Dreamers continues to fight for a better world from Gwangju
Dreamers holds a show in Gwangju's Daein Market, June 22. Courtesy of Park Tae-sang
GWANGJU — The Daein Market-based music collective Dreamers celebrates nine years of independent local music and fighting for human rights around the world this Saturday.
Park Tae-sang started Dreamers nine years ago after seeing the mistreatment of migrant workers and people of different backgrounds here in Korea, which was after he’d traveled the world alone and seen amazing instances of kindness from strangers he’d met along the way. In an interview with The Korea Times, both Park and his wife Kaitlyn Wachter stated, “Originally the vision was to bring people of all backgrounds together to form a sense of community.”
This started initially with their “Break The Walls” concerts on Saturday nights, as well as a lot of big group trips around the Korean Peninsula to spread their message, and even a jaunt abroad to Mongolia thrown in for good measure.
“Since then our activities have scaled down, but our passion for human rights has grown,” Park and Wachter continued. “While on the local level we retain the same sense of community we’ve always strived for, our support has been concentrated on human rights.”
Park Tae-sang, left, and Kaitlyn Wachter hold their baby son Jin, who is already a regular performer at Dreamers. Courtesy of Sunny Kim
A main focus of these human rights activities over the past few years is the ongoing fratricide in Myanmar, as oppressed minorities and democratic opposition in the beleaguered nation are striving to dismantle the murderous and illegitimate military dictatorship currently in power.
Gwangju may be far away from Yangon, but Dreamers has been creating close connections to both help the struggle there and to provide assistance to Myanmarese refugees in Korea and abroad. This includes having fundraisers in Gwangju, raising awareness locally of some of the atrocities of the conflict, and working closely with refugee and other human rights organizations.
While that struggle continues and Dreamers keep fighting the good fight, there have been notable drawbacks going on locally as COVID-19’s aftermath continues to weigh on places like downtown Gwangju and Daein Market in particular.
Daein’s Night Art Markets used to happen every single Saturday barring only the hottest and coldest months of the year, with Dreamers being a mainstay in the bustling vibe of family vendors and makeshift tables full of families enjoying fresh food of all kinds. This is not the case anymore, as Gwangju City Hall has struggled with constrained budgets, and the intermittent schedule of the Night Market during the tolerable climate months.
“For internal reasons, Dreamers can’t go up on nights when the Night Market doesn’t run. Unfortunately, we have no say in that,” Park and Wachter continued. “We’ve really felt the blow that lack of consistency brings.”
This inconsistent schedule is nothing to keep Dreamers down though, as they “are looking for a way to bring back the weekly concerts, so stay tuned!”
Another recent struggle for Dreamers has been the downturn of musicians contributing due to returning to their home countries or moving elsewhere as the pandemic wound down. This could create a great opportunity for budding artists and musicians to get to know people at Dreamers and maybe find a space in their ongoing shows.
“We just hope that the future brings more nights of music and more folks to come share them with us,” Park and Wachter said.
People gather to watch a Dreamers show in Gwangju's Daein Market, June 16. Courtesy of Park Tae-sang
While that’s going on in the background, Dreamers remains one of the best grassroots music events in Korea, with a family-friendly vibe and great performances from a host of local, national and even international contributors. During Gwangju’s 2nd annual Busking World Cup last year, their Saturday night saw several of the international finalists pop in and jam with the regulars.
But even on an “average” night, the music and talent, both Korean and foreign, offers something unique and welcoming.
What is sure to not be an average night is Saturday, the final day of August, as Dreamers celebrates nine years of fighting for human rights and providing a live show environment where all are welcome. The event starts at 2 p.m. with an exhibition showcasing the history of Dreamers, with the music commencing thereafter starting at 5 p.m.
A poster for Dreamers' 9th anniversary party / Courtesy of Park Tae-sang
For anyone who has loved and cherished the unique Dreamers vibe through the years, this is surely the night to celebrate. “It’s more of a party to bring together those who want to celebrate and support Dreamers,” said Park and Wachter, who are new parents. “This event is less of a big concert bash than last year’s post-COVID-19 pre-baby extravaganza.”
For Andrew Vlasblom, who’s been a staple musician at Dreamers over the years, it runs deeper than that, even. “Dreamers has been like a home away from home here in Gwangju," he said. "There is no place I’d rather be on a Saturday night.”
What is sure to happen is a family-friendly vibe with great music that night, and as always, all are welcome. “Honestly every person who shares in Dreamers is central to us," they said. "Everyone who comes and spends time with us, each person who gives up a Saturday afternoon to help set up, who helps with sound equipment and who serves drinks is central to our survival. We are so grateful to all those who have helped us on our journey.”
Visit fb.com/miccpg or follow @dreamers.gwangju on Instagram for more information.
Daniel J. Springer is the former host of “The Drop with Danno” on GFN. He is currently a writer for The Korea Times and a voice actor, teacher and DJ. Follow @thedropwithdanno on Instagram.