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.

Sofa Salon March 2012

Hallo and welcome back to Sofa Salon. I have my very own domain name now: www.sofasalon.de and, as of this morning, there are over 600 of you subscribed to the mailing list and facebook page. 600! Thank you friends of Sofa Salon. Your enthusiasm and attendance makes this little moveable stage possible for me and all the artists.

Here's the Sofa Salon podcast for March 2012, featuring this month's artists Miss Kenichi and Eric Eckhart plus great tracks from Roland Satterwhite, Sean M. Whelan & Isnod and The Gypsy Curse.


On to this month's Sofa Salon. This month, we have a new host and her living room in Wedding. Email berlinsofasalon {aet} googlemail.com for reservations. 6€ eintritt. Einlass 19:00. Musik 20:00.

Friday 23 March: Miss Kenichi (DE) + Eric Eckhart (USA/Ire)

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.
Joining Miss Kenichi is Eric Eckhart, a West Virginian by way of Ireland, who played the very first Sofa Salon and returns to us with a pocketful of big, warm folk-pop songs.

Miss Kenichi: Arrived


Eric Eckhart: Lost

Upcoming Sofa Salons:

Friday 27 April: Holly Mae and the Painted Room (US) + guests

Saturday 12 May: Sean Nicholas McMahon (Aus) + A Seated Craft (Aus) + guest

Saturday 23 June: SAND Summer Sofa Salon Summer Festival
Friday 6 July: Lapingra (It) + guests