***for full gig listings jump to the bottom***

Greetings,

Of note in Phnom Penh on Friday is Mary & Takeshi performing at Cloud, Winsum Losesum saying farewell to singer Jack Dodd at Bosporus, Los Primos at Duplex and The Temple at Oscar’s on the Corner.   In Siem Reap, Fresh Beets are at Laundry Bar.

 On Saturday, Khmer Magic Music Bus are at Craft, it’s Intan Andriana at Seekers Spirits, Arome Khmer at Cloud and Boxchords are at The Glasshouse.  Later on, Kampot Playboys are at Duplex,

Bosporus hosts Japan Guitar Shop with Frank Scarfone opening, and The Blue Souls with Phil Javelle are at Oscar’s on the Corner. In Siem Reap, there’s a double bill of The Wildmen and Alpaca Lips at Star Bar.

Come Sunday, alongside regular afternoon gigs at Bar Oz, The Vine and Tacos Kokopelli, you can find Gareth Bawden at Central Café, Khmer Magic Music Bus at Le Vin, and Skin & String at Back Street Bar.

Late and loud, Joe & the Jumping Jacks are at Oscar’s on the Corner.

Passing Chords:  a few things you might not know about…

Michelle Neukirchen, cellist, recently of Skin & String; also a member of Maki Orkestr and the  Phnom Penh Symphony Orchestra.  Skin & String will play at Back Street Bar this Sunday evening.

Do you have a pet musical hate?

Nothing strong comes to mind.  We’ve all got quirks, and I’m still learning allllll the time, so I accept most of what’s happening around me.  If I had to choose something, it would be dealing with sound issues – especially monitors.  I wish I could hear what I want, when I want it.

A private musical indulgence:

About 5 years ago I started listening to singer/songwriter-type ballads and trying to figure out a cello part.  I’ll even hum along a cello part when I see live music. Basically, I’ve been prepping my cello brain for Skin & Strong for ages.

The year you first came to Cambodia :

Oh gosh… I think…… 2010? Typical Mekong tourist stuff — driving over the Thai border to reach Siem Reap.

An early music memory:

I’ve got strong Sesame Street melodies swimming through my brain. Sunny days, sweeping the clouds away.

The last thing you had to eat:

Sumatra Gado-Gado.  Delish!

A country you want to visit:

Namibia & Cuba – they’re pretty high on my list.

A book or movie you keep going back to:

The Master and Margarita is pretty special.

What languages do you have?

Have? Well, I guess I have a firm grasp on English… though that’s questionable sometimes.  But, I can definitely buy vegetables in four other languages: Spanish, French, Dari & Urdu.

Your primary instrument, and when you started playing it:

Cello.  I started when I was 8, but fantasized about it from the age of 7.

Something people might be surprised to know about you:

Most people think I dye my hair white.  Not true!  It turned white when I was 23.

You have a time machine and a magic ticket to one gig or festival in the past.  What do you choose?

1962 – Jacqueline de Pré’s performance of the Elgar cello concerto at Royal Festival Hall, London.  Her performance is captivating – she finds nooks and crannies in the music that would make anyone swoon.

A question from the last participant, Frisco Tony: how do you prepare for a gig?

I don’t really have rituals.  For Skin & String – we’re doing a lot of original songs and I spend most of the day before a show listening to our recordings to remember as much as I can.  It’s way different from playing classical music with everything written out. I’ve built deep respect for artists that play from memory.  It is HARD.

 

Steve Porte Photo of the Week

It’s great to see a resurgent Kampot Playboys back on the scene (at Duplex on Saturday night)– here’s a flashback to Chiet and Nget at a Street 308 party on 1 November, 2019.

Our sister publication, kumnooh.com, aims to provide a lengpleng.com service for the wider arts – painting, sculpture, literature, dance, architecture and classical music – across Cambodia.  Every Tuesday – to subscribe send a subscribe email to fabianhipp@kumnooh.com.

If you wish to receive LengPleng in your inbox every Thursday please send a subscribe email to gigs@lengpleng.com.

Musicians, venues, punters:  if there are things that you know that LengPleng should know, please tell us and we’ll do our best to tell the world.

See you around the traps.

your correspondent,

 

Guillermo Wheremount
LengPleng.com
gigs@lengpleng.com (mailto:gigs@lengpleng.com)

Weekly Gig Guide – week commencing Thursday 16 June 2022

** residency/weekly

For DJs and clubs, we recommend Phnom Penh Underground

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

*Note that Wednesday events are often not announced until early in the week – check back here for updates*

Coming soon:

 

By Weekly Wrap