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Gig #125: Monster and Beer; Gig #126: Twenty Eight Bar

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Been swamped with work but I swear I’ll get around to adding more random thoughts to this blog. For now, I’ll share some gig updates.

So after dipping my toes into the open mic scene again, I’ve secured myself another 2 slots in the coming days. One is later today (Sunday, if you’re reading it now) at Monster and Beer and the second one being another slot at the Twenty Eight Bar Open Mic the day after.

First up, Monster and Beer. They’re back with a second round of their open mic (not sure how often they do it, but this is 2.0). I’ve gone there a few times only to drink and had no idea they had gigs there until recently, so that’s exciting. Plus it’s a weekend, so more people can attend (yay).

It’ll be a brand new crowd since the lineup is everyone I don’t recognize. Hopefully, they vibe with acoustic emo tunes. The show starts at 4PM, and my slot is at 6PM, but stick around for some tasty craft beers and enjoy all the acts. There’s also food on site and plenty of restaurants nearby.

Google Maps | Instagram | 28 May 2023 | 4 PM

The next gig will be on a Monday night, my third appearance at Twenty Eight Bar, Bangsar. Was asked to take up a slot since they didn’t have enough sign ups, so if you’re interested in performing, sign up for a slot! Hit them up on Instagram. The gig starts at 8 PM and my set will be at 9.30 PM.

Google Maps | Instagram | 29 May | 8 PM

Looking forward to playing these shows, as usual, come hang if you’ve got nothing going on. I’ll try to make it worth your while.

Gig #124 (#123?) Dusting Off The Ol’ Guitar

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It’s been over three years since my last official live performance. The weirdest part is, it didn’t even feel that long ago. I still remember it pretty clearly. It rained heavily. I played Sunflower. Van backed me up with a cajón. We explored a couple of art galleries waiting for our turn.

Nobody knew the world was going to change in a matter of months.

Fast forward to May 2023. Earlier this week, I visited Open Mic Malaysia’s debut at twenty/eight @telawi. Some performers pulled out last minute and I was asked to fill an empty slot. I had no practice, had to borrow someone else’s guitar (which was tuned to standard), and had a few drinks in me – a recipe for disaster. How could I say no?

Fifteen minutes later, I was on the stage, fumbling with my first song (not too different from my regular performances). After that, I got into the groove of things and successfully completed my set. It wasn’t an outstanding performance by any means but it felt good to shake off years of rust.

Three years is a long time. A lot can happen in a thousand days. Shit, a lot could happen in a month. Just like how I suddenly got transferred to a different department at work after a month of barely getting comfortable in my previous role. But that’s a story for another day.

Either way, the ad hoc performance was a pleasant way to ease myself into the music scene again. It was about time it happened anyway. We’re already five months into 2023 and I’m nowhere near the goal of twelve shows this year.

I’m happy to announce that my performance wasn’t bad enough to get me banned from the bar, so I’ll be returning to twenty/eight@telawi this upcoming Monday, 8th May, to play my second show of 2023. The gig starts at 8 pm. Google Maps.

If you have the time, drop by for some beers and chill tunes. If not, I’ll catch you at the next one.

Gig #122 Urbanscapes 2019: The Spotlight, and Some Ramblings

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See my name on the poster?

This year, the opportunity to perform at Urbanscapes arose and I seized it immediately. There was no audition or filtering – just put your name down on the time you wanted. Sweet! I always had the impression these big gigs were usually by invitation. So for those of you who are wondering if I suddenly became some bigshot, the answer is no.

I can’t remember the last time I performed at a large scale event. It might have been a youth festival with Jason back when Doppelganger and The Wishing was a thing. I know Facebook shows me photos from that even every year. Good times. Maybe I’ll get to play in a band again next time.

Anyway, if you’re interested in watching the show (there are going to be tons of acts besides me) I’ll be performing on 23rd November 2019 at Medan Pasar [Map] at 1 pm. Facebook Page. Drop by for some cool tunes on a weekend.

Sometimes I think to myself, why the fuck do you have so many hobbies? Why are you interested in so many things? Why not just focus on one thing and maybe get good at it? Beats me. I like variety in my life. Maybe that’s why I have multiple keyboards I can switch between.

I mean, can you imagine wearing the same clothes for the rest of your life? I’m not sure if that’s an accurate analogy, but hey.

It’s my life and I get to do whatever I want with it. Like this month, I’ve been participating in Inktober. Sure, I’m not using real ink but I’m still doing drawings (almost daily anyway – had to do multiple per day to catch up). I’m hoping that by doing all these drawings, I build some momentum with my art and finally get around to pushing out my now almost-delayed-by-a-year comic – Animal Bus.

In addition to that, I’ve been meaning to read a lot of books I have purchased over the past few years (thanks Big Bad Wolf). I think that the lack of reading in my life has been hampering my writing ability. Which makes sense because you should be surrounding yourself with what you want to do.

Back when I was writing a lot of music, I was always listening to music, playing the guitar and singing daily. These days it’s more like an occasion if I pick it up. And it’s usually to practice for an upcoming gig. So why bother performing in the first place? Because I enjoy it, duh.

Anyway, this is more of a ramble than anything. I felt like writing something today.