Open Mic @ The Venue #9 – Hosted by Az Samad

17th June 2013: Open Mic @ The Venue #9 – Hosted by Az Samad! This would sadly be the last instalment of this open mic series. The Venue would then close, to be replaced, a few months later.

Jamiel Said who did a cover of Search – Fantasia Bulan Madu and Goo Goo Dolls – Iris!

Mike Dawes! Yes, that’s a GoPro on this fingerstyle guitarist/Youtube sensation/guitar teacher’s guitar headstock.

Az Samad joins him for a jam.

Big & Small!

They did a cover of James Brown – It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World.

Raja Farouque Trio.

Here’s Raja Farouque on a LTD superstrat! I’d normally see him as the double-bass-playing member of Fazz, but this time I saw him in a Steve Vai-ish light. All he needed was a handlebar for his guitar!

Peter of Markiza & Peter Brown.

Markiza. This couple has been singing socially conscious songs for a long time.

Az Samad, emcee and organizer.

Talitha Tan.

Fascinatingly, for the running joke that she goes up with a different borrowed guitar each time, this is her actual guitar, rarely appearing on stage…

…reason being that it doesn’t have a pickup. That does seem peculiar for a Taylor, a guitar maker associated with a great acoustic guitar sound, to leave amplification to an external microphone.

Featured act Paladin did a cover of The Doors – Riders In The Sun.

Lead celloist Florian Antler. For some reason the lighting turned out very iOS7-like.

This, too! Was Jony Ive behind the lighting?

Serious-looking people outside.

Damia.

Aice.

Accompanied by guitar teacher Matthew McKelson.

Sure, you know your chords like the back of your hand, but can you play guitar on the back of your head? This is Rayner Ray (thanks Az for the heads up!)