Crying Nut start their tour THIS Saturday!
SXSW is just around the corner (March 7th to be exact) and we’ve got days of interviews lined up for you guys! We’re spotlighting some of the awesome Korean bands that are coming to the States to spread not just their own music, but the power of the Korean Rock scene as a whole! Enjoy the interviews, this next one being with Korean Rock legends Crying Nut. They’ve definitely helped pave the way for future Korean Punks hoping to leave their mark in the scene, and as someone who’s seen them live I have first hand experience of their music prowess and stage presence! If you can make it out to one of their shows, DO IT!
Crying Nut– 5분세탁
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Congrats on your tour and playing SXSW! Please introduce yourselves!
Yoonsik Park: Hi! We’re the punk band Crying Nut from Seoul, South Korea. We were the first punk band in Korea and have been together since 1993. We like to play hard, have a lot of fun, and drink! We’re touring the US from March 8 – 18. We hope we can meet some of you there!
Why are you excited to be playing at SXSW 2014? How do you plan to make the most of this great opportunity?
Insoo Kim: We played at SXSW in 2012 and had a great time there, so we’re really excited to get to visit Austin and experience the festival again. We don’t really have any specific plans on how to make the most of our visit- we’re just going to go there, be ourselves and play with a lot of energy. Hopefully people will enjoy what we do and get wild and loud with us. Aside from playing, I think we are all interested in meeting lots of other musicians, making some new friends, and seeing lots of great shows.
Where do you guys get your musical inspiration?
Insoo Kim: I listen to a lot of different kinds of music before I make a song and wait for musical inspiration to hit, and if that doesn’t happen then I drink! Sometimes that leads to inspiration as well.
Sangmyun Lee: I think all of us get inspiration from everything we see and do.
I know it can be hard for Korean bands to get the opportunity to perform in America. What advice would you give to a band wanting to tour the States?
Insoo Kim: America is a lot farther away than Japan or China is, so it’s obviously a lot harder to get there and more expensive as well. The price of a visa is high too. But if bands want to tour the US, they can save their money and do it. Try it and see what you can experience and learn from the trip.
It’s hard for Korean musicians to get notoriety if they don’t have a mainstream Kpop sound. What was it that made people start to notice you guys as a band, and when did you all begin to really get popular?
Sangmyun Lee: When we first started, Korea had no punk culture or punk bands. We brought punk music to Korea. Because we played a different and unfamiliar style of music, had different fashion and a different attitude, we tended to stick out. We played constantly, and have kept doing so (except when we were doing our mandatory military service). I think that’s why people noticed us and continue noticing us.
Sanghyuk Lee: I think people started noticing us because we weren’t Kpop.
Besides performing and making new fans, are there any other things Crying Nut is looking forward to doing while in the States? Any places you guys wanna see or foods you wanna eat?
Yoonsik Park: We want to eat lots of barbecue in Austin and drink lots of delicious beer!
Insoo Kim: I want to see as many gigs as I can and meet lots of local bands. In Austin I want to go to Hoeks Death Metal Pizza, and I also want to eat chili mango while we’re in the US.
You guys have some shows before and after SXSW, right? Where are they gonna be?
March 8 Pomona, CA @ Characters
March 9 Los Angeles, CA @ Redwood Bar & Grill
March 11 Austin, TX @ (10:30 pm) Elysium (Official SXSW Showcase)
March 14 Austin, TX @ (4:30 pm) The Dog & Duck Pub (Exchange Entertainment presents)
March 15 Austin, TX @ (6 pm) Antone’s Records (Freddie Steady’s 14th Annual Frontier a Go Go Rock & Roll Hootenanny)
March 16 San Antonio, TX @ Limelight
March 18 Los Angeles, CA @ Cafe Nela
What are some of your future plans? Anything big in the works?
Yoonsik Park: We released our seventh full-length album last summer, “Flaming Nuts.” We’re going to keep on playing gigs in support of that. I think we’re going to record a new single after our US tour as well.
I hope you all have a sick time! Anything special you want to say to fans before the tour starts?
Sanghyuk Lee: Come hang out and have fun with us at the gigs. Let’s all drink together!
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Crying Nut– Give Me The Money
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPl8fM_iNEQ
Follow Crying Nut:
https://www.facebook.com/CryingNut