On this edition of Kollaboration’s Coffee Break we welcome Bobby Choy aka Big Phony! Bobby is an amazing singer-songwriter who moved to Korea a few years ago to live, play music, and find himself. You might also know him from the webseries turned feature film KTown Cowboys, which he stars in. With a new album in the works, a movie in the theater, and a documentary in the festival circuit, we caught up with him on one of his recent trips to LA to see what’s been up!
Don’t forget to check out the amazing Green Room live music session he played for us as well as his appearance on the KollabCast.
We’re very excited to share with you this special Green Room live music session with the amazing Melissa Polinar! One of the OGs of the YouTube creator revolution, Melissa stopped by the Green Room while in town for a few shows in LA and San Diego to sing a few of her originals for us. Please enjoy!
Setlist:
“Meant to Be”
“Feel’s Like Home”
Hear more from Melissa on her YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mpolinar
Big Phony has been busy the last few years living in South Korea, but the singer-songwriter, & K-Town Cowboys star, took some time during his last trip to LA to stop by the Kollaboration Green Room to play a few tunes for us. If you haven’t heard of Big Phony before, you’re in for a treat! Please enjoy as he shares his melancholy songs about loneliness, love, and hope. (warning, some lyrics NSFW)
Setlist:
“Shoot the Sh*t”
“I am F***ed Without You”
Megan Lee, star of Nickelodeon’s Make it Pop and Kollaboration alum, joins Minji Chang for a Coffee Break to talk about what she’s been up to. Megan shares about her busy schedule shooting Make it Pop in Toronto, making new original music (and her new single Stronger), and her origins in Kollaboration. We love Megan and you will too after this interview!
One of our favorite artists Megan Lee, star of Nickelodeon’s “Make it Pop” and a Kollaboration alum, joins us for this session of Kollaboration’s Green Room! Check out a special acoustic performance of her new single “Stronger” and watch out for more new songs from Megan soon on her YouTube!
Improv Artist Will Choi joins us for a coffee break to chat about an epic (and FREE) improv comedy show that he put together taking place Friday, May 27 at UCB Sunset in Los Angeles. Scarlett Johansson Presents: AAPI Heritage Month will feature several of the top Asian American improv teams in the LA area, as well as am APA superteam of UCB regulars (ScarJo will not be in attendance)! Check out more info on the event on its Facebook Page
Credits:
Producers: Minji Chang & Marvin Yueh
Director: Dennis Chang
Production Assistant: Jimmy Hang
Camera Operator: Westley Kang & Andrew Kim
Editor: Marvin Yueh
The Green Room set up a very special session in sunny San Diego with singer-songwriter Terry Matsuoka. A mainstay in the San Diego music scene, and also a past Kollaboration guest performer, Terry plays some original tunes for us that show off his soulful voice and the range of his music. We hope you had as much fun listening as we did shooting!
Setlist:
“A Minute”
“I Will Be There Too”
“How She Feels”
Hear more from Terry at https://www.youtube.com/terrymatsuoka and http://www.terrymatsuoka.com/
Anne Marie Ceralvo, from the beloved pop group One Vo1ce, joins us for a Green Room Session to sing a few of her favorite songs acapella. Word is that One Vo1ce is busy making some new music together so we’re excited to hear more from Anne Marie soon!
Setlist:
“Because of You” – Keith Martin Cover
“No One Else” – Amel Larrieux Cover
“Ordinary People” – John Legend Cover
This is it! This is our last interview from the 2016 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) organized by Visual Communications. In this segment, we chat with the crew behind Breathin’: The Eddy Zheng Story about the life of Eddy Zheng, a former convict turned activist and community leader. We talk to director Ben Wang, composer Scott “Chops” Jung, and the man himself about the making of this brutally honest documentary.
Thanks for listening to our interviews with the filmmakers of the 2016 LA Asian Pacific Film Festival. Keep checking back on kollaboration.org for new video, audio, and written content about the Asian American community.
ABOUT THE FILM:
BREATHIN’: THE EDDY ZHENG STORY is a documentary feature about a Chinese immigrant who became the youngest prisoner at San Quentin State Prison and later one of the nation’s most recognized leaders on prison reform and youth violence prevention. Eddy entered the criminal justice system at 16 years old with limited understanding of the English language or the U.S. judicial system. After spending time in the California Youth Authority, he was transferred to San Quentin State Prison as soon as he turned 18. While in prison, Eddy learned English, earned his college degree, published his poetry, and transformed into a nationally recognized leader—inspiring youth, activists, and politicians on issues of prison reform and youth violence prevention. As an advocate for Ethnic Studies in the prison college curriculum, Eddy was sent to solitary confinement for 11 months, where he garnered support from community activists and leaders. Even as Eddy fought systemic injustices, he continued to fight an internal battle. Spending nearly two decades in prison left a physical and mental toll on him, an all-too-common phenomenon for the incarcerated. What is more, Eddy had to reconcile with his family, for whom the shame and stigma of prison caused a lifetime of secrets and lies. Despite being released from immigration custody in 2007, Eddy has been ordered deported to China and awaits the final court decision. With the looming possibility of deportation, Eddy must negotiate what it means to “live freely”—attempting to rebuild a family, reconcile with his victims, and make a lasting change in society at large.
We’re very excited to welcome Kollaoration Seattle Alum Travis Atreo, as he joins us for this edition of Kollaboration’s Green Room. Enjoy an unplugged version of Travis’ new single Excited, as well as a special live performance of one of his most popular covers.
