac.

It is set to feature four live performances by Azmyl Yunor, Broken Scar, Ian Chow and Da Praise Project and three short films by James Lee (Survivor), Tan Chui Mui (Esperando Por Felicidad) and Azharr Rudin’s Dancing Kites.

“We’re going to have a short film followed by a live performance for the show this Sunday,” said Azmyl in a telephone interview. He is also part of the Troubadours Enterprise alongside Jerome Kugan and Tan Sei Hon.

Azmyl, who has been performing under the Troubadours banner around the Klang Valley since last year, is, as the banner suggests, a one-man-and-his-guitar act that is heavily influenced by folk and country music.

Azmyl Yunor is a one-man show that’s part of the Troubadours.
One of the main highlights of the show is to introduce new musicians to the scene. While there are plans to introduce bands later on, the show currently only accommodates musicians with the least set-up.

“At the moment, the music performances feature musicians with a minimal setting. If the response is great, then we will include full bands in the future,” said Azmyl, who will be lining out his acoustic guitar to the PA system for this Sunday’s show.

Azmyl, however, prefers a “moderate” sized venue for the show.

“We will be playing at (KLPac’s) Pentas 2, which is very intimate, and is only slightly bigger than La Bodega (where the Troubadours perform once a month).

“I prefer a moderate-sized venue myself, with the kind of performances under Troubadours, it’s better to be close to the audience,” he said.

Azmyl, who recorded and released an EP – Tenets – in 2005 will be singing some new songs for the show.

“I will be playing a new song, Anak Dara, for the show. I’ve got a bunch of new songs but I’m still recording a new album that should be ready by the end of the year,” said the 29-year-old.

So if you want to experience what’s new and what’s happening in the local independent music and film scene, then just make your way to KLPac on Feb 26 and catch the action.

Tickets are priced at RM10 and can be booked through the KLPac box office (03-4047900 or tickets@klpac.com) or via The Actors Studio Bangsar (03-20949400 or tickets@theactors studio.com.my).

For more information, you can visit www.klpac.com or visit www.troubadourskl.blogspot.com.



© 1995-2006 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D)

Friday, February 24, 2006

TROUBAGANGER Feb 5th report: We're back!
Selamat Tahun Baru 2006 and Gong Xi Fa Cai from the Troubaganger gang!! Hope this year of the mongrel will bring in more big juicy chunky bites down to the bone than 'tin kosong' barks!! After a month of hiatus, with Jerome in Sabah celebrating CNY with his loved ones, and Jaz being overwhelmed with work and serious business, it was up to the two remaining banditos, Azmyl and Sei Hon, to hold the fort for the year's first Troubaganger (Sun, 5th of Feb). Despite their initial fears of having to run the show themselves, the night lived up and went beyond their journeyman expectations!! This show's line-up has to be one of the most extensive we have served so far, and boy, was it a night! It was night with a good mix of familiar and new, some sacred, some profane but endearingly profound... Thanks to Albert Ng for the photos!














Justin Wong, the night's sole open miker, appeared all by his lonesome with his geetar (sans bag or case) just abt an hour before the show and one thing's for sure: he'll be back. He played us two earnest self-penned acoustic numbers that will definitely grow with repeated performances (he even had a small group of adoring female fan friends!).


















Resident troubadour Kevin a.k.a. Broken Scar, fresh from a stint on the national airwaves, added to his bread-and-butter kick ass energetic performances by going electric this time around with buddy Alda in tow on funky bass for an extra uumph.














The sweet serenades of Lisa Zahran was next which touched upon matters such as lost loves that melted some hearts and kept the crowd glued to their seats (and floors). If you missed her this time around, fear not, she'll be back next month!














Local pub circuit journeyman Errol de Cruz followed complete with the cowboy hat and swagger and proceeded to belt out a flow of downhome country gems by Johnny Cash, Don McLean, John Denver and Kris Kristofferson to bring y'all dowwnnn memory lane which might as well been a crash course in roots music appreciation to the mostly young but appreciative crowd...he'll definitely be back to spread the country gospel.









Zack Tay, who's back on holiday from studies, played a set of radio-ready tunes (plus a John Mayer cover) with his band mates displayed that the good ol' instrument virtuosity department is alive and kicking that delighted old skool folks who miss guitar solos that that is at a dearth in today's corporate pop rock.










Ian Chow and his guitarist Tony showed us some shades of 90s rock ala Deep Blue Something and Better than Ezra with some energetic singing (plus harmonica!). Ian is also the co-organizer of another upcoming gig at KLPAC on the 26th of this month that provides platforms for aspiring musicians (more on that soon!).












Growing crowd darlings The Sofa Sessions delivered a flawless set of covers plus an original flavored with Ariff Akhir's tongue in cheek jabs on life. Their set ended with our very own La Bodega resident crooning waiter, Fikri, rendering the Kembara classic 'Hati Emas' which got the crowd going and cheering.














One of the music scene's best kept secret is finally out of the pandora's box and the beast is named…Panda Head Curry. A truly multi-media and -sensory experience, they dished out original sing-alongs (complete with lyric sheets and chicken nuggets for everyone) on spicy topics such chicken tasting endangered species, homophobia, killing whales, rabies and mutant elephants, satanism and laced cigarettes. 'Politically incorrect' or 'incorrectly political', their set (only their second appearance and already approaching a comedic nadir!) got the crowd and organizers in the right frame of mind to face the impending beast of Monday to the point that they had to be dragged offstage.


















Sweet and shy Su Ann also dropby and recited two lovely personal poems about life and the lessons one could learn from it.

Well that was it…a success by any measure, a measure of success by our standards because of all the wonderful people who came and warmed our quiet Sunday nights with meaning and rejoice (and nuggets). Keep coming and make every first Sunday a night lovelier every month! Thanks for tuning in, see you on 5th March! Keep on songing!