This month Joey Basha, Jingan Young and Steve Cray with Sue Shearman are unplugging for bc on July 16 at The Wanch (54 Jaffe Road). The gig starts at 9:30pm and, as usual, entry is free

Jingan Young

Young is a local-born singer/ songwriter whose sound has evolved from pop to her current more folk orientated sound.

Have you always wanted to be a musician?
I was around nine when some music video was on television and I saw this long-haired, greasy guy dressed in black wrecking this guitar solo. I remember thinking that’s what I want to be – no inhibitions, just free. But I didn’t start learning guitar until I was about 12 – I thought I’d get boys chasing me if I played.

What is your music about?
I definitely am against this tired trend in pop of writing songs only about heartbreak. Really, what is that about? These precocious 13-year-old girls singing about decade-old unrequited romances. I want to throw a book at them and say, ‘Why don’t you read a novel for the first time in your lives?’ Literature is such a beautiful part of culture. I know it sounds terribly pretentious but I do love the beauty of words. Dylan has a great storytelling aspect to his songs. I’m a bit more of a realist.

Who are your favourite artists?
I’m an old soul at heart. Bob Dylan, Neil Young... My music tastes are pretty open though. I do gravitate towards bands who do their own thing. I love new music: The Real Tuesday Weld, Goldspot, Army Navy, Halloween Alaska. That said I’m a huge fan of Phoenix! I have an unhealthy obsession with them. I’m one of those people who think they discover bands and then, once they become mainstream, get extremely upset. Like The Virgins – I thought I was the only one! Now they’re on Gossip Girl. I’m a moody bastard.

What was the last record you bought/downloaded?
One of the last records I bought was Phoenix’s Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. Without a doubt my favourite of theirs so far. I also bought Ibrahim Ferrer’s solo album apart from the Buena Vista Social Club. Perfect summer listening.

When was your first gig?
My first gig was when I was about 12 years old. I was at my sister’s wedding and they had the usual back-up band playing at the reception. The only song I knew by heart was Avril Lavigne’s Things I’ll Never Say. I went up to them and told them I wanted to play a few chords, so they followed my inexpert strumming and there I was singing my heart out into the mic. It was a defining moment. After that, I couldn’t stop playing live. I had begun a new love affair.

Steve Cray and
Sue Shearman

Former British session guitarist Steve Cray is the front man with the blues/rock band Red Star Rising, and is currently trying to promote blues, rock and his original music here in Hong Kong. Steve was classically trained, studying guitar and lute at the Guildhall School of Music in London until he turned to folk, working regularly as a guitarist at various clubs, festivals and tours. As a songwriter Steve writes acoustic material in a rock/blues style, and has released a number of albums over the years.

Did you ever consider going down a classical career?
I studied classical guitar at the Guildhall School of Music in London but was more interested in rock and folk so I followed that route instead.

What’s it like collaborating with your daughter?
Sam is a very talented singer and it is a privilege to play with her - she was married to a famous Spanish guitarist Lorenzo Villalonga, who died last year in a tragic accident - I wrote the song In Memoriam (on my myspace site) for him

Who is the most memorable band you’ve played with?
Rory Gallagher - supported his band on part of a tour.

Favourite record of all time?
Strawberry Fields – The Beatles.

What animal in the world, would you be?
A cat - I'd need the 9 lives.

Any thoughts about Michael Jackson’s death?
I'd say that he wrote a few good tunes...

Joey Basha

Joey Basha’s band Milkteeth formed early this year when the 23-year-old moved to Hong Kong. Milkteeth’s songs are originals that Basha wrote and arranged with friends for fun. On July 16, he and his band mates will be joined by friend Dixon Chan with songs arranged for a more intimate setting.

What’s about your style?
I’m really in love with the bawdy, pre-war jazz singers, like Cab Calloway and Fats Waller – all the stuff coming out of speakeasy parties and burlesque shows. While I write very traditional-sounding pop songs and melodies, I keep things very edgy when it comes to lyrics. I’m trying to be as dirty and as confrontational as I can and still be cute enough to not get arrested.

Who is the best live musician you have seen and why?
That’s an easy one. When I was 18, I moved to California for a while before starting university. I came across a really small show at a bar in the middle of nowhere and it just happened that Devendra Banhart was headlining. He wore a red cape and his band mates looked like a circus act. But when he started singing this really great song called Poughkeepsie, the entire bar went silent. He made everyone fall in love with him that night, myself included.

Any embarrassing moments on stage?
Yeah, a few. I'm a novice clarinet player. When you mess up playing guitar, no one really cares – when your clarinet squeals like a dying dog, the entire world notices.

Do you write your own songs?
I’m constantly writing. I throw away more songs than I keep, in fact. The latest song I wrote is about Jolly Shandy and I’m really happy with the way it turned out. I think all the songs in the set will be originals. We’re talking about arranging a do-wop song or some Hank Williams, but it’s still all up in the air.

What song would you want played in your own funeral?
There was this cartoon by a guy named Max Fleischer from the ’20s where a ghost is dancing around and talking about his own funeral. It was scored by the Cab Calloway orchestra and Cab sang a brilliant rendition of a traditional song, The St James Infirmary Blues. YouTube it!