SXSW Final Notes: The Thank You Cards

A round of gratitude for everyone who made the Korean's trip to SXSW such a wonderful experience:

- To the Korean Wife for supporting her husband's crazy adventure;

- To every artist who took the time out of their incredibly hectic schedule to be interviewed;

- To Shawn D., who made most of the interviews possible and kept me apprised of everything I needed to see at SXSW;

- To Robert J., Vivian Y., Douglas H. and all other support staff who arranged things together;

- To ATK Magazine's Cindy Z., an excellent road trip companion to San Antonio.

- To reader Christine S., who, in the act of unbelievable generosity, sponsored the Korean's SXSW badge. Extra, extra thank you.

- Finally to TC, my wonderful travel companion for SXSW. 

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

SXSW Leftover Notes: The Artists

- It is a crying shame that Idiotape and Glen Check ran into visa issues, and could not play in more offsite venues. Those two bands have the most translatable music in the U.S. market.

- Personally, I feel that Glen Check has the most superstar potential. They already carry themselves like superstars: confident and charismatic.

- I really want Hollow Jan to succeed. Speaking with Hollow Jan was an intense experience, as if speaking with a slow-burning, red-hot pile of coal. Though their music is not mainstream, most people are sold when they see Hollow Jan perform live.

- Jambinai may end up being more successful outside of Korea than within it.

- Right after YB's show someone threw (new) panties and bra on the stage.

- No matter who you are and where you are from, it is impossible to not like Crying Nut playing live. Never doubt Crying Nut's ability to deliver a great show.

- Same is true for No Brain. Korea's two oldest punk rock bands got that way by being incredibly excellent. I was one of the fans who became disaffected of No Brain after its guitarist Cha Cha left in 2002. But seeing them live, all was forgiven.

- Big Phony is the gentlest, more genuine person in the world. Contrary to his songs, girls must be throwing themselves at him. If they are not, something is wrong with the world.

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

SXSW Leftover Notes: The Venues

With Day 6, the Korean's SXSW adventure was over. But there is plenty that he never got around to talk about. So here is a series of thought-dumps that never made to the regular posts. First in the series: thoughts on various venues around Austin, for future gig-workers who are looking to glean more information about the venues. Please note that I have only been to most of these venues only once, and my experience is necessarily limited that way. Please use this information appropriately, knowing that.

Favorites

Elysium:  Venue for K-Pop Night Out and Japan Nite. Located slightly off of the overexposed Sixth Street, Elysium is great for a large-ish show. The space can appear a bit grungy, but it actually suits the rock crowd better. The stage is large, and the space is nicely divided into a "concert area" and a "concession area," allowing the audience to take a break from the show and get a drink from the bar without fighting the crowd too much. 

Buffalo Billiards:  Venue for YB's showcase. Located on Sixth Street. Large space with large stage. Clean and well-lit, which can be both positive and negative. Good place to sit down at the bar to watch the show, but that could mean that at a bigger show, one may have to fight the concert-watchers to get a drink.

Stephen F's Bar:  Venue for Big Phony's showcase. Located on Congress Street. Hotel bar for the Intercontinental. Exactly what you would expect from a bar for a four-star hotel: reserved, classy, intimate, with comfortable seats. Ideal for soft music.

Good Ones

Icenhauer:  Venue for Seoulsonic. Located on Rainey Street, which is apparently a hip, gentrified area of Austin. Outdoor space that is on the smaller side. Chic, but the drinks are a little expensive.

Spider House:  Venue for Jambinai's showcase.  Located north of University of Texas. Small space in a pleasant outdoor patio. Great atmosphere, great crowd, very cheap beer, good snacks. The location is somewhat far from downtown.

Tiniest Bar in Texas:  Venue for Love X Stereo's showcase. Located west of downtown. Small but chic outdoor patio with good beer and good snacks. Excellent and relaxed atmosphere. Plenty of parking nearby.

Thumbs Down

Lit Lounge:  Venue for Hollow Jan's showcase. Located on Sixth Street. Small space with stages on upstairs and downstairs, and the sound from one travels to the other. 

Dog & Duck Pub:  Venue for Crying Nut's showcase. Located just south of University of Texas. Huge venue that is a parking lot covered with a tent. Scary redneck crowd.

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

SXSW Day 6 Notes: Day Trip to San Antonio

SXSW was drawing to a close on Sunday. Rather than seeing the last few showcases, I decide to follow the five Korean bands' show at San Antonio, a 1.5-hour drive from Austin.

After picking up my travel mates, we first head over to Salt Lick barbecue, considered one of the best barbecues in Texas. Salt Lick was located about an hour away from Austin, at a town called Driftwood, Texas. I could hardly think of a more appropriate name for a Texas town with fine barbecue. We get there just in time to beat the massive lunch crowd.

The verdict? It was a phenomenal barbecue, but Franklin barbecue was a little bit better. Salt Lick's side dishes were better than Franklin's, but really, do you go to a barbecue place to eat side dishes?

(More after the jump)

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

We get to San Antonio. Right away, we head to the Alamo and the Riverwalk. The heart of San Antonio is gorgeous. I had expected much worse from the Riverwalk, as the canals of Venice are filled raw sewage. On the contrary, the Riverwalk was beautiful and clean, with a nice atmosphere surrounding it.

But the mood quickly darkened once we got to the venue. The venue itself was neat: it was a grungy, warehouse-looking joint with old school video games and good beer, appropriate for a small rock concert. Problem was that the venue had nothing around it. Worse, there was no one around it. No passing cars, no foot traffic, no open business. We try to find a place to have dinner, but could not find an open restaurant until we drove back to the Riverwalk area. It dawns on me that San Antonio is like Baltimore with less crime: a beautiful core and desolation outside of it. I recall a promoter telling me that Korean bands have not tried anything like this (i.e. putting on a multi-act showcase in a mid-sized city) before. And it was going to be a five-hour concert on Sunday night. My mood becomes grim and desperate.

Fortunately, people did gather: the crowd eventually grew to around 40 people. I recognize a number of them from the SXSW showcases; I can't decide if that is a good thing or a bad thing. Regardless, the five Korean bands--Jambinai, Love X Stereo, Smacksoft, Big Phony and Crying Nut--put on a great show. Since I have written about all of them at least once before, I will give just the highlights:

- Bo from Smacksoft announced to the crowd:  "I learned how to do twerking last night." 

- Big Phony was ill, but still sounded great. Somehow, that made him more endearing to the women in the crowd. At one point, all the women in the bar were right up on the stage, while all the men were hanging back. 

- Before Crying Nut came on, I speak with one young woman who said Crying Nut was not her style. I tell her: "Just watch them." In the middle of Crying Nut's performance, she charges the stage. The lesson: never doubt Crying Nut.

The crowd stayed strong all the way until the end of the show, which was well after midnight. It was past 2 a.m. by the time I returned to my hotel room in Austin. The end of my SXSW adventure.

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

SXSW Day 5 Notes, and Notes on Love X Stereo's showcase

Day 5 was Saturday, and effectively the last day of SXSW. (There were events scheduled for Sunday, but only light, daytime ones.) It was a rainy, dreary day--a perfect day to stay indoors. It was a day of rest.

Only on Day 5 did I have the time to actually attend some of the panels that my badge allowed me to attend. I attend two panels: how to write contracts for artists, and the legal issues involving streaming music. They are both seriously entertaining to my law nerd side. For example, I learn that American Idol is a record sale-generating monster that is far superior to any other reality audition show on television.

Afterward, I head to the venue at which Idiotape was supposed to play. They were not there: turns out, Idiotape had to cancel all of their offsite performances due to visa issues. Looking at the venue, it was probably better that Idiotape did not play there. The venue was a rooftop stage, and the rain kept coming on. Idiotape's replacement band was playing in front of four people, who looked miserable standing in the rain.

I come back downstairs, realizing that Idiotape was not going to be there. On the street, I run into a parade of Tea Party Patriots: a line of burly men carrying their automatic rifles, holding up signs that said carrying AR-15 was their God-given right. There were also women among them, pushing a stroller with a baby in it. I was in Texas after all.

After the afternoon break, I head over to Love X Stereo's offsite show.

The venue was another pleasant outdoors venue. Love X Stereo was playing at the perfect time: happy hour, around 5:30 p.m. A solid crowd of 50 was there, and Love X Stereo pleased the crowd as they usually do.

I have dinner at a lovely seafood restaurant at South Congress area of Austin. Never mind the wisdom of having seafood in a landlocked city in the middle of Texas--the food, which included raw oysters, was fantastic. A welcome break from the incessant streak of red meat.

I decide to go to a large hip hop showcase, as I also needed a break from the incessant streak of rock 'n roll. There, I represent Korea's rap as well as one of its best international athletes.

Bouncing to the rhythm, I feel intense happiness, warming my heart and making me dance. It has been one of the greatest weeks of my life. I will take this memory with me for a very long time. SXSW is the greatest.

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

SXSW: Notes from Jambinai, Crying Nut, Big Phony Showcases

[Note:  The Korean is aware that SXSW is over. He hopes to punch out everything SXSW-related by this weekend. Thanks for waiting and reading.]

With another successful Seoulsonic showcase, the Korean is more excited than ever to see how Korean acts will do at offsite venues. His day began with Jambinai's daytime show, a highly anticipated event given the numerous positive coverage that Jambinai has received in the last few days.

Jambinai's venue was offsite. It was on the northern end of University of Texas, several miles away from the downtown Austin where SXSW official events were taking place. The venue itself was pretty neat. It had an outdoor patio set up as a pleasant garden decorated with vintage signs and paraphernalia. The beer was dirt cheap. Given the location and timing, however, I temper my expectation as to the size of the audience. The crowd did eventually build up to over 40 people--not a bad turnout for a daytime, offsite show.

Jambinai came on, and as they usually do, mesmerized the crowd.

With the vintage background, geomun'go-ist Shim Eun-yong gave me one of my favorite pictures from Austin.

(It's hard to see in the picture, but Shim's geomun'go case has a small embroidered Korean flag on top, and stickers that say: "FUCK THE SYSTEM". Bad ass.)

The crowd was absolutely amazed. Some of them seemed to have heard of Jambinai, as they listened to the band with knowing smile. Others were regular university types who were there to hang out, and were blown away by what they were hearing. Once Jambinai began playing, the crowd grew very quickly as more people streamed in from outside. By the end of their set, there was an excited buzz among the listeners. Several people asked me about the band and the instruments they were playing.

As I was leaving the venue, the bouncer at the entrance (who could not see the band from where he was standing) chatted me up:

"How many people are in that band?"

"Three."

"Really? It sounded like there were about ten of them!"

The bouncer wasn't wrong, actually. Lee Il-woo plays three instruments at the same time and the other two members play two instruments at the same time. Speaks volumes about Jambinai's complexity and versatility.

(More after the jump.)

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

*           *          *

We move onto the next venue, where Crying Nut was supposed to play. There, the Korean spots this horror show.

This was the strangest venue, with the strangest band playing for the strangest crowd. The venue itself had potential. It was a large parking lot covered with a tent. With beers and wooden benches, it could pass for an Oktoberfest-like atmosphere. You know, except for the music and the people. 

This all sounds very unfair, but I swear to my life that I am only describing what I saw. Everyone in the venue, including the band, seemed to live for the sole purpose of confirming every single stereotype about rednecks. The band included two women who neither sang nor played any instrument; all they did was to dance around the stage, and really, nobody needed to see them dancing on the stage. The band was not even playing its own music; rather, it was covering what might be called the "white people classic," with a healthy dose of Born in the USA and the like. Later, I found out that the band was called "The Gay Sportscasters." What the hell.

And the crowd. Oh, the crowd. There must have been around 100 people around the venue; the over/under for the total number of teeth was around 300. (The Korean would take "over" only because he counts his full set of teeth.) Every last redneck stereotype was being represented: mustachioed men in cowboy gear, dirty-blond women with huge boobs spilling out, shirtless slackjaws wearing jorts, you name it. 

I don't know whether to laugh or cry; I am sure I alternated between both. I feel terrible for Crying Nut. I know Crying Nut is arguably Korea's greatest live band, and it has played at plenty of shitty venues and in front of strange audiences. Even still, this gaggle of rednecks has to be one of the weirdest crowd in front of which Crying Nut ever played. To put it kindly, this audience did not look like a well-traveled group of people. Five Korean guys are supposed to get in front of this crowd and put on a 40 minute show with Korean songs?

Incredibly, Crying Nut handled themselves and then some. For the first few songs, the audience was tentative, looking askance at the three short Asian guys on the stage. Then Crying Nut's energy gradually won them over. Finally, Crying Nut very smartly played 마시자 [Let's Drink]--a hoedown-like number--the crowd went freakin' nuts. Spontaneous dance parties erupted in various corners. Several of them made a point of walking over to the merchandise stand to buy Crying Nut t-shirts.

I could not believe my own eyes. I will never doubt Crying Nut again. These guys could be dropped into an island full of cannibals, and would play their way out of the cauldron.

*           *          *

Later that night, I attended Big Phony's solo performance.

The venue was the hotel bar at the Intercontinental. In many ways, it was the perfect venue. Big Phony is at his best indoors before a relaxed, respectful and older crowd that is ready to focus on his sad lyrics and playful banter. The classy atmosphere of the venue suited Big Phony perfectly. I settled into a very comfortable chair. Next to me was Buldaegal [불대갈] from No Brain. The screaming vocal of No Brain was leaning back, quietly absorbing Big Phony's songs with a glass of fine red wine. Although in a way very different from Jambinai and Crying Nut, Big Phony kills it. Another successful night is in the books.

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

SXSW Interview: Smacksoft

(source)

Smacksoft, led by frontwoman Whang Bo-ryung [황보령] (known in the U.S. market simply as "Bo",) is one of the few rock bands in Korea that are indisputably led by a woman leader. Smacksoft has been critically acclaimed for its colorful music that translates well to audiences of different cultures.

The Korean met Smacksoft at the lobby of their lodging. The interview was conducted in Korean; the translation is the Korean's own.

TK:  Please say hello to everyone.

Hi people, my name is Bo-ryung Whang. I'm the vocal and I play guitar.

Hello, I'm Smacksoft's drummer Seo Jin-sil.

Hello, I'm the bassist Shin Gee-yong.

How are you, I am Rainbow 99, the guitarist.

Hi people, I am Hanul. I play the synthesizer.

TK:  How did Smacksoft start?

Bo:  I have been playing as a solo since 1998. We held an audition for members, and Smacksoft began in 2007.

TK:  How would you describe Smacksoft's music?

Bo:  It's post-punk. It defies categories, mostly based on rock, alternative and electronica.

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

Seo:  This is way too much fun.

Shin:  It's really different from Korea's rock festivals. In Korea, you play before a single, huge crowd. Here, each bar and club has its own, small show. The whole city is involved. I wish Korea would have something like this, too.

Rainbow 99:  It's so much more fun than expected. It's fun to watch the people here too.

TK:  Any artist at SXSW that you want to see in particular?

Bo:  We are a bit too busy to follow a particular band.

Hanul:  The lines are too long for big names anyway. I just want to stroll and watch a lot of different acts.

Bo:  There was one young woman band who does hardcore rock. I wanted to see her.

TK:  Who would you call as your musical influence?

Bo:  J.S. Bach. You know, Johann Sebastian. Velvet Underground. Bauhaus. Red Hot Chili Peppers. The Cure. Simon and Garfunkle, Bob Marley, the Pixies. Suzanne Vega. I like everyone. Sonic Youth.

Seo:  I'm not into Sonic Youth.

Bo:  How about we all go around and talk about the music we like then.

Hanul:  Sigur Ross, My Bloody Valentine. [Bo:  I like them too!]

Rainbow 99:  Brian Inoue. Vision of Disorder. Yo La Tengo.

Shin:  Pink Floyd.  [Rainbow 99:  I hate them. Their earlier stuff was ok though.]

Seo:  I like jazz. Chet Baker, Bill Evans. I like Red Hot Chili Peppers too.

TK:  Would it be faster if you just listed the stuff you don't listen to?

Rainbow 99:  Sure. I'm not into "K-pop."

Hanul:  Music from hot countries, like reggae. I also hate the trot medleys that they sell at highway rest stops in Korea. Regular trot is fine; just that fast medleys.

Bo:  There is some jazz with discordant notes. I can't stand it.

TK:  How do you see Smacksoft's music evolving, going forward?

Bo:  We just want to make good sound. The music equipment has made that so much easier. With computers, it is much easier to add anything we want, and just put on some more acoustic stuff. In our most recent fifth album, we have a lot of rock, electronica and ambient noise. We try not to get tied down to a certain genre.

TK:  How did you feel about your SXSW experience?

Bo:  I love people. I love music. I love Austin and SXSW! It's so wonderful here.

Seo:  It was far beyond expectation. I really want to come back.

Bo:  Maybe we should leave our instruments here.

Shin:  Seeing so many artists was great. It was so much better than seeing just the headliners.

Hanul:  Rock festivals in Korea are too similar to one another. I wish they combined to form just a couple of festivals with more tradition, and have something like this in Korea.

Bo:  It could totally happen around Daehak-ro. We should talk to the mayor.

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