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.

Sofa Salon #12 @ Joe's Bar

Thank you to friends, old and new, who came to Sofa Salon #11 at Max and Kari's. With fantastic, emotive and even daring performances from Roland Satterwhite, Gosia Winter and Linden Horvath, a swell time was had.

The next installation of Sofa Salon @ Joe's Bar is tomorrow night!

Donnerstag Februar 24. - Joe's Bar Showcase: Janin Johannsen & Sarsaparilla

Sarsaparilla was one of the first musicians I saw live in Berlin. He has a lovely way with words and a sweet, organic sound for fans of Devendra Banhart. Janin Johannsen has an emotional, crystaline voice, delicate folk style and a fascination with Elvis. Her performance features Andreas from Sofa Salon favourites The Alma Church Choir. A gorgeous night ahead!

Doors at 21:00. Eintritt 4€. Joe's Bar, Schönhauser Allee 157, Prenzlauer Berg.


Next wohnzimmer konzert:

Samstag März 26. - Wohnzimmer Konzert: Chloe Charles (CAN) & Aly Tadros (USA) plus poet to be announced

Sofa Salon is excited to host these two amazing alternative acoustic songwriters during their European tour. Toronto native Chloe Charles has been likened to Cat Power and Joni Mitchell and is possessed of a dramatic dark-honey voice. Austin-based Aly Tadros has the sass of Fiona Apple and the swing of a Ricky Lee Jones. Both ladies offer a distinctive and accomplished point-of-view.

To reserve places, the new Sofa Salon email is : berlinsofasalon [at] googlemail.com

Sofa Salon review

Popwolf has posted a lovely review (in Deutch) of the Sofa Salon that The Alma Church Choir and Lina Paul played on November 6. 2010.

Thank you Popwolf for our second ever review. For reference, the first is here.

Stay tuned for exciting news on 2011 lineups. I have some AMAZING performers gracing the Sofa Salon wohnzimmer konzerte and the monthly Sofa Salon showcases at Joe's Bar in Prenzlauer Berg. This year will be bigger and better.

Also, a new email address to contact me: berlinsofasalon@googlemail.com. GMX has too much spam, sadly.

Regards,
Ms. Sam

Sofa Salon #8 Thank You!

Sofa Salon Berlin - Wohnzimmer Konzert-Serie.

Sofa Salon #8 Thank You!
Musik: The Alma Church Choir (DE) + Lina Paul (DE) + Poesie: Mr. oCean (AUS)

ENG:
What a wonderful SOFA SALON night! A heartfelt welcome to the new people that came along, offered future living rooms, bought CDs and added themselves to the mailing list. My thanks also to the return guests and my gratitude to Neil the Barman and Sascha for their assistance. What beautiful performances from The Alma Church Choir, Lina Paul and Mr. oCean.

The last Sofa Salons for 2010 will be Thursday 25 November at Joe's Bar, Prenzlauer Berg, and an early December living room concert at Sofa Salon HQ.

DE:
Ein wonderschön SOFA SALON! Ein herzliches Wilkommen auf die neues Menschen, die entlang kam, bot Zukunft Wohnzimmer, kaufte CDs und hat sich auf die Mailingliste. Mein Dank geht auch für die Stammgäste und meine Dankbarkeit für die Hilfe von Neil und Sascha. Wirklich schöne Aufführungen von The Alma Church Choir, Lina Paul und Mr. oCean.

Die letzte Sofa Salons für 2010 sind Donnerstag 25. November bei Joe's Bar, Prenzlauer Berg, und ein Anfang Dezember wohnzimmer konzerte bei Sofa Salon Hauptsitz.


Watch a video for The Alma Church Choir song Ubuntu. Andreas told me 'Ubuntu' has various meanings in different African languages, and said Nelson Mandela explained it this way: "A traveler through a country would stop at a village and he didn't have to ask for food or for water. Once he stops, the people give him food, entertain him. That is one aspect of Ubuntu but it will have various aspects. Ubuntu does not mean that people should not enrich themselves. The question therefore is: Are you going to do so in order to enable the community around you to be able to improve?"