Moonshine

The performers featured for the latest addition of Moonshine was nothing short of stellar. There were two special appearances by Broken Scar, led by Kevin who flew down from Melbourne, and Az Samad, who came back home from the States and currently on a short holiday. Singer songwriter darling Izzy Mohamed opened the show, serenading her hit song Pelangi to a full-house crowd (that included her parents and an entourage of friends).

I've completely lost count on the number of bands that Alda sessions for. But of course, you're that much in demand when you're that good!

If you squint (or zoom in) just a tad bit you'd see Rashdan Harith, Zara Ismail (Bunkface's manager), Rohnie Tan (violinist extraordinaire, who plays for Shelly Leong and sessions for scores of other artists), and Nick Davis (DJ/singer-songwriter/part of the duo Snow Symphony).

Albert Ng from Xfresh chatting with Izzy's parents.

Under the Broken Scar moniker, Kevin Teh, a charismatic singer-songwriter from Malaysia has made head turning music and delivered memorable performances pumped with high energy from the very first show as a solo act. Ask anyone in the Malaysian music scene and they will tell you that Kevin is like a kid on sugar high.

With the release of the his debut album “Midnight In St. Kilda” in 2006, there was no turning back. The first two singles from the album, “Scratch” and “Down” hit the number one spot on the Xfresh FM Independent Charts. “Venus In September” was also featured in a number of compilation albums as well as the popular Malaysian teen television series, “Kami”.

Over the years, Broken Scar has gone through various incarnations from performing solo to a duo and finally to a full blown band. Kevin played shows relentlessly and toured nationwide to reach his audiences armed with a set list of high octane anthems to laidback heart-melting ballads. The shows varied from intimate spaces such as No Black Tie and The Laundry to stadium sized concerts when Kevin and the band performed at Rock The World 7, Malaysia’s largest annual music festival. Kevin has also ventured overseas to Singapore and Australia. (taken from www.myspace.com/brokenscarmusic)

It's never a dull moment watching Broken Scar. Kevin is one heck of a performer! Amazing, amazing showmanship.

Alda on bass!

The band performed a few songs taken from their latest album The Shooting Starthat showcased a variety of different styles. They opened the show with Until I Fall, a heavy track with full of energy. Later on as the show went on they played Shooting Star, a catchy number that proved to be a hit for the crowd. At the end of the show Broken Scar closed their performance with a song called Down to a roaring applause from the crowd.

Towards the end of Broken Scar's set, Kevin shares a light moment with the crowd.

Az Samad is a full-time composer-performer who focuses on writing original acoustic guitar music. Coming from a classical guitar background laid the foundation for his unique sound that is a blend of jazz, latin, pop and new age. After completing his first degree in music, he studied with Eric Roche, an influential acoustic fingerstyle guitarist from the UK. Attending two of Eric's Residential Guitar Workshops in 2003 and 2004 proved valuable as it led Az into new directions in his music. Being nominated for the first Cameronian Arts Award for best solo performance encouraged him to further explore his solo guitar excursions. (taken from www.azsamad.com)

One of 17 Malaysia's most outstanding individuals (Faces Magazine), Berkeley,California-based acoustic fingerstyle guitarist Az Samad is a full-time musician who focuses on writing original instrumental guitar music. His songs are a blend of world music, jazz, Latin, pop and new age influences. In 2003 and 2004, he studied with the late British acoustic guitar legend Eric Roche in two Residential Guitar Workshops in the UK. Deeply influenced by Eric's music, Az gradually incorporated more percussive and non-conventional guitar techniques in his playing. 

After releasing his debut album "Acoustic Gestures" in Fall 2004 to critical acclaim in Malaysia, he moved to Boston, MA to study under scholarship at Berklee College Of Music. He graduated with a double major in Jazz Composition and Performance (guitar). In 2007, Az taught at Berklee for the Summer Guitar Sessions. Az has performed in venues in Malaysia, Singapore, England and the United States as a soloist and duets with his father, Malaysian National Laurete A. Samad Said as well as a member of Malaysian singer-songwriter Shelley Leong's band. He is currently writing material for his second album slated for release in Summer 2008. (taken from amp.channelv.com/azsamad)

This acoustic freestyle fingerstylist plays with so much (amusing) facial expression! It was extremely entertaining watching not only his superb guitar skills but also the passion he carried with his performance.

Az Samad played a few original numbers and later smoothly progressed into playing an acoustic instrumental cover of Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit. It was absolutely phenomenal. He somehow managed to take such an overplayed song and play it with originality and emotions. All with just a guitar. Amazing stuff!

Reza Salleh, the organizer of Moonshine, comes on stage to introduce the final act of the night, M.

M's performance was the perfect ending to an almost perfect music showcase. It was a very chilled out, mellow performance with smooth audiophile-like vocals backed with minimalist electronica grooves.