SXSW Round 2!

Not only is it Round 2 of announcements for SXSW today, but also, my second time attending. I'm very excited to be going again to cover all of the excellent bands that they've selected. I was already pretty excited, but an addition to the list today pushed me into another level of excitement.

SXSW Day 5: Finale - Crying Nut

SXSW Day 5: March 15, 2014

Saturday was rainy. It put a damper on my plans to bike about the city chasing shows. I tried to catch Idiotape – but they weren't playing at their scheduled time in the venue I had written down (still not sure if they weren't playing at all, or if I had the info down wrong, but oh well!) I ended up checking out the convention center and buying some art at the Flatstock show. It was neat to see all the artists that are responsible for the band posters I collect.

SXSW Day 4: Showcase Exploration

SXSW Day 4: March 14, 2014

Friday things mellowed out a bit for me and I didn't have as many showcases to catch. So I was able to see a day performance of Love X Stereo. 

SXSW Day 3: SeoulSonic

SXSW Day 3 - March 13, 2014

I will admit that day 3 had a bit of a tough start. It was the morning after the 'accident' that took the lives of 2 festival attendees and put another 20 + in the hospital. The police presence was larger, one of the main venues; The Mohawk was closed, and there were reporters everywhere. It made the start of the day pretty somber.

SXSW Day 2: MU:CON & YB

SXSW Day 2 - March 12, 2014

Wednesday was a little more chill. I got my bearings downtown a little better. So I headed downtown again to mingle at the MU:CON party hosted by KOCCA and Mandoo Entertainment. This was a networking party between the Korean acts and the press. It wasn't open to the general public, so it was a smaller event and it was a good opportunity to meet some of the acts and get to know them better. Rock 'N Roll Radio were performing when I got there, but had already left the stage when I'd had time to settle in and try to take some pictures.

SXSW Day 1 - K-Pop Night Out

What do I say about SXSW? (Or Southby, as veteran attendees call it.) It was exciting, overwhelming, terrifying, and simply amazing. The entire week was filled with spectacular performances (and, even some horrible ones.) It was a time to revel in music, and all that it encompasses. And it did not disappoint.

Video: Love X Stereo - Storm

Just as they're about to embark on their second US tour, and their first time showcasing at SXSW, Seoul indie band Love X Stereo drops an explosive new video!

Video: YB - Cigarette Girl

YB has released their video onto the world, and boy what a doozy!

Seoulsonic 2K14 Schedule

The official schedule for the 2K14 Seoulsonic bands has been released and I've got the scoop. Check after the drop for the full line-up.

Video: Kim Bada - Moonage Dream

Kim Bada is back! He's been releasing teasers of this video all week and I've been anxious to see what he's come up with.

YB Official US Debut!

It's finally the day! February 18th, 2014. The day that YB debuted in the United States. I'm very happy for the band. This is something that they've been working towards for a long time, and it's a new milestone for Korean rock music. As far as I'm aware, it's the first time any Korean band has released a single here in the States and readied to enter the market as a mainstream artist.

SXSW 2014 Band Highlight: Big Phony

Round two! Here I'm going to talk about singer-songwriter extraordinaire, Big Phony aka: Bobby Choi.

SXSW 2014 Schedule Released!

Hi all! The official Showcase dates and times are up for this year's South By Southwest Music Festival, and I have the line-ups for all the Korean acts coming this year.

YB Concert Update: Atlanta

YB Has released ticket information for their Atlanta tour date. Check out pricing info after the jump:

SXSW 2014 Band Highlight: Jambinai

I'm starting off a new series here on K-RoK Rocks!!! - an introduction to all the Korean bands coming to SXSW this year. And I'm starting off with the amazingly unique and powerful band Jambinai.

New Video: Love X Stereo - Fly Over (Live @ Union Studio)

One of the artists I'm lucky enough to be seeing at SXSW next month just released a new live studio video for their toe-tapping track Fly Over. You should go check it out:

*waves hands in the air and dances around the room*

Korean Music Awards 2014: Nominees Part 2

Continuing yesterday's post, here are the rest of the 2014 Korean Music Award nominees.

Korean Music Awards 2014 - Nominees Part 1

It's award season again - and not just here in the United States. It's actually time for MY favorite award ceremony of the year the Korean Music Awards! Why do I like them so much? Well, for one, it's Korean music, but the main reason is because the Korean Music Awards are handed out based on a panel of industry judges NOT based on fan votes or popularity. Plus, a lot of my favorite Korean bands make the list too, and I love seeing them recognized. But anyway, on to the nominees!

YB to Debut in the U.S. and U.K.!

I'm very excited to be able to announce that YB is going to debut right here, in the United States! AND over in the United Kingdom! I've been a fan for so long, I'm looking forward to being a part in the next chapter in their great journey! They released the following statement on their English site today:

Announcement: YB Tour Dates

I am happy to be able to present you, my dear readers with the news that YB has announced two additional tour dates to their time here in the US, outside of the SXSW dates in Austin.

Crying Nut Review!

In my preparations to get as much exposure for the Korean bands coming to SXSW this year, I've begun a series of reviews over at YAM Magazine. First one up is for Crying Nut.

Click the pic to read the review. 

Unfamiliar with Crying Nut? I'll give you a little run down about them in a future post.