Singer-songwriters have always enjoyed a unique place in music. They are invariably feted, and have an almost-mystical halo, as if they must be great, if only by virtue of them singing songs they write. So it's about time, that the singer-songwriters of the local scene are finally recognised.
A CD compilation of local singer-songwriters will be released soon, entitled Boys Brigade. And to lead up to the launch, Moods Entertainment Pub has begun a series of weekly acoustic gigs featuring singer-songwriters on the compilation. Kicking off the series on 7 October 1997 were Daniel of Livonia and Bhaskar of the Lilac Saints.
Daniel is producing the CD, and also appears on it. He's the lead guitarist in Livonia, where he doesn't sing. So it was a bit of an eye-opener to see him on stage, looking like a busker, strumming an acoustic guitar and singing.
He doesn't have a bad voice. It's quite pleasant really, if a bit limited in range (which might explain why he doesn't sing for Livonia…), and he can at the very least carry a tune. There are certainly worse singers around.
Daniel's set was a mix of covers and originals. The originals were mostly break-up songs, a staple of singer-songwriters, and included Too Far Gone, off the upcoming CD.
Bhaskar is from the Lilac Saints, a criminally-underrated pop band. He plays guitar in the band, but also handles vocal duties. He belongs to the Neil Young school of nasal/whiny vocals. Don't get me wrong, it's not necessarily a bad thing. But it does require one to be patient and get used to it. The highlights of his set were a Padres medley, of Angel and Hold Me, and the superb Shooting Star.
Bhaskar's set sounded more fully-rounded out than Daniel's, maybe because Daniel was backing him on guitar. It didn't fall into the pit-fall of acoustic gigs, of becoming an acoustic guitar strum-fest.
That was a problem Daniel encountered, because after a while it did become a bit monotonous. Then again, the venue was hardly the intimate setting required for acoustic gigs to really succeed.
All in all, between the two sets and an impromptu performance by the two and Chang Kang of the Ordinary People, the time spent at Moods wasn't wasted, which is more than what one can say for a lot of local gigs nowadays.
The series features weekly acoustic gigs, every Tuesday at 9pm. You can
find Moods at Scotts Walk; just go to the Scotts Road bus-stop in
front of Holiday Inn Plaza (next to Pacific Plaza), and follow the sign.
Easy to find, really. Well worth your time, and the drinks aren't
exorbitant.
- Xiao Jinhong
