Global Community

Ride returns to Korea

Ride performs on a stage crowded with guitar effects pedal boards at the O2 Oxford Academy in April 2015. / Courtesy of Carolina FaruoloBy John RedmondOxford indie band Ride will perform at Understage in Seoul on Feb. 24 as part of the Asian leg of its world tour.The reformed band, with all original members, released a new album this month titled “Tomorrow’s Shores.”Andy Bell (vocals and lead guitar), Mark Gardener (vocals and rhythm guitar), Loz Colbert (drums) and Steve Queralt (bass) formed Ride in Oxford in 1988.The band was a defining act of the U.K.’s shoegaze scene that emerged in the early 1990s.Shoegaze is a subgenre of indie and alternative rock, characterized by a mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion and effects, feedback and overwhelming volume.The term “shoegaze” was coined by the British music press to ridicule the minimal stage presence of groups who stood still during live performances in a detached, introspective, non-confrontational state with their heads down. Also, the use of effects pedals meant the guitarists often lo

Family unite for Olympic brother

Johnny Rice, second from left, and younger brother Dom Rice, third from left, take a break from touring Seoul at Fat Albert’s in Itaewon, Monday. / Courtesy of John Redmond.By John RedmondFamily and friends of British skeleton athlete Jerry Rice visited Seoul as part of a tour culminating in a visit to PyeongChang yesterday.Rice, a member of the British Bobsleigh and Skeleton Association (BBSA), is set to compete in the men’s skeleton early next week.After spending a gap year working as a tower boy at a ski run in St. Moritz, Switzerland the birthplace of bobsleigh and skeleton, Rice was drafted into the BBSA in 2012.With six blood relatives and eight family friends, the group is determined to give the athlete its full support.“We are proud of him, so happy for him,” older brother Johnny Rice said.“It’s been a bit of a roller coaster ride getting here. He’s had some great performances, and ones where he feels he could have done better but he deserves this, having trained daily for five years.”Training includes dieting as well as a stric

French rock duo prepares for Olympic performance

Ko Ko Mo band / Courtesy of Ko Ko MoBy Jon DunbarWhile the world’s winter athletes descend on PyeongChang, musicians are showing up too. French power-rock band Ko Ko Mo arrived Monday for the 2018 Winter Olympics. Tonight they have a show in Seoul, and then they head to Gangwon Province for a couple Olympic concerts. “We’ve performed at some big festivals all around the world but never at this kind of event,” Warren Mutton, vocalist and guitarist, told The Korea Times. “The Olympics? This is heavy, man!”The two-piece band came to Korea in 2016 for Zandari Festa, during which drummer K20 got a tattoo of the band name in Korean as a memento. “We knew a few things about the country but not that Korea was so much rock ’n’ roll,” Mutton said. “We’ve toured in China, India, Indonesia, but Korea is more fun.” Their first show is at Club SHARP in Mangwon-dong, western Seoul, tonight at 8 p.m. Opening bands are the Monotones and DTSQ. The French Embassy and Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs sponsor the event

(1751) Year of the Golden Dog (I)

(1750) Maternity leave

(1749) Getting a health exam (III)

Iran seeks democracy, regional security through int'l cooperation

Iranian Ambassador to South Korea Hassan Taherian / Courtesy of Iranian Embassy in SeoulIranian Ambassador to Republic of Korea Hassan Taherian contributed the below article on the occasion of his country’s 39th National Day. – ED. I am delighted to address the dear readers of the esteemed The Korea Times on the occasion of our Iranian National Day.We celebrate the 39th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution and the National Day of the Islamic Republic of Iran while the sapling of the Islamic Revolution has grown into a stable, fruitful tree in the face of four decades of strong storms and successive misfortunes. A movement aimed at countering domestic despotism and foreign dominance, and achieving freedom, justice and independence, the Islamic Revolution succeeded in opening a new chapter based upon the people’s participation and votes in order to materialize national willpower by establishing a “republic” which is still progressing.The paramount achievements of the Islamic Republic of Iran include the achievement of genuine political independence a

(1748) Getting a health exam (II)

Hiking group to offer Jeju Island trip

Members of Seoul Hiking and Nature Group visit Jeju Island last year. / Courtesy of Seoul Hiking and Nature GroupBy John RedmondA four-day Lunar New Year tour and hike of Jeju Island, hosted by Seoul Nature and Hiking Group, will begin Feb. 14.The trip promises hiking visits to forests, waterfalls, lava tubes and craters as well as activities such as tangerine picking, deep sea fishing and horse riding while staying in ocean-view hostels.The weather in Jeju is much warmer than Seoul with temperatures around 7 degrees Celsius in winter, with sunny skies and hardly any wind. The weather is almost similar to spring in Seoul allowing for more outdoor activities.“Even in winter, Jeju Island is magical! You can enjoy lovely daytime sunshine almost like spring. Camellia flower blossoms everywhere! yellow rape blossoms and vibrant tangerines scattered throughout Jeju,” the organizers said.“In the middle of Jeju, there is a snow-capped cone type of volcano, Mt. Halla, and above 1,000 meters high on the mountain, the snow makes a wonderful snowland!”Warren Kim founded S

Expat aims for 'Moonshot' with debut CD

By John RedmondGeoffrey Lewis performs songs from “Moonshot” at Hidden Cellar in Haebangchon, Sunday. / Courtesy of John RedmondAmerican singer/songwriter Geoffrey Lewis released his debut CD “Moonshot” in Seoul this week.Featuring musicians from the U.S., Canada and Nepal, Lewis, who played his first open mic in 2015, put the project together last April.“A friend pulled me out to an open mic in October 2015. I caught the music bug,” Lewis said.“In April 2017 I asked musicians Brendan Lattin and Abhas Maskey if they wanted to put some of my acoustic songs into band form. Two months later we made our debut, played four shows, then went into the studio to record.”“Moonshot” features seven songs, mostly upbeat and emotionally driven, that the artist hopes listeners can connect to.“Each song means a lot to me for different reasons and I hope you can find one or two that connect with you too,” Lewis said. “The best part of writing and performing is when someone tells me a song touched their heart in some way. Th