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

Greetings:

The big item this weekend is in Siem Reap, with the Slam City Metal Fest at Atlantis and X Bar on Friday and Saturday showcasing metal bands from Cambodia, Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand.  Also noteworthy are Saturday events in the south – a garden party featuring Kampot Playboys and DJs at Meraki in Kampot while Kep Natural celebrate their first anniversary with a night of the many acts that have graced their stage in the last year.  In Phnom Penh Garage Fest continues, featuring the rebooted Cambodian Space Project with Thyda Chea along with Japan Guitar Shop and others at Villa Grange.

On Thursday in Phnom Penh you can find Loopy Reggae at The Box Office/Speakeasy Theatre, Los Primos at Samai Rum Distillery, Phil O’Flaherty at Botanico, while Jeffro Starks is at The Deck and Ramy Falcon is at Hideout.  The Extraordinary Chambers go late at Oscar’s on the Corner.  In Siem Reap, Matau & Giuliano are at Harry’s & The Welsh Consulate and the classical duo Angkor Classique are at Villa D.

Friday night in Phnom Penh, Penh Pals appear with special guest GG at Tacos Kokopelli, The Broken Cymbal are at Botanico and Kiss Bang Bong are at Craft. Birthdays are celebrated at Unforgettable Music Bar with The Visa Runners and Alli G, and Cosy Cosys are at Little Susie.  Later and louder, find visiting French brass marching band Volcanic Cocopulse at La Petanque and Los Primos at Oscar’s on the Corner.  In Kampot, Kampot Playboys are at Kapal, Scott Bywater returns to The Green Room and Graham Cain is at Power of Love.  In Siem Reap, Kodi & Andy are at Funan Reamker.

On Saturday in Phnom Penh, Volcanic Cocopulse are conducting a Barathon – marching from place to place, beginning at Palace Lane, threading their way through the city to finish at Bassac Street.  Meanwhile Havana Nice are at Duplex and there’s a Thai hip hop night with P6ICK, 1ST and THAOWANZ at Hemisphere, while Temple go late into the night at Oscar’s on the Corner.  In Kampot, Dane & Scoddy are at 1960 Restaurant and in Siem Reap Smokey & the Lefricaans are back at FCC Angkor.

Coming soon, Geography of the Moon have a new live EP that they will be releasing early in April – stay tuned to LengPleng (and RadioOun.com) for both a review and track previews.

The LengPleng Feature Article

The Art of Loud – Slam City Metal Fest in Siem Reap

Before COVID hit there was a nice little touring circuit building up for visiting metal acts in particular – and it’s coming back, particularly for bands from the region.   Slam City Festival in Siem Reap will be held this weekend at Atlantis Metal Bar on Friday and X Bar on Saturday, a celebration of metal featuring bands from Cambodia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.  LengPleng got in touch to try and find out more about our visitors – Dead People and Sandy Good from Philippines and Cút Lộn from Vietnam.

Read the full article here

Passing Chords – a few things you may not know about

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Michael “Chicago Mike” McCann.   Guitarist and one third of the songwriters in new Phnom Penh trio Penh Pals. “I’ve been teaching abroad for the past 20 years – in Venezuela, Honduras, Macau, Burkina Faso, China, and Cambodia.Through the years I’ve always been in some form of teacher/student band, often with some great local musicians.  I’m glad to have met Ariane Parkes & Liam Jones at the Sunday Sundowners open mic at Tacos Kokopelli, and so happy and grateful to be playing in Penh Pals. I’m learning so much from the experience and having so much fun.”

Do you have a pet musical hate?
Not really, but there are definitely genres I avoid.

A private musical indulgence:
I love funk, disco and anything that is grooving! Although I am generally too anxious to dance in public, I love music that makes me want to dance – Chic, Prince, Outkast, and modern stuff like Anderson.Paak and Thievery Corporation.

The year you first came to Cambodia:
July 2019.

An early music memory:
I spent my childhood summers on a lake in northern Michigan in the US. Our ski boat had an 8-track player. As a young teen, our group of friends would pack into the boat and spend the whole day out on the water. We had four 8-tracks that we just played over and over and over for years: The Beach Boys – Endless Summer; The Eagles – Greatest Hits; Rush – 2112 and Foreigner –Four.  If I hear any of those bands now, I am instantly transported back to the boat.

The last thing you had to eat:
Seafood fried rice with soy sauce. Heaven!

A country you want to visit:
Ireland to see my family’s roots.  And Peru, my wife’s homeland, which I haven’t been to yet. It would be great for us and our son to go!

A book or movie you keep going back to:
Book: In the Belly of the Beast by Jack Henry Abbott, a terrifying prison memoir. Movie:
In the Name of the Father starring Daniel Day Lewis and Emma Thompson. TV: The Wire – never get sick of it.

What languages do you have?
English and Spanish.

Your primary instrument, and when you started playing it:
Acoustic guitar. I started playing quite late – I was almost 30. I used to go to see this Irish guy playing at pub in Chicago every week and he was just so inspiring that I wanted to try.  I borrowed a cheap acoustic from a friend and signed up for lessons. My first teacher was a 14 year kid and he was so good!

Something people might be surprised to know about you:
My dream job is to be an album cover designer. I love photography, photoshop, & art. I have one musician’s album that I designed which is on Spotify and Apple Music. I keep hoping my phone will ring for more.

You have a time machine and a magic ticket to one gig or festival in the past. What do you choose?
Would have loved to seen The Red Hot Chili Peppers at Slane Castle, Ireland in 2003.  Or Anderson.Paak & the Free Nationals Grubhub show… Google it. Amazing performance by such a talent!

Question from the last participant – do you have a collection of musical instruments?
No, I wish. I have a 1968 Yamaha folk guitar that I love but is constantly having issues, and recently I bought a really cheap acoustic as a back-up. I have a 1989 Strat Squire that I rarely play.

Steve Porte Photo of the Week

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bob Passion & the Indispensables at Oscar’s on the Corner, Friday 24 March 2023.  See you next time Bob.

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 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 30 March 2023

** 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:

PlanB Magical Mekong Tour 2023

 

By Weekly Wrap