Leng Pleng - Gig Guide of Cambodia

Latest Gig Guide

2012-02-02T15:57:00.019+07:00

Hey,

Another quick wrap of the local music scene to take you way into the first weekend of the second month of the year (already!). I don't know where the time goes sometimes. Anyway there is a veritable feast of music available for punters again this weekend.

The hottest reggae-ragga-dub band in the country, Dub Addiction, will be busy this weekend. They are playing at the Greenhouse in Kampot on Friday night. This venue is right on the river under the shadow of Phnom Bokor. It is a totally brilliant setting and promises to be an outrageously great time for all attendees. The band will return to Phnom Penh the next day to play through the countries best kept sound-system - Equinox. A totally pumping night is guaranteed.

Equinox has a totally great weekend for everyone with Durian playing at the venue on Friday night. The 8-member funk band will absolutely pump the place with full-on funk and rhythm. A great band to which to dance. Get there!

Little Duke and the Mekong Blues Messengers have surprised everyone with a couple of return gigs this weekend in Sihanoukville. The future of the band is not certain due to the work commitments of a couple of the members, however it the band has reformed to take their blend of Chicago blues to the south coast. They will play at the Led Zephyr both Friday and Saturday nights. Well worth getting down for the weekend - might be one of the last times you can get to see this totally professional band. (With a bit of planning any punter could catch Dub Addiction in Kampot on the Friday night and Little Duke and the Mekong Blues Messengers on the Saturday in Sihanoukville.)

The Lazy Drunks are the third band this weekend to have a couple of gigs - the first is at Sharkys on the Friday night and the second is at the Velkommen Backpackers on Saturday. Velkommen Backpackers is new to the music scene and is looking to have regular gigs over the coming months. Great place to meet new faces, have a good cheap cold beer and to listen to some classic rock from the local masters.

Late into Saturday night you can get to the Do It All Club on Street 174. They are having a HUGE party this weekend with DJ Achayer, DJ Wye and DJ Flow. Look for the venue on Friday night too now as they host their regular Afro-Latino Party with DJ Alcohol.

Another very busy band is the GTS Jazz Mesh who are now a five piece as, not only do they have their wonderful bass player Sebastian Adnot back on double-bass after his hiatus due to a couple of broken fingers, but they also welcome Kaë Lhassàn. Kaë is a jazz vocalist from France and will join the band for their series of weekly gigs at K-West and Sofitel Le Royal (see the regular gigs section for the details). They play Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at Le Royal and Thursday nights at the bar at the top of K-West called Le Moon. The Thursday gig is a Jazz Jam Session so please feel welcome to come down and play as well as enjoying the atmosphere and music. Totally cool!

There is also a new series of regular gigs emanating from the Top Banana on Street 278. On Tuesdays there is an Acoustic Night with Jimmy James and on Friday nights there is Friday Funky Electro with DJ BASSBENDeR. On Saturday nights you can take the Lime Boat Party with DJ BASSBENDeR starting at 5:00PM. See the regular gigs section for details.

Coming up next week don't miss our one-off interview with the original man of psychedelic reggae Jerry Joseph. Jerry is a man with an amazing history, a lot of great stories and a totally great demeanor. Well worth tuning into this one next week as a prelude to his gigs with Frank Ruffolo.

Also look for the return of Route 66 as Las Vegas Larry, Tommy Nick, Smokin' Kenny Smith and Chris Hilleary hit town next week. They will play at The Score. Billy Page also returns to the FCC Phnom Penh.

I will leave you this week with an amateur video shot at the Cadillac Bar in Phnom Penh in November last year. It features the amicable and outstandingly talented Conrad Keely together with Matt Dwyer as they do a wonderful cover of Red Cadillac and a Black Moustache. See it below.

From Ted and I here in the back streets of Daun Penh, have a great weekend, be cool with each other and see you around the traps. here's this weeks gig guide.

Latest Gigs

Friday 3-Feb-2012

7:00 PM ~ DJ Matoo at The Silk Garden in Siem Reap
8:30 PM ~ Dub Addiction at The GreenHouse in Kampot
9:00 PM ~ Musikero at Paddy Rice
9:00 PM ~ DJ Alcohol at The Do It All Club
9:00 PM ~ Little Duke and the Mekong Blues Messengers at The Led Zephyr in Sihanoukville
9:00 PM ~ The Teaner Terners at Mao's
9:00 PM ~ The Lazy Drunks at Sharkys
9:00 PM ~ Durian at Equinox
9:30 PM ~ DJ Stryker Lefty and DJ Rob Bianchetti at Pontoon

Saturday 4-Feb-2012

7:00 PM ~ The Lazy Drunks at The Velkommen Backpackers
9:00 PM ~ Musikero at The Red Orchid
9:00 PM ~ DJ Achayer, DJ Wye and DJ Flow at The Do It All Club
9:00 PM ~ DJ Rob Little and DJ Stryker Lefty at The Cotton Club
9:00 PM ~ DJ Illest at Pontoon
9:00 PM ~ Dub Addiction at Equinox

Coming Up

Jerry Joseph and Frank Ruffolo at Equinox , The FCC Phnom Penh
The Phnom Penh Hippie Orchestra at Equinox
The Grass Snake Union at Equinox
The Teaner Terners at Sharkys , Equinox
Syse Swing at Le Moon
Durian at The Memphis Pub
GTS Jazz Mesh at Le Jardin
Route 66 at The Score
Little Duke and the Mekong Blues Messengers at Sharkys
Musikero at The Score , Equinox
Billy Page at The FCC Phnom Penh
Jaguar Skills at Pontoon
DJ Jimmy Salsa at The FCC Phnom Penh

Gig Guide - Thursday the 26th of January, 2012

2012-01-23T13:51:00.020+07:00

Hey,

...and welcome to another, slightly-later-than-usual, weekly wrap of the local Cambodian music scene.

News this week that the Cambodian Space Project's debut album is zooming up several World Music charts. Look soon for their new video produced and directed by Marc Eberle. A taste can be had here. Whilst on the subject of the 'Eberle-Factor', all and sundry are welcome to join Dub Addiction and Marc in celebration on the Kampot river next weekend at the GreenHouse. See the gig guide for more details.

Professor Kinski will join the techno-music mix duo Indradevi from the U.S. to kick off the music weekend tonight at Equinox. Indradevi combine Drum N Bass techno with traditional Cambodian themes and music in a Jangala-esque genre. A taste of this is available via their SoundCloud page:

You can like the bands Facebook page and get more info of them here.

Also on tonight and Sunday is the sporadic and much-welcomed re-appearance of Kheltica playing a great range of acoustic Celtic folk. They will play at The Score on Friday and Le Jardin on Sunday afternoon/evening.

Also, as mentioned in last weeks blurb, you can catch Jerry Joseph and Frank Ruffolo in Kampot this weekend. See a couple of videos of the performers below.

If you are in Sihanoukville then you can join Bum N Draze on Saturday night at the Led Zephyr as they bring their unique style of heavy-metal, grunge rock to the town's newest and hottest live music venue. Another new venue - the Red Orchid is having two acts this weekend which includes the Lazy Drunks on Friday.

The Curtis King Band also returns to the capital this weekend with two shows - one at the Hotel Intercontinental on Saturday night and a return gig at Sharkys on Sunday night. Stalwarts of the local music scene will be happy to see, as part of the line-up, Davis Zunk from the Happy Lucky Love You Long Time band and, more recently, the Saigon-based Wunderlusters. Cool!

I will leave you with two videos this week. The first is the latest offering from one of the countries best music web sites The Tuk Tuk Sessions (www.TukTukSessions.com) plus a video lifted from Jerry Joseph's web site.

From Ted and I here in the back streets of Phnom Penh, have a great weekend, be cool with each other and see you around the traps. Here's this weeks gig-guide.

Latest Gigs

Friday 27-Jan-2012

9:00 PM ~ Professor Kinski and Indradevi at Equinox [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Kheltica at The Score [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Jerry Joseph* and Frank Ruffolo at The Bodhi Villa in Kampot [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ The Lazy Drunks at The Red Orchid [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ DJ Peanut and Emcee Dolla at The RiverHouse Lounge [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ DJ Rob Little , DJ Flo Trallala , DJ Achayer and DJ Stevie J at Pontoon [MORE INFO]

Saturday 28-Jan-2012

7:00 PM ~ Peter Heeren at MetaHouse [MORE INFO]
7:00 PM ~ DJ DTonn at Silk Garden in Siem Reap [MORE INFO]
8:30 PM ~ Warapo at The FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
8:30 PM ~ The Curtis King Band * at The Hotel InterContinental [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ The Fumes at Equinox [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Jerry Joseph* and Frank Ruffolo at Madi's House in Kampot [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ DJ Illest and GhettoBlasters at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Bum N Draze at The Led Zephyr in Kampong Som [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Stringz & Soul at The Red Orchid [MORE INFO]
11:00 PM ~ DJ DSN and DJ Steph at The Cotton Club [MORE INFO]

Sunday 29-Jan-2012

5:00 PM ~ Kheltica at Le Jardin [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ The Curtis King Band * at Sharkys [MORE INFO]

Coming Up

Dub Addiction at Equinox [MORE INFO], The GreenHouse in Kampot [MORE INFO]
Jerry Joseph and Frank Ruffolo at Equinox [MORE INFO], The FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
Phnom Penh Hippie Orchestra at Equinox [MORE INFO]
The Grass Snake Union at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Durian at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Little Duke and the Mekong Blues Messengers at The Led Zephyr in Kampong Som [MORE INFO]
The Teaner Terners at Mao's [MORE INFO], Sharkys [MORE INFO] and Equinox [MORE INFO]
Jaguar Skills at Pontoon [MORE INFO]

Gig Guide - Thursday the 19th of January, 2012

2012-01-16T11:27:00.020+07:00

Hey,

I will start off the gig guide this week with a video. It is a latest release from Krom. It is the first song in Khmer that the band has released and is sung by Cambodian Living Arts graduate Sophea Chamroeun. The song “Where are you?” tells the story of irretrievable lost love and its sad consequences. May be you can listen to it as you read the rest of this week's relatively extensive gig-guide blurb.

Professor Kinski opens the music weekend at MetaHouse tonight after the regular Thursday night movie. Also the Memphis Pub continues their series of 3rd party gigs tonight with special guest Diego Dimarques. Diego is a French-Spanish guitarst / singer-songwriter who is part of the Gypsy Kings family - the story of this very famous musical troupe and their families can be seen here. He first came to Cambodia last year to release his album after an invite from his good friend and musical associate Phil Javelle (i.e.: from Ritchy & Phil) and fell in love with the place. He returns to Phnom Penh tonight to play a set of acoustic songs backed by Phil playing some dubbing backing tracks and keyboard. The show will be followed by a set engineered by DJ Felipe. Should be a totally great gig.

The following night (Friday) Diego Dimarques will play at the Bouchon Bar (on Street 246 - the small street straight across from the Himawari hotel), this time together with the full duo of Phil & Ritchy with, what will be, a totally great mix of Brazillian / Mexican / South-American / Spanish Bossa Nova, reggae, and Latino mix. A totally exceptional gig for true live music enthusiasts.

That same night, Equinox will be celebrating their 6th anniversary with a platter of great live music featuring Conrad Keely, Dub Addiction and Durian. This will be a great night of prodigious proportions. The place will be veritably packed with some of Cambodia's best expat musicians and live music advocates.

You may be faced with some tough choices on Friday because on the other end of town, from the Khmer heavy metal rock society, Sharkys host the Cambodian Headbangers Ball III. This feature acts are the outrageously heavy Sliten6ix together with Anti-Fate. On Saturday night the venues continues the heavy rock vibe with the unmistakable sounds of Cambodia's longest running expat band - Bum N Draze.

Having said that (i.e.: longest running expat band comment), there is one person who might take exception to that, being the original man of expat sounds here in the Capital - Charlie. Charlie is a veritable musical jukebox with one of the countries most beautiful voices. He has been playing around the traps here in Cambodia ever since the early nineties and he can be seen again this week at the regular gigs of the Riverside Bistro. This venue is having live music every day of the week, usually with their house band but it features Charlie on Mondays and Saturday nights as well as an open mic on Sundays.

The Red Orchid are ramping up the live music choices this weekend with 2 gigs from well known bands - Holliday in Cambodia on Friday and Musikero on Saturday. Cool! Other gigs of note include the return of Warapo to the Latin Quarter and DJ Jimmy Salsa playing at the FCC Phnom Penh.

Next Wednesday another special gig at the Memphis Pub as they present the harmonica maestro Mr. Nash playing songs from his recently released album. He will play together with Ritchy & Phil.

Coming up don't miss the Cambodian leg of the south-east Asian tour of Jerry Joseph. He will be playing a number of gigs, both in Kampot and Phnom Penh and usually in conjunction with the mellifluous melodies emanating from Frank Ruffolo's accordion. You can get warmed up by listening to a couple of Jerry's tunes - which can be downloaded here - Friendly Fire and Revolution

Also not to be missed will be a very special couple of gigs from Little Duke and the Mekong Blues Messengers as they reform to perform on the south coast at Sihanoukville's hottest live-music venue - the Led Zephyr. Totally cool. Also look for Kheltica for a couple of gigs, Grass Snake Union and the return of the Curtis King Band.

Another band you should catch this weekend is the Teaner Terners. The band will play at Equinox this Saturday night. They will most likely perform this totally rockin' song called Pygmy Tim. It is an original tune and has got to be one of the best original tunes coming from any expat bands in Cambodia. It is totally outstanding. The viedo, shot almost entirely at the GreenHouse in Kampot, can be viewed below:

Also to get you warmed up for the weekend - here is the Gypsy King's most well known compositions. It is called Bamboleo and can be viewed below:

One more video to round things off is a video from Paul Janovskis and Matt Dwyer of an amateur video taken up in Siem Reap during their Uptown Liquor tour of November 2011. Looking forward to the boys return next time.

Cheers and from Ted and I here in the back streets of Phnom Penh, have a great New Years weekend, be cool with each other and see you around the traps. Here's this weeks gig-guide.

Latest Gigs

Thursday 19-Jan-2012

7:00 PM ~ Professor Kinski at MetaHouse [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Diego Dimarques and Phil Javelle and DJ Felipe at The Memphis Pub [MORE INFO]

Friday 20-Jan-2012

8:00 PM ~ Ritchy & Phil and Diego Dimarques at The Bouchon Bar [MORE INFO]
8:00 PM ~ Sliten6ix and Anti-Fate at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
8:30 PM ~ Holliday in Cambodia at The Red Orchid [MORE INFO]
8:30 PM ~ DJ Star & Phanara at The RiverHouse Lounge [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Conrad Keely, Dub Addiction and Durian at Equinox [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ DJ Marco Anthony, DJ Rob Little, DJ Illest, DJ B , DJ Juveris and DJ Nakadia * at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ The Lazy Drunks at 99 Bar [MORE INFO]

Saturday 21-Jan-2012

8:30 PM ~ Musikero at The Red Orchid [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Dub Addiction at Mao's [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ DJ Jimmy Salsa at The FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ The Teaner Terners at Equinox [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Warapo at The Latin Quarter [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Bum N Draze at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ CamboJam , Milo & Friends , 33 Degrees and Banned at The X-Bar in Siem Reap [MORE INFO]
11:00 PM ~ DJ Flo Trallala and Dr. Wah Wah at The Cotton Club [MORE INFO]

Sunday 22-Jan-2012

7:00 PM ~ Buckeburg Trio at MetaHouse [MORE INFO]

Wednesday 25-Jan-2012

9:00 PM ~ Mr. Nash at The Memphis Pub [MORE INFO]

Coming Up

Dub Addiction at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Jerry Joseph and Frank Ruffolo at Equinox [MORE INFO], The Bodhi Villa in Kampot [MORE INFO], Madi's House in Kampot [MORE INFO] and The FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
Phnom Penh Hippie Orchestra at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Professor Kinski and Indradevi at Equinox [MORE INFO]
The Grass Snake Union at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Peter Heeren at MetaHouse [MORE INFO]
Kheltica at Le Jardin [MORE INFO], The Score [MORE INFO]
The Fumes at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Durian at Equinox [MORE INFO]
The Curtis King Band * at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
Little Duke and the Mekong Blues Messengers at The Led Zephyr in Kampong Som [MORE INFO]
Warapo at The FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
Jaguar Skills at Pontoon [MORE INFO]

Gig Guide - Thursday the 12th of January, 2012

2012-01-10T10:40:00.013+07:00

Hey,

Well, I am here to tell you that the festive season completely disappeared now and you have to get your head down and stuck into a lot of work for the coming year.......................... that is apart from the weekends of course when you can just get out there and dance, laugh and party. Whoooo- hooooooooo!!!

The great news this weekend is the return to the capital of those most enjoyable proponents of obscure favorites - El Dealbreakers . They are set to hit the stage in the capital twice this weekend with their first show at Equinox on Friday night followed by a follow-up gig at the FCC Phnom Penh on Saturday night. El Dealbreakers are totally worth catching. They play a mixture of non-confrontational Tex-Mex, Cajun, Polka-billy and do it with a Mexican 10-string guitar called a bajo quinto (very cool), an accordion, a fiddle and a collection of other wind instruments that punch-out chunks of the rhythm and green's back-beat and melody.

Sharkys have a collection of bands on this weekend, including the return of the Muscle of Love on Saturday night and a double act of the Lazy Drunks and Muck Muck and the Zombies on Friday the 13th night.

The DJ scene certainly carries the show this weekend with DJ Cut Killer at Pontoon on Friday night being the feature gig for the weekend.

In coming weeks look for the special appearance of Jerry Joseph as he and calls into Cambodia teams up with Frank Roffolo on his south-east Asian tour. Not to be missed. Also, the Art+ Foundation is back online with a series of gigs at MetaHouse. Equinox will have their 6th anniversary party in a couple of weeks - which will be a total blast.

Leaving you this week with a very special video of a great rockin' song from a famous band from the 1980's. It features the talents of one of Phnom Penh's most influential and best known rock & roll musicians. The first person who can identify the said talent and email me the answer will win a Leng Pleng T-shirt and a Leng Pleng beer cooler. See the video below.

From Ted and I here in the back streets of Phnom Penh, have a great New Years weekend, be cool with each other and see you around the traps. Here's this weeks gig-guide.

Latest Gigs

Thursday 12-Jan-2012

9:00 PM ~ DJ DSN at MetaHouse [MORE INFO]

Friday 13-Jan-2012

7:00 PM ~ DJ Island at Silk Garden in Siem Reap [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ The Lazy Drunks at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ DJ Cut Killer at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ El Dealbreakers at Equinox [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Dr. Wah Wah at Rubies Wine Bar [MORE INFO]
11:00 PM ~ B-Boy Peanut & Emcee Dolla at The RiverHouse Lounge [MORE INFO]

Saturday 14-Jan-2012

8:00 PM ~ String & Soul at The Red Orchid [MORE INFO]
8:30 PM ~ El Dealbreakers at The FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ DJ Illest at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Muscle of Love at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Holliday in Cambodia at Equinox [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ DJ B , DJ Cyncity , DJ Dan Beck , DJ Bre and DJ Peanut at The Memphis Pub [MORE INFO]
10:00 PM ~ DJ Achayer and DJ Stryker Lefty at Cotton Club [MORE INFO]

Sunday 15-Jan-2012

4:00 PM ~ DJ Dr House , DJ El Kay , DJ Rafke and DJ Papa K at Secret Garden in Sihanoukville [MORE INFO]
7:00 PM ~ CamboJam at Royal Gardens of Siem Reap in Siem Reap [MORE INFO]

Coming Up

Dub Addiction at Equinox [MORE INFO], Maos [MORE INFO]
Jerry Joseph & Frank Ruffolo at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Phnom Penh Hippie Orchestra at Equinox [MORE INFO]
The Teaner Terners at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Professor Kinski and Indradevi at Equinox [MORE INFO]
The Grass Snake Union at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Bückeburg Trio at MetaHouse [MORE INFO]
Peter Heeren at MetaHouse [MORE INFO]
Conrad Kealy, Dub Addiction and Durian at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Mr. Nash at The Memphis Pub [MORE INFO]
Ritchy & Phil, Diego Dimarques and DJ Felipe at The Memphis Pub [MORE INFO]
DJ Jimmy Salsa at The FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
Warapo at The FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
Jaguar Skills at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
DJ Marco Anthony, DJ Rob Little, DJ Illest, DJ B, DJ Juveris and DJ Nakadia * at Pontoon [MORE INFO]

Gig Guide - Thursday the 5th of January, 2012

2012-01-03T14:45:00.025+07:00

Hey,

The weekend starts tonight with two special performances. One from the one of Phnom Penh best loved musicians, Scoddy, as he makes a return to the land of wrong-way drivers. He will play his special acoustic set of ballads and classic acoustic rock at Rubies on Street 19 starting at 6:00PM. Also look for Scoddy again there next Wednesday when he releases his much anticipated book of written imagery. A Certain Flow is a selection of poems written in Cambodia, France and on the road, published to http://thesilverpepperofthestars.wordpress.com between March and November 2011.

The second performance is the regular Expat SoundSystem gig happening at MetaHouse. This week it features the sounds of DJ Sergey from Berlin who will spin the discs after a great movie on the life and times of Lee Scratch Perry.

Friday sees The Score putting it's hand up for the DJ scene with a Moombahton party. Moombahton is a sub-genre of electronic dance music and it will be extolled to you through the preeminent vibes of DJ Marvolo. For the live music scene you can catch the Lazy Drunks at Sharkys and Musikero at Paddy Rice on the riverfront. There is also a new Comedy night happening at Equinox. This promises to be a fairly special night with much secrecy surrounding the identity of the star of the show.

Saturday sees the return of Tree as he sings his acoustic ballads at the Velkommen Backpackers. This new establishment will most likely be holding a new open mic at some point this year. They are a budget accommodation guest house and are located are in Street 144. Please keep it in mind if you have some friends or family looking for a low-priced centralized accommodation in Phnom Penh. Always a good place for a beer near the riverfront also.

~~The Teaner Terners return for 2012 at The Cavern this Saturday night also. Cool~~! This gig will now be covered by the Ukes of Hazard due to illness of one of the members of the Teaner Terners.

Huge amount of gigs coming up at Equinox this month. This includes a very special gig indeed at Professor Kinski teams up with special guests from the U.S. Indradevi. Ssssschmokin'!

Before I go, a few songs from the veritable razor's-edge of Cambodian electronic music:

Cambodian Space Project Remixes by Professor Kinski by profkinski

DUB ADDICTION - Cambodias Number One Ragga Dub Band by profkinski

From Ted and I here in the back streets of Phnom Penh, have a great New Years weekend, be cool with each other and see you around the traps. Here's this weeks gig-guide.

Latest Gigs

Thursday 5-Jan-2012

6:00 PM ~ Scoddy at Rubies Wine Bar [MORE INFO]
7:00 PM ~ DJ Sergey at MetaHouse [MORE INFO]

Friday 6-Jan-2012

9:00 PM ~ String & Soul at The Red Orchid [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ DJ Marvolo at The Score [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Musikero at Paddy Rice [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ DJ Maverick at The RiverHouse Lounge [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Lazy Drunks at Sharkys [MORE INFO]

Saturday 7-Jan-2012

7:00 PM ~ The Swing & Boogie Night at Silk Garden in Siem Reap [MORE INFO]
8:30 PM ~ Tree at Velkommen Backpackers [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Stiff Little Punks at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ DJ Eclectik at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ The Ukes of Hazard at The Cavern [MORE INFO]

Wednesday 11-Jan-2012

7:00 PM ~ Scoddy at Rubies Wine Bar [MORE INFO]

Coming Up

El Dealbreakers at Equinox [MORE INFO], The FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
Holiday in Cambodia at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Dub Addiction at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Jerry Joseph & Frank Ruffolo at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Phnom Penh Hippie Orchestra at Equinox [MORE INFO]
The Teaner Terners at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Professor Kinski and Indradevi at Equinox [MORE INFO]
The Grass Snake Union at Equinox [MORE INFO]
DJ Jimmy Salsa at The FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
DJ Cut Killer at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
DJ B, DJ Cyncity, DJ Dan Beck, DJ Bre and DJ Peanut at The Memphis Pub [MORE INFO]
Warapo at The FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
DJ Achayer and DJ Stryker Lefty at Cotton Club [MORE INFO]
Jaguar Skills at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
DJ Marco Anthony, DJ Rob Little, DJ Illest, DJ B, DJ Juveris and DJ Nakadia * at Pontoon [MORE INFO]

Gig Guide - Thursday the 29th of December, 2011

2011-12-26T10:38:00.017+07:00

Hey,

Another Leng Pleng Thursday has rolled around - in fact almost a whole year - with this week, of course, featuring a large number of gigs leaning on the New Years eve sentiment. The DJs will almost certainly be taking you into 2012 this Saturday night. They will be out in force at all the major venues and they will be pumping you with music to step and groove late late into Sunday morning and the beginning of a new year. With Monday being a holiday, it is a good excuse to make this years transition one to remember.

The live music for the week sees a run of solo or duo performances. The first is in Kep on Thursday when Syse Swing will play at the new Jasmin Valley Amphitheater. Friday sees the the second of a few gigs from Scoddy on his Christmas sojourn back into the local fold. He will play Rubies on Friday afternoon for those looking for an early start to the new year. The main live music gigs happening on the NYE Saturday night are with the Lazy Drunks taking us into 2012 at Sharkys and Ritchy & Phil at Le Royal.

The latter of these gigs will be very special indeed. In fact the music will be provided by a new ensemble that Ritchy & Phil have put together called Khmarang. The band includes guitar, saxophone, Khmer xylophone and percussion and will cover a 'festive repertoire' of swing, bossa-nova and Khmer traditional tunes. Cool! It will also feature a performance by the circus troupe Phare Ponleu Selpak. There will be a swimming pool where proceedings will start around dinner time. Definitely will be a great night.

Next year look out for international singer/songwriter Jerry Joseph from the U.S. as he teams with local performers to do a series of gigs across south-east Asia - including Kampot and Phnom Penh. Great!

Also look for the release of Krom's album Songs from the Noir in 2012. It will include a song called “Where are you?” that features a vocals performance from Sophea Chamroeun - a graduate from Cambodian Living Arts Dance and Music. The song composed by Krom front man minko, production by Thomas Friml with additional instrumentation by George Friml of the legendary Australian cult band ”The Bachelors from Prague” and video production by Sarin Chhuon of Cambodian Living Arts. Cool!

This week a couple of videos from El Dealbreaks, who will be able to catch around the traps in the ensuing period. The first is an instrumental recorded at the Bodhi Villa in Kampot. The second is a great song that befits the dancing audience.

Also check out the web site and songs on offer from one of the longest running bands from expat-Kampuchea. It is the legendary Bum N Draze and a warning before you visit the web site - it is not for the feint of heart. Cheers and enjoy.

From Ted and I here in the back streets of Phnom Penh, have a great New Years weekend, be cool with each other and see you around the traps. Here's this weeks gig-guide.

Latest Gigs

Thursday 29-Dec-2011

5:00 PM ~ Syse Swing at Jasmin Valley Amphitheater in Kep [MORE INFO]

Friday 30-Dec-2011

2:00 PM ~ Scoddy at Rubies Wine Bar [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ DJ Rob Little, DJ Flo, DJ Achaya and VJ Schkouty at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ CamboJam at Banana Leaf in Siem Reap [MORE INFO]

Saturday 31-Dec-2011 (New Years Eve)

7:00 PM ~ Ritchy & Phil and Khmarang at Raffles Le Royal [MORE INFO]
8:00 PM ~ DJ Marco Anthony and DJ DSN at Elsewhere [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Lazy Drunks at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ DJ K'Dam at Equinox [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Dr. Wah Wah at Kep Lodge in Kep [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ DJ Gang at The FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ NYE Masquerade Party at The RiverHouse Lounge [MORE INFO]
10:00 PM ~ DJ Rob Little and DJ Illest at Pontoon [MORE INFO]

Coming Up

The Teaner Terners at The Cavern [MORE INFO], Equinox [MORE INFO]
El Dealbreakers at Equinox [MORE INFO], The FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
Holiday in Cambodia at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Dub Addiction at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Jerry Joseph * & Frank Ruffolo at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Phnom Penh Hippie Orchestra at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Tree at Velkommen Backpackers [MORE INFO]
DJ Cut Killer at Pontoon [MORE INFO]

Gig Guide - Thursday the 22nd of December, 2011

2011-12-19T11:44:00.025+07:00

Hey,

No prizes for guessing the theme of many gigs around the traps this week. Yes, it's the "festive season" and sparkling snow-covered Christmas trees (and the likes) adorn the storefronts of the many of commercial enterprises scattered throughout the major urban centers in tropical Cambodia. If your family celebrates Christmas then don't forget to, at least, make a call home and wish everybody the best for the day, together with much thoughtful happiness for the coming year. As we all delve into the uncertain future let us all keep our minds on the value of remembering the things that are important to the people we love as well as the things that are important to all the people who share the world with us.

I am happy to report that on Friday at the Cadicllac Bar there will be some real live Montanans in the capital who will bring the best of their music. You will be able to poke them with a stick and ask them to play songs for you. Should be a totally refreshing and enjoyable gig.

The GTS Jazz Mesh crop up three times in this weeks gig-guide as they entertain the Christmas revelers at the Sofitel Lobby and K-West.

Equinox brings you a special Christmas gift in the form of hard-rockin' Khmer bands. On Saturday they will feature the full-on, Khmer-metal-rock of AntiFate and Sliten6ix.

Earlier the same night Ritchy & Phil will bring you a Latin Christmas at the new Latin Quarter in Daun Penh. They will be putting on a live music show followed by a slice of Latino DJing - bending towards the Salsa-side of things. Cool!

The Teaner Terners gig at Sharkys had to be canceled this week due to the venue celebrating their 16th Anniversary a little too much last week. The venue will be up and pumping again soon. The band will be playing at The Cavern on the 7th and at Equinox on the 21st of next month. Also coming up, a collaborative gig at Equinox between Indradevi and Professor Kinski! Watchout for this one!

Another special mention about our new sponsors - the Velkommen Backpackers. They will be starting to have live music on a regular basis in 2012. They start the gigs with a performance by Tree - one of the capitals most sought after ballad-singers and a great favorite of the Khmer ladies. He will be performing on the 7th of January. The venue is located on Street 144, close to the riverfront and offers $1.00 beers, good cheap pizza and comfortable, low-cost rooms.

News also this week of Krom releasing the latest offering from their album. “The Ying, a krom song," was written by Christopher Minko and has been set to a montage of the vivid paintings by Noir artist Chris Coles. The lyrics for "The Ying" incorporate words and phrases from the writings of Noir author/novelist Christopher G. Moore from his "Smile" series (CG Moore: The "Calvino" and "Smile" series - http://www.cgmoore.com/). A fruitful collaboration between 3 Noir artists. Totally mellow, totally unique - you can get into the piece below.

Another great video can be seen at Vimeo, which was taken at the MetaHouse gig last week with Conrad Keely, Amanda Bloom and the Kampot Playboys. It was a totally enjoyable gig and the video below is a taste of what was on offer.

Conrad Keely & The Kampot Playboys - The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down from Corbett Hix on Vimeo.

Also, be sure to get some of the latest mixed tracks from the local DJing maestro DJ Illest. His latest extended track mix is available here: http://soundcloud.com/dj-illest94/illest-pontoon-cp5-mixtape

From Ted and I here in the back streets of Phnom Penh, have a great Christmas weekend, be cool with each other and see you around the traps. Here's this weeks gig-guide.

Latest Gigs

Friday 23-Dec-2011

8:00 PM ~ Alastair Bannerman at MetaHouse [MORE INFO]
8:30 PM ~ The Montanans at Cadillac Bar [MORE INFO]
10:00 PM ~ Digital Punks at Pontoon [MORE INFO]

Saturday 24-Dec-2011

7:00 PM ~ GTS Jazz Mesh at Sofitel Lobby [MORE INFO]
7:00 PM ~ Ritchy & Phil at Latin Quarter [MORE INFO]
7:30 PM ~ Scoddy at Lotus Blanc [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ DJ Marco Anthony, Digital Punks, DJ Black and DJ Brown at Heart of Darkness [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Lazy Drunks and BigTime at Led Zephyr in Kampong Som [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ DJ Illest and DJ Gang at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Sliten6ix and Anti-Fate at Equinox [MORE INFO]

Sunday 25-Dec-2011

11:00 AM ~ GTS Jazz Mesh at Sofitel Lobby [MORE INFO]
6:30 PM ~ GTS Jazz Mesh at K-West [MORE INFO]
8:00 PM ~ Totally Resurrectedat Ream National Park in Kampong Som [MORE INFO]

Tuesday 27-Dec-2011

9:00 PM ~ DJ DTonn at Silk Garden in Siem Reap [MORE INFO]

Wednesday 28-Dec-2011

9:00 PM ~ DJ Edwardowski at X-Bar in Siem Reap [MORE INFO]

Coming Up

The Teaner Terners at The Cavern [MORE INFO], Equinox [MORE INFO]
El Dealbreakers at Equinox [MORE INFO], The FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
Lazy Drunks at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
Holiday in Cambodia at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Dub Addiction at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Jerry Joseph & Frank Ruffolo at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Phnom Penh Hippie Orchestra at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Tree at Velkommen Backpackers [MORE INFO]
Scoddy at Rubies Wine Bar [MORE INFO]
DJ Gang at The FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
DJ K'Dam at Equinox [MORE INFO]
DJ Marco Anthony and DJ DSN at Elsewhere [MORE INFO]
DJ Rob Little, DJ Flo, DJ Achaya and VJ Schkouty at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
DJ Cut Killer at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
Dr. Wah Wah at Kep Lodge in Kep [MORE INFO]

Gig Guide - Thursday the 15th of December, 2011

2011-12-13T12:52:00.014+07:00

Hey,

Get ready for another great weekend of live music and DJ parties as we roll around close to the years end. This weeks edition is just so totally packed full of completely great shows! Hang on as we try to delve into all the great series of gigs lined up for this weekend.

The weekend starts early again this week at MetaHouse as they indulge in their Expat SoundSystem series - this week featuring "post-dubstep-electronica" from DJ Tonle Dub. Cool!

The totally anticipated return of Dub Addiction has finally arrived at the capital this weekend at Equinox. This band filled venues with people and superb reggae-ragga-dub vibes earlier this year when they burst onto the scene in May and at the inaugural Kampot River Music Festival. They have not played a full gig at a full Phnom Penh music venue since the 2nd of July this year, so you can expected a totally packed house at Equinox this Friday night.

MetaHouse has a very special show on this Friday when they present 3 top performers - Conrad Keely, Amanda Bloom and Diva International. The gig is an exhibition opening of the artwork of Conrad Keely and is collection of some of his best pieces over the past 20 years. It also includes some he has completed more recently while in Cambodia. The musical performances of Amanda Bloom and Diva International will follow the opening.

Also on Friday, classic R&R fans can join the special annual performance of the Curtis King Band together with Juram at Sharkys as they celebrate their 16th year as the longest running rock & roll bar in Indochina. It will be a special gig that will be full of tons of entertainment and a packed stage (more than 10 musicians at times!).

On Saturday the live music feast starts at 4:00PM at the Olympic Stadium when international superstars Click 5 from the U.S. are joined on stage by Korean all-girl band After School plus full-on local talent, including Amanda Bloom and Cartoon Emo. It is a free concert as it is put on through MTV and USAID and aims to support, and bring attention to, the terrible human cost directly attributable to human trafficking. It will be a one-off and totally unmissable spectacle and I urge you not to miss this very, very special event. Please enjoy the show and get a good handle on the message which they are trying to get you to understand.

Saturday night sees a very special musical performance at the Java Cafe. It will feature two sound and video artists - David Gunn and Guillermo E. Brown. The gig is touted as a live music project where the musicians hit the streets several days before the show to collect sounds and images, and construct a live audio-visual performance entirely from the material collected during this visit. Very special indeed.

A night full of entertainment will also be had at the FCC Phnom Penh this week as the entertaining ukulele duo - the Ukes of Hazzard - present their psychedelic Christmas carols. These guys are always a night worth catching.

To round of a totally special weekend Conrad Keely returns to Equinox and Phnom Penh to do a one-off special show with fellow singer-songwriters TJ Brown (from Grass Snake Union) and Billy Page.

Later into Saturday night you can enjoy the special Christmas party put on by the Riverhouse Lounge. You are going to want to look your very best if you turn up at this show with two international guests spinning the tunes - including 4Play and Korean DJ, and Calvin Klein Supermodel, Mr. Brandon Neville. There will also be live dance shows with 4Play Russian dancers. Smokin' hot!

Personally, I can't get over the amount of great shows on this weekend!. Probably one of the best ever covered by this guide. So cool!!!

I must also mention that the unique, underground music venue known as The Cavern now has a popular Open Mic night every Monday night. Well worth getting down for all local musicians.

I will leave you this week with a great video by Marc Erbele which is a song by the Cambodian Space Project on their recent series of gigs in the capital. It is at the little known, hole-in-the-wall known as the Fun Planet on Street 19 and features the song "Not Easy Rock and Roll".

Also, catch some of the latest offerings by Dub Addiction at their Sound Cloud page: http://soundcloud.com/user1700117/sets/dub-addiction-cambodias-number/

From Ted and I here in the back streets of Phnom Penh, have a great weekend, be cool with each other and see you around the traps. Here's this weeks gig-guide.

Latest Gigs

Thursday 15-Dec-2011

8:30 PM ~ Tonle Dub at MetaHouse [MORE INFO]

Friday 16-Dec-2011

7:00 PM ~ Amanda Bloom, Conrad Kealy and Diva International * at MetaHouse [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Holiday in Cambodia at Paddy Rice [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Dr. Wah Wah at Rubies Wine Bar [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Dub Addiction at Equinox [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Juram and Curtis King Band at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Section 5 at The Memphis Pub [MORE INFO]
10:00 PM ~ DJ Marco Anthony, DJ Illest and DJ Juveris at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
10:00 PM ~ Dr House and DJ Greg Mo at 33 [MORE INFO]

Saturday 17-Dec-2011

4:00 PM ~ Amanda Bloom, Cartoon Emo, Preap Sovath, Click Five *, After School *, Sok Pisey, Eklectic and Thmore Band at Olympic Stadium [MORE INFO]
8:00 PM ~ David Gunn and Guillermo E.Brown at Java Cafe [MORE INFO]
8:00 PM ~ Dub Addiction at Silk Garden in Siem Reap [MORE INFO]
8:30 PM ~ The Ukes of Hazard at The FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
8:30 PM ~ Ritchy & Phil at Bouchon Bar [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Juram and Curtis King Band at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ DJ Cyncity and DJ Dandanbeck at Fly Lounge [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ DJ 4Play * and Mr. Brandon Neville * at The RiverHouse Lounge [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Conrad Kealy, Billy Page and TJ Brown at Equinox [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ DJ Tech 12 at Pontoon [MORE INFO]

Sunday 18-Dec-2011

5:00 PM ~ Rory and Al at Rubies Wine Bar [MORE INFO]

Coming Up

The Montanans at Cadillac Bar [MORE INFO]
Sliten6ix and Anti-Fate at Equinox [MORE INFO]
The Teaner Terners at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
El Dealbreakers at Equinox [MORE INFO], The FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
Lazy Drunks at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
Holiday in Cambodia at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Dub Addiction at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Jerry Joseph & Frank Ruffolo at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Phnom Penh Hippie Orchestra at Equinox [MORE INFO]
DJ Gang at The FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
DJ K'Dam at Equinox [MORE INFO]
DJ Illest and DJ Gang at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
Totally Resurrected at Ream National Park in Kampong Som [MORE INFO]

Gig Guide - Thursday the 8th of December, 2011

2011-12-05T12:54:00.012+07:00

Hey,

That's right - yet another week has rolled around and you are being subjected to the sometimes incoherent and misspelled ramblings of the weekly Leng Pleng live music and DJ wrap.

Durian will take their totally dance-able couple sets to the Memphis Pub tonight as they ramp up the funk and get the whole town pumping for the second time in a week. A great band full of great talent. A few blocks further south near "Booding" is the MetaHouse where their regular DJ nights are having a somewhat Flemish flavor tonight (Thursday). They will feature a number of Belgian DJs as the Belgian Beats SoundSystem that will follow two screenings by Tom Barman (front man of the band dEUS). They will be serving Belgian beers too! Oh yeah my favorite!

The huge event known as the Friendhip Festival is on again this year over this weekend. It is featuring a great lineup of local acts - including Dub Addiction, DJ Chase, DJ Matoo, DJ Gorimaa, DJ Edwardowski, Preap Sovath and Khemara Sereymon. Before you get too excited though - you need to be in Battambang to enjoy this spectacle. Don't forget it is a long weekend - making the multiple hour trip a lot more bearable from wherever you may be around the country. Cool!

If you are in Siem Reap on Friday then you can partake in the opening of a brand new music venue known as the Mezze Bar. It will be the DJ maestro Marco Anthony spinning the tunes.

Sharkys have got a HUGE couple of weekends lined up for us in the local music scene cementing themselves as one of the best music venues in town - definitely the best when it comes to rock & roll. They start this Friday with the Lazy Drunks - who have got to have one of the mirthful series of flyers for a band that I have ever seen. Not really what I would call a great way to sell the band but luckily most of us know what they mean and that they put out is a great couple of sets of classic British and U.S. rock.

On Saturday the venue has invited Little Duke and the Mekong Blues Messengers back for a return of last weeks performance. Anyone that was at that gig would know why - Little Duke was absolutely smokin' on his light blue Telecaster and the multiple calls for encore at the end couldn't be fulfilled due to the time restrictions placed on the venue by the local constabulary. Totally worth getting to see this band.

Next weekend the venue will celebrate 16 years. They will do so with the habitual return of the Curtis King Band. These guys come over for this gig from Vietnam every year and always put on a good show. The sight of Leroy slithering and cavorting on the bar is enough to put anyone off their beer - but at least it makes for a unique and enjoyable performance. They will play both nights next weekend together with special guest Juram.

Also the next few weeks is looking great as Conrad Keely returns to the Kingdom - playing Equinox and MetaHouse. The Equinox gig should be particularly awesome as it will combine Conrad with two other acoustic singer-songwriters - TJ Brown from Grass Snake Union and Billy Page - over from Vietnam. Cool!

There are a number of Christmas gigs (Teaner Terners at Sharkys and Sliten6ix and Anti-Fate at Equinox) and New Years gigs (DJ K'Dam at Equinox, DJ Gang at the FCC Phnom Penh and the Lazy Drunks at Sharkys) coming up - so don't miss out on those if you are in the country.

Next year look out for the totally anticipated and wonderful return of El Dealbreakers who will be playing around the traps in January. Also the Lazy Drunks start a series of regular gigs at the Red Orchid.

I leave you this week with another taste of what you might find at Pontoon with Drop the Lime performing there this Friday.

From Ted and I here in the back streets of Phnom Penh, have a great weekend, be cool with each other and see you around the traps. Here's this weeks gig-guide.

Latest Gigs

Thursday 8-Dec-2011

8:00 PM ~ Various DJs at MetaHouse [MORE INFO]
8:00 PM ~ Milo & Friends at Molly Malones in Siem Reap [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Musikero at Riverside Bistro [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Durian at The Memphis Pub [MORE INFO]

Friday 9-Dec-2011

5:00 PM ~ Dub Addiction , DJ Chase , DJ Matoo , DJ Gorimaa , DJ Edwardowski , Preap Sovath and Khemara Sereymon at Phare Ponleu Selpak Site in Battambang [MORE INFO]
7:00 PM ~ DJ Marco Anthony at Mezze Bar in Siem Reap [MORE INFO]
7:00 PM ~ Skip Sutherland at Friends@240 [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Martin The Martian at The Red Orchid [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Holiday in Cambodia at Paddy Rice [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Drop the Lime * at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Lazy Drunks at Sharkys [MORE INFO]

Saturday 10-Dec-2011

5:00 PM ~ Dub Addiction , DJ Chase , DJ Matoo , DJ Gorimaa , DJ Edwardowski , Preap Sovath and Khemara Sereymon at Phare Ponleu Selpak Site in Battambang [MORE INFO]
6:00 PM ~ Kheltica and Kejaj at Wat Phnom [MORE INFO]
8:30 PM ~ DJ Jimmy Salsa at The FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Phnom Penh Hippie Orchestra at Equinox [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Little Duke and the Mekong Blues Messengers at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
9:30 PM ~ DJ ODY-C at Pontoon [MORE INFO]

Sunday 11-Dec-2011

5:00 PM ~ Phnom Penh Hippie Orchestra at Le Jardin [MORE INFO]
7:00 PM ~ Professor Kinski and Pou Klieang at Do It All Club [MORE INFO]

Coming Up

The Montanans at Cadillac Bar [MORE INFO]
Dub Addiction at Equinox [MORE INFO], Silk Garden in Siem Reap [MORE INFO]
Conrad Kealy, Billy Page and TJ Brown at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Sliten6ix and Anti-Fate at Equinox [MORE INFO]
The Teaner Terners at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
El Dealbreakers at Equinox [MORE INFO], The FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
David Gunn and Guillermo E.Brown at Java Cafe [MORE INFO]
Conrad Kealy at MetaHouse [MORE INFO]
Amanda Bloom, Cartoon Emo, Click Five * , After School * , Preab Sovath, Sok Pisey, Eklectic and Thmore Band at Olympic Stadium [MORE INFO]
The Ukes of Hazard at The FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
Juram and Curtis King Band at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
Lazy Drunks at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
DJ Gang at The FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
DJ Marco Anthony, Rob Little, DJ Illest and DJ Juveris at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
New Year's Eve Party at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Totally Resurrected at Ream National Park in Kampong Som [MORE INFO]

Gig Guide - Thursday the 1st of December, 2011

2011-11-28T08:41:00.022+07:00

Hey,

The gig-guide is veritably packed this week as we roll right into the high-season - 18 gigs on this Friday and Saturday. Cool!

The Expat SoundSystem will be on again at MetaHouse on Thursday, this week featuring Sa Rah and Johan. Note that this regular event always features a number of movie screenings prior to the music. This week the venue screens 14 of the best documentaries made in the past 10 years from the journalism program at the RUPP.

On Friday four venues are carrying the beat with DJ parties as we cool down to the winter solstice. Marco Anthony will join regular DJs Black and Brown at the Heart of Darkness as they present a series of Tech, Minimal and Tribal House well into the wee hours. At the Eighty8 the trio of DJ Bassbender, DJ DSN and DJ Cyncity will present the venue's Addicts Anonymous party on Street 88. At Pontoon the Paris-based electronic-mix band known as DirtyPhonics will inject the dance floor with a ton of Bass Music and Dubstep energy. You will also be able to catch DJ Joeki at The RiverHouse Lounge - smokin'

If you are in Siem Reap this weekend then don't miss your chance to catch the debut of Grass Snake Union at the Banana Leaf on Friday. Also catch CamboJam as the debut at the Mme Beer Garden on Friday and Abacus on Saturday night.

As mentioned in last weeks blurb, there will be an opening party for a totally new venue this Saturday night featuring the totally energetic, totally danceable Latino band from Vietnam known as Bad Neighbors. It will occur at the Latin Quarter on the corner of Streets 19 and 178 and should be a great show. There are two more opening parties. The first being the revamped and newly-managed Do It All club on Street 174 which will feature the highly versatile, bouncing and energetic sounds of electronic mix musician Professor Kinski. Should be a totally great night. Secondly the recently renovated and (hopefully) sound-proofed Red Orchid will open its doors with the Lazy Drunks and guests on Saturday night.

Plenty more happening. Tune into the gig-guide below in order to get all the details.

News this week in that there will be a HUGE international concert at the Olympic stadium put on by MTV and their EXIT concert series. This is the second time the concert has been in Cambodia - the first being at Angkor Wat a few years ago. The concerts aim to raise awareness of human trafficking and the need for its eradication. The concert will feature the totally famous U.S. all-boy band called Click Five. Not to be gender specific - the concert also features the all-girl Korean ensemble known as After School. It will also feature a number of well known local acts - including Amanda Bloom, Preap Sovath and Cartoon Emo. Cool!

Also look this month for two return gigs by Conrad Keely as well as the return of Dub Addiction, two gigs by the Phnom Penh Hippie Orchestra and the debut of the new totally funk band Durian at the Memphis Pub.

I will leave you this week with a couple of videos of what you might expect at Pontoon this Friday

From Ted and I here in the back streets of Phnom Penh, have a great weekend, be cool with each other and see you around the traps. Here's this weeks gig-guide.

Latest Gigs

Friday 2-Dec-2011

7:00 PM ~ CamboJam at Mme Beer Garden in Siem Reap [MORE INFO]
7:00 PM ~ Ritchy & Phil at Bouchon Wine Bar [MORE INFO]
8:30 PM ~ Musikero at Paddy Rice [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ The Grass Snake Union at Banana Leaf in Siem Reap [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Dirtyphonics * at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Little Duke and the Mekong Blues Messengers at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ DJ Bassbender, DJ DSN and DJ Cyncity at The Eighty8 [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Marco Anthony at Heart of Darkness [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ DJ Joeki at The RiverHouse Lounge [MORE INFO]

Saturday 3-Dec-2011

8:00 PM ~ Juram at The FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
8:00 PM ~ The Teaner Terners at GreenHouse in Kampot [MORE INFO]
8:00 PM ~ Bad Neighbors at Latin Quarter [MORE INFO]
8:00 PM ~ Marco Anthony, DJ Rob Little and B (ASTROPHYSICAL) at Le Liban [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Astra Nova at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Professor Kinski at Do It All Club [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Lazy Drunks at The Red Orchid [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ DJ Rob Little and DJ Stryker Lefty at Heart of Darkness [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ CamboJam at Abacus in Siem Reap [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Syse Swing at Equinox [MORE INFO]
9:30 PM ~ DJ Blue and DJ Gang at Pontoon [MORE INFO]

Coming Up

Kheltival at Wat Bothum [MORE INFO]
Phnom Penh Hippie Orchestra at Equinox [MORE INFO], Le Jardin [MORE INFO]
Dub Addiction at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Conrad Kealy, Billy Page and TJ Brown at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Sliten6ix and Anti-Fate at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Bum N Draze at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
The Teaner Terners at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
Durian at The Memphis Pub [MORE INFO]
David Gunn and Guillermo E.Brown at Java Cafe [MORE INFO]
Conrad Kealy at MetaHouse [MORE INFO]
Amanda Bloom, Cartoon Emo, Click Five*, After School*, Preab Sovath, Sok Pisey, Eklectic and Thmore Band at Olympic Stadium [MORE INFO]
The Ukes of Hazard at The FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
Drop the Lime * at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
DJ ODY-C at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
Marco Anthony at Mezze Bar in Siem Reap [MORE INFO], Pontoon [MORE INFO]
Various DJs at MetaHouse [MORE INFO]
DJ Jimmy Salsa at The FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
DJ Gang at The FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
Totally Resurrected * at Ream National Park in Kampong Som [MORE INFO]
Dub Addiction, DJ Chase, DJ Matoo, DJ Gorimaa, DJ Edwardowski, Preap Sovath and Khemara Sereymon at Phare Ponleu Selpak Site in Battambang [MORE INFO]

Gig Guide - Thursday the 24th of November, 2011

2011-11-21T09:16:00.008+07:00

Hey,

MetaHouse kicks off the live music weekend again this week with Professor Kinski on Thursday with the release of his Cambodian Space Project remix album HUMMER H3. Should be a huuuuuge night and it will include remixed tracks of Pou Khlaing, Heng Bunleap, Meng Bunlo, Srey Thy and MC Curly. Cool! The weekend is also covered by the recently reconfigured GTS Jazz Mesh which has had to make some changes due to an injury to their irreplaceable bass player. The ensemble plays Thursday at Le Moon (atop K-West), Friday at the Sofitel Lobby and Saturday at Le Jardin - with both Thursday and Saturday being early starts. I think everyone here in the local live music scene is wishing Sebastian a speedy recovery.

Live music returns to Street 104 this week as The Cavern hosts the Alice Cooper tribute band, Muscle of Love. A good venue and band bulging in local talent - if you are into Alice and his genre then you have just got to get down there this Friday night.

The other HUGE and unmissable Friday gig is the full debut of a brand new funk band called Durian who will play at Equinox. They consist of a large number of members (12 I believe) and have a horn section reminiscent of the Mekong Pirates. Probably the gig of the week - so get down there for it!

On Saturday you can enjoy the big-bellied bluegrass of Grass Snake Union at Sharkys. Always a great band to which to non-stop dance, drink lots of beer and have a totally great time. Also look out for the Siem Reap Japanese Dance Festival which will occur this Sunday in Siem Reap.

Look out in coming weeks for the opening of 3 new live music venues - all within coo-ee of each other in Daun Penh. The first will be the Latin Quarter which is located in the totally beautiful French colonial building on the corner of Streets 19 and 178. They will be partying during their opening on the 3rd of December with the hugely popular Latino band from Vietnam known as Bad Neighbors. One to look for next weekend. Also look for the Friendship Festival in Battambang as well as several international gigs at Pontoon and a debut by the Teaner Terners at the Greenhouse in Kampot.

I will leave you this weekend with a collection of video's that so totally rocks and drives the local live music scene - even today, more than 40 years on. Nothing has come near these songwriters and performers since this time and we can all bask in their wonderful music and still get up and dance and move around. Enjoy them.

Jis Cyclo - Yos Olarang

Kong Pol Tmai Cheung Ti 12 - Leing Thet

Rom Ago Ago - Pan Ron

ចាំដប់ខែទៀត Chom Doub Ket Theath - Ros Sereysothea

From Ted and I here in the back streets of Phnom Penh, have a great weekend, be cool with each other and see you around the traps. Here's this weeks gig-guide.

Latest Gigs

Thursday 24-Nov-2011

6:30 PM ~ GTS Jazz Mesh at Le Moon [MORE INFO]
8:30 PM ~ Professor Kinski at Meta House [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Digital Punks at Pontoon [MORE INFO]

Friday 25-Nov-2011

7:00 PM ~ Marco Anthony and DJ Illest at The Miro [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Durian at Equinox [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ CamboJam at Banana Leaf in Siem Reap [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Lazy Drunks at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ DJ Flo , DJ Achaya , Dr House and VJ Schkouty at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Gabi & Friends at Sofitel Lobby [MORE INFO]

Saturday 26-Nov-2011

7:30 PM ~ GTS Jazz Mesh at Le Jardin [MORE INFO]
8:30 PM ~ Salsa Explosion at The FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Muscle of Love at Cavern [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ The Grass Snake Union at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
10:00 PM ~ DJ Cool Sam and DJ Bobby at The RiverHouse Lounge [MORE INFO]

Sunday 27-Nov-2011

3:00 PM ~ Anniversary Party at Department of Enviroment [MORE INFO]
5:00 PM~ Siem Reap Japanese Dance Festival 第四回盆踊り大会 at The Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor in Siem Reap [MORE INFO]

Coming Up

Phnom Penh Hippie Orchestra at Equinox [MORE INFO], Le Jardin [MORE INFO]
Ritchy & Phil at Bouchon Wine Bar [MORE INFO]
Syse Swing at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Dub Addiction at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Conrad Keely, Billy Page and TJ Brown at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Sliten6ix and Anti-Fate at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Kheltival at Wat Bothum [MORE INFO]
Drop the Lime * at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
Dirtyphonics * at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
Totally Resurrected * at Ream National Park in Kampong Som [MORE INFO]
Dub Addiction, DJ Chase, DJ Matoo, DJ Gorimaa, DJ Edwardowski, Preap Sovath, Khemara Sereymon at Phare Ponleu Selpak Site in Battambang [MORE INFO]
The Teaner Terners at GreenHouse [MORE INFO], Sharkys [MORE INFO]
Bum N Draze at Sharkys [MORE INFO]

Gig Guide - Thursday the 17th of November, 2011

2011-11-14T09:13:00.040+07:00

Hey,

The live music and DJ gigs start tonight (Thursday) when the new vibes continue to emanate from the MetaHouse, produced by the eclectic ensemble known as the X-Pat Sound System. They will be pumping out their Wild Things set. Cool!

Friday sees Dengue Fever's biggest gig of their tour at Koh Pich Building M on Friday starting at 8:00PM. Building M is in fact not a building at all but a very large enclosed tent - making this a semi-indoor/outdoor event. The organizers are looking at around 1000 people with the sound and lights provided by international production engineers ProFeel. Should be a great event. The band has also just recently announced another gig they will do on Sunday at Wat Ang Soeng Pagoda in Takeo. It will be right on the Tonle Bati lake and promises to be a very unique experience. It is only about 40km from Phnom Penh - making it possible for day-trippers from the capital to make this on-off event.

CLICK HERE To can catch a full interview with Nimol and Zac from Dengue Fever conducted by Leng Pleng

Friday also sees some other great events around the country with Grass Snake Union debuting at the totally unique and totally cool Bodhi Villa in Kampot. This is the same venue where Lost Highway and Dub Addiction played for the Kampot River Music Festival - right on the river. Get there for the weekend if you can. Alternatively, in Siem Reap, CamboJam will rock Pub street at the Banana Leaf. Cool!

This Saturday has quite a packed line-up with the Cambodian Space Project at Mao's and the return of Ritchy & Phil at the Elephant Bar at Le Royal. The FCC Phnom Penh continues with their favorite Latino band - Warapo from Vietnam/Cuba. Sharkys will host The Fumes. You can continue your night out to the wee small hours with the Fruity 009 event happening at the Eighty8 and the GhettoBlasters at Pontoon.

On Tuesday in Sihanoukville the French bass and guitar duo know as At Robieb will play a special set at the brand new Mojo on top of Victory Hill. Cool!

In the Coming Up Section look for a special series of great gigs at Equinox, including the return of Conrad Keely as he play together with two other singer-songwriters in town - TJ Brown and Billy Page. The venue also has the debut of the Durian Funk Band as well as the return of Dub Addiction. All great gigs from a totally happening venue.

Also look out for Kheltival that is a happening from the 1st to the 11th of December, 2011. The festival aims to celebrate the fusion between the Cambodian and the Breton music. The festival will culminate in a concert at Wat Bothum and feature many local bands representing many styles of traditional music. More info as it comes to hand.

I will leave you this week with another great video from the guys at Tuk Tuk Sessions. This is the latest video from the site and the second time they have managed to get a huge international act into a tuk-tuk to do one take in the streets of Cambodia. You can catch the video by clicking on the image below.

From Ted and I here in the back streets of Phnom Penh, have a great weekend, be cool with each other and see you around the traps. Here's this weeks gig-guide.

Latest Gigs

Thursday 17-Nov-2011

8:30 PM ~ X-Pat Sound System at Meta House [MORE INFO]

Friday 18-Nov-2011

8:00 PM ~ Dengue Fever * at Koh Pich [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ The Grass Snake Union at Bodhi Villa in Kampot [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Scandelicious at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ CamboJam at Banana Leaf in Siem Reap [MORE INFO]

Saturday 19-Nov-2011

8:30 PM ~ Warapo at The FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
8:30 PM ~ Ritchy & Phil at Elephant Bar, Le Royal [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ GhettoBlasters at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ The Fumes at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ The Cambodian Space Project at Maos [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM~ Fruity009 at The Eighty8 [MORE INFO]

Sunday 20-Nov-2011

7:00 PM ~ Dengue Fever * at Wat Ang Soeng Pagoda in Takeo [MORE INFO]

Tuesday 22-Nov-2011

8:00 PM ~ At Robiep at MOJO Victory Hill Skville [MORE INFO]

Wednesday 23-Nov-2011

8:00 PM ~ The Keys at Molly Malones in Siem Reap [MORE INFO]

Coming Up

Siem Reap Japanese Dance Festival 第四回盆踊り大会 at Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor in Siem Reap [MORE INFO]
Salsa Explosion at The FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
GTS Jazz Piano Trio at Le Jardin [MORE INFO]
Phnom Penh Hippie Orchestra at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Ritchy & Phil at Bouchon Wine Bar [MORE INFO]
Sysé Swing at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Dub Addiction at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Conrad Keely, Billy Page and TJ Brown at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Sliten6ix and Anti-Fate at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Kheltival at Wat Bothum [MORE INFO]
Totally Resurrected * at Ream National Park in Kampong Som [MORE INFO]
Professor Kinski at Meta House [MORE INFO]
DJ D'Tonn, Dub Addiction, DJ Chase, DJ Matoo, DJ Gorimaa, DJ Edwardowski, Preap Sovath and Khemara Sereymon at The Phare Ponleu Selpak Site in Battambang [MORE INFO]
Durian Funk Band at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Gabi & Friends at Sofitel Lobby [MORE INFO]
Digital Punks at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
Dirtyphonics at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
DJ Illest and Marco Anthony at Miro [MORE INFO]
DJ Bobby and DJ Cool Same at The RiverHouse Lounge [MORE INFO]

Gig Guide - Thursday the 10th of November, 2011

2011-11-08T09:58:00.012+07:00

Hey,

A real quick and early blurb this week as Ted, I and Ted's Mum are heading up to Mondulkirri to catch some local Khmer Leu music. We will report on that in later gig guides.

The exceptional news this week is the imminent return of Khmer 60's rock exponents, Dengue Fever, who will play a series of gigs - starting at the first level of the FCC Phnom Penh this Saturday night. Cool! That will be followed by gigs in Kampot, Siem Reap and Battambang and finally by the hugest gig at Koh Pich on Friday the 18th of November. Tickets for this final event will be US$10 and can be purchased from the Bong Thom dot Com office - near the corner of Norodom and Russian Boulevardes (map) - as well as other significant venues.

Another of Cambodia's favorite bands in the irrepressible and totally psychedelic rockin' Cambodian Space Project who will play a special gig at the little known Fun Planet on Street 19 on Tuesday the 8th and another special gig as they return to La Croisette on the night of the 11th - this Friday. Totally great!

If you are in Kampong Som for the weekend then you will be lucky enough to be able to get to Ocheuteal Beach and be a part of the Wave Dance Music Festival. There is little chance that this will not be a total blast - with some of the countries best DJs and supported with live music from Musikero and Thmor.

On Saturday you could make the short journey over to Kampot and catch the garnd opening party of the GreenHouse - which formerly housed Maxines (Snow's Bar) before making the trip south. The great time will be engineered by Professor Kinski, MC Curley and DJ Klah. Bound to be a totally great time and I urge you to get there. You can hang around and catch the Dengue Fever concert at the Epic Arts Center the next day. Cool!

Next Tuesday don't forget the huge line-up of bands at Titanic who will come together in support of victims of the recent flooding. The concert will now also feature the huge new funk band known as Durian - one not to miss.

Other signicant gigs this weekend include AntiFate who will play Equinox and Big Time who play Sharkys. Boith these gigs happening on the Saturday night.

No excuse to have a totally great time this weekend. but please remember, if you are traveling on the roads this weekend to be extra careful. The roads are definitely the most dangerous things in Cambodia - so take it easy, enjoy the weekend and get back home safe and sound with a whole load of great live music and DJ gigs stories for next week.

I will leave you this week with a couple of videos - both from the bands best known for their elucidation of Khmer 60ws rock to the western audience. Catch both bands around the traps in Cambodia this week and next.

From Ted and I here in the back streets of Phnom Penh, have a great holiday weekend, be cool with each other and see you around the traps. Here's this weeks gig-guide.

Latest Gigs

Tuesday 8-Nov-2011

8:30 PM ~ Sysé Swing at 33 [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ The Cambodian Space Project at Fun Planet [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Kheltica at Equinox [MORE INFO]

Thursday 10-Nov-2011

8:30 PM ~ X-Pat Sound System and DJ Sadge (RIEL/KEP) at Meta House [MORE INFO]

Friday 11-Nov-2011

4:00 PM ~ Musikero, DJ Rob Little, DJ Illest, DJ Stryker Lefty, DJ Bob Revo and Thmor at Ochheuteal Beach in Sihanoukville [MORE INFO]
8:00 PM ~ DJ Edwardowski at Banana Leaf in Siem Reap [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Paul Janovskis and Matt Dwyer at Paddy Rice [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ The Cambodian Space Project at La Croisette [MORE INFO]

Saturday 12-Nov-2011

2:00 PM ~ Professor Kinski, MC Curley, DJ Khla and Special Guests at GreenHouse in Kampot [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ BigTime at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Dengue Fever * at The FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
9:30 PM ~ DJ MOH'H and DJ FANS at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
10:00 PM ~ Anti-Fate at Equinox [MORE INFO]

Sunday 13-Nov-2011

8:00 PM ~ Dengue Fever * at Epic Arts Center (Kampot) [MORE INFO]

Tuesday 15-Nov-2011

8:00 PM ~ Section 5, Sliten6ix, Anti-Fate, Skip, Cartoon Emo, Durian, Borei's Band, Mom's Band, Rock X-Press and Millenium at Titanic [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Dengue Fever * at Hotel De La Paix in Siem Reap [MORE INFO]

Wednesday 16-Nov-2011

7:00 PM ~ Dengue Fever * at Battambang Town Square in Battambang [MORE INFO]

Coming Up

Siem Reap Japanese Dance Festival 第四回盆踊り大会 at Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor in Siem Reap [MORE INFO]
The Fumes at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
Dengue Fever * at Koh Pich [MORE INFO]
Warapo at The FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
Salsa Explosion at The FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
Durian at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Gabi and Friends at Sofitel Lobby [MORE INFO]
GTS Jazz Piano Trio at Le Jardin [MORE INFO]
The Grass Snake Union at Bodhi Villa in Kampot [MORE INFO]
Kheltival at Wat Bothum [MORE INFO]
Jonathan Athertom, Ward Anderson and Shazia Mirza at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
Totally Resurrected * at Ream National Park in Kampong Som [MORE INFO]
DJ D'Tonn, Dub Addiction, DJ Chase, DJ Matoo, DJ Gorimaa and DJ Edwardowski at The Phare Ponleu Selpak Site in Battambang [MORE INFO]
Wild Style at MetaHouse [MORE INFO]
Professor Kinski at MetaHouse [MORE INFO]

Gig Guide - Thursday the 3rd of November, 2011

2011-11-03T12:32:00.014+07:00

Hey,

A packed gig-guide coming at you this week and it contains a huge amount of eclectic variety - from classic to funk to to Khmer 60's rock to western 70's rock to classic blues. A lot more coming up too!

Note that tickets to the Dengue Fever concert at Koh Pich Island - Building M will go on sale this coming Monday. You will be able to pick up tickets at our office (Krawma Co. / Bong Thom dot Com) near the corner of Norodom Blvd. and Pochentong Rd. (see map here) or at the following places: * Browns (Street 51 or Street 214) * Java Cafe * Rubies Wine Bar * Garage Bar * CLA Office * Smart outlets in Phnom Penh.

The main event occurring over this weekend will be the 8th International Music Festival that is created and produced by Anton Isselhardt and the Art+ Foundation. It is a series of classical music concerts at various venues. The concerts start on Thursday the 3rd of November with a gala opening at the Cambodia-Japan Cooperation Center. The festival then continues with a concert every night right through until Monday the 7th of November. A full description, schedule and details of a special promotional tour to Malaysia can be seen here: http://www.music-festival-phnom-penh.org/.

Equinox again brings us a series of gigs including music that has not been available anywhere else in the Kingdom. On Saturday night they will host the one and only gig in Cambodia of Swiss funk band Starch. This 7-piece band will only be in town over this weekend for their Asian tour and this will be the only date they will play in Cambodia. Cool! The venue will also debut a great new local funk band on the 25th of this month call Durian. Look out for this band as they will almost certainly be one of the best bands to be produced from the amazing musicianship available in this country. The venue will also host the classic Texas blues of Paul Janovskis and Matt Dwyer this weekend and next weekend they will have Khmer rock juggernauts Anti-Fate.

Little Duke and the Mekong Blues Messengers will be back up and running again at Sharkys on Saturday night. Cool! The Cambodian Space Project has a series of gigs this weekend, including the opening of a brand-new publication and the SEA Globe's 5th anniversary party on Thursday and the celebration of the Cambodian Fashion Week at Gasolina on Friday and the Canadia Tower on Saturday night. If you are in Siem Reap then you can catch both Cambojam (Banana Leaf on Friday) and Lost Highway (the X-Bar on Saturday). Also, Supabad from Bangkok hit Phnom Penh again and do their James Brown Funk at the FCC Phnom Penh on Friday night. All cool gigs!

One of the newest ensembles in town have wasted no time in bringing their music to the listening audience. It is the GTS Jazz Piano Trio and they now have a series of gigs at both K-West and the Sofitel lobby. They will play every 2nd. Thursday at K-West and every Wednesday and Friday at the Sofitel lobby. See our Regular Gigs section for details.

Some great news in the coming up section in that Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Marky Ramone, founding member of the original punk-rock band The Ramones will probably be brining his show to Cambodia in April next year. Also look forward to a series of gigs by unique and original artist Ingolv Haaland in November. Punters in Sinhanoukville can look forward to a series of gigs from various bands at the Big Easy over the coming weeks as well as the imminent opening of a brand new dedicated live music venue - the Led Zephyr.

Just after the Water Festival, on Tuesday the 15th of November, a special Live Aid concert will occur at Titanic Bar & Restaurant that aims to raise funds for the victims of the recent flooding in Cambodia. The concert will include great names such as Rock Xpress, Anti-Fate, Skip Sutherland, Cartoon Emo and, possibly, Ingolv Haaland plus more. Should be a very special and unique concert indeed and all funds collected during the night will go to Mith Samlanh / Friends International to help them in their support of families affected by the recent flooding. Good stuff.

Another piece of great news is that one of the countries most elusive bands, Krom, will be releasing their first album, entitled Songs from the Noir in December, 2011. The band has given us a taste of what the album will contain in previous releases - such as the I Walked the Line, Prison of Sobriety and Bangkok Tattoo. The band has now also released an another audio track from the album called The Ying which is dedicated to author Christopher G. Moore.

I will leave you today with a video from Starch whom you can catch at Equinox this Saturday night.

From Ted and I here in the back streets of Phnom Penh, have a great weekend, be cool with each other and see you around the traps. Here's this weeks gig-guide.

Latest Gigs

Thursday 3-Nov-2011

6:30 PM ~ Cambodian Space Project at Yi Sang [MORE INFO]
7:00 PM ~ 8th International Music Festival at various venues [MORE INFO]
7:00 PM ~ Amanda Bloom and Professor Kinski at Naga World [MORE INFO]

Friday 4-Nov-2011

7:00 PM ~ 8th International Music Festival at various venues [MORE INFO]
8:30 PM ~ Supabad at FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Musikero at Paddy Rice [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Paul Janovskis and Matt Dwyer at Equinox [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ DJ Bassbender and Marco Anthony at Elsewhere [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Lazy Drunks at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ CamboJam at Banana Leaf [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Cambodian Space Project at Gasolina [MORE INFO]
9:30 PM ~ Digital Punks at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
11:00 PM ~ DJ Strike at X-Bar in Siem Reap [MORE INFO]

Saturday 5-Nov-2011

7:00 PM ~ 8th International Music Festival at various venues [MORE INFO]
8:00 PM ~ Lost Highway at X-Bar in Siem Reap [MORE INFO]
8:00 PM ~ Cambodian Space Project at Canadia Bank Tower [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Little Duke and the Mekong Blues Messengers at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Starch at Equinox [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Paul Janovskis and Matt Dwyer at Cadillac Bar [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ DJ Illest at Pontoon [MORE INFO]

Sunday 6-Nov-2011

7:00 PM ~ 8th International Music Festival at various venues [MORE INFO]

Monday 7-Nov-2011

7:00 PM ~ 8th International Music Festival at various venues [MORE INFO]

Tuesday 8-Nov-2011

9:00 PM ~ Kheltica at Equinox [MORE INFO]

Coming Up

Siem Reap Japanese Dance Festival 第四回盆踊り大会 at Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor in Siem Reap [MORE INFO]
The Fumes at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
Dengue Fever * at the FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO], Epic Arts Center (Kampot) [MORE INFO], Hotel De La Paix [MORE INFO], Battambang Town Square [MORE INFO] and Koh Pich [MORE INFO]
Warapo at the FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
Salsa Explosion at the FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
Anti-Fate at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Durian at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Anti-Fate, Cartoon Emo, Rock Xpress, Ingolv Haaland, Skip Sutherland and more at Titanic [MORE INFO]
Gabi and Friends at Sofitel Lobby [MORE INFO]
GTS Jazz Piano Trio at Le Jardin [MORE INFO]
Paul Janovskis and Matt Dwyer at Paddy Rice [MORE INFO]
Kheltival at Wat Bothum [MORE INFO]
DJ MOH'H and DJ FANS at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
Jonathan Athertom, Ward Anderson and Shazia Mirza at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
Totally Resurrected * at Ream National Park in Kampong Som [MORE INFO]
DJ D'Tonn, Dub Addiction, DJ Chase, DJ Matoo, DJ Gorimaa and DJ Edwardowski at Phare Ponleu Selpak Site in Battambang [MORE INFO]

Gig Guide - Thursday the 27th of October, 2011

2011-10-24T15:02:00.044+07:00

Hey,

Dengue Fever have now released their tour dates so I can fill you in on all the venues and dates they have booked so far.

The band will arrive in town around the 11th of November and will play their first gig at the FCC Phnom Penh on Saturday the 12th of November. The $10 tickets for this event will go on sale tomorrow at the venue plus at their sister ventures Fresco on the riverside and BKK1.
After this the band will travel to Kampot where they will play at the Epic Arts Center on the 13th of November.
The band will then make the huuuuuuuuuuge journey up to Siem Reap where they will do a show at Hotel De La Paix on the 15th of November.
After this the band will do a free concert in Battambang on the 16th of November. It seems, by all accounts, that this will be a great place to catch them. Not only, will it probably be in the street in the middle of town but it is also the birthplace of Cham Nimol, the lead-singer of the band, as well as the birthplace of many of the outstanding musicians who created the Cambodian psychedelic rock of the 60s of which the band emulates. Cool!
Finally, the band will return the Phnom Penh on the 18th of November where they will play their biggest and most produced concert of the tour. It will occur at Koh Pich (Diamond Island) in one of the huge outdoor tents and will feature a full sound and lights production managed by ProFeel - probably the most experienced and well-equipped production companies in the region. Details of when and where to buy tickets for this concert will be coming soon.

There may be one or two more dates the band will play while they are here - but these are yet to be confirmed. Keep tuned to Leng Pleng for any further updates.

The interview with Conrad Keely is now up and available. Either click on the Interviews link in the menu above or CLICK HERE. He says some great things about the local Cambodian music scene.

This week sees the return of several bands which the local music scene has not had a chance to see for some time. The most anticipated is the return of Grass Snake Union who will play 2 nights (Friday and Saturday) at Equinox this weekend. The 6-piece band is a totally great time - describing themselves as bluegrass and up-tempo off-the-rails acoustic ensemble. With the new Equinox stage setup, including a brand new computerized lighting system it will be a packed dance-floor. Their latest video shoot on www.tuktuksessions.com is available here: http://www.tuktuksessions.com/?p=353.

This Saturday at around 9:00PM Dub Addiction will hit the stage for their first gig back in the land of wrong-way-drivers since the summer break. The gig is in support of the Cambodian Light Children Association Orphanage. Cool. Hope to see more of them soon. A map to the gig is available here: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=193906614018742&set=a.193905954018808.48855.132503300159074&type=1&theater

The Cambodian Space Project also returns to Phnom Penh. Yes, I know that I said that they will not be returning to Phnom Penh for quite some time - not once, but twice - but what can I say apart from extending my apologies. Almost certainly it is an artifact of the band having to arrange visas for its members. The band will be playing a series of gigs around Phnom Penh and Siem Reap between now and the 19th of November. Cool!

Other returnees around the traps include Paul Janovskis and Matt Dwyer who will play their acoustic blues/roots sets at FCC Phnom Penh this Saturday. The duo is playing a series of gigs between this weekend and the weekend of the 12th of November.

CamboJam return to the live music scene with a benefit concert in support of the victims of the floods. It is an open-mic arrangement - so all musicians are encouraged to get down there and perform for the families of those affected by the recent hardships. It will occur at the Banana Leaf on Friday night.

Cartoon Emo will be taking to the stage at Memphis Pub. This band is another example of great hard-core Khmer rock. Although they are a little inaccessible, you can catch them at the venue this Saturday night. Memphis Pub is hoping to put on a series of 3rd-party performers over the ensuing period in an effort to mix-it-up with the local great house band Rock Xpress. Watch Leng Pleng for any further updates.

The Muscle of Love are obviously not a fly-by-night assemblage as the Alice Cooper tribute band will make a return gig at Paddy Rice this Saturday. Cool! The Lazy Drunks will also emulate last week's great night of classic rock and pop again at the Red Orchid this Friday.

Also, there is a Sunday afternoon jam session occurring at the Music Arts School in BKK1, Phnom Penh. This is in support of the Daniel Pearl Music Days (see www.danielpearlmusicdays.org).

Lastly, Andy Brouwer, local journalist and fellow blogger, has started a series of postings in regard to a biography he has written on one of the best and coolest reggae bands to come on the world stage - Steel Pulse. It comes from a series of interviews he conducted with the band and the first of his postings can be read here: http://blog.andybrouwer.co.uk/2011/10/steel-pulse-chapter-1.html

I will leave you this week with a video that has absolutely nothing to do with Cambodia. I include it here because it is new this year, cool and eclectic. It is a song from Rihanna, a Jamaican born singer-songwriter who moved to the U.S. to kick start her career. She has met with a good deal of commercial success recording relatively poppy, candy-cored love songs dressed in a contemporary image of young, beautiful and vulnerable - not the sort of thing we generally post in Leng Pleng. Personally I really appreciate the bluesy-reggae fusion feel and brilliant vocals of this song with a good deal of digital-electronica thrown into the mix. The song, Man Down, was written by Rihanna and it takes this singer/songwriter back to her roots and I include it here for your listening pleasure.

From Ted and I here in the back streets of Phnom Penh, have a great weekend, be cool with each other and see you around the traps. Here's this weeks gig-guide.

Latest Gigs

Thursday 27-Oct-2011

8:30 PM ~ X-Pat Sound System at Meta House [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ DJ Leonie at the RiverHouse Lounge [MORE INFO]

Friday 28-Oct-2011

7:00 PM ~ Cambodian Space Project at Tchou Tchou School [MORE INFO]
8:00 PM ~ Lazy Drunks at Red Orchid [MORE INFO]
8:30 PM ~ Grass Snake Union at Equinox [MORE INFO]
8:30 PM ~ Holiday in Cambodia at Paddy Rice [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ CamboJam at Banana Leaf in Siem Reap [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ A Halloween Costume Party at the RiverHouse Lounge [MORE INFO]
10:00 PM ~ DJ Flo , DJ Rob Little and DJ Achaya at Pontoon [MORE INFO]

Saturday 29-Oct-2011

7:00 PM ~ X-Pat Sound System at Meta House [MORE INFO]
8:30 PM ~ Grass Snake Union at Equinox [MORE INFO]
8:30 PM ~ Muscle of Love at Paddy Rice [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Dub Addiction at Cambodian Light Children Association Orphanage [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Paul Janovskis and Matt Dwyer at FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Cambodian Space Project at Kon Khmer Koun Khmer in Siem Reap [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ DJ Illest , DJ Blue and DJ Gang at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
9:30 PM ~ Marco Anthony, Digital Punks, DJ Black and DJ Brown at Heart of Darkness [MORE INFO]
10:00 PM ~ Cartoon Emo at Memphis Pub [MORE INFO]

Sunday 30-Oct-2011

4:30 PM ~ Live Music at Music Arts School at Music Arts School [MORE INFO]

Coming Up

8th International Music Festival at various venues [MORE INFO]
Little Duke and the Mekong Blues Messengers at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
Siem Reap Japanese Dance Festival 第四回盆踊り大会 at Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor in Siem Reap [MORE INFO]
The Fumes at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
Dengue Fever * at FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO], Epic Arts Center (Kampot) [MORE INFO], Hotel De La Paix [MORE INFO], Battambang Town Square [MORE INFO] and Koh Pich [MORE INFO]
Kheltival at Wat Bothum [MORE INFO]
Totally Resurrected * at Ream National Park in Kampong Som [MORE INFO]
DJ D'Tonn, Dub Addcition, DJ Chase, DJ Matoo, DJ Gorimaa and DJ Edwardowski at Phare Ponleu Selpak Site in Battambang [MORE INFO]
Cambodian Space Project at la croisette [MORE INFO] and Gasolina [MORE INFO]
Supabad at FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
Warapo at FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
Salsa Explosion at FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]

Gig Guide - Thursday the 20th of October, 2011

2011-10-17T16:52:00.029+07:00

Hey,

I think I can definitively say that the low season is over for this year. Not only is this reflected in this week's bulging gig guide but also in this weeks blurb - which is full of news of festivals coming up, new gigs and new venues. Significantly, this is not restricted to Phnom Penh but is happening in all major provincial centers around Cambodia. Cool!

There is no less than 5 music festivals planned in Cambodia between now and the end of the year. There are two planned for Phnom Penh, these being the 8th International Music Festival put on by the Art+ Foundation in November and the Kheltival at Wat Bothum in December. The former festival focuses in on classical music and the latter is a celebration of Celtic music. In Battambang in December, over 2 days, there will be the 3rd Friendship Festival which will feature DJs and live music from Phnom Penh and, of course, amazing circus performances by the Phare Ponleu Selpak. In Siem Reap, in late November, there is the Japanese Dance Festival which Aya Urata from CamboJam is helping to organize. Please note that the date of this festival has changed due to the recent flooding. Finally, in the last week of the year near Sihanoukville, the Totally Resurrected music festival will occur over 8 days on the southern edge of Ream National Park. Stay tuned for any further updates on these fetsivals.

In addition to the festivals, there will be a tour in November by one of Cambodia's favorite bands - Dengue Fever. I can tell you that no dates have been confirmed for this tour yet but it is more than likely that there will be two or three gigs in Phnom Penh, one in Kampot, one in Siem Reap and one in Battambang. These will occur over the second and third weeks of November and will involve different types of gigs - from the full-on electrified version of the band to some warmer, slower acoustic sets. Cool! Keep posted to Leng Pleng as we will have news on where you can see the band, where to buy tickets and we will also feature an interview with the band in coming weeks.

Also, keep posted to Leng Pleng as we will post an exclusive interview with Conrad Keely about his recent trip to Cambodia.

The local music scene has seen a rise in the number of venues playing regular live music recently. This includes the Alley Cat Cafe (who will put on monthly acoustic sets over the coming period), the Red Orchid (who are looking to come online with regular gigs and with the Lazy Drunks playing there this Saturday night), K-West and Le Moon (who are putting on a huge Pink Party on Thursday night with a live music set and DJ party), and the Mad Monkey (who are looking to do regular acoustic music nights) . In addition to these, the X-Bar in Siem Reap have started a regular, weekly jam night on Wednesdays and the MetaHouse is looking at regular musical events on Thursdays - the first of which is on this week. All totally good news!

This week sees the return of the Phnom Penh Hippie Orchestra, who will play Thursday evening at K-West and on Friday at Sharkys as part of their Oktoberfest Weekend. The Hot Strings Jazz Club will play at Sharkys for the same event on the Saturday night.

Also returning to the scene will be the impeccable Sysé Swing who will play at Equinox on Saturday night. The Grass Snake Union Band are also back in town and to prove it all 6 of them got into a tuk-tuk - with cameraman and instruments - in order to to do a Tuk Tuk Sessions video shoot. You can see the photos at the Tuk-Tuk Sessions Facebook page here (https://www.facebook.com/tuktuksessions). The band will be back on stage at Equinox next week. Don't miss it!

Also news that Amanda Bloom is back in the studio! We will keep you updated of her new releases as soon as they come to hand.

Also, this week, news of two benefit gigs. The first will be at Equinox on Friday that will be a mix of DJs and live music jams by local musicians in order to raise funds for staff member Pisey. The night is being supported by several sponsors and will include lucky-draw prizes and drink specials. The second benefit will be at the Mad Monkey on Tuesday where the GTS Jazz Piano Trio will put on a show in order to raise funds for the family of staff member Mr. Chan.

For something different this weekend there is the Orient Express which is the band from the U.S. navy's 7th fleet. They are a collection of tuba, trombone, sax, keys and electric guitars so it should be quite a spectacle. They are billed as performing at Friendship Park (near the Naga casino) on Friday evening and at the Phnom Penh night market on Sunday evening. Be aware that these gigs have not been totally confirmed to me at the time of publication.

I will leave you this week with a video from the Teaner Terners befitting the Halloween weekend. It is a song called Pushups and is and electronic mix combined with scenes from B-grade movie from the early 90'. Look for the band in coming weeks as they perform this original piece.

From Ted and I here in the back streets of Phnom Penh, have a great weekend, be cool with each other and see you around the traps. Here's this weeks gig-guide.

Latest Gigs

Thursday 20-Oct-2011

7:00 PM ~ Phnom Penh Hippie Orchestra at K-West [MORE INFO]
8:30 PM ~ DJ Germain Priour and DJ Nico Mesterharm at MetaHouse [MORE INFO]
10:00 PM ~ DJ Illest at Le Moon [MORE INFO]

Friday 21-Oct-2011

7:00 PM ~ Peter Heeren at Meta House [MORE INFO]
7:00 PM ~ Orient Express-The 7th Fleet Band * at Friendship Park [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Phnom Penh Hippie Orchestra at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Le Voz at Paddy Rice [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Fundraiser for Pisey at Equinox [MORE INFO]
10:00 PM ~ Marco Anthony, Stryker Lefty and DJ Illest at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
10:00 PM ~ Dr. WahWah at Rubies Wine Bar [MORE INFO]

Saturday 22-Oct-2011

3:00 PM ~ DJ Ricardo, Dr House and El Kay at Serendipity Beach in Sihanouk Ville [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Hot Strings Jazz Club at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Sysé Swing at Equinox [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Lazy Drunks at the Red Orchid [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ VDJ Ta-Shi at RiverHouse Lounge [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ DJ Edwardowski at X-Bar in Siem Reap [MORE INFO]
10:00 PM ~ Hydrophonics and DJ Tech 12 at Pontoon [MORE INFO]

Sunday 23-Oct-2011

7:00 PM ~ Orient Express-The 7th Fleet Band * at the Phnom Penh Night Market [MORE INFO]
8:00 PM ~ Anton Isselhardt and Matthias Diener at Meta House [MORE INFO]

Tuesday 25-Oct-2011

8:00 PM ~ GTS Jazz Piano Trio at Mad Monkey [MORE INFO]

Coming Up

8th International Music Festival at various venues [MORE INFO]
Grass Snake Union Band at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Paul Janovskis and Matt Dwyer at the FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
Little Duke and the Mekong Blues Messengers at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
Siem Reap Japanese Dance Festival 第四回盆踊り大会 at Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor in Siem Reap [MORE INFO]
DJ Illest, DJ Blue and DJ Gang at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
Totally Resurrected * at Ream National Park in Kampong Som [MORE INFO]
GTS Jazz Piano Trio at Mad Monkey [MORE INFO]
Rob Little, DJ Flo and DJ Achaya at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
Cartoon Emo at Memphis Pub [MORE INFO]
The Fumes at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
DJ D'Tonn, Dub Addcition, DJ Chase, DJ Matoo, DJ Gorimaa and DJ Edwardowski at Phare Ponleu Selpak Site in Battambang [MORE INFO]
Kheltival at Wat Bothum [MORE INFO]
Dengue Fever at FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO], Epic Arts Center (Kampot) [MORE INFO], Hotel De La Paix [MORE INFO], Battambang Town Square [MORE INFO], and Koh Pich [MORE INFO]

Gig Guide - Friday the 14th of October, 2011

2011-10-10T15:24:00.036+07:00

Hey,

The two obvious words for this weeks gig-guide are 'rock' and 'indie' with around-about 90% of this week's live music performances emanating from people who describe their music using these words. The most prominent of which will be Conrad Keely who, together with Jason Reece, fronted a huge international band - ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead. This band has appeared on the U.S.'s Tonight Show with David Letterman a couple of times and have have accolades placed on them by Rolling Stone magazine and, the well-known internet publisher of alternative music reviews, Pitchfork Media. Conrad Keely will play a solo set of originals with his electric guitar at Equinox this Friday. So cool! This will be followed by the totally fun and substantial eclectic couple of sets by Ukes of Hazzard. I totally recommend you to get down there tonight.

Another other big gig on this Friday is the debut of a totally new, and subtly named, ensemble the Muscle of Love. It will feature a number of well-known local musicians and will cover the music of 70s garage-pop-rock-star Alice Cooper. This will be preceded by a set covering another U.S. grunge-rock outfit of the 70s - The Cramps - by members of the Stiff Little Punks. All happening at Sharkys.

Saturday sees a collection of special performances, starting with the unique sounds of singer/songwriter of 70s cult band Radio City, Skip Sutherland. This will be an early gig and is aimed at the no-longer-younger generation with kids who want to see live music but just can't quite seem to stay up as long as they may have used to. It will occur at Cafe Mith Samlanh in the garden of the Institut Francais du Cambodge. It starts at the very reasonable time of 10:00AM and will be a great place to take the kids while you can sit back enjoy a coffee and the great sounds coming from Skip and his cool guitar.

A quick note to say that Saturday night's gig by Little Duke and the Mekong Blues Messengers at Paddy Rice has also had to be rescheduled due to unavoidable circumstances. The band promises to be back in action soon.

As an alternative on Saturday night you can get down to MetaHouse at 7:00PM where the launch of a brand new music magazine will occur. The magazine is being put together by the Department of Media and Communication (DMC) at the Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP) and will be called Dontrey. The content of the magazine will cover ancient tribal music to the internationally renowned Khmer rock of the 1960s to the pop music of today. Cool! The launch at MetaHouse will allow you to purchase the first issue of the magazine as well as see and hear music from students of DMC-RUPP and also Mr. Svay Saw - one of the original musicians who played with the legendary Sin Sisomouth.

Saturday night also sees Sharkys latest live-music rendition - the Battle of the Bands. The night will pit some of the venue's best expat bands against some of the newest and best Khmer heavy rock bands available in the country. With about 8 bands playing around 15-minute sets each - it should be a totally great showcase of great rock & roll talent. With bar-manager Dave playing in at least one of the bands, I hope they have the judging system sorted out.

Alternatively, cadres of the Salsa culture can take to the dance floor at the FCC Phnom Penh on Saturday night as DJ Jimmy Salsa does the job of getting peoples feet moving. Cool!

I will leave you this week with 2 videos from the Conrad Keely and from ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead. Enjoy them here:

From Ted and I here in the back streets of Phnom Penh, have a great weekend, be cool with each other and see you around the traps. Here's this weeks gig-guide.

Latest Gigs

Friday 14-Oct-2011

8:30 PM ~ Muscle of Love and Goo-Goo Muck Muck at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ The Ukes of Hazard and Conrad Keely at Equinox [MORE INFO]
10:00 PM ~ Nervo at Pontoon [MORE INFO]

Saturday 15-Oct-2011

10:00 AM ~ Skip at Cafe Mith Samlanh [MORE INFO]
7:00 PM ~ New Music Magazine at Meta House [MORE INFO]
8:00 PM ~ the Lazy Jazz Drunks, Stiff Little Punks, Splitter, the Teaner Terners, Sliten6ix and Anti-Fate at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
8:30 PM ~ DJ Jimmy Salsa at the FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
9:30 PM ~ DJ Illest at Pontoon [MORE INFO]

Coming Up

8th International Music Festival at various venues [MORE INFO]
Sysé Swing at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Grass Snake Union Band at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Paul Janovskis and Matt Dwyer at the FCC Phnom Penh, the FCC Angkor, Equinox, the Cadillac Bar, and Paddy Rice [MORE INFO]
Little Duke and the Mekong Blues Messengers at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
Phnom Penh Hippie Orchestra at K-West [MORE INFO] and at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
Hot Strings Jazz Club at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
Totally Resurrected at Ream National Park in Kampong Som [MORE INFO]
Marco Anthony, Stryker Lefty and DJ Illest at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
Siem Reap Japanese Dance Festival 第四回盆踊り大会 at Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor in Siem Reap [MORE INFO]
DJ Illest, DJ Blue and DJ Gang at Pontoon [MORE INFO]

Gig Guide - Thursday the 6th of October, 2011

2011-10-05T21:19:00.039+07:00

Hey,

My apologies for the late gig rundown this week. Hope all is well and that you are ready for an outrageous foray into the latest music scene this weekend.

Please note that the Little Duke and the Mekong Blues Messengers gig slated for Equinox this Saturday night has been rescheduled. We will keep you posted on the new date for this gig as soon as details come to hand. Equinox has a great series of quality gigs lined up this month - check out the coming up section below.

This weekends serve of delectable live music starts at 5:00PM at the Chaktomuk Theatre this evening when the 50-piece ABC Festival Orchestra puts on a benefit concert for the Association of the Blind in Cambodia. This is a totally unique opportunity for all lovers of classical music in Cambodia and, of course, anyone who enjoys a totally great spectacle. There will be 8 Khmer musicians amongst the orchestra. The body of the orchestra is the ASEAN orchestra who will return next year when Cambodia has the presidency of ASEAN.

Friday continues in Siem Reap with the much anticipated return of CamboJam at the Banana Leaf. Cool! In Phnom Penh, Friday serves up gigs from Musikero at Paddy Rice and the Lazy Jazz Drunks at Sharkys. The latter gig will be the first of a calendar series of gigs at this venue. Next weekend they will feature a brand new line-up in the form of Muscle of Love (an Alice Cooper tribute band) who will be showcased by a Cramps tribute band put together by Dave and Ian of the Stiff Little Punks. The same weekend there will be as many as 8 bands on stage as they compete to be Cambodia's best rock & roll band in the venue's Battle of the Bands. Sharkys will also feature the Phnom Penh Hippie Orchestra and the Hot String Jazz Club in coming weeks for their weekend of Oktoberfest. Watch out for these gigs in subsequent guides.

It can now be confirmed that Dengue Fever will play Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville, Battambang, and Siem Reap. Great! This will be a totally great chance you to see one of the best bands playing Cambodian psychedelic rock and see them in an exotic location. More details on dates and venues as they come to hand.

November / December are looking totally great for live music in Kampong Som this year. Not only will there be a Dengue Fever concert but we can announce two absolutely huge pieces of news of mega-proportions for the local music scene. Firstly, a brand new venue will open up in Sihanoukville in November. It will be a large purpose-built live music venue together with a live-music recording studio. It will be called The Led Zephyr and the details can be seen here: http://www.TheLedZephyr.com. There will be a celebratory opening party on the 3rd of December, 2011.

Secondly, there will be a week-long music festival on the edge of Ream National Park in the last week of this year. It is entitled Totally Resurrected and the details of the line-up of bands can be seen here: http://www.totallyresurrected.com/lineup.html. Again, more details on this event as they come to hand.

Also look out for a benefit gig at the Mad Monkey in a couple of weeks. It will feature a number of local jazz musicians and seems to be a cause worth supporting.

Lastly this week, I will point you in the direction of the totally worthwhile Tuk Tuk Sessions who have just posted a couple of great videos of some international Bluegrass musicians from the U.S.. These guys flew into town and were seen popping-up at various venues last week - including the Electric Eclectic Limelight Jukebox Jam. Click the picture to link to http://www.tuktuksessions.com/ and see the videos.

From Ted and I here in the back streets of Phnom Penh, have a great weekend, be cool with each other and see you around the traps. Here's this weeks gig-guide.

Latest Gigs

Wednesday 12-Oct-2011

9:00 PM ~ Wurttemberg Chamber Orchestra at Hotel InterContinental [MORE INFO]

Thursday 6-Oct-2011

9:00 PM ~ GTS Jazz Piano Trio at K-West [MORE INFO]

Friday 7-Oct-2011

5:00 PM ~ The ABC Festival Orchestra at Chaktomok Theatre [MORE INFO]
8:30 PM ~ Musikero at Paddy Rice [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ CamboJam at Banana Leaf in Seim Reap [MORE INFO]
10:00 PM ~ Lazy Jazz Drunks at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Dr. Wah Wah at Rubies Wine Bar [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ DJ Bassbender and DJ DSN at Elsewhere [MORE INFO]
9:30 PM ~ DJ Adsorb at Pontoon [MORE INFO]

Saturday 8-Oct-2011

8:30 PM ~ VOP at the FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ DJ Dan Beck, DJ Cyncity and DJ Peanut at the Eighty8 [MORE INFO]
9:30 PM ~ Marc Hype, Jim Dunloop and DSK at Pontoon [MORE INFO]

Sunday 9-Oct-2011

6:00 PM ~ Cambodian Living Arts at Meta House [MORE INFO]

Coming Up

8th International Music Festival at various venues [MORE INFO]
The Ukes of Hazard at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Nervo at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
Sysé Swing at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Grass Snake Union Band at Equinox [MORE INFO]
DJ Jimmy Salsa at the FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
Paul Janovskis at the FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
Little Duke and the Mekong Blues Messengers at Paddy Rice [MORE INFO] and at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
Phnom Penh Hippie Orchestra at K-West [MORE INFO] and at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
Hot Strings Jazz Club at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
Muscle of Love at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
Totally Resurrected at Ream National Park in Kampong Som [MORE INFO]
Stiff Little Punks, Splitter, the Teaner Terners, the Lazy Jazz Drunks and Cambodian Headbangers Bands at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
Mr Chans Benefit Gig at the Mad Monkey [MORE INFO]

Gig-Guide - Thursday the 29th of September, 2011

2011-09-27T08:47:00.039+07:00

Hey,

We hope everyone has enjoyed the wonderful celebration and ceremony which is the annual PChum Ben break. We hope that you all survived safe and sound and paid respect to all those wonderful people whom you know from the past. Ted and I also hope the flooding hasn't got you down. I am sure that all fellow Leng Pleng enthusiasts will join us in wishing all those affected by the flooding in the northern reaches of the country the best in overcoming the recent adversity.

One band I neglected to mention in last weeks wrap of the bands covering the fusion between Khmer and Western music is, of course, Dengue Fever. They are probably the first, best known and most successful of all the bands to cover this genre, so I wondered to myself why I had not included them. It was probably related to the fact they they have not been seen in Cambodia very much and, certainly, not on a regular basis. Well that is going to change later this year as the band returns to Cambodia in November!!!!! It is totally great news and I know a lot of people, including Ted and I, are very happy to hear the news. Their tour will also incorporate Laos and Vietnam.

Well, it definitely looks like things are picking up now. We have been contacted with no less than three new acts this week and have seen the return of several bands back into the Kingdom - including the members of the capitals two hottest bands Dub Addiction and the Grass Snake Union Band. Of the new acts, one exciting ensemble looks to be the GTS Jazz Piano Trio. The band will debut next month at a venue which is new to hosting live music - K-West. The trio will feature an upright bass and as they delve into the golden era of western music from the earlier part of last century. They are touted as "Irresistible swing from ‘30s to sumptuous, melodic arrangements of famous standards.". Cool!

MetaHouse has two gigs on this weekend which both look to be very special indeed. Thursday they will feature Cambodian music in the form of the heavy metal Animation and also feature one of Cambodia's better known and energetic rap performers, Bou Khleang. Well worth getting down there.

On Friday night the venue introduces two bands featuring musicians from the U.S.. The concert will explore experimental sounds and ambient noises and, as such, it should be a rather unique experience for all music lovers. Both bands reside in South Korea and Awkward Binoculars has toured Japan and south-east Asia as well as releasing two albums. Their web site is available here.

Equinox has not been idle over their mid-year sojourn and have now upgraded their stage with new features that include computer controlled lights. Cool! The system can be witnessed this Saturday night as Holliday in Cambodia return with the second of their two gigs this weekend - their first being Paddy Rice on Friday.

Also watch out for the Cambodian Space Project this weekend. I am reliably assured that this will definitely be the last time you will be able to catch the band for quite some time. They are on a fly-through visit back from their gigs in England and will fly on to do some gigs in Singapore, Bali and Tasmania. They are planning an extended stay in Australia hence we may not get to see the band in Cambodia for some time.

Look out next month when Equinox comes fully back online with gigs by Little Duke and the Mekong Blues Messengers, the Ukes of Hazzard, Syse Swing and the Grass Snake Union Band. Definitely the most happening live music venue in town.

I will leave you this week with a taste of what you can expect later this year with the arrival of Dengue Fever - check it out!

From Ted and I here in the back-streets of Phnom Penh - have a great weekend, be cool with each other and see you around the traps.

Latest Gigs

Thursday 29-Sep-2011

8:30 AM ~ Animation and Bou Khleang at MetaHouse [MORE INFO]

Friday 30-Sep-2011

8:00 PM ~ Awkward Binoculars* and Fume Hood* at MetaHouse [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Tim Coates at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Holliday in Cambodia at Paddy Rice

Saturday 1-Oct-2011

9:00 PM ~ The Cambodian Space Project at Mao's [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Holliday in Cambodia at Equinox [MORE INFO]
9:30 PM ~ DJ Solo at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
9:30 PM ~ DJ Stryker lefty, Rob Little, DJ Black, DJ Brown at the Heart of Darkness [MORE INFO]

Sunday 2-Oct-2011

9:00 PM ~ The Cambodian Space Project at the Alley Cat Cafe [MORE INFO]

Coming Up

8th International Music Festival at various venues [MORE INFO]
Wurttemberg Chamber Orchestra at Hotel InterContinental [MORE INFO]
Little Duke the Mekong Blues Messengers at Equinox [MORE INFO], Paddy Rice and Sharkys
The Ukes of Hazard at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Lazy Jazz Drunks at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
Sysé Swing at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Grass Snake Union Band at Equinox [MORE INFO]
GTS Jazz Piano Trio at K-West [MORE INFO]
Nervo at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
Dub Addiction at the Bongo Club [MORE INFO]
VOP at the FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
DJ Jimmy Salsa at the FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
Paul Janovskis at the FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]
Dengue Fever playing Phnom Penh and the provinces

Gig Guide - Thursday the 22nd of September, 2011

2011-09-20T15:21:00.025+07:00

Hey,

I hesitate to say that the music scene is starting to pick up again. I hesitate because the last two times I have written such things the subsequent gig guide nose-dived into a series of regular copy & paste scenarios - notwithstanding the strength of the DJ scene.

This week, however, there seems to be some possible impetus injecting itself into the local music traps around town. The first being local Khmer pop 'heart-throb' Top Man at Le Café Mith Samlanh tonight. Top Man follows the traditional contemporary love-rock ballads with the screaming guitar breaks and forlorn lyrics with an occasional electrified vocals thrown into the mix. Like most music of this genre, the performance focuses on the image of the vocals performer.

If you are looking for a Khmer performance that involves full-on rock and a fully involved band then get to Equinox on Saturday when Sliten6ix will perform their outrageous and original heavy metal rock. This band is emerging from a whole suite of new Khmer rock bands that have touted their wares at various venues across town over the present year. Saturday night will see a new chapter emerging in this story.

The famous annual piss-up will occur again this weekend at the Sunway Hotel when Oktoberfest comes to town. The band flown in for this years event will be the Bayern-Land Echo who will pump out some totally fun, traditional German folk as patrons swig their beers and get up on the dance floor. The event happens both Friday and Saturday starting at 7:00PM.

Rubies are hosting one of their always-popular parties on the corner of streets 19 & 240 on Friday night. Once again it will be Dr Wah Wah who will spin the tunes and get the mood happening late into the evening.

Finally, an Australian radio journalist, Stephanie Francis, was in the country around the time of the Kampot River Music Festival in June of this year. She was making a documentary about the status of the live music scene in the Kingdom. The documentary was aired on the BBC World Service this week and the podcast of the documentary can be heard here - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00k4s9z. There are some interesting interviews and comments by several local performers in the 23 minute coverage and it is worth a listen.

An important aspect covered by this documentary is the assertion that the local music scene has been gaining its strength from the fusion bands that are emerging from the influence of Khmer music on local expats and vice-verse. In particular the Cambodian Space Project, Dub Addiction, KlapYaHadz and Cheat's Kampot Band are mentioned. The recent emergence of the local Khmer rock bands was not covered but is another example of this. I believe these recent successes have been an artifact of the great musical ideas (past and present) tied up in the local Cambodians, Cambodian's love of music and the influence of expats who can provide genre's, inspiration and framework that allows new expressions to emerge. The success of the Cambodian Space Project has been built on the brilliant musical ideas that emerged in Cambodia in the late 1960s and the ability of this band's members to bring this to the ears and minds of the western audience.

I believe there are more opportunities waiting to emerge from this fusion, but it will take some level of boldness and support on behalf of the musicians,venues and audience.The opportunities in creativity and appreciation available to artists who can successfully meld the music from different cultures is real - not to mention a totally great time for audience and performers alike.

I will leave you today with two videos. One from Dub Addiction and one from Gobshite. Enjoy them.

Have a greeat weekend, be cool with each other and see you around the traps. Here's this weeks gig guide.

Latest Gigs

Thursday 22-Sep-2011

9:00 PM ~ Top Man at Le Cafe Mith Samlanh [MORE INFO]

Friday 23-Sep-2011

7:00 PM ~ Bayern-Land Echo* at Sunway Hotel [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Warren Daly at Equinox [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Eddie Halliwell at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Dr. WahWah at Rubies Wine Bar [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ DJ Cool Sam and DJ Bobby at RiverHouse Lounge [MORE INFO]

Saturday 24-Sep-2011

7:00 PM ~ Bayern-Land Echo* at Sunway Hotel [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Sliten6ix at Equinox [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ Lazy Jazz Drunks at Sharkys [MORE INFO]
9:00 PM ~ DJ A-1 at Pontoon [MORE INFO]

Tuesday 27-Sep-2011

8:30 AM ~ At Robieb at The Big Easy [MORE INFO]

Coming Up

8th International Music Festival at Various [MORE INFO]
Wurttemberg Chamber Orchestra at Hotel InterContinental [MORE INFO]
The Cambodian Space Project at Mao's [MORE INFO]
Holiday in Cambodia at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Little Duke and the Mekong Blues Messengers at Equinox [MORE INFO]
Tim Coates at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
Marc Hype, Jim Dunloop and DSK at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
Tim Coates at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
The ABC Festival Orchestra at Chaktomuk Conference Hall [MORE INFO]
DJ Adsorb* at Pontoon [MORE INFO]
Dengue Fever Electric Mekong Tour [MORE INFO]

Gig Guide - Thursday the 15th of September, 2011

2011-09-13T16:21:00.017+07:00

Latest Gigs

Friday 16-Sep-2011

8:30 PM ~ Marco Anthony, Rob Little and Stryker Lefty at Pontoon [MORE INFO]

8:00 PM ~ Musikero at Mad Monkey Hotel [MORE INFO]

8:30 PM ~ Engerla Cabaret Show at Mao's [MORE INFO]

Saturday 17-Sep-2011

8:00 PM ~ Mari Jinnai, Issei Sakano and Ikeda Bondamnag at MetaHouse [MORE INFO]

9:00 PM ~ Bum N Draze and Squishy at Sharkys [MORE INFO]

9:00 PM ~ DJ Jimmy at FCC Phnom Penh [MORE INFO]

9:00 PM ~ Marco Anthony at Harem Shisha Lounge [MORE INFO]

9:00 PM ~ Ghetto Blasters - aka Hydro Phonics and DJ Tech 12 at Pontoon [MORE INFO]

Coming Up

The 8th International Music Festival at various venues [MORE INFO]

The Wurttemberg Chamber Orchestra at the Hotel InterContinental [MORE INFO]