B3 returns to Gyeongnidan's Boogie Woogie
The members of blues rock band B3 perform / Courtesy of B3
By Jon Dunbar
B3, an expat blues, soul and rock band
, has a show at Boogie Woogie in Itaewon's Gyeongnidan this Saturday.
In an interview with The Korea Times, the band members requested their names be left out of the article, putting the focus on the band itself. “We're very team-oriented and prefer not to focus on band individuality ― the music's the most important to us,” they explained in a collectively penned response.
B3 got its start in 2006 in the Pyeongtaek area playing the blues, but over time it expanded its repertoire to include soul and rock 'n' roll. As the members are scattered across Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, they stick mostly to covers and putting a “B3 spin” on them. They have a library of 50 to 60 songs and try to play at least 20 at every show, never the same set twice. Their blues repertoire includes “Sweet Home Chicago,” “Crossroads” and Stormy Monday.” They also cover the Allman Brothers, BB King, Eric Clapton, James Brown, the Temptations and Steely Dan, among many others.
The band was originally known as the Bluetooth Blues Band. “At the time, Bluetooth technology was relatively new, and we thought it would be cool to incorporate that into the band name,” the band said.
“We ultimately decided to shorten the band name to B3 to reflect our rebirth as well as make the band name more impactful, easier to pronounce and shorter.”
They have experienced many personnel changes over the last 13 years, with the original founding members remaining being the vocalist and the keyboard player. The band took a break for a few years starting in 2011 due to members leaving. After returning from hiatus in 2015, it has maintained a stable core membership without major shakeups to survive.
“Band member turnover is a reality in Korea as not everyone is destined to remain in Korea for extended periods of time,” the members said. “Over 13 years, we've had over 20 band members, to include eight guitarists, six drummers and five bass players, all of whom are welcome to sit in with the current band if they're ever in Korea.”
Currently the members represent a diverse spread of ages and Korea experience, with members having lived here anywhere between a couple years and over 30, and the age difference between the youngest and oldest members being almost 30 years.
The band has continued on due to the members' shared love of music. “We all feel compelled to make the most of the musical abilities we've been granted and B3 provides us all a great vehicle to do so. It's also a great musical learning experience for both the band and the audience,” the band said. “When we're not scheduled to play, most of us are either performing with other artists or watching other bands.”
They also play for diverse audiences, covering not just expat shows in Itaewon and other venues across the country such as Suwon's Alleyway Taphouse, but also performances for the U.S. military and various other venues.
“We're open to playing anywhere in Korea,” they said. “As one of our guitar players often says, we'll play anywhere. If your town has a hockey rink, we'll be there! We're always on the lookout for new venues and new audiences to entertain and encourage folks to contact us via our Facebook page,”
They play a lot of shows on base, especially for Korean-U.S. festivals when civilians are allowed on post.
“We bring songs and music styles to our performances that local audiences might not have heard before, especially in Korea. When coupled with the recognizable songs in our set, believe it's a great live music experience for everyone,” they said. “U.S. audiences have been very appreciative to hear live music they're familiar with, many times telling us our performances make them feel like they are back in the States.”
The
starts late, at 11 p.m. Entry is free.