Little Rock Concert at Hansung University

As I sat inside a small auditorium at Hansung University watching a small rock concert put on by students, I couldn't help but look around and consider that in a year I would be far-far away from this place.

I felt mixed up knowing I was going to miss the random excitement I have in Korea, but also full of wonder about what fun places I will find back home.

In the end I decided to go with the moment and enjoyed watching these young folks sing and play their hearts out. The way the concert worked was that these individuals would come on stage and take their place, either behind the drums or with a guitar. Then they would sing a song or two, say thank you and exit. After which another set of folks would come on and do the same thing. But then it would be the same members mixed up with others and in different positions. So for one set you would see the drummer pumping away, and then come back on stage as the singer. Talk about multi-talented!

Most of the members were male, but I was glad to see a female bass guitarist and pianist.

The style of music was mostly rock, which were covers of known Korean songs. However, I didn't really know much of the music but enjoyed anyways. In the crowd were fans and friends cheering on and giving support. It felt like a fun small gathering of University students. My friend invited me who has a friend in the band, so that's how I got to go.

I'm not too skilled in the instrument playing or singing department, but by the last act I would say the talent got a lot better. Surely I was highly impressed and who knows maybe one of these players will go on to be a contestant on Super Star K (Korea's version of American Idol).

Since this was random I have a feeling that small concerts like this go on quite often at the numerous Universities around Seoul. So if you can figure out how and when to see them, I would definitely recommend it. Sorry I can't be of much help in actually knowing how to find out more information.

One way might be to just follow your ear, as rock music generally thumps it's way outside. ;)

Seussical at the Haeachi Hall in Myeongdong

A good friend of mine, that I don't see very often, invited me to see Seussical the musical with her and her two sons. This would be my first theatre performance I saw (outside of school field trips) in Seoul, so I was excited.

If you don't know the stories by Dr. Seuss then maybe you ought to crawl out of that rock your living under. Actually, I don't know that many by him and mostly the more common ones. The show I saw mostly used the plot from Horton Hears a Who to weave together other stories from the Dr. Seuss collection.

The production of Seussical was put on by the members of the Camarata Music Company (CMC). An international group, with members ranging from 35 countries and having the "vision" to give high quality performances. Ryan Goessl is the general director and the cast included members with years of experience to those just having their first show.

All together it was a fun and whimsical production, and one that was especially amusing to the young folks in the crowd. It took place at the Seoul Global Culture & Tourism Center in Myeongdong. Tickets were from 15,000 to 25,000 depending on when you reserved them.

Watching the play I was suddenly reminded of the feeling one gets when seeing live theatre. There's a lot to take in from the costumes, set and voices of the actors on stage. Since the play was in English, there was a small strip above the stage displaying Korean subtitles. Otherwise, I actually found it kind of difficult to hear what the actors were saying as their mics often didn't work, or the live orchestra was too loud. However, the live music made the play have more of an authentic feel.

Act 1 was setting up the story about young JoJo and Horton discovering each other, but Horton was being teased by local jungle mates for talking to a plant. It weaved in many other Seuss stories, however I didn't really find myself familiar with them. It was mainly a story about keeping your beliefs and staying loyal to friends.

I have to say I enjoyed the second act more, mostly because it felt like the scenes were less of a tease and more pulled together.

It was an all together fun play to watch, and the kids in the audience had a good time. I think they could have tried a bit harder on the set decorations, but the usage of fun and comical props here and there were adequate. Costumes were bright and lively, yet maybe could have been more exaggerated in tone, since this was a Dr. Seuss inspired piece of work. There were times when they were singing in groups and the pair in front were so tightly packed next to each other that I couldn't really see the other actors behind them.

As having worked at a theatre camp in the catskills of New York, I can recall what it is like to learn and perform in a play. It's a lot of hard work and I'm sure these members had regular jobs to accompany this play.

In the end, the audience was pleased (including the little girl you see there) and that's what matters. That everyone has a good time.

Unfortunately I watched their last performance, but you can still catch other happenings by this group. Future events include, Chamber Singers, and other orchestral concerts. Or in general you can find other happenings going on at the Seoul Center.

Fantastic Baby? Or Fantastic Chicken?

The students have been singing a funny song in class. Another infiltration of Korean popular culture in the classroom. So I started to wonder what the source was, as I am kind of out of touch with Kpop these days. Turns out they were singing a parodied song to "Fantastic Baby" by BigBang in the tune of "Fantastic Chicken."

After having watched both videos I find the "Fantastic Chicken" a lot more amusing. Of course it's hard to get over the new looks of the BigBang members, and their cuteness. Here are the videos so you can see for yourself...

Fantastic Baby - BigBang



Fantastic Chicken - SLRHYMO

All This Idling Time

You finish work and you go home. What do you do? You should go to the gym and exercise. You should study Korean or do some painting.

Mostly what happens to me is that I sit back and think about my past. It's not just homesickness but the feeling that you are getting older and further away from everyone and everything in your past. Then you end up listening to a podcast and hear the following song by Adele. The rainy weather might be affecting me but generally sometimes my life in Korea makes me feel isolated and lonely. Maybe that is why I push so hard to get out on the weekend and why I am always reading other folk's blogs.

The truth is I yearn for my past but want to quickly jump into my future. Ah geez...must try not to get into that whirlpool of self-loathing.

Korean Kittens ~ Singing the Beatles

Got this through Facebook, of course where else? I like it's nostalgic feel and the fact that they aren't all in sync with each other like the girl groups of today.

Brown

What do you want brown to be?

"Dream of the 90's is Alive in Portland"

A great, "I heard it on NPR moment" of a song from the show Portlandia. I was listening to All Songs Considered and on their show about music from the 90's, right at the beginning, was the following song.

A little wacky at parts, but if you have been to the northwest there is the same kind of vibe they describe. Of course not everyone is like that.

Anyways also check out that NPR show that recaps the 90s. Although I was born in the 80's I have always considered myself a 90's person.

Kolleen Park Melody

I am thinking of making and submitting something to the contest. But I really feel like I don't know who Kolleen Park is enough to produce something sincerely. So I am doing research, and started with a youtube search.

The above video gives me a good feeling, even though I don't know the words to the song. Maybe you aren't into creating art but it would be fun to come to the event, right? Go back to the contest page and check the dates. There is going to be activities such as portrait drawing and I bet the gallery opening will be really great.

Not Everybody Loves Your Doggy Like You Do

Heard it on NPR! It's a funny song and relates to a situation I had in the past. My roommate (also lease holder) had a small dog. She loved her little dog very much, so much that she even wiped his butt after he went to the bathroom. It really disgusted me. Eventually we got into a heated discussion about her dog being smarter than humans. She lamented that the students in her biology course weren't as smart as her dog. I tried to tell that given the chance her dog would roll around in poo. She said, so would humans in some situations.

Sure I think dogs can be smart and great creatures who do wonderful things, but let's not go overboard. This song reminded me of that time I argued about the smartness of dogs.