Watching the Grammys fumble with genre representation year in and year out makes me appreciate the KMAs a little more. (I’m not even mad about this year, but I’m still salty about 1989 over To Pimp a Butterfly two years ago.) Sure, the KMA also has critics and works in a different environment, but representation… Continue reading
Seoul-based showcase festival Zandari Festa consistently attracts both great Korean and international acts as well as other attendees, making it easy to catch up with old and new friends alike. As such, for the past couple of years has been one of the highlights of my annual Korea trips. So also this year. Zandari Thursday,… Continue reading
In a few hours the first official showcases during Zandari Festa 2017 will start. As noted when I listed 5 favorite live bands that I absolutely have to see again during the festival, what makes a showcase festival especially fun is the possibility to check out something new that one perhaps wouldn’t otherwise be able… Continue reading
In less than a day the winners of the 14th Korean Music Awards will be announced. Although I usually love this time of the year–dedicating most of February to listening to and blogging about the nominees and the winners–this year I had to prioritize differently. Even so I’m very excited for the awards and have… Continue reading
Doing this the last couple years taught me that I’m really bad at making award predictions! Still, I think this is a fun exercise for anyone who pays even cursory attention to the Korean music scene, so I’m glad to be back. Without further ado: Album of the Year Strong field! After an anomalous year… Continue reading
The nominees for the 14th annual Korean Music Awards were announced today at 11am, KST. The nominated albums and songs have been selected from albums and songs released between December 1st 2015 and November 30th 2016. The Korean Music Awards do not take sales into consideration and the winners are determined by a panel of… Continue reading
For the 10th consecutive year, rookie band competition Hello Rookie is running. Online auditions began in March, and a month later the 7 acts to take part of the live auditions for Hello Rookie of May were announced: post-rock aspiring bands with vocalists Ahn Dayoung and Raw By Peppers, rock band Sons of Tiger, alternative… Continue reading
Although September doesn’t seem all that distant, October has very much arrived and already progressed to the point that a brand new edition of the Music Alliance Pact is available. And it’s not just any MAP day, it’s the 7th anniversary of MAP! This month sees Silica Gel representing South Korea. Since I was in… Continue reading