K-RoK Song of the Day: Buzz - Jingle Bell Rock

One last Christmas song before the holiday is over. I had to throw this song in there because I love Buzz and I think they produced the only version of Jingle Bell Rock that actually has a ROCK sound. Buzz formed back in 2003 and were generally thought to have broken up, but then POOF this year they released a new album. I think people that live here believe if a band is inactive for a few years that automatically means they are no longer together and are finished. But they forget to take into consideration that they're mostly guys and that means they have to serve their 2 year military service. SO, things get put on hold for awhile for many bands (and idol groups.) But, Buzz came back as good as ever. ;) This song itself was released in 2004, not long after their debut. I love it. But, then again, I love Christmas music, and Korean rock, so put them together and I'm a happy girl. Merry Merry Christmas!

Love, Kamala-Chan ;)

B-JBR by K-RoKer

Festive Friday: Final! Yoon Do Hyun - Silver Bells

Last Festive Friday! This time with a little Yoon Do-Hyun! Merry Christmas blog friends! Hope you have a wonderful holiday if you DO celebrate it - otherwise just have a good day!

YDH-SB by K-RoKer

Tour Info: Galaxy Express

Galaxy Express is coming to Canada! They will be the first Korean band to play at the Canadian Music fest from March 9-13 in Toronto. I'm toying with the idea of going. If I could find someone to go with or stay there with I would probably do it. I know that the article says they're planning a US movie and music tour, but I don't know how far that will stretch, and Minnesota and Canada are neighbors! Anyway, if you live in Canada and can get to this concert, I highly recommend it. Galaxy Express are very enthusiastic live performers, to say the least. GO GO GO! 

More info at the official festival website HERE.

K-RoK Song of the Day: Nemesis - Gee

I'm doing something a little new today. I'm going to post a band doing a cover song, live. AND it's a pop song! Yep, Nemesis did cover a couple popular K-Pop (was that redundant?) during one of their live shows and we were lucky enough to have someone record it and upload it to YouTube. I, for one, enjoy this version even more. Obviously, I'm a rock fan, but I do enjoy K-Pop too. Gee was just too much for me, they overplayed and over promoted the hell out of that song and only now can I appreciate it again.

Nemesis - Gee








Nemesis has been around for about 10 years now, rocking a post-modern-gothic-visual-glam-rock style. The albums vary from really orchestral and haunting songs to fun up-beat pop-rock tracks. I enjoy their diversity and willingness to just have fun with their music. The band has had a few line-up changes but consists of:
Noh Seung-Ho: Vocals
Ha Se-Bin: Piano/Guitar
Cheon Kwi-Sung: Guitar
Choi Seung-woo: Bass
Jung Euy-Seok: Drums

Check out their albums La Rose de Versailles and Lovesick - remember to support the artists! :)

K-RoK Song of the Day: Guckkasten - Manicure

Guckkasten is back with their most recent EP release Tagtraume. Guckkasten (German for Zograscope) debuted in 2008 with a self-titled digital single. Then, in 2009 they returned with a full-length album with the same name. Then in 2010 they re-recorded the album with rock-label Mirror Ball Music.  I'm happy that they are on such a great label with so many great artists. Guckkasten is a great blend of metal, punk, screamo and electonic. They are one of those bands that I have a hard time pinning one single tag onto.
Band members are:
Ha Hyun-Woo on Vocals and guitar
Lee Jung-Gil on drums
Jun Gyuho - guitar as well
Kim Gibum -on bass

Guckkasten - Manicure (Performance Version)

K-RoK & YAM-Mag Exclusive!

As promised, my interview with Choi Jae-Hyuck of Yellow Monsters is posted up now over at YAM-Mag. Please click through to hear my thoughts on the band and the music, as well as a few questions I was lucky enough to ask Jae-Hyuck! :)

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YAMs

Are tasty and important. No, just kidding. YAM stands for Yet Another Magazine. And yet, it's not. Because it features people from all over the world writing about the things they are most passionate about. Music, Movies, Television and more. With a team of 14 writers (still growing) they cover everything from big U.S. blockbusters, to quiet and obscure art house films. From K-Pop to a lovely interview with Diane Warren, their music scene spans genres and countries in an easy and seamless manor. Check them out for great reviews, information and recommendations! :)

Random Extra: Art of Parties - Live At Mnet PUB

MNET HAS A PUB????
 That aside, I want to see these guys live SO BAD! This will have to suffice for now. :/

K-RoK Song of the Day: Ibadi - Walk

Ibadi is back with a new single; Walk.  This track released a few days ago and the emotion in it caught my attention right off the bat. Ibadi is a three member, indie band that formed in 2008. They've had mild success, being featured on several soundtracks as well as MBC's La La La Live compilations. The three member group with Horan (of Clazziquai fame) on vocals, Kim Jung-Min on bass and guitar, Im Geo-Jung on drums and guitar create relaxing melodies and emotional lyrics. Check out the video for Walk here:

Festive Friday: Part 3: The Swimming Fish - All I Want For Christmas Is You

The Swimming Fish are actually pretty well know in the Korean Pop circle. I think it's because they have a female lead singer and their beats are pretty cheerful for the most part. But, they are at their core, a rock band. They formed in 2003, but didn't put out their first EP until 2006 which was titled Go Away. The band released their first full-length album in 2007, Happy And'Ling. I'll admit, I found them first later in the year with the release of their Christmas album Rockin' Christmas. Obviously it appealed to my senses since I'm obsessed with Christmas music and Korean rock. They were pretty quiet for awhile,but came out on the God of Study OST earlier this year and released an EP this summer as well. They're definitely worth a listen.

For a little Christmas cheer, here is Swimming Fish with a cover of Mariah Carey's  All I Want For Christmas Is You:

SF - AIWFCIY by K-RoKer

K-RoK Song of the Day: Deli Spice - 항상 엔진을 켜둘게

From Deli Spice's fourth album DRRRR!, is 항상 엔진을 켜둘게 or Always Keep The Engine Running. Deli Spice was formed in 1995 and has released a total of 6 full length albums as well as a few other tid-bits here and there. The style of this band leans a little more towards the indie-side of things. But I still enjoy them because they do have a harder edge to them. The most current line-up includes Kim Min-Gyu singing vocals, Yoon Joon-Ho on the bass and guitar with Choi Jae-Hyuck (sound familiar?) on drums. They're currently on an indefinite hiatus, but are not actually broken up.

Watch for Jae-Hyuck at about 3:08!  And stay tuned for my interview with him coming up!



I found lyrics too! :

항상 엔진을 켜둘께
Always Keep the Engine Running
휴일을 앞둔 밤에
Night before the weekend
아무도 없는 새벽
Early morning with no one around
도로를 질주해서 바닷가에
Dash down the road, to the beach
아직은 어두운 하늘
Sky is yet dark
천평궁은 빛나고
Libra is shining
차안으로 스며드는 찬 공기들
Cold air seeps into the car
기다릴게
I'll be waiting
언제라도 출발할 수 있도록
So we can leave no matter when
항상 엔진을 켜둘께
I'll always keep the engine running
너와 만난 시간보다 많은 시간이 흐르고
After more time than the time I spent with you passed
그 바닷가에 다시 또 찾아와 만약 그대가 온다면
I visit that beach again, and if you come too,
항상 듣던 스미스를 들으며
Listening to Smith that we always listened to,
저 멀리로 떠나자
Let's run far far away.
기다릴게
I'll be waiting
언제라도 출발할 수 있도록
So we can leave no matter when
항상 엔진을 켜둘께
I'll always keep the engine running
기다릴게
I'll be waiting
언제라도 출발할 수 있도록
So we can leave no matter when
항상 엔진을 켜둘께
I'll always keep the engine running
돌아오지 않더라도
Even if you don't return
난 여기에 서 있겠지
I will probably stand here
아마 엔진을 켜둔채
Probably leaving the engine running
기다릴게
I'll be waiting
언제라도 출발할 수 있도록
So we can leave no matter when
항상 엔진을 켜둘께
I'll always keep the engine running
돌아오지 않더라도
Even if you don't return
난 여기에 서 있겠지
I will probably stand here
아마 엔진을 켜둔채
Probably leaving the engine running

K-RoK Song of the Day: Yellow Monsters - Destruction

SOMEONE'S favorite Yellow Monsters song. Hint: Not mine!


Yellow Monsters - Desctruction

K-RoK Song of the Day: Romantic Punch - Midnight Cinderella

Romantic Punch made their debut last year with their self-titled EP "Romantic Punch." They just released their full-length debut album back in June with "Midnight Cinderella" I picked the title track, it's my favorite off the album. They mix things up really well, from a more jazzy sound on 좋은날이 올거야 (Acoustic Version) that utilizes their advantage of having a male and female vocalist, to the edgier sounds of Right Now, I'm really impressed with the newbie band and their great sense of musical style. If I had more information on them, I would share it, but some of these bands just aren't followed much by English fans and there is little information available on them. I'm working on picking up the Korean alphabet, so someday I'll be able to read things and translate them for myself.

Here is Romantic Punch with Midnight Cinderella

RP - MC by K-RoKer

And a lovely live video of it too:

K-RoK Song of the Day: Story Seller - Ole (feat. Love Cubic)

I'm going to apologize ahead of time, because this song will get stuck in your head. I've talked about Story Seller before, I'd like to feature them on a song of the day though. The band has been around their debut in 2005. Originally named Bloody Cookie, they released a single and EP under that name, changing to Story Seller for their 2008 single: My Dear. The band consists of *SHOCK* four women!
On Vocals we have Binna. I love her voice - it's very powerful and beautiful. AND you gotta love a woman who can rock the purple hair!
Drummer,  Sky stars in the other video I posted for Super Girl.
We've got Noji on the guitar - and she's one tough lookin chick!
To round it out, Pumpkin (Hobak) rocks the bass!
I think they're the hardest rocking female fronted band, I'm glad to be a fan. Hope to see them in concert one day! :)



Not gonna lie, I don't really know who Love Cubic is, but they added a little pop hook into Story Sellers' music. Really like this collaboration that came out during/for the World Cup. Korea sure knows how to cheer for their country!

Random Extra: No Min-Woo - Heartbeat Drum Solo

No Min-Woo (sometimes romanized as Noh) is an ex member of The Trax and is making a big name for himself in the drama world. He already has 8 dramas and a film under his belt. He hasn't forgotten his musical roots, however and releases some self-produced videos of him jamming out. I'm glad he's starring in Rock Rock Rock and not someone who has no knowledge of the rock world!
Here is a hot drum-cover of 2PM's Heartbeat:


Thanks to PinKellyphant for the tip!

K-RoK Song of the Day: YB

Tonight is gonna be a double whammy. I actually couldn't decide between these two. I had a rough night tonight and these two songs helped me through. The first song; Dream Girl two (꿈꾸는 소녀 two) is off of their last full-length album Co-Existence.  Something about this song just puts me at ease.

YB - 꿈꾸는 소녀 two by K-RoKer

The next song. Flying Butterfly is composed by Tae-Hee, the bassist and is one of my favorite YB songs of all time. It's been released in an English version, but that version is mixed by RRM, and as much as I love them and that version, I want to share the original form of it. The lyrics inspire me every time I hear it.

In a video!


I hope this cheered anyone up who was having a rough time. I know a little YB always helps me out!

K-RoK Song of the Day: Boohwal - Thinking

After posting about Rock Rock Rock, I couldn't help but want to post a Boohwal song. Boohwal has been around for awhile, had many changes in line-up, but never fails to come back stronger than ever. The changes are too much for me to wrap my head around, and I'm not even gonna try, so I'll slap this link HERE for you. Let's just say that leader and guitarist Kim Tae-Won is the only one who has never changed.  If you just want a nice rock ballad click the video below! (this one has subs! yay!)

Rock Rock Rock

The new mini-series on KBS titled Rock Rock Rock is about to air, and I'm pretty dang excited. Not only does it tell the life story of Kim Tae-Won, the guitarist of legendary Korean rock band Boo-Hwal, it stars Devin Lee of Dr. Core 911 too!
This guy:

Well, maybe "stars" is a little strong, but he's going to be in it, and I'm excited to get to see him act. He was just recently in Rock of Ages in the Korean production (yes, Shawols, alongside Onew) and I was curious to know how he did in that. Noh Min-Woo (former Trax member, now a member of 24/7) stars as Tae-Won. there is a great cast for this drama. I'm hoping that Noh Min-Woo is a big enough draw to get someone to sub this. Let's go, rock! I think rock is getting more and more popular in Korea - or am I wrong?

Video Teaser (courtesy of HanCinema)

Picture Spam!:

OMG - that hair!! 

K-RoK Song of the Day: Pearl's Day - 괜찮아, 괜찮아, 괜찮아

OR - Okay, Okay, Okay if you translate it. Pearl's day, formed in 2001, is made up of 2 male and 2 female members. Happily, the lead vocalist is a girl - Son Min-Jeong also plays guitar. Kwon Hyon-Woo on guitar as well. Kim Seong-Hyun on the drums and rounding it out is Ijin-Won on the bass. Their freshman album, 1st Birthday was released in 2006, followed by a few EP's and songs on soundtracks. The lastest EP 괜찮아, 괜찮아, 괜찮아 contains 3 tracks. 괜찮아, 괜찮아, 괜찮아; Why, Why, Why, & Everybody Needs Somebody. I just love the hard rock sounds matched with a female vocalist. That's usually pretty hard to find. It's typically impossible and they band tends to fade out and have more of an indie feel. Not Pearl's Day - they rock it out! Enjoy!

PD-OOO by K-RoKer

K-RoK Song of the Day: Broken Valentine - Answer Me

Broken Valentine is an awesome five member band. They've only got a couple EP's out - the first one is obnoxiously hard to find. But they have such an awesome vibe to their music. It's hard core Emo/Punk/Alternative. I think they're having a hard time staying signed to a label for whatever reason. But they are very active in live shows. There are all kinds of live performance videos on youtube for them.

Here is Broken Valentine with Answer Me of of their "Calling You" EP that came out earlier this year.
BV-AM by K-RoKer

K-RoK Song of the Day: EVE - Ghost School

If you're following along, you probably saw my mini-blurb of a post about EVE. They are, in fact, one of my ABSOLUTE favorite Korean rock bands. Between them and Wiretap In My Ear (Prana) they're the closest things to Visual Kei Korea has. They started out in 1998, so they've been around for awhile! Their self-titled first album came out that year, containing the single "Whenever You Feel". Kinda emo, but, that's kind of par for the course with glam-rock bands, isn't it? They re-released this song with a new version on their sEVEnth Evening album - with better vocals than before even. I like that they take the time to rework things and make them better.  It's a sign of a great musician when they are never quite finished with a song. Many of the greatest musicians I know of continually manipulate and re-create their songs. (Gackt, YB) EVE has released 8 full length albums in total. The 8th album, Play Me was made the year of their disbandment. They have since re-connected and have started putting out a couple of mini-albums. The first of these was EVE - Guy In Revolution. (There was a single that came out in 2009, with only 1 track too) And most recently, Gloria, which happily contained a re-visited version of their single "Don't Say Goodbye." On and on, I could go! But I won't, I'll just introduce them to you!

 Kim Se-Hyeon (김세헌) (born June 2, 1973) (or sometimes Kim Young) covers main vocals, guitar and composing. Really, he IS the band considering he's really the only part remaining of the original band.
They've shuffled through a few members over the years some of the most notorious being G. Gorilla, and Ha Sebin of Nemesis.
The other current members include Choi Kiho the guitarist, who is on twitter! :) (check out my twitter list to follow)
Kim Seung-Jue on Bass
Hwa Jeong-Yu on..."other" which I usually take to mean keyboard. :/


Ghost School is the song that really pulled me into fan-girl status. I love it! :)
It's off their 6th album Welcome to Planet Eve

I hope you enjoy! :) Thoughts? Leave a comment - I love hearing from people!

Festive Friday!

Hey there, I know some of you don't care for Christmas music. But, I love it. I actually have Korean rock Christmas music.
Remember these guys?

They sing one of my favorite versions of Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer. Lots of screaming and fun: 

Schizo - Rudolph by K-RoKer





Another good song that actually just makes me laugh is Do They Know It's Christmas? by MC the Max, Wax, J-Walk, Rumble Fish and The Name

VA - DTKIC by K-RoKer

I hope you enjoy this little bit of Christmas cheer! Don't worry - there are only a few weeks of this! :)

K-RoK Song of the Day: The Rock Tigers - Cry Baby

Who's hungry? How about a little "Kimchibilly" to whet your appetite? If that sounds good to you, then you should check out The Rock Tigers. They're a Korean rockabilly band formed in Seoul in 2001. If you are unfamiliar with rockabilly it's a jazzy, upbeat form of rock dating back to the 1950's. I think The Rock Tigers have cornered the market in Korea for this genre, but they well deserve it for their swinging songs! The current line up features Velvet Geena on vocals and guitar, Tiger doing the same, Roy handling the double bass and back-up vocals, Jack "the knife" on drums, and Eddie Tarantula on lead guitar.

Check out their single Cry Baby from the EP Taste the Kimchibilly released in 2008.