Sofa Salon at Berlin Music Week

Tags

Ben Salter, Berlin, Berlin Music Week, Elyas Khan, festival, First We Take Berlin, house concert, Kreuzberg, MELT!, MELT! Booking, Miranda Gjerstad, private, reservation, Sam Wareing, September 2013, September 4, September 5, showcase, singer-songwriter, Sofa Salon, Sweet Jean

UPDATE: We are nearly booked out. E-mail for the last available places for Sofa Salon/First We Take Berlin/Berlin Music Week.

First We Take Berlin and A Headful of Bees Presents
Sofa Salon for Berlin Music Week

Sofa Salon is again delighted to host two showcases for Berlin Music Week. This year, MELT! Booking is running the First We Take Berlin showcase program and I’ve assembled four of the most interesting and world class singer-songwriter acts from around the world.

Guests need to email berlinsofasalon [aet] googlemail.com to reserve their place and get the address. Guests with a First We Take Berlin pass will have free entry. As usual, Sofa Salon guests pay 8€ for the highest quality live and intimate music experience.

Here’s the lineup. Here’s the Fb event for those of you so inclined.

MITTWOCH 4. SEPTEMBER SWEET JEAN (AU) + MIRANDA GJERSTAD (SE)
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SWEET JEAN is Sime Nugent and Alice Keath. Since forming in late 2010, Sweet Jean have built a reputation for their evocative songwriting, razor-sharp harmonies, and stirring live performances. The AU Review said Sweet Jean “can break your heart one minute and mend it the next. The duo has a natural ability to transport their audience to the heart of their songs.” Sweet Jean’s debut album Dear Departure was released on July 4 2013.
WEB: http://sweetjeanmusic.com/

MIRANDA GJERSTAD
At the age of 16, Miranda Gjerstad started to make a name for herself in the Swedish music scene. After moving to Berlin in 2009, she began a long term collaboration with Berliner epic indie rock duo Lonski & Classen and released the single Danger in November 2012. With her pumporgan, a powerful voice, direct songwriting and cabaret-inspired performances she has been seen playing at parties in the dark woods, in rock clubs and theaters, wearing glittering clown costumes and feathers.
WEB: http://mirandamiranda.bandcamp.com/

DONNERSTAG 5. SEPTEMBER BEN SALTER (AU) + ELYAS KHAN (UK)
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BEN SALTER rose to acclaim as an incredibly prolific songwriter and collaborator in two very different Brisbane bands, the punk rock Giants of Science and Country Rock supergroup The Gin Club. His clever lyrics span history, human frailty and good times sung in an honest and authentic Australian urban voice. His debut solo album The Cat was co-produced with another great Australian songewriter, Gareth Liddiard of The Drones. This is his second long tour of Europe.
WEB: http://www.bensalter.com.au/

ELYAS KHAN is a creative powerhouse who mixes the gorgeous Quuali-inspired singing of his Pakistani-British heritage with the acid guitar and art-synth processing of his NYC years.
Now based in Berlin with his fourth album to be released in France and Germany in 2013, his incredible musical freedom makes for an intense, ecstatic live experience.
WEB: www.elyaskhan.com

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Sofa Salon March 2012

Hallo and welcome back to Sofa Salon. I have my very own domain name now: www.sofasalon.de and, as of this morning, there are over 600 of you subscribed to the mailing list and facebook page. 600! Thank you friends of Sofa Salon. Your enthusiasm and attendance makes this little moveable stage possible for me and all the artists.

Here’s the Sofa Salon podcast for March 2012, featuring this month’s artists Miss Kenichi and Eric Eckhart plus great tracks from Roland Satterwhite, Sean M. Whelan & Isnod and The Gypsy Curse.

On to this month’s Sofa Salon. This month, we have a new host and her living room in Wedding. Email berlinsofasalon {aet} googlemail.com for reservations. 6€ eintritt. Einlass 19:00. Musik 20:00.

Friday 23 March: Miss Kenichi (DE) + Eric Eckhart (USA/Ire)

Miss Kenichi, born a trucker’s kid in a secluded little town in the woods of south-east Germany, makes a kind of parched and dreamy Americana with a husky voice that slips in under your defences.
Joining Miss Kenichi is Eric Eckhart, a West Virginian by way of Ireland, who played the very first Sofa Salon and returns to us with a pocketful of big, warm folk-pop songs.

Miss Kenichi: Arrived

Eric Eckhart: Lost

Upcoming Sofa Salons:

Friday 27 April: Holly Mae and the Painted Room (US) + guests

Saturday 12 May: Sean Nicholas McMahon (Aus) + A Seated Craft (Aus) + guest

Saturday 23 June: SAND Summer Sofa Salon Summer Festival
Friday 6 July: Lapingra (It) + guests

Salons Februar – Juli 2012

Welcome back to Sofa Salon. Last month’s collaboration with Bremen agency Songs & Whispers was an amazing night. Thank you to Gillian Grassie for her songs and her generosity in sharing her harp with the audience, Adam Donen for the poetry and candlelight and Heiko and team at Songs & Whispers.

Have a listen to the new Sofa Salon podcast featuring February’s performers plus independent poetry and music from around the world including David Creese, Sharon van Etten and Jenny Hval. 

Regards,

Sam 

Friday 24 February: Gosia Winter (Aus) + Cera Impala (US) + Claudia Emmingham ( DE)

Three powerful performers, Berlin ladies all. Gosia Winter, a Polish-Australian songwriter and guitarist with a playful avant-pop style with the sensuality of 30’s jazz and the soul of Slavic folk, Cera Impala, a charismatic stalwart of Berlin’s bluegrass/americana scene who sounds like Mama Cass and Michelle Phillips with a wicked sense of humour, and Claudia Emmingham, a bi-lingual poet whose found her voice and bone-dry performance style in Berlin’s spoken word scene.

Einlass 19:00. Eintritt 6€. Email reservations to berlinsofasalon [ at ] googlemail.com

Friday 23 March: Miss Kenichi (DE) + guests

Miss Kenichi, born a trucker’s kid in a secluded little town in the woods of south-east Germany, makes a kind of parched and dreamy Americana with a husky voice that slips in under your defences.

With another musical guest and poet to be announced.

Friday 27 April: Phia (Aus) + Holly Mae and the Painted Room (US) + guests

Phia is the playful DIY-art-pop music project of Australian-in-Berlin multi-instrumentalist songwriter Sophia Exiner, think Regina Spektor or New Buffalo playing in a kitchen full of musical instruments. Holly Mae and The Painted Room is a literate art-folk project that draws inspiration from myths, fairtales and Greek tragedy, heavy on swooning, sparking sounds and harmonies.

Saturday 12 May: Sean Nicholas McMahon (Aus) + A Seated Craft (Aus) + guest

Continuing the Sofa Salon tradition of being a Berlin home for Australian independent music, we’re pleased to present Sean Nicholas McMahon and his plaintive Alt.Country/Folk songs. He comes from acclaimed Melbourne band Downhills Home. A Seated Craft is the warm, gossamer music of Alexia Peniguel. The underlying melancholy in her emotive music is leavened by its great, delicate beauty.

Saturday 23 June: SAND Summer Sofa Salon Summer Festival

Sofa Salon again joins with SAND Journal, Berlin’s English-language literary magazine, to create a day-long festival of incredible music and spoken word. We will be holding this somewhere extraordinary.

Friday 6 July: Lapingra (It) + guests

Italian toycore band Lapingra is a collaboration between two quirky musicians with shared passion for Barbie, bake-a-cakes, Björk, Disney soundtracks and Bauhaus. Their album uses toy instruments to bake oven-fresh and original songs.

Spring on a Sofa Salon

Boing! Boing! Boing! Sofa Salon springs into Spring with our two April concerts:

Samstag 23. April – Sofa Salon #15: Christina Maria (Can/Ch) + Jimmy Tait (Aus) + poet Alistair Noon

Christina Maria did a Sofa Salon in July 2010. She was mesmerising and many requested an encore. She brings her lithe acoustic folk pop back to the Salon alongside Australian act Jimmy Tait, the melancholic and spacious sound of prolific Melbourne songwriter Sara Retallick and her gun band. If you loved The Sweetness last month, you’ll love Sofa Salon #15.
Our poet is Alistair Noon, a bi-lingual fixture on the Berlin spoken word scene.

To reserve places, the Sofa Salon email is : berlinsofasalon [at] googlemail.com. Also, “Like” us on Facebook.

Donnerstag 28. April – Joe’s Bar Showcase: Mijo Biscan (AUS) & Ian Fisher (USA) plus poet to be announced
A night of soulful voices. These two artists have travelled a long road to bring us their music. From Australia, Mijo Biscan, known to some people in Berlin from the Melodica Festival Berlin, and for his pure and powerful voice. Formerly of the US, wanderer Ian Fisher puts a rolling big-river spirit in his soaring voice and songs. Doors at 21:00. Eintritt 4€. Joe’s Bar, Schönhauser Allee 157, Prenzlauer Berg.

News and Gigs / News und Konzerte

Hallo,

ENG:

It’s been a while since the fabulous Sofa Sessions gigs for the Moabit Kulturtag back in July. People are still talking about the wonderful performances and atmosphere.

In the meantime, I’ve had many Wasp Summer/Mesalina gigs to play and a name issue to resolve. I was really surprised to find there has been another wohnzimmer concert series called Sofa Sessions running in Berlin (great minds an’ that). The convenor asked that I cease and desist using the name.

So the new name for my living room concert events is the Sofa Salon. Same amazing mix of music and poetry. Same lovely living room.

Therefore, the Sofa Salon would like to announce the next gig in the series:

Mark Steiner (NOR) + Emilie Zoey Baker (AUS) + guests
Tuesday 21 September, 19:30-22:00
Sofa Salon HQ, Berlin-Tiergarten

Book your spot via sofasessions@gmx.de
DEU:

Es ist eine lange Zeit gewesen, seit Juli’s Sofa Sessions für die Kulturtage Moabit. Die Leute sind noch im Gespräch über die erstaunlichen Leistungen und Atmosphäre.

In der Zwischenzeit habe ich viele Wasp Summer/Mesalina Gigs hatte. Ich hatte auch einen Namen Problem zu beheben.

Ich war überrascht, es hat ein weiteres Wohnzimmer Konzertreihe in Berlin berufen worden Sofa Sessions. Große Geister denken genauso. Der Convenor gebeten, dass ich nicht mehr aufhören und mit dem Namen.

So der neue Name für mein Wohnzimmer Konzertveranstaltungen ist das Sofa Salon. Gleiche erstaunliche Mischung aus Musik und Poesie. Gleiche schönes Wohnzimmer.

Daher würde der Sofa Salon wie auf den nächsten Gig in der Serie anzukündigen:

Mark Steiner (NOR) + Emilie Zoey Baker (AUS) + guests
Tuesday 21 September, 19:30-22:00
Sofa Salon HQ, Berlin-Tiergarten

Buchen deine platz durch sofasessions@gmx.de

Info on Mark Steiner:
Norwegian-based Mark Steiner possesses a rich, sophisticated troubadour voice which conjures images of smoky European bars in his dark, lush, swampy songs overflowing with lust and sadness.

“Anyone who even has a passing interest in brooding, dark, underground rock… should start paying attention to Mark Steiner.” – Rip It Up Magazine (Australia)

“Mark Steiner sounds like an optimal mixture of Nick Cave, Stuart Staples and cult figure Kim Salmon… He’s an artist who stands out with heaps of honesty and authority. Broken is Mark Steiner’s step up to the musical elite of rock…” – Nordlys (Norway)

Information on Emilie Zoey Baker:
Emilie is one of Australia’s foremost slam poets: feisty, feminist, playful, worldly-wise. She comes to Berlin as a guest of the Internationales Literatur Fest Berlin 2010 for the Internationale SLAM!Revue.