By John Redmond
With the loss of a popular Thursday open mike venue late last year in Itaewon, prominent international musician Lance Reegan-Diehl and KBS radio announcer John Valentine have targeted the Orange Tree in Haebangchon as their new host spot.
With the theme “Wings and Strings,” the two seasoned musicians have approached bar manager Michael Ganje and launched an evening that comprises of a house band with guest musicians either jamming along or playing individual sets.
The “Wings” part of the named comes from the Buffalo wings special costing 4,000 won for 10 chicken wings and is available on Thursdays from 7 p.m.
The “Strings” part of the evening begins at 8:30 p.m. and continues till late.
Valentine is a co-host of “Good Morning Pops” airing from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. weekdays on KBS 2 FM. He has written and performed songs enjoyed by fans of the show since 2000.
Reegan-Diehl is an international musician originally from North America and is the founding member of the LRD Band that has been regularly touring Asia and Europe for the last 10 years. He also manages a recoding/rehearsal studio and instrument shop in Haebangchon.
The two musicians have been performing together in separate projects for over a decade and have a good understanding of the local music scene.
The general idea was to inject some life back into the scene for both expats and Koreans.
“We just wanted to get people out there to come out and play some music. All are welcome,” the LRD guitarist said over a beer.
“Since our last venture things have been a little quiet,” he added.
To get to the Orange Tree leave Noksapyeong Station via exit 2 and walk toward Namsan tunnel. Bear left at the fork past a large number of kimchi pots and continue along the road for a couple of minutes. The Orange Tree is on the right.