Ruminations in Korea

Comment by Ziggy Freud

10 March 2006 @ 9:15 am

As much as I can’t stand “K-pop”, or the very appropriately named “K-rap”, I admit that the unfortunately named “K-rock” has impressed me for many years.

There are some very good guitar players here and some very imaginative and talented songwriters. It’s just that the Korean public ignores them. I wish I had half the talent of any of a dozen Korean musicians I’ve seen in recent months.

Of course, like anywhere you go, there 50 hacks for every good player. [For the record, I’m one of the hacks, but I keep trying.] Korean guitarists in general seem to me to be overly fond of the Malmsteen image and sound, but it’s a real treat to find a gem amidst the rubble.

A couple of the Hongdae clubs showcase local indy bands on occasion. Some of them are very good and have a very unique Korean rock sound. A little heavy for my taste much of the time, but very good nonetheless. And some are very original.

I like K-rock bands mostly because the really good ones aren’t afraid to innovate. K-rock sounds very good while still sounding very Korean. The talented groups aren’t simply clones of Japanese or American or British rock bands like so many of the bland bubblegum K-pop “artists” try to be.

Instead, they’re distinguishable. But they get no credit for their originality.

If the Korean public paid one tenth the attention to its talented rock musicians as it does to its mind-numbing boy band hip-hop wannabes, they’d have a very vibrant and energetic music scene here.

But that’s too much to hope for, I guess. Hyo-ri will always draw bigger paying audiences than Dulgukhwa ever did, even if she’s nothing but a shameless rip off of other “boobs-first” acts like Spears and Aguilera.

The only Korean rockers who have really gotten widespread mainstream support are singers like Lee Seung Chul, Kim Chong So, and Kim Kyong Ho who essentially had to water down the rock and turn into ordinary diluted pop acts. Female rockers have it even worse. Talented artists like Do Won Gyong get no attention at all anymore.

There’s simply no justice in the world of music. Fortunately, that hasn’t stopped lots of good Korean musicians from trying their best.

Comment by Doug jensen

31 October 2006 @ 9:19 am

I’d like to get hold of Zack to discuss the possibility of his having a look-see and feel of the new RKS Guitar line www.rksguitars.com