HBC Festival goes south
By Jon Dunbar
As the U.S. military relocation from Seoul to Pyeongtaek is well underway, the area surrounding Seoul's Yongsan Garrison is becoming unrecognizable. Not just soldiers have moved on, but also businesses that serve them, including real estate agents, health services, restaurants and now musicians, even if for one weekend.
This Saturday, Seoul's Hae Bang Chon (HBC) Festival moves south to Anjeong-ri, the area outside Camp Humphreys, for a full day of music at six participating venues in the “Ville.” The area is full of businesses catering to soldiers, similar to what Itaewon once was when the main garrison was next door.
“I think the character and vibe in each participating venue will be reminiscent of Old Itaewon at times, and the current HBC Fest vibe, which I hope to transfer and infuse in the HBC South event,” festival organizer Lance Reegan-Diehl told The Korea Times.
The event starts around 2 p.m., with music going into the night. Many of the acts are HBC Festival regulars, such as John Patrick Starling, Christian Whelan and Tracy Scott.
“There has been quite a lot of interest in the HBC South event,” Reegan-Diehl said. “Being the first of its kind in the Anjeong-ri area I have some really cool bands and HBC Fest regulars wanting to jump on this event and see what is going on in Pyeongtaek.
A live music scene will be cultivated from these initial pioneering efforts and can give rise to regular interaction between Seoul acts and Pyeongtaek. These events take time to grow, and hopefully there are soldier musicians joining in and more Korea acts as well.”
People coming from Seoul for the event will see some familiar venues, such as Maloney's South Boston Pub, owned by Brendan Maloney who also runs Maloney's Pub and Grill in Gyeongnidan next to Yongsan Garrison, as well as Bear Paw owned by Tyler Deuling and his wife, formerly of Rocky Mountain Tavern in Itaewon.
The other venues are Tailgate, Pete's Parking Lot, Revolucion and Louis' Bar and Grill.
But Reegan-Diehl isn't giving up on HBC; the festival will be back in Seoul for a fall edition, as well as another expected HBC South. “Each area I believe can continue to hold their own charm,” he said. “There is something new to discover in each of the places.”
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