SXSW: Notes from Seoulsonic

This year, SXSW has two official Korea-themed showcases: K-Pop Night Out and Seoulsonic. Although K-Pop Night Out was a highly successful event, Seoulsonic is a more mature show, as it is hosting its fourth annual U.S. tour. This year's lineup was:  Smacksoft, Big Phony, Glen Check, Rock 'n Roll Radio, Love X Stereo and No Brain. Not a single dog in that lineup.

- The venue was slightly small, but chic. The stage was set up in the outdoor yard, which allowed for a relaxed atmosphere. The crowd topped out at around 120. 

- The audience was an interesting group: at least 80 percent of the audience was not Korean, and the percentage is likely to be higher if one disregarded the staff for the bands and other Korean artists who were not performing at Seoulsonic in attendance. Many of the non-Korean audience spoke excellent Korean. The last time I have seen this many non-Koreans speaking such comfortable Korean was at an event for diplomatic staff and foreign policy graduate students at Washington D.C. 

Most importantly, a large part of the crowd already knew everything about the bands that were performing. These guys were fans, not someone who simply wandered in during SXSW. Before the show, I chatted with a couple of young folks who were planning to move to Korea within this year to teach English and write about Korea's indie scene. Another person recognized my Drunken Tiger cap, took a picture of it and tweeted to MFBTY (who promptly retweeted.) These fans are going to be the future of international K-Pop.

(More after the jump.) 

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

- Smacksoft opened the show. Frontwoman Bo (whose full name is Hwang Bo-ryeong [황보령]) has studied and lived in the U.S. for a long time, and the experience showed. Her interaction with the crowd, in her characteristically husky voice, is natural and spontaneous. In a matter of seconds, Smacksoft's music goes from ethereal to explosive, serene to screaming. She leaves the crowd charged with energy.

- Big Phony followed next. On a live stage, Big Phony runs a type of Prairie Home Companion show--that is, folksy, soulful music interspersed with wry, self-deprecating jokes. For example, this is how one part of Big Phony's show went:

"This is a song I wrote for my wife. I'm not married. [Laughter] So this is about my love that I have not met yet, and it is called Where the Fuck are You. [Laughter] No, that's not the name of the song; it's called Where is My June Carter. So it's about some bitch I have not met yet [Laughter; one woman yells: "marry me!"] Wait, someone just proposed to me. Sorry I called you a bitch earlier. [Laughter]"

The levity works very well when paired with Big Phony's soulful, soft music. Unfortunately, the outdoor setting did not favor Big Phony's showcase, and neither did the sound system. The mics occasionally squeaked in feedback, and Big Phony's lyrics--the centerpiece of his music--were not conveyed particularly well. Regardless, Big Phony's sincere humor wins over the crowd.

- As Glen Check was about to come on, I feel a deja vu. The space became a lot tighter, the crowd hotter and buzzier. It was just like the moments before Jay Park appeared in K-Pop Night Out, the signs that the real show was about to start. No disrespect to everyone else at Seoulsonic, but the dedicated fans who came to Seoulsonic came to see Glen Check.

Glen Check did not disappoint. Their sophisticated blend of melodic rock and electronica throws the crowd into a tizzy. The equipment issue somehow worked itself out, and Glen Check sounds marvelous. All the different layers of Glen Check's complex music flowed like a gorgeous tapestry of sonic energy. Bar none, it was one of the finest performance by a Korean artists at SXSW.

- The high of Glen Check's performance carried over to Rock 'n Roll Radio's show. Of all Korean acts at SXSW, Rock 'n Roll Radio and Love X Stereo probably have the sounds that are most familiar to the American audience. In fact, Rock 'n Roll Radio looks like three Korean Nick Cannons, down to their skinny jeans, tight-fitting blazers and sunglasses. RnRR's rollicking music kept the groove going.

- It was midnight by the time Love X Stereo got on stage, and the hitherto friendly venue began showing an unanticipated flaw: because it was outdoors, it was getting very cold. The energy level began dropping toward the end of Rock 'n Roll Radio's set. After 20 minutes of sound check, the crowd suddenly thinned out for Love X Stereo, as people huddled indoors for warmth. I myself had to step inside as well, opting to watch the band through the glass door. Through no fault of their own, Love X Stereo ended up slightly wasting a good performance.

- After Love X Stereo's set, I genuinely began to worry for No Brain. One of the first punk rock bands of Korea, right up there with Crying Nut in terms of its footprint in K-Pop history, deserved better than a small, shivering crowd that was too cold to rock out.

My worry was misplaced. No Brain did not thrive for nearly two decades by being a live performance slouch. No Brain's first several high-energy punk rock numbers were enough to draw out the crowd from inside the building. And then this performance happened, only with a real bottle of soju:

Single-handedly, No Brain resurrected the show. Everyone was back out in the courtyard, deliriously jumping and screaming their hearts out. With No Brain's encore song, Seoulsonic wasn't over until 2 a.m. Another successful showcase at SXSW.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

SXSW Interview: Love X Stereo

(source)

Love X Stereo has a real chance to become bigger in the U.S. than they are in Korea. At SXSW, Love X Stereo is in their second U.S. tour in three months. With their appealing music of racy rock 'n roll with mostly English lyrics, it is hard to see why not. The Korean met Annie and Toby of Love X Stereo at the Seoulsonic stage shortly before the show started. (Sol, the band's bassist, was not available.)

The interview was conducted in Korean. The translations are the Korean's own.

TK:  Please say hello to everyone.

TK:  How would you describe your music?

Toby:  We play electro-rock from the 1990s.

TK:  How was Love X Stereo formed?

Toby:  Love X Stereo began in 2011. I have been playing music professionally since 1999. I wanted to form a band with a woman vocal, and Buldaegal [불대갈], vocal for No Brain, introduced me to Annie.

Annie:  I was a trainee for YG Entertainment at the time. For an R&B act.

Toby:  But she loved rock too much.

TK:  How are you enjoying SXSW? How do you feel about the way crowd reacts to your music?

Toby:  This is so much fun. It feels free and chaotic. This town is crazy.

Annie:  I thought our performance [at University of Texas] yesterday was well received. It had a good college vibe. Very wholesome.

TK:  Who are some of your musical influence?

Toby:  Mostly 90s alternative. 

Annie and Toby [in alternating rapid fire]:  Nirvana. Smashing Pumpkins. New Order. Chemical Brothers. Prodigy. Prosthetic Head. No FX. Pennywise.

TK:  Where do you see your music moving toward?

Annie:  I think our future music will be more fun.

Toby:  We are aiming more for U.S. and UK market, so we hope to come here more often in the future.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

SXSW Interview: Big Phony

(source)

Soft, melodious, full of soul. Korean-American singer-songwriter Bobby Choi, also known as Big Phony, is making himself known to ever greater audience at SXSW. The Korean met him at the venue for Seoulsonic, shortly before the concert began.

TK:  Please say hello to everyone.

TK:  Can you describe yourself for those who don't know you yet?

Big Phony:  I'm Big Phony. I'm a singer-songwriter. I'm based in Seoul now, but I was born and raised in New York. I write sad songs.

TK:  Were you doing music before you moved out to Seoul?

BP:  Yes. I moved to Seoul three years ago, but I have been writing songs for 22 years and I have been pursuing music as a career for about nine years before I moved to Seoul. 

TK:  How did that decision come about?

BP:  I have been active in LA and New York, and I was actually thinking about relocating to Portland. Then three years ago, I visited Korea just to see the country. Once I was there, I met so many indie musicians. I didn't even know there was a scene like that! 

And it was not just about music. I became so curious about the country that my parents came from. I feel connection to the place as well. Plus, I was at a good time in my life to make a big move like that. I wasn't married, and there was nothing holding me back.

TK:  Who were some of the indie bands you met in Korea?

BP:  I met Galaxy Express, Idiotape and Vidulgi OoyoO. They were all really great. They were getting ready for the first Seoulsonic tour, and the Seoulsonic organizer asked if I wanted to open the show for them. Since then, a lot of doors opened for me.

TK:  This is your first SXSW. How are you liking it?

BP:  I am blown away. I feel exhausted too. It's like Disneyland for musicians. At first, I didn't think I got into SXSW because I mistakenly read an old rejection email for a different showcase. I was going around telling everyone that I didn't get into SXSW, but I got another email a few weeks later from SXSW about how to register for the festival. I was so happy! It felt like getting into college again, and SXSW is the Ivy League.

SXSW is like college in a different way too. Musicians behave like freshmen who just arrived. They are all nice to each other, but they also size each other up.

TK:  Is there any act that you really want to check out at SXSW?

BP:  I'm friends with [Korean American band] Run River North, so I'm definitely going to go see them. I'm so glad to see them succeed. It's a success just to be here.

TK:  Who would you call your musical influence?

BP:  I began writing songs when I was 14 years old. Back then, I listened to a lot of Christian contemporary music, like Michael W. Smith. I think Sting was a big influence too. What I learned is that when I write music, I should focus on the lyrics because my voice is not great and my guitar skill is a bit sloppy.

TK:  I think your voice and guitar are just fine. Do you think you were influenced by any Korean band since you moved there? You remind me of a softer, more refined Kim Gwang-seok.

BP:  I'm sure I have been influenced by Korean bands, because I'm surrounded by them. There are so many inspiring bands. They are all disciplined and skillful. And I feel a connection with them. I love seeing them succeed.

TK:  Any parting words for AAK! readers?

BP:  Stick with your passions. I am 36 years old, but I am just getting started.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

SXSW Interview: Crying Nut

(source)

If there were a world rock band Olympics, Crying Nut would probably be the captain of Team Korea. Formed in 1995, the first punk rock band of Korea has maintained the same membership for nearly two decades. In the interim, the band preserved its youthful, explosive energy while becoming veterans of international tours.

The Korean met Crying Nut at their hotel. The interview was conducted in Korean; the translation was the Korean's own.

TK:  Please say hello to everyone.

Crying Nut:

Rock 'n roll, yeah! Hello, I'm Captain Rock [TK Note: real name is Han Gyeong-rok], bassist for Crying Nut. [Gibberish; laughter]

Hi, this is the guitar for Crying Nut, Lee Sang-myeon. [Attempted gibberish; laughter]

I am Kim In-soo, accordion and keyboard.

Lee Sang-hyeok for drum!

[In Japanese] I am the vocal and guitarist Park Yun-sik.

TK:  Please introduce Crying Nut for those who don't know you yet. How did you come to form the band?

Han:  The four of us [except Kim] were all friends since elementary school, so we always played together. We met In-soo in 1995. He was a DJ at the time. We formed Crying Nut together then. We are Korea's first punk rock band. We have seven regular albums so far. And we go anywhere there is a good live stage to perform on.

Kim:  We go anywhere we can drink.

TK:  This is your second SXSW. How is it different from the first time?

Lee SM:  We had a great time when we first came here! It was amazing to see a city full of rock music. I think we felt the pressure that we should really do well then. This time, we just want to have fun.

TK:  What did you think about the audience reaction last night, from K-Pop Night Out?

Han:  Fantastic!

Lee SM:  We were surprised by the enthusiasm. It was moving.

Park:  We are world stars.

Kim:  But you could totally tell the part of the crowd that was there for Jay Park, another part that came for HyunA.

TK:  Crying Nut is one of the oldest continuing rock bands in Korea. How do you think Crying Nut's music evolved over time?

Han:  We are like bibimbap. We began as punk rock, but every one of us has a different taste. We blend them all in and create our music.

Lee SH:  We were probably more rebellious at first. Now I think we became more romantic.

Kim:  I recall seeing a 70-year-old film director receiving a lifetime achievement award, and saying in his speech that he still doesn't really know much about movies. That's how I feel about music.

TK:  Who would you call your influences?

Lee SM:  There are too many; we can't list them all. We listened to a lot of alternative at first. Before that, heavy metal.

Park:  Dead Kennedys, Pixies.

Han:  Irish rock nowadays. Gypsy music too.

Lee SH:  New Age, classical. Enya.

Park:  I like funny bands. There were some Mexican bands here at SXSW who played with the luchador masks on. They were funny as hell. Their music was shit though.

TK:  On the other side of the ledger, do you see your influence over Korean bands that came after you?

Han:  We were probably a terrible influence. When we were playing at Club Drug [in 1995], we saw all these high school kids listening to our music. Later, we saw them all forming bands and playing music. Of course they all played different kinds of music, but all the punk rock bands learned from us. No Brain learned from us, too. [TK Note: this is quite a statement, because No Brain began playing at Club Drug around the same time Crying Nut began.]

Lee SM:  Regardless of what music they play, I do feel that the later bands look up to us because we were able to stay with the same members for so long.

TK:  In your long career, what changes have you seen at the Hongdae scene?

Lee SM:  Now there is a huge diversity in music, and the quantity of it increased a lot too. When we started out, there were only so many genres of music.

Lee SH:  There is a different mentality behind it also. When we started, there was this weird pride about not appearing television, not trying to promote. You were a traitor if you showed up on TV. Now it is just normal for bands to do whatever they can to promote themselves. And of course, that's just the normal way of doing things.

TK:  As Korea's premier rock band, do you have any thoughts on how the word "K-pop" is used in the international market?

Kim:  I think the definition will change over time, but frankly I don't care that much. Things change when they cross over to a different place. A lot of these smaller differentiations in musical genre are about American and British music; they don't end up being applicable in Korean setting. So calling some Korean music "K-pop" but not others doesn't really make sense. I think "K-pop" is just pop music of Korea.

TK:  Do you plan on checking out some of the acts at SXSW?

Lee SH:  I've been listening to a lot of the bands here through the SXSW app.

Park:  That's high tech. I just wrote them all down. [Shows the note.]

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

SXSW Interview: Hollow Jan

(Source)

In many ways, Hollow Jan stands alone in Korea's music scene. Hollow Jan is arguably the only screamo band in Korea. As such, they do not simply stand apart from the mainstream; they stand very far away from the prevailing Korean indie scene as well. Yet Hollow Jan presses on, playing their own style of music for more than a decade.

Hollow Jan has six members, but the guitarist Lee Gwang-jae could not make the trip to Austin. (Choi Hyeon-seok from Apollo 18 substituted Lee for the band's SXSW tour.) The Korean sat down with four of the members, at Hollow Jan's hotel. (Drummer Ryu Myeong-hun was not available.)

The interview was conducted in Korean; the translation was the Korean's own.

TK:  Please say hello to everyone.

Hollow Jan:

In English? [TK: No, Korean is fine.] Hello, this is Im Hwan-taek, vocal for Hollow Jan.

Helllo, I am Kim Seong-chool, the FX for Hollow Jan.

Hello, I am Hollow Jan's guitarist Seo Han-pil.

Hello, this is Hollow Jan's bassist Jeong Dong-jin.

TK:  How did Hollow Jan come about?

Jeong:  We formed in 2003. At first it was just me and Hwan-taek. We first met after we finished our military service. We both had a job already, although we didn't work at the same place.

TK:  How are you enjoying SXSW? What did you think about how the audience reacted to you?

Jeong:  It was good. Unexpectedly good.

Kim:  Can I offer some criticism? I did not have an entirely positive experience. There were some equipment issues at the venues, and one of the venues did not even bother to ensure that the music from the other part of the venue did not leak into our stage. I'm not sure what the bands can gain in that kind of environment.

TK:  That venue was pretty tough, I thought. The crowd was thin, too. But you guys did great at K-Pop Night Out.

Jeong:  I thought the venue was fine. When I play, I can't pay attention to the audience reaction anyway. We have been doing this for a decade now, and we are playing a very uncommon genre of music. Other than us, there is literally one other band in Korea that plays what we play.

TK:  Which band is that?

Jeong:  49Morphines, which is run by Lee Il-woo at Jambinai. But since Jambinai is doing so great now, 49Morphines is not very active at this point. So it's just us. No matter where we play, we end up looking like we don't belong there. We stick out in rock festivals, we stick out at K-pop festivals. Ten years ago when we started, the audience literally walked up to the stage to mock us, because they didn't understand the music. Compared to that, this is fine. It feels like the early days of the band. If we could pick up just two more people who follow us, I would consider our SXSW tour a success.

TK:  How would you describe Hollow Jan's music?

Jeong:  It's screamo. It's a rare genre and not popular. There are a few bands in Japan and Eastern Europe that do this. If you never had challenges in your life, you wouldn't really understand it. I call it, "music for someone who was abused by his mother." It's not han, though. There is an underlying message of hope in our music. [Pointing to Im,] the lyrics that he writes tend to be hopeful too.

Im:  I don't think our music is that tortured, actually. I just like it. It's a stress relief.

TK:  Who do you count as your musical influence nowadays?

Seo:  Nowadays, I only listen to Hollow Jan.

Im:  Me, too.

Kim:  I probably listen to the most amount of music in the band. Since I'm an FX guy, I listen to a lot of electronica. I was also the last to join the band, which gives me a bit more objectivity about our music.

Jeong:  I like Poison the Well, and Japanese bands like Naiad and Heaven in Her Arms. I also like Deftones a lot. When Hwan-taek and I began, we were a cover band of Deftones.

TK:  In the ten years of playing music, how do you think you grew as a band, musically or otherwise?

Kim:  I think we became more focused on our mission, and all six of us became a bit more harmonious.

Jeong:  I disagree! We still have the same conflicts. But I suppose we did get a bit smoother in manners as we got older.

TK:  You just released a new album.

Im:  Yes, it's called Day Off. It is about death. I think our next album has to be happier, however. We joke about being cursed by the album, because so many bad things happened to us shortly after we released the album. We got into a car accident, caught mysterious physical and mental illness, broke a leg, etc.

TK:  Any parting words for AAK! readers?

Jeong:  Love your mom.

Im:  Be healthy. Without health, you can't play music.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

SXSW Day 3 Notes

I begin the day with light dread. Day 3 is the busiest day yet. Back-to-back interviews with Hollow Jan and Crying Nut in the morning. Then back-to-back interviews with Big Phony and Love X Stereo before Seoulsonic showcase began. Then six hours of Seoulsonic, with an interview with Glen Check mixed in. By the end of the day, I have so much written down in my notebook that I fear it will be well after SXSW before I can finish writing about everything I saw and heard.

To avoid burning myself out--on my vacation, no less!--I seek local delicacy. So I found myself in front of this building.

Whataburger, the pride of the South. I order a double cheeseburger with jalapenos, fries and diet coke. Apparently Whataburger operated on the same system as Carl's Jr.--you order at the counter, and the food is brought to you. They also bring a condiment tray, as if they are selling cigarettes at a casino. I am intrigued by salsa picante and spicy ketchup. I get everything.

A couple of bites in, and the appeal of the burger was evident. The vegetables were very fresh, which warmed the heart of this unorthodox burger lover who thinks vegetables are what completes the true burger experience. Salsa picante and spicy ketchup were both excellent. The fries were mediocre, but I have had worse.

Overall, I would love to have it again whenever I have a chance. But anyone who thinks Whataburger is better than In-and-Out burger is out of her mind.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

SXSW: Notes from Hollow Jan and YB Showcases

On the Korean's Day 2 at SXSW, there was another Korean artists showcase at the University of Texas. A Korean music mixer happened during the day, in which No Brain and Glen Check performed. Jambinai appeared at the International Day Stage, and was extremely well received. (Apparently, Sean Lennon is a new fan.)

But the Korean was at none of those. Given the marathon of Day 1, during which I flew from D.C., attended six hours of concert and interviewed a band, the Korean decided to take it a bit easier on Day 2 concerts. My nap was phenomenal, however. Better than any concert I have ever been to. Seriously, you should have been there.

Later in the night, I went back to downtown Austin to watch the performances by Hollow Jan and YB.

*                   *                  *

For Hollow Jan, every gig is a tough gig because their music is so far out of the mainstream. But even by their standards, this venue did not look promising. The venue was lounge split into two levels, and the sound traveled liberally between the two floors. Also, the downstairs was clearly more happening than the upstairs. 

The space was small, the audience even smaller. Moments before Hollow Jan came on, barely ten people were in the venue. The audience did grow into approximately 20 people, with about three or four enthusiastic head-bangers in front.

None of this deterred Hollow Jan, of course. Although all rock bands exude energy, the way Hollow Jan explodes every night is absolutely incredible. Vocal Im Hwan-taek [임환택] prefers to perform barefoot, which accentuates his beastly scream. The small audience was impressed. A long haired Australian fellow, who was one of the headbangers, raved about how much he loved Hollow Jan. I bought him a drink.

*                   *                  *

YB's showcase was at the bar next door. It was a solid-sized venue with a fairly large stage. Sadly, this is the only performance by YB at Austin, as he did not join the K-Pop Night Out, Seoulsonic or other Korea-themed concerts. 

The crowd tops out at around 100. Much of the crowd was Koreans who specifically came out to see YB. Performing in front of the audience that was ready to love them, YB puts on a good show. YB opened with Cigarette Girl, the title song for YB's upcoming English language album. It appeared that YB was test-driving their English language songs. Other folks may have a different opinion, but to me, the effect was slightly deflating. But YB ends with my personal favorite Flying Butterfly, and all is well. Another successful night at SXSW.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.