By Connor O'Rielly and John Sagnella
On Oct. 27, the now popular Haebangchon Music Festival is putting together the Halloween party to beat them all.
Named ``Howlin' Weenie,'' this October's installment of the seasonal gathering of local expat musicians will feature over 30 live acts ranging from popular Hongdae bands to not so well known solo acts starting to make a name for themselves on the always vibrant Haebanghcon music scene.
Hosted by local bars, Orange Tree, Phillies, Ssen and VFW as always helping Haebangchon get geared up for another all day bonanza of music and fun!
With Halloween just around the corner, most people are planning the usual costume party here or perhaps to go out to one of the many venues around Seoul, which have their own flavor of Halloween on show.
But of course, they are usually blighted by the same complaints, not enough music, not enough people, not enough festive atmosphere or something along these lines.
Last summer and spring, Haebangchon was delighted by the return of the festival, with the list of performers growing and expanding each and every time.
The festival organizers, Lance Regan-Diehl, Conor O'Reilly and new member John Sagnella are happy to welcome back many acts which took a summer hiatus. These include St. John the Gambler and the Funk Ups (both play VFW) who performed at all the previous events.
Of course, the festival will receive a plethora of returnees, such as Rebecca Cant (Orange Tree), Ian Reid (Phillies), LRD (VFW), Seth Martin (Phillies), the Kimchi Cowboys (Ssen), Forty Days (VFW) and the increasingly popular poets lounge in Ssen.
This festival will also welcome many newcomers also, including the acts VADIM (ex-St John the Gambler), Triggerfish (VFW), Dave Gwyther (Ssen), and John Redmond (Phillies).
While you always hear promises of ``this one is always the biggest and best ever,'' the organizers have declared this will be the case.
``As it is a Halloween festival, we will be having prizes for the best costumes throughout the day'' said O'Reilly who has been a part of the festival since its humble beginnings in the summer of 2006. ``We have had some great parties here, but with such a great selection of musicians, from folk to hard rock to the Kimchi Cowboys, and the fact we have Halloween to celebrate, I can't imagine this any bettering Howlin' Weenie.''
The festival will also see the return of stand up comics and others in between entertainment.
The music starts at 3 p.m. and will continue until midnight. With over thirty hours of music ahead it would be a shame to miss this great opportunity to support some of the cream of the musical talent here in Seoul.
To get there, leave Noksapyeong Station and head toward Namsan Tunnel. At the bottom of the hill, veer left at the large brown kimchi pots and follow the crowds.