HCMC Originals: Connecting Expat And Local Musicians in Saigon’s Scene
“What’s the story” focuses and dives deeper behind HCMC Originals and No Cover, a platform designated for musicians support amongst the Saigon music scene, both locals and expats.
There’s a wild hub of creativity in the manic streets of Saigon that’s a dream for musicians. Inspiration is everywhere from the attractive street art, the mysterious back alleys that pay homage to Vietnam past and an abundance of quirky and uniquely designed coffee shops.
The diversification of one of Asia’s most rapidly developing cities also forces growth and creativity. Its infectious energy encourages growth. Growth is a concept from the locals selling their food from dusk to dawn all the way to expats and creatives looking to leave their mark on such an expanding city.
There’s also a buzzing expat community at large; perfect for musicians to meet and collaborate. Aspiring musicians have ample opportunity to perform. Particularly in the expat-friendly circles, and shared via Facebook forums, live music performances are plentiful. There’s a variety of musical pursuits available too. Tribute bands are rife, ode to the likes of Linkin Park, Beatles and Oasis. There are jazz bands. There are solo artists. There are those inspired by the greats, such as Hendrix and Dylan. It’s not uncommon to hear songs by Taylor Swift and Aretha Franklin.
However there’s also chances to perform content that’s exclusive to the writer keen to perform their own content.
Here comes HCMC Originals, founded by musician Jon Keeling.
Keeling has been a fixture of the Saigon music scene for years. He featured previously on the ComebaCK Podcast twice. Firstly, he discussed his band The First Street Belief and his initial foray into the Saigon music scene. The second episode was a more profound exploration into a song written in memory of his grandfather and his relationship with his father. Clearly a reflective songwriter and a man of extensive travel, Keeling has channelled his creativity and themes of his life through music.
Now he’s all about supporting the original music community, as are the many others involved in this collaborative effort.
One of the ways he does this is through Songwriter’s Circle, where musicians meet monthly to share their wares and support one another. It’s located at The Orient Pub in Thao Dien. These sessions are great for collecting feedback, experimenting, sharing ideas and collaborating with people on a similar wavelength.
If you venture to Mooney’s Saigon, a popular Irish bar near Bui Vien in the city centre, you can catch No Cover; HCMC Originals’ most prominent venture to date.
The name and concept is in the title: original artists, no cover songs, and the entry fee is completely free.
No Cover, created by Trix—a prominent member of the HCMC Originals community—is truly a showcase of some of the best local and expat talent that can be found within the city.
It’s a venture that’s proving a hit.
As mentioned in previous articles, starting a musical project isn’t easy on multiple levels. First creatively, it’s difficult to find ideas, put a track or album together and execute it. Secondly it’s marketing—putting your single out there, gaining traction and building a following.
Platforms like No Cover help solve some of those challenges. It’s about getting the spotlight, meeting like-minded musicians and building a community.
As of writing, there’s been a grand total of nineteen events.
Attending these evenings guarantees an eclectic mix: solo artists, bands, and a variety of genres. There’s also a Spotify playlist full of Saigon musicians and their original content.
To learn more about the thinking behind HCMC Originals, I asked Jon Keeling a few questions.
Why did you begin this pursuit?
“I made HCMC Originals during COVID as there was little I could do and wanted to support my friends in the music community I had made since I had arrived in Vietnam.
I started making playlists and posts about new music, all whilst working hard to create a connective, inclusive platform with all my musician friends to elicit collaboration and symbiosis.
Since then, HCMC Originals is not just me. For the past year it has become a small team of passionate, talented and hardworking musicians who volunteer their time for the betterment of other like-minded musicians via creating opportunities, community building, fostering connections and general all-round support.
The concept behind HCMC Originals is about building a community in hopes that it will slowly build strength in the music scene.
That’s why we take no money from any of our ventures, even ticketed events. It is all for the benefit of the artists.”
What journey have you been on?
“Personally, it has been a journey of developing stronger communication skills, as organising the fundamentals of an event takes a lot of back and forth, time, patience, misunderstandings and acute problem solving skills.
Which is why I am grateful to have found individuals that share the vision and notion of growth through development of creating a supportive community.
There is such a vast and diverse array of individuals in the music scene in Saigon, it has been wonderful to be involved and we feel blessed to be amongst them.”
How has it been received?
“So far, our involvement in the scene has been regarded as positive. People seem to be able to see the honesty and genuine efforts we are putting in to bolster the strong music community that is already there.
The positivity and support is reciprocated, which creates the perfect conditions for communal growth.”
Building creative projects aren’t easy, especially in an industry as saturated as music. It requires vulnerability, openness and thick skin to persevere and pray something comes together with a song or album. But with a supportive community weighing you up, anything is possible.
The future is bright within the buzzing Saigon scene.
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