Sofa Salon lineups 2013/2014

Hallo Zusammen,

Thank you to everyone who replied to the last newsletter with feedback about Sofa Salon. We are just about to celebrate the 50th Sofa Salon with one of my regular hosts in Pankow. Having come so far, I wanted to check in and make sure the experience remains rewarding for the audience. The feedback was inspiring and supportive.

I have been working on bookings for the end of 2013 and the start of 2014. I have some great acts coming up in old and new Wohnzimmer across Berlin.

Thursday 21. November – #50 features Austrian singer-songwriter Bernhard Eder, released in Germany through Berlin’s Solaris Empire label. His wonderfully spooky voice adds drama to melancholy late-nights-in-the-city songs. He is supported by Deutschsprachigen singer-songwriter Kini Mod who I’ve enjoyed at Melodica Festival and Fete de la Musique with his energetic acoustic band. Bring cake!

Freitag 06. Dezember – #51 features young Swedish indie pop singer-songwriter Juni Andrea. She was recommended to me by previous Sofa Salon guest Miranda Gjerstad (whom you may have seen at the first Berlin Music Week showcase).

2014

Samstag 25. Januar – #52, our first show for 2014 will feature retro country/swing singer-songwriter Iris Romen (Ber) + guest.

Februar – I will post the date when it’s confirmed but Salon #53 in February will feature hypnotic and funny Berlin indie folk songwriter Vincent Long (Ber) + guest.

Freitag 14. März – #54 features rootsy Irish indie pop singer-songwriter duo Odi (IE) + guest. Odi’s quavering, emotional voice and emotive music was one of the lovely surprises that sometimes pop up in the Sofa Salon inbox.

May – The date is To Be Confirmed but for Salon #56 I welcome back previous Sofa Salon guest Ali Tadros (US) and her friend/tour partner Mieka Pauley (US) for an evening of bittersweet indie folk.

September – Salon #60 will feature Austin-based Australian singer-songwriter Lisa Richards (US/AU) + guest. Another inbox email find, Lisa’s groovy, rootsy guitar and playful voice support clever imagery.

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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)
–
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)
–
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

Do: host your own house concert

Tags

Berlin, community, community-building, Couchsurfing, Croxton Records, DIT, DIY, DO, earning a living, Europe, food, friends, GOOD, house concert, How Do?, intimacy, Konzert, live music, Mick Thomas, musician, new ideas, potluck, sharing, Sofa Salon, Suzanna Espie, touring, wine, Wohnzimmer

Around 2007, legendary Australian songwriter Mick Thomas told me a story about one of the artists on his Croxton Records label, the great soul-country singer Suzannah Espie. She had booked two gigs a week apart in Perth, some 3,400km away from her home in Melbourne. The cost of two return airfares was prohibitively high, some AUD$600. Suzannah rang the venues and anyone she knew in South-West Australia and asked if they could help her find some fill-in gigs to get her through the week. What she found was a handful of willing hosts who offered to put her up, feed her and invite their friends around and pass the hat if she’d play a concert.

Copyright Kate Seabrook 2012

After permanently relocating to Berlin in 2009, and remembering Suzannah’s story, I started my own monthly Berlin house concert series called Sofa Salon and started touring Europe as a solo musician under the name Wasp Summer. Over two years, my planning preferenced house concerts, filling in with some club gigs rather than using house shows as convenient, short-lead-time fill-ins for a club show tour.

Most of my touring is organised through the various Couchsurfing.org forums devoted to house concerts. Most of the Sofa Salon artists come from personal recommendations, email requests and acts that I see or hear of personally.

Copyright Jordane Chaillou 2012

I love hosting, watching and playing house concerts for the same reasons that I like dinner parties more than nightclubs – intimacy, connection, attention. It’s one of the great pleasures of my life in Berlin to sit in front of great singer-songwriters and hear them in company but with few distractions. The audience necessarily offers a higher level of attention which encourages the performer to offer greater intimacy and honesty no matter their style. It can be confronting for first-time guests and performers alike but most participants come away beaming. A large part of the audience for Sofa Salon comes from repeat visitors and word-of-mouth guests.

Copyright Orange ‘Ear

As hostess, guest and performer, I’ve discovered there are as many different ways to host a house concert as people to host them. I’ve played house shows in France, Germany, Australia and Spain – all with different policies on inviting guests, raising money for the artist, food, drink.

There are some general underlying principles to hosting a house concert.

1. Your musician should be paid.
Some hosts will never charge an entry fee on principle, but will pass the hat for the musician. The risk is that your guests won’t be generous. One night, I made 20€ after travelling 6 hours and playing for 1 1/2 hours. O the next your, I made 240€ from the hat and CD sales. Some, like myself, set an entry fee to guarantee a base level of income. I aim for 100€ per artist but I can guarantee at least 30 people at every Sofa Salon. Some hosts set a ‘suggested donation’ of 5-20€. Some artists with a bigger profile ask for a set fee and ask the host to arrange to cover it. As you like.

2. Offer dinner, drinks, accommodation
I always offer a bottle of wine and dinner for my artists as part of the deal. On tour, I am nearly always offered accommodation as part of the deal. Frequently, I am picked up from the train station. This makes touring much more cost efficient for the musician and is greatly appreciated.

3. Bring an audience.
There are various ways to arrange this. Some hosts like to make their events open to the public. Some only invite personal friends. Some find guests through facebook or couchsurfing events. With Sofa Salon, I have created a Berlin-wide network of hosts and, to protect their security, I only accept reservations by email and only send the address a day prior to the show to people who have reserved. It also gives me new names for my Sofa Salon email list which runs to over 1000 people after 2 1/2 years of shows.

Other variations on the hospitality theme include running a cash bar with cheap drinks or allowing the guests to BYO, making food to share or asking guests to bring food for a potluck dinner and hosting outdoors in the Summertime.

Why should you DO a house concert? If you love music, you can have it as a living intimate part of you life, witnessing excellent performance up close. You can gather your friends and community together for a heart-opening experience of sharing. You can offer practical and material support to touring musicians. There’s no reason why this could not be extended to film, dance, activist talks, educational nights, slide nights with visual artists. It’s an open-source, open-ended, community-building activity and it’s the best thing I ever created.

Sofa Salons #34, #35, #36 and #37

Tags

2013, Berlin, Berlin COMPASS, collaboration, house concert, james cruickshank, Justin Cusack, Lavender Drake, Lucie Thorne, Matt Walker, Miriam Wuttke, new music, November, October, performance, Prita Grealy, ritual, Roller One, Sandra Sarala, seasonal, September, Sofa Salon, Susie Asado, upcoming events

Sofa Salon 35 by Kate Seabrook

Dearhearts,
Well… last week was an enormous week. At the opening press conference, it was heartening to hear that Berlin Music Week’s Head of Project Björn Döring welcomes the inclusion of house concerts as official showcases in the program. Not that we need legitimacy, but it’s lovely to see house concerts recognised as a vital part of the live music industry for performers and fans alike.

That said, we lived up to the hype with full houses and stunning showcases from Phia (AU), Town of Saints (NL), Mute Swimmer (UK) and our last minute fill-in act My Sister Grenadine (DE) and two wonderful new host apartments. Thank you Robert and Tammy. Indelible moments included Felix from My Sister Grenadine yelling into a hoodie, raucous crowd-particpation during No Time, Mute Swimmer’s infamous “why don’t you shut the fuck up” song, and the lovely group jam between Phia and Town of Saints.

And now we’re onto the next two shows. In collaboration with Sandra Sarala’s excellent seasonal/ritual performance series Berlin COMPASS, Sofa Salon #36 is an intimate Kabarett this Saturday 22 September. Following that, we have Sofa Salon #37 on Saturday 6 October featuring further explorations of Australian songwriting talent in Justin Cusack, Roller One and special guest James Cruickshank.

I’m really excited to bring you these performers, so email berlinsofasalon [aet] googlemail.com for reservations and the address.

SEPT 22

Sofa Salon & Berlin Compass presents Sandra Sarala (NZ) + Lavender Drake (AU) + Miriam Wuttke (DE) Sandra Serala’s excellent seasonal/ritual performance series Berlin COMPASS, Sofa Salon hosts an intimate Prenzl’berg Sofa Salon next Thursday 22 featuring the dark voice of Berlin chanteuse Lavender Drake (AU), performance artist Miriam Wuttke (DE) with her new piece Heimat–Land-Luxus, and hostess/previous Sofa Salon poet Sandra Sarala (NZ) who combines real world poetry and anarchic East European folk song. 6€. Doors 19:00. Email belinsofasalon [aet] googlemail.com for reservations and address. Facebook event

OKT 6

Roller One (AU) + Justin Cusack (AU) + James Cruickshank (AU) In my continuing crusade to bring every good Australian songwriter to Berlin to play in a living room, I present two former Sofa Salon artists and one special guest. After last May’s SAND Journal Dayfestival, two Melburnian acts return to the Salon: Justin Cusack (ex-Black Pony Express) with his dusty, heart-worn troubadour songs and the gorgeous Willie Nelson-esque alt.country of duo Roller One. Our special guest artist is James Cruickshank in his last European show for a while, a guitarist and songwriter well-respected for his work with The Cruel Sea and Tex Perkins. He brings us songs from his three seductive solo records. 6€. Doors 19:00. Email belinsofasalon [aet] googlemail.com for reservations and address.

NOV 16

Matt Walker (AU) + Lucie Thorne (AU) Matt Walker is a well-loved figure on the Australian roots music scene, known for his astonishing white-boy blues voice and mastery of dobro, lap steel and guitar. His tourmate, Lucie Thorne is an itinerant troubadour armed with a deadly red Guild electric guitar and a seductive, womanly voice. I’m already receiving reservations for this show, so email requests to berlinsofasalon [aet] googlemail.com.

JAN 26

Susie Asado (DE) Sofa Salon is delighted to work again with Paper & Iron Booking to present alternative Folk doyenne Susie Asado and her wonderful portmanteau of languages, cities and well-travelled songs.

MAR 2

Prita Grealy (AU) Combining hip-hop, soul and folk, the vivacious Prita Grealy innovates while she uplifts. This will be a perfect Spring Awakening.

Sofa Salon #33 Wrap Up August 2012

Tags

Berlin, folk, folk rock, house concert, james cruickshank, Konzert, review, singer-songwriter, Sofa Salon, Wohnzimmer

Dearhearts,

I write to you with the melting head of the profoundly hungover, but what an amazing night last night was.

Ned Collette, Mark Geary and Ben Salter offered three very different but complimentary approaches to the solo singer-songwriter format, three different lyrical takes on the world and three compelling performances in the glorious surrounds of Ned, Amy and Paul’s Schöneberg apartment. Thanks to them, and neighbours Sascha and Mirjam for the Pommes Frites, children and positivity.

It was a warm evening and around 65 people spread out across the living room and the Peter Falk Memorial Bar and Smoking Balcony. As always at Sofa Salon, guests end up making new connections or often find that people they know have also turned up to enjoy the vibe, the cold Schultheiss and the great music. It was a large Salon and also a longish one, but people were relaxed, offered their attention and left happy.

Quote of the night went to Mark Geary, explaining to James Cruickshank how the general public sees musicians, “Is that a real song or something you wrote?”

Highlights included German actor and Pommes Frites mogul Sascha Gersak recreating his vocal on Ned’s excellent ‘Long You Lie’, Mark Geary instigating an audience singalong in the dark and Ben Salter’s rich, emotional singing and self-deprecating stories. Also, the look of joy on Ben’s face after his set knowing that he’d just won the entire audience. This, my friends, is what Sofa Salon is made of.

Afterwards, an amenable posse went to that excellent Schöneberg kneipe Resonanz to sustain the mood and have chat with Berlin’s best barkeep. Several friends dropped in late to say hi. The Big Friendly Giant and I left around 4:00 and finished off the night with an early swim at an almost-deserted Plötzensee.

Cheers,

Sam

Please view these videos from Sofa Salon’s three August musicians:

Ben Salter – The Coward

Ned Collette – Long You Lie

Mark Geary – Volunteer

Migration

Tags

alt.country, Berlin, curated, Deutschland, Dichter, electronica, folk, folk rock, Germany, house concert, Konzert, live music, monthly, poet, poetry, pop, rock, Serie, singer-songwriter, Sofa Salon, spoken word, Wohnzimmer

Hello Dearhearts. I’m migrating the website for Berlin Sofa Salon house concerts from blogger to wordpress, in order to make my life and blogging easier.

Sofa Salon for Berlin Music Week and 2012 lineups

July saw two amazing Salons in one long week with great punk attitude and soulful songs from the amazing Emperor X and Remarkable Shipwrecks, plus a very sticky, summery night of music from Big Strong Brute and exuberant Italian trio Lapingra.

Thank you to the artists, the audiences, my housemates and hosts and to Elena at Paper & Iron Booking for bringing Chad/Emperor X to Sofa Salon.

The second half of the year sees some astonishing songwriters grace the Sofa Salon, including two Salons for Berlin Music Week and the new Sofa Salon dinner series near Zoo Station.

I’m really excited to bring you these performers. Email berlinsofasalon@googlemail.com for reservations.

AUG 3

Saudia Young (DE) Our guest for the next show is Berlin-based NYC songwriter and cabaret performer Saudia Young who turns her soft and low alto voice onto swinging jazz styles.You don’t need to have dinner to see the show, but come and watch some great live music near Zoo station. DE: Präsentiert von Sofa Salon und Kartoffelkiste: Berlins neueste Liedermacher-Serie. Echtes Berliner Essen und Original Live Musik in der gemütlichen, charmanten Atmosphäre der Kartoffelkiste auf dem EuropaCenter. Jeden zwei Wochen. Frei Eintritt. Einlass: 20:00. EN: Sofa Salon and the Kartoffelkiste present Berlin’s newest singer-songwriter series featuring real Berliner food and local music in the cozy, charming atmosphere of the Kartoffelkiste at the Europa Center, Zoo. Every fortnight. Free entry. Doors 20:00. Facebook event     Venue

AUG 17

Die Wanderdüne (DE) Our guest for this show is Berlin folk musician Die Wanderdüne who roams widely through gorgeous improvisations and different instruments. DE: Präsentiert von Sofa Salon und Kartoffelkiste: Berlins neueste Liedermacher-Serie. Echtes Berliner Essen und Original Live Musik in der gemütlichen, charmanten Atmosphäre der Kartoffelkiste auf dem EuropaCenter. Jeden zwei Wochen. Frei Eintritt. Einlass: 20:00. EN: Sofa Salon and the Kartoffelkiste present Berlin’s newest singer-songwriter series featuring real Berliner food and local music in the cozy, charming atmosphere of the Kartoffelkiste at the Europa Center, Zoo. Every fortnight. Free entry. Doors 20:00.

AUG 18

Ned Collette (AU), Ben Salter (AU) + Mark Geary (IE) Three great songwriters grace us with music from their critically-acclaimed new albums. Ben Salter is from Brisbane bands Giants Of Science and alt.country collective The Gin Club and co-produced his intelligent, complex debut solo album The Cat with members of The Drones. Ned Collette is a past host and performer at Sofa Salon. He brings us literate musings from his sixth album, 2. Mark Geary is an Irish singer-songwriter whose time in NYC saw him share stages with acts like Jeff Buckley and Glen Hansard (The Swell Season, The Frames) as well as releasing four albums including the haunting melancholia of this year’s songs about love, songs about leaving. Hear some great music and enjoy drinks at the Peter Falk Memorial Bar. Email reservation requests to berlinsofasalon [aet] googlemail.com

SEP 5-7

Berlin Music Week Showcases Sofa Salon and A Headful of Bees host three official showcases for Berlin Music Week. Mittwoch 5. September – Sofa Salon presents Phia (AU) + Town of Saints (NL) Australian songwriter Phia has made kalimba (African thumb piano) and loops the centre of her indie pop sound, constructing energetic, layered songs with soaring vocals reminiscent of Björk’s Vespertine album. She will play songs from her new album recorded in Poland. She is supported by Dutch/Finnish acoustic folk-punk act Town of Saints who are renowned for their joyous live shows and will be playing songs from their new EP The Silent Sea. Facebook event     Berlin Music Week page  Donnerstag 6. September – A Headful of Bees Music presents Eric Eckhart (US), Ken Burke (IE), Wasp Summer (AU), Miss Kenichi (DE) and Nina Hynes (IE) at Lovelite, F’hainMy label-collective A Headful of Bees showcases new music from five of Berlin’s finest folk/roots singer-songwriters at Friedrichshain venue Lovelite for Berlin Music Week: the classic guitar pop of Eric Eckhart, Ken Burke’s Irish acoustic-pop storytelling, Wasp Summer‘s soulful alt.country folk, the delicate East German Americana of Miss Kenichi and the experimental pop of well-known Irish indie chanteuse Nina Hynes. Facebook event     Berlin Music Week page  Freitag 7. September – Sofa Salon presents Mute Swimmer (UK) + Il Tempo Gigante (DK) Over solid and ingenious melodies, Mute Swimmer commits darkly funny and metaphysical sabotage on the art of performance. Il Tempo Gigante is Danish musician Rolf Hansen whose distinctive guitar-style and layered folk-pop recalls a one-man Beirut or Radiohead. Facebook event     Berlin Music Week page  Email reservation requests to berlinsofasalon [aet] googlemail.com. I will be taking email reservations like normal but you will need to reserve your spots early as I need to save space for people who buy Berlin Music Week Club Tickets. If you want to experience three days of incredible showcases all within the Friedrichshain/Kreuzberg nexus, pre-order your Club tickets for these events here.

OCT 6

Roller One (AU) + Justin Cusack (AU) Both acts are previous Sofa Salon performers. I’m happy to welcome back Melburnians Roller One and Justin Cusack with their distinctive takes on dusty, spacious Australian Folk. Email reservation requests to berlinsofasalon [aet] googlemail.com

NOV 16

Matt Walker (AU) + Lucie Thorne (AU) Matt Walker is a well-loved figure on the Australian roots music scene, known for his astonishing white-boy blues voice and mastery of dobro, lap steel and guitar. His tourmate, Lucie Thorne is an itinerant troubadour armed with a deadly red Guild electric guitar and a seductive, womanly voice. Email reservation requests to berlinsofasalon [aet] googlemail.com

JAN 26

Susie Asado (DE) + guest Sofa Salon is delighted to work again with Paper & Iron Booking to present alternative Folk doyenne Susie Asado and her wonderful portmanteau of languages, cities and well-travelled songs. Email reservation requests to berlinsofasalon [aet] googlemail.com

New singer-songwriter showcase from Sofa Salon

Dear Sofa Salooners, Just to let you know the Salon this Friday with Lapingra (IT) and Big Strong Brute (AU) is now booked out, but if you still want to see a great Berlin singer-songwriter, I can offer you a show with a Sofa Salon regular, the wonderful Eric Eckhart, this Friday night.

I’m always looking for ways to create more paid work for musicians, so Sofa Salon is proud to announce a new singer-songwriter night in Berlin featuring real Berliner food and original live music. Dörte, another Sofa Salon regular, approached Sofa Salon on behalf of the Kartoffelkiste, a Berlin-specialty restaurant at the Europa Center at Zoologischer Garten.

Under new management, they want to promote local musicians and we have organised a series of twice-monthly singer-songwriter events in July and August. It’s free entry and features some great Berlin-based musicians. Doors at 20:00. There’s not much over this side of town so come on over, gnaw down on some Eisbein and drink some beer with us.

KARTOFFELKISTE (click for a Google map link) at Tauentzienstraße 9  10789 Berlin.

The facebook event is here and you’ll be able to read about it in the Fast Forward Magazine here.

Cheers,
Sam

Sofa Salon July and Berlin Music Week

Dearhearts, Sofa Salon is back after the Sommerpause and I have some amazing lineups, collaborations and festival news for you for the rest of 2012. Feast your eyes and ears.

Dearhearts, Danach die Sommerpause, ‘Sofa Salon’ kommt wieder mit großartig Künstler and Festival Nachricht! Fest Ihre Augen und Ohren!

JULI 1

Sofa Salon 2nd Birthday Celebration! Emperor X (US) + Remarkable Shipwrecks (AU) In collaboration with Berlin Booking Agency Paper and Iron, I’m proud to present an intimate concert from US underground electro-acoustic noise wunderkind Emperor X (Bar/None Records). Chad Matheny’s gleeful shows in tunnels, festivals, houses and bus stations are part fierce acoustic indie-rock and part sampled/looped noise heaven.  Making his Berlin debut at Sofa Salon, Remarkable Shipwrecks is Melburnian Simon Morrison’s new project, all low-fi folk rock stripped and resonating with raw intensity.

JULI 6

Lapingra (IT) + Big Strong Brute (AU) 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. Big Strong Brute is the vehicle for Brisbane songwriter Paul Donoughue’s intelligent and sensitive folk-pop. He plays songs from new album, Avalanche Of Truth.

AUG 18

Ned Collette (AU), Ben Salter (AU) + Mark Geary (IE) Three great songwriters grace us with music from their critically-acclaimed new albums. Ben Salter is from Brisbane bands Giants Of Science and alt.country collective The Gin Club and co-produced his intelligent, complex debut solo album The Cat with members of The Drones. Ned Collette is a past host and performer at Sofa Salon. He brings us literate musings from his sixth album, 2. Mark Geary is an Irish singer-songwriter whose time in NYC saw him share stages with acts like Jeff Buckley and Glen Hansard (The Swell Season, The Frames) as well as releasing four albums including the haunting melancholia of this year’s songs about love, songs about leaving.

SEP 5-7

Berlin Music Week Showcases Sofa Salon and A Headful of Bees host three official showcases for Berlin Music Week. Mi 5. Sep – Sofa Salon presents Phia (AU) + Town of Saints (NL) Australian songwriter Phia has made kalimba (African thumb piano) and loops the centre of her indie pop sound, constructing energetic, layered songs with soaring vocals reminiscent of Björk’s Vespertine album. She will play songs from her new album recorded in Poland. She is supported by Dutch/Finnish acoustic folk-punk act Town of Saints who are renowned for their joyous live shows and will be playing songs from their new EP The Silent Sea. Do 6. Sep – A Headful of Bees Music presents Eric Eckhart (US), Ken Burke (IE), Wasp Summer (AU), Miss Kenichi (DE) and Nina Hynes (IE) at Lovelite, F’hainMy label-collective A Headful of Bees showcases new music from five of Berlin’s finest folk/roots singer-songwriters at Friedrichshain venue Lovelite for Berlin Music Week: the classic guitar pop of Eric Eckhart, Ken Burke’s Irish acoustic-pop storytelling, Wasp Summer‘s soulful alt.country folk, the delicate East German Americana of Miss Kenichi and the experimental pop of well-known Irish indie chanteuse Nina Hynes. Fr 7. Sep – Sofa Salon presents Mute Swimmer (UK) + Il Tempo Gigante (DK) Over solid and ingenious melodies, Mute Swimmer commits darkly funny and metaphysical sabotage on the art of performance. Il Tempo Gigante is Danish musician Rolf Hansen whose distinctive guitar-style and layered folk-pop recalls a one-man Beirut or Radiohead.

OCT 6

Roller One (AU) + Justin Cusack (AU) Both acts are previous Sofa Salon performers. I’m happy to welcome back Melburnians Roller One and Justin Cusack with their distinctive takes on dusty, spacious Australian Folk.

NOV 16

Matt Walker (AU) + Lucie Thorne (AU) Matt Walker is a well-loved figure on the Australian roots music scene, known for his astonishing white-boy blues voice and mastery of dobro, lap steel and guitar. His tourmate, Lucie Thorne is an itinerant troubadour armed with a deadly red Guild electric guitar and a seductive, womanly voice.

Sofa Salon April 2012

Thanks for dropping by the Sofa Salon website and checking out my upcoming shows. As always, doors at 19:00 and reservations are vital! Email berlinsofasalon@gmail.com to secure your seat. If you want to invite friends, the facebook event listing is here.

This month, I continue to explore the work of the many amazing women musicians resident in Berlin. The show is on Friday April 27 and features a solo set by Holly Mae Haddock from Holly Mae and The Painted Room and a set by Susanna Berivan.

FRIDAY APRIL 27

Holly Mae and the Painted Room is a literate art-folk project that draws inspiration from myth and fairytale, heavy on swooning, sparkling production and harmonies.

Susanna Berivan is a smoky, delicate sounding chanteuse pinning her Delta Folk/Blues songs with a downhome guitar style.

SOFA SALON PODCAST NUMBER 4

Every month, I make a podcast featuring the upcoming Sofa Salon performers plus singer-songwriters and poets from around the world whose work I’m digging right now. I host it on SoundCloud and you can stream or download the podcast which features performances from Holly Mae and The Painted Room, Susanna Berivan, Ned Collette, Julitha Ryan, Miranda Gjerstad and Gaby Bila-Günther:

Sofa Salon Podcast 4: April 2012 by SofaSalon

UPCOMING SALONS

MAI 11		Wasp Summer ‘Close as a Slow Dance’ album launch
Many of you only know me as the hostess of Sofa Salon, but I am about to release my debut solo album under my nom-de-Kunst Wasp Summer. It’s also my birthday, so Sofa Salon is hosting its first Album Launch Party!

MAI 12		Sean Nicholas McMahon + A Seated Craft
As Sofa Salon continues the tradition of being a Berlin home for Australian independent music, we present two Australians: Sean Nicholas McMahon and his plaintive Alt.Country/Folk sounds. He comes from acclaimed Melbourne roots 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. JUNI 16 Sofa Salon SAND Journal Summer Party Sofa Salon again joins with SAND Journal, Berlin’s English-language literary magazine, to create a day-long festival of incredible Scandinavian music and spoken word. We will be holding this in a secret new venue somewhere in Berlin.   JULI 6 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. SUMMER AND BEYOND: AUGUST 18 Ben Salter (Aus) + Ned Collette (Aus) This night features two of Australia’s critically acclaimed songwriters and their brand new albums. Ben Salter came from Brisbane bands Giants Of Science and alt.country collective The Gin Club and co-producing his debut solo album The Cat with members of The Drones. Ned Collette is a past host and performer at Sofa Salon and brings us literate musings from his album with his Australian band Wirewalker, 2. SEPTEMBER 1 Ian Fisher (USA) + guest His American folk visions and acerbic wit fall somewhere in the vicinity of Woody Guthrie, or Elvis Costello, Ian Fisher brings us stripped-back versions of songs from his new Ian Fisher & The Past album.