December 10, 2014

Welcome one and all to this a very festive edition of Music Matters here in your local Bali Advertiser. Yes once again and all too quickly for my liking, it is that time of year to eat too much, drink a bit more, and take a good look back at the year that was 2014, and at yourself, and wonder where it all went….. Yes, Christmas is upon us.

What does that mean for live music here in Bali, It means that myself, and some other benefactors are on a mission to give Bali musicians a Christmas present and a bit of the recognition they really deserve. It all started a week ago. As usual I was reading through my many fan e-mails. I do get some interesting e-mails and today was no exception, in my inbox was a message from a lady called Wendy Foldes.

Wendy read the October edition of Music Matters and was moved by the fact that great musicians in Bali who have talent are overlooked by the mainstream music industry largely due to Bali’s Isolation and its geographic location. Wendy’s solution was to introduce me to the idea of crowd funding.

Crowd funding is when you put an idea forward and state a case why it should be funded, add pictures and maybe even videos of your project ideas, and wait to see if anyone is interested in helping you funding it. After little thought I came to the conclusion that Wendy was definitely onto something and I have started a crowd funding web page on www.kickstarter.com.

The aim is simple I want to create enough funds to professionally record some of Bali’s musicians and if possible start a label so we can constantly promote Bali’s talent and get serious record companies interested in the Bali music scene. The label is called Bali Island Beats and you can find all the information at www.kickstarter.com/ we need as much funding as possible and anyone who contributes money to the project will receive a free CD when it is recorded. Ok enough with the shameless promotion, but seriously a project like this could bring a huge amount of much needed change to Bali’s hard working musical community.

As I was talking about before Christmas is a time for reflection on what we have seen and done over the past year, well I can honestly say that 2014 was pretty amazing for me as I got to do what I really love and write about the Bali music scene.

Music Matters went to plenty of places and saw lots of different bands doing what they do best, playing from the heart the music that they love. Some of my personal highlights were the Dreamfields festival at GWK, The Gili T, live music scene experience, (in the last edition) and the free open air gig with Burger Kill, all timeless forays into the world of live music. But Christmas is also a time for looking ahead and December a massive time for music in the calendar so I have compiled a list of the top five must see Christmas Music events happening in Bali between now and Christmas Day.

Music matters 5 must see Live Events Guide for Christmas 2014

1. Carols by Candlelight
The Garden Early Learning & Sprout are putting on a beautiful family event under the stars you too can get your secret chorister out and celebrate Christmas as mother would have wanted.
Type : Seasonal
Dates : 11 Dec 2014 at 17:30 – 20:00
Location : The Garden Early Learning Centre
Telp : +62 3614071268

2. Jazz Café 18th Anniversary Party in Ubud
Iconic Jazz Café in Ubud is celebrating its 18th year as Bali’s premier Jazz venue it hosts outstanding live music events and features the best local and international artists.
Type : Music / Performance
Dates : 13 Dec 2014
Location : Jazz Café
Telp : +62 361 976 594

3. DE LA SOUL at Potato Head Beach Club
Thursday, December 18, 2014 – 09:45 to 20:15
For one night only U.S. Hip Hop legends De la Soul come to Bali and play at Potato Head, Massively influential in the Hip hop circuit. Recently found international success with the collaboration with the Uk band Gorillaz, De la Soul is a gig not to miss.
Tickets are Price: IDR 500,000 and available at the venue or here: http://www.ticketbase.com/events/de-la-soul.

4. Christmas at Jazz Cafe
Christmas Day Special 25 Dec. Featuring the Blues machine known as ‘JIM LARKIN’ Country blues with a whole lotta soul! This is a full event and is inclusive of Christmas dinner with all the trimmings.
Tickets are IDR 595.000 per person for more info visit.

5. Earth, Wind & Fire Experience with Al McKay presented by the Mulia, Nusa Dua
Wednesday, December 31, 2014 (All day) to Thursday, January 1, 2015 (All day)
Featuring the five times Grammy Award Winner, Al Mckay kicks off New Year at the Mulia with a party with what should be a legendry performance from a legendary performer. For more information please visit: http://www.themulia.com.

That about wraps it up, all five of these events are a must see and is special for its own reason, see if you can make it to at least one and you will see what I mean. Christmas is a special time of year for live music and promoters pull out all the stops to bring the very best quality of live music here to Bali. Other places to check out great live bands over the festive season would be Uncle Norms in Legian, Sante Fe in Dhayanapura Street, and also Zappa’s bar in Seminyak.

This year, the first for Music Matters has been a great one and I would like to thank the many people who have contributed. All that remains for me to say music lovers is have an awesome Christmas here on Bali and keep it live, and make it matter.

If you enjoyed this article or have any questions, concerns, or if indeed you are the illusive Chris Curtis please don’t hesitate to drop me a line, here to the Bali Advertiser, or alternatively to my direct email address tobiasjbrown@rockfan.com