Garage Concert

I’ve seen my fair share of concerts over the years. There has been a wide variety of different approaches to musical entertainment and how it has been presented.

I’ve seen small community centre shows with local bands. I’ve seen top-billed stars of the industry in stadiums.

This past weekend I saw a marriage of both of these ideas: The YB Garage Concert.

So Sunny and I head out to this obscure industrial park. Every street was filled with both functioning and abandoned factories. We even stopped by a little café for a light dinner that, while not in an actual factory, was factory themed.

Most concerts I’ve been to have huge parking lot and staff to guide the ridiculous amounts of traffic going in, then out again like ten people trying to get through the same door at once. There was no parking lot; the building manager just said to park anywhere close by and it wouldn’t be a problem.

After the hip and trendy meal, we walked down the street (lined with piles of trash as it was industrial waste pick up day). As we got closer, we saw more and more people sitting on the side of the road drinking single translucent cups of beer. This was a mighty trail of breadcrumbs to follow.

The cups were coming from, and moving back towards this run-down factory. It had to be the place. The giant banner stating that it was the place was also a big hint.

Sunny had a soft beverage and I went for the only awesome drink I could have and legally drive after, energy drink (BURRRRNNN!!!). The crowd was herded into the processing floor like cattle. Seriously, anything could have happened in that sketchy room and we would have walked right into it.

Fortunately, it wasn’t a killing floor, but a tightly pack, very small, very intimate stage set up. It was one of the smallest stages I’ve seen a big name band play on, but it took up about have of the room.

The show began with a striptease… a male strip tease. It was a beefed up Asian version of Magic Mike. Sunny enjoyed it. When the Korean Chippendales finished their schtick, the band came out to a very loud opening number. The acoustics were terrible, the room was stuffy, and I never want to go to a different kind of concert again. It was that freakin’ awesome.

The dancers had two main reasons: to set the tone for the night (19 and over) and to set up a joke. Frontman Yoon Do-hyun took a dig at the guitarist, Huh Joon, saying they were from his contacts. Nice.

But I must repeat, that room was loud. My hearing was shot for a day after, and happily so. The intimate nature of the venue allowed everyone to be close to the band and for the crowd to get way more pumped. Giving everyone a free drink probably helped as well.

Speaking of which, have you ever been to a concert with a keg for the band on stage? I have! The band drank through the whole show. 19 and over…

One of the highlights of the show was the light attitude of the performers (keg on stage) and how the audience mostly felt like they were just having fun with the band. To make up for how hot and stuffy it was, the band occasionally hosed the crowd down. Several people left happily soaked. Yoon Do-hyun ended the show by turning the hose on himself.

All in all, it was a great show, not just for Korean music, but for any given rock band. I think any Rock musician around the world could learn something from that show.

I just hope they have another like it.

More than Just K-pop - The Epilogue

So you've taken a moment to check out all the artists in the picture, right?

Now here are a few more!

Dynamic Duo -
Ring My Bell:

 

BAAAM:



Bulldog mansion -
Happy Birthday to me:

Rock Tigers -
Cry:

Run:

Lena Park -
Sorry:

Eun Jiwon -
160:

HaHa and Skull -
Busan Vacance:

Ragamuffin:

In case you missed it:

1.     Drunken Tiger - http://sunnysmartshoppingkorea.blogspot.kr/2013/06/more-than-just-k-pop-part-i.html 
2.     Guckkasten - http://sunnysmartshoppingkorea.blogspot.kr/2013/06/more-than-just-k-pop-part-ii.html
3.     Jaurim - http://sunnysmartshoppingkorea.blogspot.kr/2013/06/part-iii-jaurim-if-you-thinkgirl-rock.html
4.     LeeSsang - http://sunnysmartshoppingkorea.blogspot.kr/2013/07/more-than-just-k-pop-part-iv.html
5.     Busker Busker - http://sunnysmartshoppingkorea.blogspot.kr/2013/07/more-than-just-k-pop-part-v.html
6.     Sinawe - http://sunnysmartshoppingkorea.blogspot.kr/2013/07/more-than-just-k-pop-part-vi.html
7.     Epik High - http://sunnysmartshoppingkorea.blogspot.kr/2013/07/more-than-just-k-pop-part-vii.html
8.     Schizo - http://sunnysmartshoppingkorea.blogspot.kr/2013/07/more-than-just-k-pop-part-viii.html
9.     No Brain - http://sunnysmartshoppingkorea.blogspot.kr/2013/08/more-than-just-k-pop-part-xi.html
10.   YB - http://sunnysmartshoppingkorea.blogspot.kr/2013/08/more-than-just-k-pop-part-x-yb.html

More than Just K-Pop - Part X - YB

 

 

Part X – YB

 

This is the one I have been both looking forward to and dreading the most. This is my favorite Korean band and perhaps one of my top all time bands.

The last time I saw this band live, they followed up their opening number by telling the audience they would be opting to play what they wanted in place of exclusively playing crowd favorites. I will adhere to this.

Frontman Yoon Do Hyun began as a member of the singing group The Paper Kite and received instant attention for his power and presence. It’s easy to throw words around as many Korean artists get similar accolades, but I’ve seen it live and there is no better way to describe it. He truly has a grasp on the creativity that should be demanded of an artist. He has a love for all things Rock and shows it by his eclectic nature, which drives him to try everything at least once. All the while, he doesn’t really abandon his culture either, as shown above and below, incorporating Korean folk into his music.

This version of Arirang was historical as they once played it for an audience in Pyongyang. The audience was skeptical and did not expect this western propaganda group to play Korea’s most treasured song. Once they began to play, the audience wept.

He’s a genius. He’s an artist. He’s Judas Freakin’ Iscariott!

People wanted him for various pop groups and he turned them down to form a band that he could name after himself. Since then, Yoon Do Hyun Band, or YB, has had varying levels of success. They tend to go in and out of obscurity due to the nations obsession with K-pop, but everyone still knows him.

Perhaps the most important thing about YB is that they do what I’m doing now. They constantly try to promote other groups and show the nation that there are solid alternatives to K-pop.

In the 2002, he wrote Korea’s Top chant song, “Oh! Pilseung Korea!” and launched the band’s success. From then on, you couldn’t hate them in this country, even if you hated rock. He then began hosting a live stage event show called “Yoon Do Hyun’s Love Letter”, which he inherited from contemporary singer, Lee Sora. This stage gave him the chance for four years to show off people that didn’t get airtime, such as Drunken Tiger and the rest of the movement crew.

After several years of TV Hiatus came the show “I Am A Singer”. This was directed at the promotion of non-k-pop singers. It challenged these artists to write and perform new versions of old songs. YB faced a skeptical crowd again, then became one of the driving forces for the program, starting with their first performance.

 

Then this...

 

 

...became this:

 

Once his time there had ended he began a new program that was like “Love Letter”, but on a more intimate level. This program was titled MUST because he felt he had no choice but to give music to the people. Though it has featured some K-pop, he has always put them on the spot to do something original. He has also featured groups like Schizo and Jaurim.

Really, between this and “Love Letter”, he has promoted the hell out of everyone else on this list.

Now, as promised, here are some tracks you might never hear if you don’t know to look for them.

 

Stay Alive (Awesome Live):

 

Mystery (New single, probably going to be popular, but worth a nod):

 

Flag:

No Regrets:

 The Sun (Cover):

 

For links to all the articles in the series so far, check out the list in the original post: http://sunnysmartshoppingkorea.blogspot.kr/2013/06/more-than-just-k-pop.html

 

More than Just K-pop - Part XI - No Brain

Part IX – No Brain

 

Back in the 60’s and 70’s, Britain’s economy and global standing were in decline and the ones to take the brunt of it were the working men and women. Years of hard times and a loss of national pride led to anger. Basically they went from a 10 to a 9 and got up in arms. This anger led to birth of Punk.

Fast forward to South Korea in the 90’s: the country had seen a massive economic boom and was now reaching towards becoming relevant in a world that had forgotten it. But they had hit a plateau. The government was constantly fighting and the world saw Korean politics as a farce. The people were still wary of presidents because of the recent memory of a military dictator and a string of corruption. The rich got their money and never gave back while the ret of the population struggled to make ends meet. Basically they started at a 3, were promised a 10, made it to 6 and were beat down by the few who made it to 8 and then had to keep working hard just to keep the 6 and would never see 7.

By all accounts, they should be really angry. They modestly declined from burning this mother down and took the passive approach. Then came the outlet of Korean Punk.

Korean Punk was born in old Hongdae, which is like new Hongdae, but had more people expressing themselves through song and creativity and less people expressing themselves through getting sloshed and finding a random dance partner to rub up on in the club.

It was a toss up for me: No Brain or Crying Nut. No Brain won, but I’ll make the concession with this:

“Shut up! Listen to me!” are the words of rebellion, Korean style. It might not seem like much to westerners, but to them it was huge to be screaming that out and having the audience join in instead of being shocked and disgusted.

No Brain’s style tends to be more laid back as with one of their earliest recorded singles, “Sailor” from 2000. It picks up at the end, but the piece as a whole truly accents their rough beginnings.

Unlike other punk bands, No Brain does not just focus on the anger and cynicism. It’s there, but it’s not the main message. They have concern for the way society is, but want their audience to leave feeling that since it can be better, we need to do something to make it better and not just bitch about it. They actually believe in the power of hope.

"It's Young"

Vocalist Lee Seong-woo, or Bulldaegal, moved to Seoul from Masan with nothing but the clothes he was wearing and the hope of being in a band. He met a group of students there and that’s how the band was formed.

When he got to Seoul, he found a place called Club Drug, the first punk club in Seoul. He ate, slept and lived there with the cockroaches. The place was a rat-infested hell-hole and they didn’t care: It was where they performed. They would do a show, then fall asleep in their sweaty clothes on the floor right there.

When the band started, bass player Jeong Woo-yong, or Bbogle was a music major. The other students in his major looked down on the punk movement, calling it noise. He is still playing, while those students are no longer involved in music.

Their uplifting brand of punk has helped shape and guide the movement in Korea and made them more accessible to the Korean public in general. Listening to No Brain is a gateway to more and more of the underground Punk scene that still exists in Hongdae, amongst the dance clubs and puke-atoriums. Despite being well known, this underground venue is still the favored choice of the band to play at, and they frequently do, without charging ridiculous cover.

Enjoy!

 

You Blew me Away:

 

Necktie:

Beautiful World (More traditional punk):

Me From Now:

You're Crazy About Me:

For links to all the articles in the series so far, check out the list in the original post: http://sunnysmartshoppingkorea.blogspot.kr/2013/06/more-than-just-k-pop.html

More Than Just K-pop - Part VIII - Schizo

Part VIII – Schizo

 

I doubt this one is on anyone’s radar. They’re not even on Wikipedia! As I said, I’m trying for a little contrast, and Busker Busker needed to be balanced out with something loud and heavy.

The other reason for this selection is that, for a known band, they’re about as unpopular as a group can get. When I told Sunny I was doing this one, she gave me a look that can only be duplicated by filling a room with garbage and then trick her into going in with the promise of cheesecake. This is a music genre that you truly need to love to pursue in Korea, since the people want almost nothing to do with it. Yet, they strangely all know one piece of trivia about Schizo: The vocalist is a doctor! They value that more than the music. To be fair, so would my father, who would indeed refer to this as noise. Don’t get thrown off by the red herring at the beginning, and be warned of some language. (Bomb, Bomb, Bomb)

Seven years of premed and med school to sing in a cage. #worthit

I’m actually surprised that electronic industrial hasn’t caught on as much here, seeing how K-pop is littered with non-instruments. Maybe it’s the whole growly-voice thing…

The comparison has been made to Rob Zombie, Powerman 5000, and Rammstein, and with good cause as they have covered all in concert. You can barely notice the Korean accent.

The band formed in 2002 in Busan and released their first album “Dumbo $#!t”, a year later. It was widely unrecognized. Recognition came three years later with the their second album “Fight Against the World”. The title track, “Fight” was featured in the Korean film “Mutt Boy”, which is what really gave the album notoriety.

Since then, They have release numerous singles, and are working on an album that is long awaited.

Some more to make your ears bleed:

Untouchable:

 

Hed Up:

Another Man:

Deep Sigh:

For links to all the articles in the series so far, check out the list in the original post: http://sunnysmartshoppingkorea.blogspot.kr/2013/06/more-than-just-k-pop.html

More Than Just K-pop - Part VII - Epik High

Part VII – Epik High

 

This entry could be the most controversial in choice when certain things are considered: They have a style that is definitely more “Pop” than the others, they collaborate with numerous K-pop artists, and they were picked up by a K-pop label. However, those same things make Epik High an ideal selection.

Central to this trio, is the controversial Kyopo, Tablo. Though born in Seoul, Tablo (Lee Seon-woong, or Dan as his friends knew him) grew up everywhere. He went to several Foreign Schools around the world, spent a huge chunk of time in Canada (He is legally Canadian), and graduated from Seoul International School. There is a great deal of resentment towards people like Tablo among Korean men in that, though Korean, he is not required to do military service. Perhaps this was fuel for the fire that would follow him.

Dan Lee graduated from Stanford in the early 2000’s, obtaining a Bachelor’s and a Master’s. For some reason, people got really uppity about this and called him a liar. He presented all the documents to prove it publically and they still didn’t believe him. MBC followed him to Stanford, where he met his old friends, professors, and even went to the offices to produces first hand documents, on site. They still called him a liar. The police deemed Tablo’s education and degrees to be true, in Korea and internationally, and arrested the man who began it for criminal defamation and for (ironically) using falsified identification. Twenty other Korean citizens were issued summons on similar charges. The online communities dedicated to defaming him were shut down. Game over? Not quite, as a new one began and is still running with 33,000 members and counting, despite undeniable evidence.

Yes, I chose this group because its main member is a victim of Korean online hate, making them K-“UN”pop.

The group’s journey into hip hop began in Tablo’s younger years, listening to Tiger JK songs. The two would later become semi close and do small collaborations. Every kid’s dream…

They became noticed with their song “Fly”, from their third album “Swansong”, intended to be their final since their first two failed to reach recognition.

They followed this with a triumphant double album, “Remapping the Human Soul”, a play on the title of their first album, signaling a new beginning. This came with the popular single “Love Love Love”. It’s a little poppy, but also catchy… those clever mofos.

Then came “Pieces: Part One” (Part two never happened). It featured the less poppy, more badass, “Breakdown”.

The next album “(e)” was the last before Mithra Jin and DJ Tukutz (NOT Canadian) went to military service. They had some fun with the video “Trot” on their way out.

They were dropped by their label and Tablo was picked up as a solo act by YG (ie: the lesser of three evils). Jin and Tukutz would sign after their discharge, two years later.

Their comeback album, “99”, features some K-pop singers, but still remains true to who the group has been from the beginning. I hate Bom, but I like the song “Up”. This is music that belongs in a club.

And that is the more defining thing about Epik High; they’re club music, something between the soulessness of K-pop, and the underground grittiness of Drunken Tiger.

Enjoy a few more:

Wannabe:

Run:

One Minute, One Second:

It's Cold:

For links to all the articles in the series so far, check out the list in the original post: http://sunnysmartshoppingkorea.blogspot.kr/2013/06/more-than-just-k-pop.html

More Than Just K-pop - Part VI - Sinawe

Part VI – Sinawe

 

One thing about K-pop; at least it’s a safe bet that annoying song will be gone by the end of the month, two tops. Rock, on the other hand, will NEVER DIE! Sinawe, often considered Korea’s first heavy metal band, has a history in rock that goes back further than the band itself. In fact, to talk about it, you need to go back to the beginning of the history of rock in Korea.

After the Korean War, South Korea was in ruins. The land was ravaged, the economy was non-existent, and the government was led by a military dictator. Needless to say there was an underlying frustration in the populous and they had Korean tradition holding it all in. Music became the outlet.

The American Army needed entertainment and the music of the day was rock, so that’s what the Korean musicians learned to make a living. They copied the sounds and styles of popular rock songs of the day, but one man took it to the next level. Shin Jung-hyeon took rock, added Korean history and culture, put them in a container and shook it all up. He used Korean modes and Gayagum melodies and put them to a rock beat, with lyrics that spoke to the people. He saw the greatness in his country and how the people were held back, and his music echoed that sentiment. His song, “The Beauty” (미인), became blacklisted for this, but it only made it stronger, the public using it as a protest song.

Here it is Live in 2006:

Shin was targeted by the government to be an example and was arrested on multiple charges. The anger passed from father to son, and Shin Daechul, learning from his father, built on the foundation that was given to him. From rock, rose heavy metal.

 

Turn up the Radio (1986) (Sorry, no MV, but you can still enjoy the music):

 

 

Sinawe quickly became a training ground for musicians as the revolving door of its members continuously turned, breeding other bands and solo acts, as is the fate of many bands where the guitar player, and not the vocalist is the frontman.

Vocalist Im Jaebeom left to become a solo performer. He is known as the premier rock ballad vocalist and the most Noraebanged male vocalist by guys trying to impress the girl they’re dating.

 

"For You" (And for the record, I don't like this song at all, but I'm not out to please myself here)

 

 

Bass player Seo Taeji pulled a major bass player and became the frontman of hiphop / dance group “Seo Taeji and the Boys”. This good intention paved a road to K-pop, as one of the Boys, Yang Hyeon-seok, would go on to become the CEO and founder of YG Entertainment. Seo would later try to redeem himself by going back to his metal roots.

 

"I Know" w/ ".. the boys" (They had better songs, but I needed a chuckle)

 

 

"Ultramania" (solo album) ... I heart juxtaposition...

 

 

 

The long list of past members exceeds 15 at last count. It’s impossible to document them all.

Sinawe is still around and kicking, training younger people to go out into the world and make it on their own. Keeping younger blood has worked to Shin’s advantage in some ways, as he has always stayed current enough to get a loud cheer whenever he takes the stage.

 

More samples:

 

"Small Wing"

 "Mask" (Starts around 1:10)

"The Beauty" (Cover of his dad's greatest)

Song that must not be named (Cover of something they had to do for a show)

For links to all the articles in the series so far, check out the list in the original post: http://sunnysmartshoppingkorea.blogspot.kr/2013/06/more-than-just-k-pop.html

More Than Just K-pop - Part V - Busker Busker

Part V – Busker Busker

 

This one is a little near and dear to my heart as the only way I could have rooted for these guys more, is if I were from Cheonan. The real hallmark of Busker Busker is that they exposed the K-pop world to something that wasn’t K-pop and nearly beat them at their own game.

It all began with frontman Beom-jun’s vision of a collective of street artists, amply named… “Pinky Pinky”? Wait, what? The Sangmyung University students grew in numbers until they were joined by their English Professor, Brad, who then said “I got a better name for this” and they were henceforth known as “Busker Busker”.

The collective decided to audition for the Korean version of American Idol, Superstart K. That season, the producer had decided to audition pre-existing groups as well as soloists and they jumped at the chance to give their group a national stage to perform on. Only three managed to make the audition.

The group caught the country’s attention and admiration with their rendition of SHINee’s “Juliette”, with the group Two-gye Wol. Despite the large part Busker Busker played in the arrangement and performance, and the out and out screwing up of the male half of the other group, Busker Busker was eliminated off of this performance, which had nothing to with Two-gye Wol having the only pretty girl in the competition. Sorry, the live version is unavailable to post here. 

Another band broke the cone of silence and saw that they were being trashed by online groups and quit the competition, allowing the re-entrance of two groups, including them and Haze. It quickly became a race for second place as Ulala Session had everything going for them, other than looks. They were fun, wrote their own music, did their own choreography, had a sad backstory and were only held back by their lack of hotness. One of the four was often away during the competition for chemotherapy and he’d still come back and rock the stage with the others. He has since passed away, but leaves this legacy behind: they used the show to prove talent will rise. Two samples of their work: Swing  (Skip to 2:00) and Western Sky (The second with subs, and you can get the preamble as to why they chose it, and then get why it made people cry when they sang it)

Back to Busker Busker, they were constantly dogged by the judges, specifically the two male judges, who refused to take them seriously as musicians, as they were neither pretty or flashy. They proved them all wrong with several solid performances, including “Makeolina”, "Dream Girl" and the self written “Seoul People”.

The competition was over, but the head judge, Lee Seungcheol continued to bad-mouth them in the press, saying they were turning their backs on their fans by writing music instead of touring the rehashed songs they performed with the other Superstar K Top 11. They wrote their album, recorded it, and topped the charts for over a month with each and every track from the album. Not just a couple of singles, Every. Damn. Song.

First Love:

 

The Flowers:

Cherry Blossom Ending (Actual video, no subs; win some, lose some)

With the rise of Busker Busker, and to a certain extent Ulala Session, the cookie-cutter convention had been kicked to the curb. Koreans had suddenly decided that originality was worthy of recognition and that looks didn’t trump talent.

Then “Gangnam Style” happened.

Oh well…

For links to all the articles in the series so far, check out the list in the original post: http://sunnysmartshoppingkorea.blogspot.kr/2013/06/more-than-just-k-pop.html