The Malaysian Country Music Festival and Awards (MCMFA) on Sept 8 will be a wonderful showcase of the hardest partying artistes whose decades-long journeys have been rather shaky in terms of mass appeal.
For the most part, country music in Malaysia has maintained a position as a niche pursuit.
It is big enough to support an Os Pombos band gig and Sarawak’s Miri Country Music Fest and Siniawan Country Music Festival, which fills arenas, but not big enough to turn the performers into household names.
Lead organiser of MCMFA and Os Pombos leader, Jude Singho, said the event will demonstrate the vitality of the country music scene in Malaysia, and spur fresh talent.
Karyawan president Freddie Fernandez said: “It will definitely provide a huge boost to the country music scene and we expect a new generation of country music fans emerging after this showpiece.
“There’s also the possibility of up and coming musicians taking up a career in country music.”
Singho’s legendary band will perform at MCMFA along with the OnStrings group from Sarawak, Lyia Meta, who has won country music awards in the US, the duo of Raymond Chia and Mark Renesh and the fledgling family posse, Thompsons Country Band.
The organisers are keeping the names of award recipients under wraps, but have promised “surprises and special appearances” during the show, which is in aid of the Malaysian Association for the Blind (MAB), and supported by FMT.
Tables for the gala, which begins at 6pm at Menara BAC, Horizon Hall, 52, Jalan Utara, Section 52, Petaling Jaya, are available at RM10,000, RM5,000, RM3,000 and RM1,200 (inclusive dinner).
Loose tickets are also available on a first come first served basis. For bookings send a WhatsApp message to 03-40317666.
Making hay with hoedowns
Singho believes the MCMFA event will reveal that country music is still relevant to fans of live music, and highlight how big country music is in East Malaysia, especially in Sarawak.
He said in the Klang Valley club circuit, it’s only the Os Pombos that plays pure country. “Thank God we are still packing it in after 46 years.”
There’s Meta, Renesh, Chia, Jeremy D’Costa and Shila and a few others, who according to Singho are country lovers but do not perform as country music performers due to demands for other genres from club owners and customers.
He said the younger bands were not much into country music because of the lack of airplay, “but given a chance they would be amazing just like the Thompsons Country Band, who represent an exciting generation of country music practitioners.”
The six-piece Thompsons family troubadours are aged between 14 and 27, and are all about a little bit rock and a whole lot country.
In Sarawak, there are several full-fledged country bands including OnStrings, Country Road Band, Mountain Wind, D’Wranglers, Hi-Breed Band and Jason Chambers.
“You will hear country music in most pubs you go to there,” said Singho, whose band has been a regular act at the festivals in Miri and Siniawan for the past 10 years.
Singho’s plea: “Whether you are a country music lover or otherwise, please come for the MCMFA and see for yourself and understand the depth and fun of country music.”
Asked why he hadn’t organised a similar festival before, he said two events, minus awards, were successfully held in Kuala Lumpur and Penang in the 1980s “but with no sponsors, we just couldn’t continue.”
Karyawan, cradle of country music
The country music division is the newest part of Karyawan which represents all sectors of the arts industry.
Fernandez has moved quickly to get the division, headed by Singho, up and running since it was formed in June.
He said: “Although our focus has been on celebrities in our fund raising events, we felt it was time to devote more attention to musicians who have been plying their trade in the club circuit for a long time.
“The country music fraternity needed the recognition they rightly deserve for their talent and contributions to the music industry.
“MCMFA is the first step towards drawing mass appeal and honouring the artistes.”
Fernandez himself is no stranger to organising awards events, having been the initiator and founder of the Anugerah Industri Muzik (AIM Awards) in 1993, and acting as co-chairman of the AIM Indian Awards in 2014.
“With that kind of experience behind me, I felt it was only right to do something for the country music sector as well,” he said, adding Singho has been instrumental in curating MCMFA and engaging the entertainers through his wide network in the country music community.
“The awards will make it more meaningful and patrons can see how the genre has grown over the years.
“Country music is now becoming a force to be reckoned with, especially in Sarawak where the following is growing rapidly,” he said.
On the tie-up with MAB, Fernandez said Karyawan has had a long history of working with the association, from helping to judge their talent shows as well as giving a helping hand to the blind who are trying to eke out a living through busking.
“Having them as partners not only helps them to raise much needed funds for the MAB, but also encourages buyers to take up tables due to the tax exemption benefits made possible by their inclusion.
“It’s a happy mutually beneficial partnership for which we are most grateful,” he said.
In urging music lovers to attend the event, he said it promises to be a great night of music and dancing. “We hear the line dancing groups are already making plans to attend.”