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:
"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)
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