All photos by Ashley S. Wright

With her ukulele in hand, Zee Avi serenaded the Mercy Lounge audience with some of the tracks off her self-titled debut album, including the tunes “Bitter Heart” and “Honey Bee.”

The 23-year-old singer/songwriter is originally from Borneo, an island in Malaysia. She brought her culture to her music in “Kantoi,” a song performed in ‘Manglish,’ which Avi described to audiences as a “combination of Malaysian and English.” The song’s title, translated, means ‘busted,’ and humorously relays the story of infidelity between two lovers. Avi also played a beautiful acoustic cover of Interpol’s “Slow Hands.”

The Bridges opened up for Avi with “One Way,” from their album, Limits of the Sky. Their sound was fresh, and even though the pop/rock family band’s drummer, Jeremy Byrd, was ill, their talent shined and the performance received a great reaction from the audience.

The Bridges