Performance
Performance: Bedroom States, Animal Dads, and Stay Dead (POWWOW, Noksapyeong)
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The rule according to one band was simple: “Everytime we mess up, you guys drink.” Later on, admissions along the lines of “we haven’t practiced this one in years” or “we only tried this twice before” or something like that.
I didn’t have the chance to ask lots of names or details here, thanks in part to arriving late (if I got a name wrong please message and I’ll correct it!). I did hear, however, that this particular show was put together at the last minute, thanks to a drummer being back in town.
UPDATE 14 Feb 2013 3:55pm: Jenny from the blog The Ketchup War was kind enough to correct More >
A trio of performances: the Barberettes, Sullied Rockfest, and a night at Woodstock
1Life here in Seoul comes with a few benefits: easier access to Western food, plenty of stuff to see, and more music and performances than you can handle. Three evenings in a row held a performance each, and to be clear there were plenty more out there to attend.
Anyway, Thursday night – Barberettes – All That Jazz in Itaewon:
Classic barbershop tunes, mixed in with some Korean originals:
It’s always fun when a guest singer joins the stage:
A soulful baritone.
Shooting at All That Jazz means you can’t use a flash, and the seated crowd means either arriving early to get a choice seat More >
Performance: Teddy Boys, Knock Down, and the Rock Tigers (DGBD, Seoul)
0CISK note: trying something new with this post – videos! Still photography remains my favorite, but this was a test to see how it would turn out.
When it’s time for an album release, it’s time to tour – and boy do the Rock Tigers know how to put on a show. In case it’s been awhile since you’ve gotten out of your school-provided apartment, these guys are basically the pioneers of rockabilly in Korea.
First up – Teddy Boys:
Great sound, and a great look – all their songs were in Korean, but clearly they’ve practiced plenty more than their music to get to this point.
Next up – Knock More >
Performance: Howlin’ Weenie Festival (AKA HBC Fest) – Haebangchon, central Seoul
4With over fifty musicians or bands spread out across two evenings and six venues, the Howlin’ Weenie Festival crossed one of the most entertaining holidays with plenty of music. While not seen as much in previous festivals, the police presence was necessary. For better or worse, the foot traffic far exceeds what the two-lane road can handle, especially considering the lack of sidewalk and the parked cars:
It’s a bit more control than some might like, perhaps, but I’ll say a respectful thanks to the police doing their best to keep people safe and keep traffic flowing.
In the interest of More >
Performance: Rocky Horror Picture Show (2012)
0Because a rainy Saturday afternoon is the perfect time to finish a blog post – last night (October 26th), the Seoul Players put on their now-classic version of the Rocky Horror Picture Show shadow-cast. DMCK opened up the set (above) with their set of rock and noise, and the timeless double-feature is set to be done again later tonight (October 27th), with Kite Flying Robot opening the show at 10:30pm. See more on Facebook if you want to go.
By the way, most of you wonderful readers may not realize I’m also a photographer for hire – be sure to see http://www.chrisbacke.com for the portfolio More >
Destination: Itaewon Global Village Festival (2012)
4Having visited the Itaewon Global Village Festival on both Friday (October 12th) and Sunday (October 14th), there are a couple things that need to be said. First, Itaewon is already as international a place as Korea has to offer. Perhaps two dozen nationalities – and their food / drink – are represented on a daily basis, without the need for a festival. That said, the festival seemed to be a way for the locals to take in said multi-culturalism in a environment where they’re surrounded by other Koreans.
Apparently, Heineken, chili cheese fries, and nachos are Korean food…. Who would’ve More >
Performance: Magical Mystery Four and Damnear David and the Reality Tourists
0LADIES and gentlemen, it’s become somewhat rare for me to look forward to an evening of music. It’s one thing to show up in Hongdae or Itaewon and just find something – there’s always something happening. Ever since I hear Damnear David and the Reality Tourists was doing a follow-up show, I put it on the calendar and made sure nothing else got in the way.
First up: the Magical Mystery Four (go ahead, take a guess which band they’re honoring).
Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Heart Band, anyone?
Despite the songs being a little shorter than present-day singles, the set list was packed with plenty of More >
Performance: And More Fest (punk, baby!)
0UPDATED 27 March 2012: A hat tip to Shawn for correcting a couple details.
Punk rock is alive and well in Seoul – if you know where to look. Props to my friend Jon who told me about the show in a relatively new venue in Yongsan – the Jeonja Salon (전자 쌀롱).
First up: Stay Alive (스테이 얼라이브) – a pop-punk sort of sound.
The crowd didn’t really start showing up until later, which was a shame.
Next band up: the Coin Rocker Boys (코인 록커 보이즈):
Rocking and having a good time.
Next up: Midnight Smokin’ Drive (미드나잇 스모킹 드라이브):
Smokin’. I love how punk bands choose an English name, then transliterate it More >
Performance: Rocky Mountain Tavern’s Battle of the Bands (2011)
0The Itaewon music scene just got more interesting.
Rocky Mountain Tavern’s Battle of the Bands continues to impress. While I went to parts of the preliminary rounds, I broke out the camera for the final round. First up: Minha - a hard-rocking Korean band.
This guy started sweating about three songs in.
Next up: Glass Inspired.
One of the more interesting aspects of expat musicians is seeing how new bands form around the community of experienced musicians.
Glass Inspired’s acoustic folk-rock set combined some instruments you don’t normally see in a place like Rocky Mountain Tavern. The More >
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