Building an acoustic home

Indie music is gaining popularity and acoustic gigs growing. AREF OMAR talks to some singer-songwriters about a new playing space

HOME is where the heart is. For indie singer-songwriters, finding a space to express themselves in an intimate outpouring of lyrics and mellow guitar refrains, is a must to nurture talent and gain exposure.

The Klang Valley has seen a number of places catering to this acoustic guitar driven music like Central Market’s Annexe, No Black Tie and the Laundry Bar at the Curve.

Even the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre has tri-monthly acoustic nights aimed at showcasing unknowns and budding talent.

The latest venue to feature indie musicians exclusively is Palm Square in Jaya One, a spanking new creative community centre, which features an ongoing series of free live showcases every first and last weekend (Fri & Sat) of the month.

Going under the heading of Palm Square Presents Acoustic Jaya, the series, which started in April, is run by the trio of Troubadours Enterprise – Azmyl Yunor, Jerome Kugan and Tan Sei Hon.

They collaborate with the Jaya One management to bring fresh talent and acoustic goodness to the Petaling Jaya audience.

“I see this as a way of communicating and sharing,” says Kugan, who recently released his electro-acoustic debut album, Songs For A Shadow, which can be downloaded from popfolio.net.

“I think it’s about building a community and culture where people who like this raw, stripped down kind of music can perform or experience it together,” says Tony Leo Selvaraj, guitarist with a penchant for gospel-tinged music.

Nick Davis, who strums a more rock-fuelled sound, says: “I feel the audience gives back something when they connect with my songs.”

Besides the creative and expressive aspects, it’s also good, clean fun and a way to build confidence and make friends.

But don’t quit your day job just yet.

“Unfortunately it’s like that here, where the real me is what I do at night while my alter ego works in the day,” says Azmyl.

“I don’t mind my day job really. It fuels me with angst and gives me material to write about, to be in touch with things.”

Azmyl, is of the opinion that those from his generation, who are open to music of this kind, have matured and are taking a more proactive approach in organising and setting up venues for creative expression.

“That’s why we started with the whole Troubadours and Troubaganger stuff, organising open mic and acoustic performances to create opportunities for people to come and play in a free and easy environment, something we never had,” says the 31-year-old singer-songwriter who, under the Troubadours banner, has organised the annual KL Sing Song Festival, now in its third year.

Having more venues creates further opportunities for singer-songwriters to perform regularly and gain valuable exposure and experience.

“This would also encourage them to produce more original material,” adds Jerome.

Davis feels that the singer-songwriter is a flexible musician.

“I feel playing alone gives me the opportunity to work with more people, as opposed to being in a band setting with the same guys.”

In addition to fostering camaraderie and teamwork between the individual musicians, the neighborhood venues would also attract new and accidental audiences.

“Organisers realise the crowd-pulling potential. And with just individuals playing acoustic sets, it’s not hard to set up a venue – a simple stage and a few mics will do,” says Tony.

With the prevalence of blogs and social networking websites like Facebook, organisers and singer-songwriters can easily market themselves and spread the word on upcoming gigs.

The goal would be to create a sustainable environment that encourages creativity and expression.

“It would be great for these artistes to slowly build a following, and be able to have 90-minute shows perhaps, in addition to recording albums,” says Azmyl.

“My personal goal would be to create a body of work that I can be proud of, recorded for posterity.”

Whether the rise of the indie singer-songwriter is here to stay or is just a passing trend is anyone’s guess. But those on the local vanguard are pretty resolved to strive for the long haul.

“Cliff Richard said it best, stick around long enough and people will notice,” says Azmyl, before heading off to prepare for another performance for the evening with the rest of the singer-songwriters.

• Catch Acoustic Jaya on July 25-26 at 8.30pm. Visit www.jayaone.com.my. Don’t miss the KL Sing Song festival from July 18-20 at Pentas 2, KLPac, Sentul West, KL. Admission is RM25/RM20. E-mail jeromekugan@gmail.com