Bringing Indie Music to the South: An interview with Rough Cuts

For a lot of music fans in Korea, finding a good Indie show can be a pretty tough sell. Indie fans in Seoul may have the luxury of the thriving musical community of Hongdae, but those of us living in other areas of the country have limited options: long trips to Seoul, missing out on weekday shows or just going without.

Even in Gwangju, a city known for its wide variety of art and culture, few bands from other areas are part of the nightlife. But bilingual webzine DOINDIE (www.doindie.co.kr) is trying to change that.

On September 10, Speakeasy bar will host a live musical event featuring three bands (Rough Cuts, 57, and Nametag) from Seoul. The event, organized by DOINDIE, marks a new attempt to bring alternative music to venues outside of Seoul.

Rough Cuts, a band comprised of international residents but based out of Seoul, is a new Indie band on the scene, but they have quickly become veteran performers on the Gwangju scene. They emphasized their motivation for setting up the Speakeasy show, and why they want to encourage their Seoul brethren to start making the trip south.

Gwangju News: How is the music scene, particularly the Indie scene, in Seoul? Do you think Indie music is becoming more popular in Korea, or is it still a niche?

Patrick: I think the quality of the music is really good. There are a lot of great bands lurking around, both in Seoul and out in the other cities as well. You just have to know where to find them. I guess Indie music by definition is always going to be a bit of a niche, but it is still a very small scene here in Korea … I would say [though] that there are definite movements these days to spark the growth of the music scenes in other cities as well.

Honestly, that is one of the reasons we have set up this show with two other bands. We want them to see how much people want and appreciate music outside of Seoul. It is my belief that for the scene to grow and develop here in Korea, the one thing it needs more than anything is for bands to play more and more shows outside of Seoul.

Gwangju News: What are your musical influences?

Tyler: I’m really into 1990s/2000s Indie and Alternative Rock, bands like Pavement, Modest Mouse and Yo La Tengo. I really appreciate the catchy hooks and simple chord progressions. I will go for a simple guitar lick over a two-minute solo any day.

Mike: I have been told the songs I write sound like The Pixies by a few people, which I am obviously well happy with. I really love simple songs.

Gwangju News: What should people expect when they come to your show?

Mike: They should expect us to be on a sliding scale of tipsy-drunk. I am in a band to have fun – too many bands I have been in in the past take it too seriously, and that sucks the fun out of it. We all get on really well and we give off that energy on stage.

Gwangju News: You have played in Gwangju before. How are Gwangju audiences different from those in Seoul?

Patrick: Speakeasy in Gwangju is my favorite place to play in Korea, I think. I have played there six or more times … The audience is always really supportive. I do not mean that they sit there and clap… I mean, they get up and come right up to the stage and dance about. It is really cool to see and it is nice to know that people appreciate you coming to play live for them. I guess the difference is that perhaps the people in Gwangju are a bit more appreciative of good music as they do not get the quantity.

Gwangju News: Tell me about the show on September 10.

Patrick: The show on September 10 is being put on by DOINDIE (www.doindie.co.kr). DOINDIE is a bilingual webzine / Korean indie music pothole / booking agency. We have been working in the Korean scene now for almost four years. If you want to discover some bands in Korea, DOINDIE is a pretty good place to start.

This show was originally just going to be a Rough Cuts show, but we got drunk at our CD release party and invited Nametag and then quickly decided to turn it into an all-out party and invited 57 as well. It is an unbelievably good line-up for 5,000 won.

Rough Cuts, Nametag, and 57 will play at Speakeasy on September 10th. For more event information, visit “Speakeasy Gwangju” on Facebook.