Asia Pacific tour + IMAs + video archive

Hi!

It's been a minute or two. Hope you've been breathing deep, drinking in the sun, savoring the shade. 

A couple of exciting announcements: 

* ASIA PACIFIC TOUR IN AUGUST: Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, Philippines, Taiwan, China
* AIMS WINS AN UNPRECEDENTED 4 INDEPENDENT MUSIC AWARDS
* LIVE SOLO PERFORMANCE VIDEOS

ASIA PACIFIC TOUR IN AUGUST 

To celebrate hitting the final Kickstarter stretch goal in last year's campaign, I'll be touring in the Asia Pacific region for the first time, starting in Australia on August 6! Along the way I'll join forces with jazz singer-songwriter (and fellow Kickstarter success story) Carsie Blanton, foot-stomping folk trio The Bollands, and many friends both old and new. 

Check http://viennateng.com/shows/ for the most up-to-date tour schedule, including ticket info as it becomes available. 

Here's the current itinerary: 

AUSTRALIA
6 Aug: Melbourne @ The Toff in Town - with Carsie Blanton
7 Aug: Sydney (Newtown) @ The Vanguard - with Carsie Blanton
9 Aug: Canberra (Phillip) @ Canberra Southern Cross Club - with Carsie Blanton

SINGAPORE + MALAYSIA
13 Aug: Singapore @ BluJaz Cafe
14 Aug: Kuala Lumpur @ No Black Tie 

JAPAN
16 + 17 Aug: Tokyo (Kamakura) @ Cafe Goatee 

PHILIPPINES
18 + 19 Aug: Manila (Quezon City) @ Ka Freddie's

TAIWAN
20 Aug: Taipei @ Riverside Music Cafe
21 Aug: Taipei @ Riverside Live House

CHINA
22 Aug: Shenzhen @ Idutang - with The Bollands
23 Aug: Hong Kong @ Backstage Live - with The Bollands
25 Aug: Beijing @ Yugong Yishan
26 Aug: Shanghai @ QSW Culture Center

http://viennateng.com/shows/

Organizing this tour has been an adventure in itself -- special thanks to The Bollands, Keiji Matsumoto, Corey Takimoto and Jordan Burger for all their amazing help over the past few months! 

AIMS WINS 4 INDEPENDENT MUSIC AWARDS 

It was a lovely shock to learn that Aims won all four categories for which it was nominated in the Independent Music Awards! According to the press release, "Among the noteworthy achievements of the 13th IMA program, Vienna Teng was named the winner of four categories, the most any artist has received in a given year. The self-proclaimed 'chamber folk' artist was honored in the Adult Contemporary Album, A Cappella Song, Social Action Song and Pop Song categories." Thank you IMAs!

http://www.independentmusicawards.com/ima/2014/13th-annual-independent-music-awards-winners-announced/

http://www.independentmusicawards.com/imanominee/13th/Album/Adult-Contemporary
http://www.independentmusicawards.com/imanominee/13th/Song/a-capella
http://www.independentmusicawards.com/imanominee/13th/Song/Pop
http://www.independentmusicawards.com/imanominee/13th/Song/Social-Action

LIVE SOLO PERFORMANCE VIDEOS 

We're busy finishing up editing live video from the Aims tour last fall. In the meantime, two fine institutions that support independent music, Mountain Stage and Glide Magazine, have released two videos of solo performances from me last year. I also did a couple of impromptu StageIt shows last weekend, which the ever-vigilant Teddy Yan has archived on YouTube. 

"AIN'T NO SUNSHINE/LOSE YOURSELF" ON MOUNTAIN STAGE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mk5-G9XKbJE

Mountain Stage is also re-broadcasting the whole show this weekend! You can check their website for your local broadcast time:
http://www.mountainstage.org/mtnstageaffiliates.aspx

GLIDE MAGAZINE INTERVIEW + "THE HYMN OF ACXIOM" AT FREIGHT AND SALVAGE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_8fVpcmsdQ

"NEVER LOOK AWAY" ON STAGEIT, JUNE 28, 2014
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhI1PsI67a0

OTHER UPDATES 

I've been busy fulfilling personalized Kickstarter rewards, which has been lots of fun, though it's taking waaaayyy longer than I originally anticipated. Thanks to all of you who backed the project for being wonderfully patient with me. (If you're still waiting on your reward and haven't heard from me recently, feel free to email me at kickstarter@viennateng.com!)

Meanwhile I've also been settling into my not-really-secret other life ( http://www.mckinsey.com/), which I love, and which rivals a touring musician's existence in intensity -- 16 hour days are nothing out of the ordinary around here. It's all worth it for the kinds of projects I get to work on: health care innovation and Detroit economic development so far, and hopefully sustainable agriculture and/or climate change research soon as well. 

Here and there I've also been performing short sets to support other people's ambitious projects: marriage equality in Michigan, the World Energy Innovation Forum, and the Michigan League of Conservation Voters. For the World Energy Innovation Forum, Alex Wong and I collaborated with event chair Ira Ehrenpreis to write a song especially for the event, called "Drive." Tesla employees came down to the factory floor to hear us perform it live; it's always amazing to play a song for the people who inspired it. 

http://www.worldenergyinnovationforum.com/
https://soundcloud.com/highceilings/drive-theme-song-for-world-energy-innovation-forum-2014

Wishing you a summer full of bright days and languid evenings. See you out there soon, virtually or otherwise... 

Love,
VT