SXSW 2013: K-Pop Night Out Showcase

With the craze of Gangnam Style, South Korean music is gaining recognition among international listeners. If you are a newfound fan of Korean music, be sure to check out bands of mixed genres at the K-Pop Night Out Showcase at Elysium on Tuesday, March 12.

Starting the night off is The Geeks, a punk band with a reputation of putting on fun live hardcore performances. The band is formed by Ki (Vocals), Jun (Guitar), Gene (Guitar), Bong Kyu (Bass), and Young (Drums). These guys are no strangers when it comes to performing and touring in the US.

The band released their discography CD to the Western World through Townhall records. And with the releases of ‘What’s Inside’ EP on Think Fast! Records, the band is gaining a following.

In 2006, The Geeks toured the US alongside Outbreak and Down to Nothing. ‘Every Time We Fall’ is the band’s debut full length album on Think Fast! Records. They bring 12 hardcore anthems across the world from South Korea.

Yi Sung Yol debuted in 1994 as a Korean rock duo, U & Me Blue. Since then, he has establish himself as a solo artist and one of Korea’s top modern rock icons.

He has been featured in numerous Korean movie and drama soundtracks such as ‘…ing’ (2003), ‘My Name Is Kim Samsoon’ (2005), and ‘Some Like It Hot’ (2008). In 2003, he released his first, self-produced studio album ‘This Day, This Time, These Days.’ It lead him to receive nominations for ‘Album of the Year’ and ‘Musician of the Year’ at the 2004 Korean Music Awards.

In 2007, with the release of ‘In Exchange’ LP he was awarded with Musician of the year and Modern Rock song of the year at the 2008 Korean Music Awards. ‘Why We Fail’ LP was released in 2011 and continued his success as he received 4 nominations and awarded ‘Modern Rock Album of the Year’ and ‘Modern Rock Song of the Year’ at the 2012 Korean Music Awards. He also won the poll held by Naver Music (Korean online portal site) as online fans and critics voted ‘Why We Fail’ as the #1 Korean Album of the Year.

Guckkasten, one of the most innovative bands in Korea due to their array of sounds, play rock with a touch of heavy metal, opera, synth, and vocals. They are an indie rock band consisting of Ha Hyun-woo (vocals, guitar), Jeon Kyu-ho (guitar), Lee Jung-gil (drums), and Kim Ki-bum (bass guitar).

In 2007 the group formed with the name Guckkasten, which stands for ‘zograscope.’ A zograscope is a device used to enhance the depth of the objects we perceive. This translation is fitting to their unique style of rock music. An interesting note about Guckkasten: they had to re-record their first ablum because the previous work was wiped from the hard drive.

In 2009 they released their self-titled album and held their first solo concert within the same month. At the Korean Music Awards in 2010 the band was awarded ‘Rookie of the Year’ and ‘Best Rock Song’ for “Mirror.” In the summer of 2012, they released the “Montage” single as they continue to keep to the identity and style of the band.

With raw vocals, razor guitars, and sharp suits, No Brain is one of Korea’s premier punk bands. The band has played 3,000+shows within 15 years and have gotten their songs across numerous music charts. In 2007, they were awarded ‘Band of the year’ at the Korean Music Awards.

Jeong Cha Sik, former rainy sun lead singer, is a legend in the 90s Korean indie scene. He has established himself as a solo artist with his musical kaleidoscope, or progressive-regressive Korean rock motifs. He has been featured in many Korean movie and drama soundtracks such as ‘Hers at Last’ (2008), ‘Sorry, Thank You’ (2011), and ‘Chemondadong Alice’ (2012). He recently received 4 nominations for the 2013 Korean Music Awards.

Rock trio Galaxy Express will bring their punk sound and adrenaline fuel performances to SXSW yet again this year. This trio made up of Jonghyun Park (vocals, guitar), Juhyun Lee (vocals, bass), and Heekwon Kim (drums) formed in 2006.

Their 2008 full-length debut album “Noise on Fire” was awarded ‘Best Rock Album’ at the 2009 Korean music Awards. In 2010 they released their sophomore album “Wild Days,” as they promised to have done in all aspects within 30 days. In 2011 they were awarded ‘Musician of the Year’ at the Korean Music Awards. In March 2012, the band embarked on their second American tour performing 17 shows which included shows at SXSW. Their latest album consisting of 10 songs was released shortly after their tour run in November.

Galaxy Express will be playing at SXSW as part of a month long US tour. The band will do a total of 28 shows across 14 different states during this tour.

Contemporary electric pop group F(x), a 5-member girl group from SM Entertainment, is known for their their unconventional styles in their videos and onstage. Members include Victoria (Chinese), Amber (Taiwanese-American), Krystal (Korean-American), Sulli (Korean), and Luna (Korean).

The group debuted in 2009 with their first single “ La Cha Ta,” and followed with their first single album “Chu.” It garnered them two nominations for Rookie of the Year Award. In 2010 they released their first mini-album “Nu ABO” which topped multiple online portal charts. The title song ‘Nu ABO’ made it to the weekly number-one singles on Gaon Chart. In 2011 the group released their first studio album “Pinocchio” along with a repackaged album which includes their hit single “Hot Summer.” In 2012 F(x) participated in the SMTown’s World Tour and released their most recent mini-album “Electric Shock.”

Starting 2013 off, F(x) have been awarded a Golden Disc Award and a Seoul Music Award for their album and song. For the 10^th Annual Korean Music Awards, they have two nominations for ‘Best Dance’ and “Electric Song.”

TUESDAY MARCH 12, 2013

K-POP NIGHT OUT
LIVE MUSIC