 |
| Friday, May 30, 2008
Music > Songwriters Showcase by CSMusic A Promising StartWriter : Dawn Fung Songwriters Showcase by CSMusic Date : 2nd May, 7pm Venue : BluMoo Cafe, YMCA CreateLeVoyage.com is pleased to be an official press partner with CSMusic, "a community of Christian Songwriters and musicians who seeks to glorify God through His gift of music". This is their first event.  View from the BluMooFeaturing three segments of music, CSMusic's Kenny Lew, opened the night with a brief vision of the organisation, where singer-songwriters and musicians could network and collaborate. The rest of the team stood behind (where the sound is always better), having steadfastly done the logistics since three in the afternoon. Besides chairs and canvases, CSMusic had also thoughtfully catered food as BluMoo usually served only drinks. During the night, my order was notified by sms when ready - an ingenious service ; unfortunately the apple crumble was the rock of ages as its container was not able to be micro-waved. I made do with the peach tea sucking on a straw the diameter of a matchstick.  Charis and EnqingThe first group onstage was underaged. But given their 17 years, and lovely vocals, one begins to see beyond their amateur offerings to what is potentially, a very talented band with attractive lines for the radio. Charis and Enqing exude teenage fun, and their catchy tunes make good musical numbers. I can imagine top hats, lights, actions to this welcoming duo. They made fond of NS in "Morning Run" and childhood in "Strawberry Kisses and Chocolate Milk". As such, most of their songs contained numerous things. Concrete descriptions swirled in my mind when I listened attentively to how 'Hands dipped in orange/Marks on white walls/Builds castles in dirt/Still laughing when she falls'. Charis and Enqing's strength was evident in antiphonal harmonies, while their slower songs tended to have a similar shape in chord progressions.  Eric Lee and A2JNext up, Eric Lee and A2J. For newbies not Addicted2Jesus (geddit?), the band has produced 3 albums and sold close to 8000 copies. They seem hooked on spreading local worship music and was the only group that night to do so (in that they were not CCM); in fact, 2 lucky members of the audience received free CDs, if not, $10 a piece. Although nearly all their songs were based on tracked music, the atmosphere of worship was infectious - at the back, you could hear Jon Wee, co-founder of CSMusic harmonising in tune. I think the attraction has to do with the heart of worship. As Eric said, "As long as you're ministered," which meant their heads were on sensible necks which turned to Humility, an enviable trait. The most memorable song seemed to be the bilingual track, Strength of Your Grace that featured beautiful erhu sounds, from the album, Lead Us On. The rest featured works from Unconditional.  Soul2Soul Suyin from Sou2SoulThe equipment for a full electric band with sound board was only possible with the inclusion of Soul2Soul, the mobile ministry band from Forerunner (Campus Crusade for Christ). Supervised by lead vocalist Sharon Mah, the 6 piece band are fast and tough - according to Pauline Phoon, the other CSMusic.sg founder, "They set up from ground zero at four, and sound checked at five!" But in a vulnerable turn, Soul2Soul bared theirs with first time original compositions, mostly written by keyboardist cum vocalist Suyin Koh. Suyin's encouragement for songwriters belies her walk in Christ for this area of her life, "God has a purpose for each of your songs. Don't be ashamed to share that." (After the event, she hoped that there would be more opportunities in Soul2Soul to sing more originals.) Soul2Soul's poppy-rock ministry of reaching out to young adults in the marketplace to "live life and make God proud" is to be understood in their reliable use of covers. They showed us how when Sharon belted their last number, 'It's a Damn Cold Night' by Avril Lavigne; this was after bassist Jason Widjaja's candidness about his depressed past (with quoted lyrics). As long as Soul2Soul has their intermissions of sharing their testimonies, the songs, covers or no, will have a sort of evangelistic appeal that strikes the heart.  artistes and helpers praying togetherWhat people thought....  the audience packs the house"The idea of a friendly gathering makes it a great place for interaction." Joel, Mount Carmel Bible-Presbyterian Church "As a first, I think it's good." Shawna, Church of Our Saviour "Soul2Soul's personal stories made my night." Faith, Church of the Holy Cross "I like the Chinese instrument (in Eric Lee's bilingual track)." Jesslyn, Faith Community Baptist Church "I found the first set by Charis and Enqing most inspiring." Jared, Full Gospel Assembly, Singapore For more information, check out csmusic.sg All photos taken from csmusic.sg
|
|
|
 |
 |