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| Acoustic punk singer-songwriter Jenny Woo / Courtesy of Jenny Woo |
By Jon Dunbar
Canadian singer-songwriter Jenny Woo is currently making her way across East Asia for the first time on her "Tear Down Walls" tour named for her latest song and album. Having landed in Hong Kong last week, she is now traveling Japan before coming to Korea this weekend for shows in Seoul and Cheonan.
Originally from Canada, Woo was born to a Scottish mother and Chinese father, but has no Korean roots.
"Wow, actually I had no idea Woo was a Korean surname … now I know why so many people ask me for my best kimchi recipe," Woo told The Korea Times. "I grew up eating dim sum and speaking some Chinese words in the house, but to be honest I don't feel extremely Chinese. I identify much more with being Canadian, being into punk rock and just being, as opposed to any particular ethnicity."
Woo grew up in the Edmonton punk scene, where she gravitated toward the "older, wiser" skinhead community, playing in many punk bands in the "oi!" subgenre popular with skinheads. But then she struck out on her own and began playing acoustic music, eventually moving to Ottawa and then Europe.
"I thought if I wrote oi! music stripped down to just one voice and one guitar, the lyrics and the skinhead values would come through even more clearly," she said. "Moreover, I wanted to demonstrate courage and tenacity by not hiding behind distortion, and simply not giving up."
Yet combining punk and folk is a hard sell for some, as the genres are poles apart, at least on the surface.
"A lot of people think acoustic music and oi! are contradictory because they believe skinhead music is inherently aggressive, violent, loud and distorted," she said. "But folk music is simple, honest music that was written by the people and for the people, and skinhead music is music about working-class life and the struggle to survive. They are both anti-commercial genres that are focused on daily life, frustration and community."
Although skinheads have been maligned as racial extremists in the past, wherever Woo goes she meets likeminded skinheads of all races, completely different from the boneheaded white supremacists seen in movies.
"Truthfully, skinhead was born out of multicultural neighborhoods in England during the '60s, and it was about class unity despite race. Skinhead subculture has done more to bring people together than it has to tear them apart," she said.
"I am against racism not because I'm a skinhead, but just because I am not a horrible person. Racism is an effect of ignorance and hatred, and I don't think it should be tolerated either inside or outside the scene. That being said, I don't think being skinhead is synonymous with a political fight against racism either ― it's much more than that. Being not a racist should be the norm, not something we have to adhere to just because we identify with a certain subculture."
And as a woman, Woo sees the skinhead community as a place of empowerment for women, despite some ingrained misogynistic tendencies.
"Skinhead values have made me a stronger version of the person I used to be. Whereas mainstream culture tends to value women on the basis of what they look like and their sexuality, skinhead subculture is based on loyalty, community and pride in one's accomplishments," she said.
"That being said, it is often the case that the misogyny of mainstream culture leaks into the skinhead scene, and the skinhead scene itself can be quite misogynistic. I always found it strange that being anti-racist or anti-fascist is an absolute requirement for most in the scene, and yet sexism is still the norm. I find it discouraging that there are far fewer women on stage than men in most festivals and concerts, however I am optimistic that this will change. Punk and oi! should be a place where women can tear down walls and break through the barriers that mainstream society creates."
Woo is now based in Europe, and after touring for a solid decade she has built up a loose-knit but widespread following.
"I consider myself an expat, but even more than that I consider myself a nomad. I have been traveling around this Earth for more than a decade, and I try to learn as much from life on the road as possible," she said.
"As opposed to feeling weary from my travels, I find I have an increased sense of curiosity and wonder about how the world works, and how I fit into the big picture. I have become more humble, and I have become a lot wiser. I'm less quick to judge others, and I tend to ask a lot more questions now before jumping to conclusions. I am able to sleep on pretty much any surface and under any conditions. The downside to having friends all over the world is I rarely see everyone I love in the same room. I wouldn't have it any other way, but the path less traveled is often a lonely road."
She's played Southeast Asia before, hitting the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia, but this is her first time in China, Japan and Korea. She lands this weekend in Korea, where skinheads and oi! bands had once ruled the scene.
Exclusively for her Sunday show at Club SHARP ― itself named after the Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice movement ― the working-class punk band Seoul Dolmangchi is reuniting. As well, a member of female-fronted ska-punk band Talkbats rescheduled her wedding so her band could play. They're also joined by Korea's own female folk-punk duo Billy Carter, as well as melodic punk band …Whatever That Means.
Woo will also appear this Saturday at Club DIP's blockbuster one-year anniversary show Saturday, and Cheonan's Look Beyond Urban Rock Festival Sunday afternoon.
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