Sofa Salon August Surprise

Sofa Salon TONIGHT! - 2nd String band (USA)

Dearhearts, Welcome to Sofa Salon! It seems the summer is finally returning to Berlin and what better than to celebrate with some Music in lovely Kreuzberg. This Saturday 6th August 20.30, Kristian is hosting an evening of American bluegrass, old-time, folk and country-western with The Second String Band from Washington D.C., featuring Sophia Kruszewski on mandolin, Sam D'Agostino on guitar, Phil Aroneanu on banjo, and Jacob Weiss on fiddle, and all on vocal harmony. "Please come, enjoy and our support our dream of sharing our unique blend of American music with friends new and old across Europe!"

Check out their blog at: http://2ndstringband.com/

The concert is at Kristian's place in Oranienstraße in the middle of Kreuzberg 36. Doors open at 20:00, music starts 20:30. It's 5Eur donation to help the guys finance their tour through Europe. Drinks will be available at low prices. To register: kristian.brakel@gmail.com

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

Last Sofa Salon at Joe's, last Salon til July

Hi Folks,

Sofa Salon #18:

Donnerstag 26. Mai @ Joe's Bar presents the "For Love And Mayhem" tour launch for Wasp Summer and Water Music's European Tour 2011.

This will be the last regular Sofa Salon showcase at Joe's Bar for a while. I'm going to be busy with touring and recording for the rest of the year, so I'll concentrate on the Wohnzimmer Konzerte for the rest of 2011.

This next Sofa Salon is also special because it is my tour launch. I play solo as Wasp Summer and I've organised a month-long Summer Tour with an amazing Australian singer-songwriter that I've actually never met, Water Music.

Through a mutual friend (and friend of Sofa Salon, Mark Steiner), we decided to have an adventure. Our "For Love And Mayhem" European Tour. We both make soulful, raw folk-rock and alt.country. Come and check out the show.

The Tour Launch Party is the Sofa Salon @ Joe's Bar. Einlass 21:00. Eintritt Spende/Donation. Schönhauser Allee 157, Prenzlauer Berg.

Sofa Salon #17 Wrap-Up:

Well, Sofa Salon #17 was AMAZING. Thanks to the SAND Journal crew for their organisational nous and all the readers and musicians who made wonderful performances for us. We had a great audience, too. At 6 hours, we were tired and hungry by the end (thank you, felafel!) but it was a very relaxed and lovely day.

Our musicians were: Roller One, Monty Sparrow, Waywardbreed, Andrew McCubbin and the Hope Addicts and Jimmy Tait. Our performers included Sunny the Magosopher, C.M Scholler, Becky Crook, Julian Smith-Newman, Sophia La Fraga and Shane Anderson. Check out the web links on the right to get a further fix of goodness. We witnessed incredibly moving moments, wry, sly and, surreal and funny moments. And everyone enjoyed the marvellous hof at Pedram's apartment. Thank you all.

Sam Cooney took some great photos and posted them on this blog and his other blog. Matti Ernstmeier posted some images on Facebook. We got mentioned on übercool Berlin events blog Sugarhigh!

I think there will be more Sofa Salon/SAND collaborations in the future.

May Sofa Salon

May I? You May! It's lovely warm Spring. While away your time with live music and poetry.

This Saturday, Sofa Salon teams with SAND Journal, Berlin's English-language literary magazine, for a huge afternoon of Australian music and international poetry to raise money for SAND's good works and upcoming Issue #3.

Samstag 14. Mai - Sofa Salon & SAND Journal Wohnzimmer Festival:
Music from Roller One, Andrew McCubbin and the Hope Addicts, Monty Sparrow , Jimmy Tait and Waywardbreed
Poetry from C.M. Schollerer & Becky Crook & Julian Smith-Newman & Sophia La Fraga & Shane Anderson.
Performance from Sunny the Magosopher.

Berlin receives a fair share of visitors from the Southern Hemisphere's best music city, Melbourne. On tour through Europe, our Melbourne musical juggernaut features Roller One, Andrew McCubbin and the Hope Addicts, Monty Sparrow plus previous Sofa Salon favourites Jimmy Tait and Waywardbreed, alongside some of Berlin's finest poets including C.M Scholler, Becky Crook, Julian Smith-Newman, Sophia La Fraga and Shane Anderson.

Einlass 14:00. Eintritt €5. Performances start at 14:45.
To reserve places, email: berlinsofasalon [at] googlemail.com. Sending an email will get you the address. Our apartment for the festival is in Kreuzkölln near U-Rathaus Neukölln (U7).

Donnerstag 26. Mai @ Joe's Bar presents the "For Love And Mayhem" tour launch for Wasp Summer and Water Music's European Tour 2011.

Berlin's Wasp Summer and Melbourne's Water Music make soulful, dark and raw folk-rock and alt.country. They have never met but, through a mutual friend (and friend of Sofa Salon, Mark Steiner), they emailed and decided to have an adventure. Their "For Love And Mayhem" European Tour. The first night of the tour is the Sofa Salon @ Joe's Bar.

Einlass 21:00. Eintritt Spende/Donation. Schönhauser Allee 157, Prenzlauer Berg.

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.