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.

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Sofa Salon podcast number 1

Sofa Salon is the monthly living room concert series showcasing the best Berlin-based singer-songwriters and poets alongside German and international guests.

I’m now doing a monthly podcast that features upcoming Sofa Salon artists and tracks from performers I want to support.

This is my first 30min podcast and features music and poetry from Gillian Grassie, Adam Donen, Sailor Days, Mute Swimmer and mr oCean. Gillian and Adam will be playing Sofa Salon on January 27, 2012. If you’d like to reserve your place, send an email to berlinsofa salon [at] googlemail.com.

Each podcast will be up on my Soundcloud page and hopefully up on iTunes. Don’t forget to

Cheers,
Sam

Sofa Salon podcast Jan 2012 by SofaSalon

Sofa Salon’s first birthday!

Na ja, It’s Sofa Salon’s first birthday and I’m celebrating with a… Sofa Salon. Exactly one year ago, I put on three afternoon living room concerts for the Moabiter Kulturtage.

The shows were filled with wonderful musicians, poets and an attentive audience. Something really special happened in that space and everyone there loved seeing performers so close. I put on a few more and then a few more. I made an afternoon festival with SAND Journal and migrated to other living rooms. It’s been a surprise and a joy.

Thank you very much to Cosima, Lena, Cameron, Kristian, Kari and Max and Eric for your support. Thank you very much to all the poets, musicians and guests who make Sofa Salon a very warm, intimate Berlin experience.

Highlights for me have included Emilie Zoey Baker, The Alma Church Choir, mr Ocean, Mark Steiner, Roland Satterwhite and Sandra Serala, The Sweetness and Ben Porter Lewis, Biddy Connor, Roller One, Miranda Gjerstad and Lotta Fahlen, Water Music and Daniel Hoth, but you’re all amazing.

ENG:

Samstag 16. Juli – Wohnzimmer Konzert: Schneider & Son, Ned Collette (Aus) + poet Sally Browne (Aus)

…Sofa Salon presents an early evening of wonderful music and poetry. Doublebass player Claudia Schneider fronts Diving Bell, one of Melbourne’s more intriguing bands. They create European stories with Melbourne sounds and have been described as Indie Oompah. Frau Claudia’s plays a set with son Liam, from Melbourne band Ships Piano. Respected Australian songwriter and previous Sofa Salon guest Ned Collette also plays his dark and literate folk. Our poet for the evening is Brisbane-based music journalist and poet Sally Browne in her first Berlin reading. Our Sofa Salon is in Schöneberg near S-Schöneberg station. To reserve your places, the Sofa Salon email is : berlinsofasalon@googlemail.com. 6€. 17:00.

DE:

Der Sofa Salon präsentiert einen zeitigen Abend mit Musik und Poesie. Contrabass-spielerin Claudia Schneider führt die faszinierende Melbourner Band Diving Bell an. Sie formen europäische Kurzgeschichten mit Melbourne Sounds. Liam Schneider, der Sohn von Frau Schneider, und die Melbourner Band Ships Piano werden ein pulsierendes Indie Rock Set spielen. Zudem beehrt uns der angesehene australische Musiker Ned Collette mit seinen dunklen und literarischen Songs. Der Sofa Salon wird dieses mal unweit des S-Bahnhofs Schöneberg stattfinden. 6€. 17:00. Für Reservierungen, E-Mail: berlinsofasalon@googlemail.com

Sofa Salon #8 Thank You!

Sofa Salon Berlin – Wohnzimmer Konzert-Serie.

Sofa Salon #8 Thank You!
Musik: The Alma Church Choir (DE) + Lina Paul (DE) + Poesie: Mr. oCean (AUS)

ENG:
What a wonderful SOFA SALON night! A heartfelt welcome to the new people that came along, offered future living rooms, bought CDs and added themselves to the mailing list. My thanks also to the return guests and my gratitude to Neil the Barman and Sascha for their assistance. What beautiful performances from The Alma Church Choir, Lina Paul and Mr. oCean.

The last Sofa Salons for 2010 will be Thursday 25 November at Joe’s Bar, Prenzlauer Berg, and an early December living room concert at Sofa Salon HQ.

DE:
Ein wonderschön SOFA SALON! Ein herzliches Wilkommen auf die neues Menschen, die entlang kam, bot Zukunft Wohnzimmer, kaufte CDs und hat sich auf die Mailingliste. Mein Dank geht auch für die Stammgäste und meine Dankbarkeit für die Hilfe von Neil und Sascha. Wirklich schöne Aufführungen von The Alma Church Choir, Lina Paul und Mr. oCean.

Die letzte Sofa Salons für 2010 sind Donnerstag 25. November bei Joe’s Bar, Prenzlauer Berg, und ein Anfang Dezember wohnzimmer konzerte bei Sofa Salon Hauptsitz.

Watch a video for The Alma Church Choir song Ubuntu. Andreas told me ‘Ubuntu’ has various meanings in different African languages, and said Nelson Mandela explained it this way: “A traveler through a country would stop at a village and he didn’t have to ask for food or for water. Once he stops, the people give him food, entertain him. That is one aspect of Ubuntu but it will have various aspects. Ubuntu does not mean that people should not enrich themselves. The question therefore is: Are you going to do so in order to enable the community around you to be able to improve?”

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.

Our first review

Thanks to mr oCean, inaugural Sofa Sessions poet, for this fine, comprehensive review of the weekend’s three Sofa Sessions shows for Moabit Kulturtage. You are very kind, sir! Click on the title for the link to the review.