Though we don’t cover the bulk of it very much on this site, the world of Korean music obviously extends beyond the kpop machine. In the present and in the past.
Informative cultural blog Gusts of Popular Feeling highlights a Japanese guitarist who has lived in South Korea since 1997, and plays for the Kim Chang-wan Band.
Among the other interesting tidbits covered in the post is a quote by Yohei Hasegawa (the guitarists) concerning the current Korean music scene:
“In Korea there seems to be a lack of respect for musicians. Especially during broadcasts, if musicians handle the sound equipment they’re scolded with ‘What do you know about it, why are you touching it?’ It’s something you can’t imagine happening in Japan.” He has really enjoyed Korean audiences, saying that “Koreans’ passion seems similar to South Americans. They know how to enjoy the moment. When we play rock festivals people are already crowd surfing during our sound check.”
The rest is definitely worth checking out on the blog here.
