Seoul opens up to indie music scene

By Ines Min

What defines a “good” live music scene may vary from country to country, but Seoul’s crowd is inarguably changing — toward a more Western-filled outlook and constitution.

The next couple of months will see a relatively dense indie line-up for Seoul, starting with witty rap duo Das Racist from Brooklyn playing this weekend, and moving all the way up to the Icelandic post rock of Sigur Ros’ Jonsi next week.

Local, established promoters such as Mint Paper and Private Curve have been scheduling new shows appealing to an edgier crowd, but it has been newcomer Super Color Super (SCS) who has brought Korea into the touring eyes of established hipster acts. The fervent activity from all sides, however, has resulted in a vibrant list of concerts unlike the city has seen before.

“Our shows are higher in energy and interest,” Sean Maylone, founder of SCS, told The Korea Times in a phone interview. “And we’re bringing these bands that no one’s doing.”

The former Californian, Maylone served as music writer for the alternative weekly San Francisco Bay Guardian. After first moving here more than three years ago, Maylone noticed a dearth in the local music scene and finally decided to take matters into his own hands last summer.

With encouragement from local labels, the 29-year-old created the first organization for tour circuits for incoming bands, so far bringing in everyone from Caribou to Handsome Furs.

“I believed it was a better model to putting on shows, rather than having these big indie bands come once a year and putting on just one show in Seoul,” he said.

With a fluctuating staff of roughly nine, and plenty of volunteers, Maylone manages to take most of the invited acts to the capital, but also through Daegu and Busan. The strategy, he said, gives more reason for Tokyo-bound bands to stop by and get more exposure.

Maylone, who is responsible for bringing Das Racist, Four Tet and CocoRosie through January, added that other promoters seemed to be picking up on this yet-undiscovered market for higher-energy shows and bigger indie names.

The seven-year-old Private Curve, promoters for Jonsi’s performance next week, feels differently. “We don’t think we changed our lineup over the years that much,” said Choi Bo-yun, a spokesperson for the local company. “Since the very beginning of our company, our main focus has been to present good music and a quality live concert experience for the audience. We do not have any special preference towards certain genres of music. As long as we believe that artists have amazing talent that will attract concert goers, we would try to bring them over.”

Though Private Curve’s inaugural shows included music directors for more classical pieces, the last couple of years have seen names such as Pink Martini, Kings of Convenience and last month’s Rufus Wainwright.

“As far as the concert industry is concerned, we think Korea’s international music scene has become a lot more exciting,” Choi said. “It’s mainly because we believe that the Korean audience has started to really appreciate the live concert experience and they know how to enjoy themselves.”

Maylone sees a difference in approach: “They’re treating their acts like a luxury brand and they’re upping their ticket prices.” His own shows have yet to pass the $60 mark, he said.

The importance is in the music, though Maylone hopes to pull in larger, more diverse crowds in order to create a solid audience base. It helps that he has gained enough pull to call in name-dropped acts. While some bands such as Mt. Eerie — formerly, legendary The Microphones — others have yet to really enter the local market, as evidenced by the number of domestic debuts.

“For other bands, it’s like 80 percent English teachers. I want to get a more native turnout,” Maylone said. The benefits work both ways, as well. “I think (Korea) can have a mystique for bands overseas, and this can change the image people have abroad.”

For more information, visit www.supercolorsuper.com and www.privatecurve.com.