December is a no-man's land for music with many bands in the studio recording. The new year should bring us long-awaited releases from Degaruda, Plastic Section, and The Sangsom Massacre. The boys in Panic Station just released a new EP in November. A few new bands have entered the fray including Count the Thief, Demon Sugar and Deadtown Trash the quality of the emerging Bangkok music scene is evident and it keeps getting better. Also, be on the look out for the mad crooner of Manchester, Paul Wilkinson last seen at Fatty's beating off adoring fans... (or was he just beating off?) And let's not forget the champions of Bangkok Brit-Pop The Standards have release their second album "Sirens" and will be performing at Austin's South by Southwest (SxSW) in March.... so I missed yet another Big Mountain Music Festival with headliner Black Rebel motorcycle Club - if Anton Newcombe ever reforms The Brian Jonestown Massacre and plays BMMF, I will not miss that! Silverlake Festival in Pattaya on the beginning of March will feature the mad genius Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails.
This coming Friday night - Friday the 13th- you can dip into Popscene at Play Yard with Turtle Giant and visiting artist Shane Palko (for his second trip here) and new band on the Bangkok radar, Count the Thief. Alternatively, you can visit Harmonica for rare-to-play-yet-always-lively Superhans and the harmonizing duo of Camp Krusty with Will Corbin and Dan Bates - oh yes, and Will has a new album out produced by up and coming Bangkok music producer Paul Romaine.
Anyway it's the time of giving and American Thanksgiving went by without me expressing thanks. Thank you bangkok musicians, artists, writers, and creative weirdoes for giving me inspiration so late in life. A big shout out to the eyes of the Bangkok scene including Larry Hill for all his painstaking efforts in documenting shows via video; the photographer known as Jasmin; the expert videos by Gary Boyle; and my good friend, the lomographer, "Knavish Tricks."
The next year is looking to be even more amazing that 2013 as Bangkok galvanizes its place amongst the world's best music scenes in the world.
Here's a list of bands to see outside of all the bands I have mentioned already:
Kinetics - amazing band and the drummer rocks!
Itchy Band - the Chiang main 4-piece are playing at Zoo very soon - don't miss that because they don't get down to Bangkok very often and are only doing one show.
aire - They have a new release out and after much nagging have agreed to do one of my next podcasts.
Sticky Rice - bangkok's got riddim and soul and Da. Pookster proves it.
Wednesday - one guy creating a soundscape with a guitar and effects - Put is also the proprietor of Harmonica as well as the drummer of Plastic Section and Basement Tape.
Basement Tape - one of my favorite Bands in town - not to be missed.
Bone Clone - the last time you saw Bone Clone they may have been dressed as women or painted as ghouls - don't let that stop you from getting a full on earache-inducing aural assault.
OK, that's it. See you at the shows.
PS - Don't forget to get your tickets for Stone Music Festival Free #3!