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

Greetings,

If there was any doubt, the listings for this weekend confirm that the live music scene in Cambodia is now getting up to full tilt, with no signs of slowing down.  Even open mics are popping up everywhere, as noted by our friends at Khmer Nights.

And it begins tonight, Thursday, with The Blue Souls at Trattoria Bello, new outfit Soul Front at Little Susie, perennial favourites Geography of the Moon at Sundance Inn & Saloon and The Extraordinary Chambers late at Oscar’s on the Corner – plus open mics at Cloud and Bosporus and many other regular gigs across Phnom Penh.

On Friday night in Phnom Penh, catch the latest iteration of Grass Snake Revival at Farm to Table, get Cuban with Havana Nice at Odom Garden, find Christophe Horvath at Bosporus and Leo & Antonio at Sam’s, The Broken Cymbal at Sunset Boulevard and yet another last gig for The Schkoots (plus K’n’E) at Oscar’s on the Corner.

In Siem Reap, Sokunthea is at FCC Angkor, Lucky & Mark and Electric Soup are at Wine O’Clock, Jam-Cha are at Laundry Bar, and Andy Luna is at AMBAR.

On Saturday in Phnom Penh, early on The Broken Cymbal are at Hub Street Cocktails and Summer & Phil are at Lantern, and Gone Marshall is at Botanico.  TM Entertainment Band are at an African dance night at Duplex, and Geography of the Moon are at Oscar’s on the Corner with K’n’E to follow.

In Kampot, the Samurai Saloon open mic starts early to celebrate Texas Mike’s birthday, while in Siem Reap catch Jam-Cha at Arin’s and Lucky & Mark at The Harbour.

Sundays in Phnom Penh have exploded lately, with laidback afternoon sessions to suit almost everyone – check out Bar Oz, The Vine, Tacos Kokopelli for a start.  And then late there’s Joe & the Jumping Jacks back at Oscar’s on the Corner.

**For the rest of the gigs check out the listings at the bottom of the page**

What We’re Making a Fuss About This Week

Released this week, fresh from the lab of Professor Kinski, a six-track mini-album from Phnom Penh’s own ska band, Checkered Past:  ladies and gentlemen, Public Announcement!  While a local release like this will delight the ska fan, this music is not in any way stuck in a purist attic.  Scattered through the tracks are tempo changes, electronic flavours, sound effects, and even sitar licks (provided by Thomas Hommeyer).  Social comment bristles throughout if that’s your bag; the desire to make people dance seems to be paramount.  All songs were written by the band except for one, a song in Khmer, Neary Sok Kley, by Duch Kimhak.  The crisp production means even the multi-layered harmony vocals never come on too strong, the horns hit their mark precisely, the rhythm section snaps, the shouts and yelps and squarks remind that the band has done its time on stages.  With any luck we’ll be seeing them live again soon – the line up has had very few changes since 2019, but now there’s a couple of departures leaving instrumental gaps to be sorted out.  In the meantime – Public Announcement on Bandcamp.

Also here’s a video for the title track, Public Announcement.

While you’re at Bandcamp, also check out Penhsteady, a Professor Kinski collaboration with Phil Javelle, is a new imagining of seven rocksteady/ska classics.

 

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

Gaby Courroux.  One of the delights of the restart of live music late in 2021 was the sudden appearance of Gaby, on all kinds of stages playing all sorts of music on all sorts of instruments.   For example, find him tonight sitting in on guitar with The Extraordinary Chambers at Oscar’s on the Corner and then on Friday at Farm to Table with Grass Snake Revival.

Do you have a pet musical hate?
Hearing the same Spotify Jazz Café playlist in every coffee place I go.

A private musical indulgence:
I like transcribing solos, trying to get more vocabulary and also writing songs.

The year you first came to Cambodia :
Last summer, 2021.

An early music memory:
I don’t really remember it but when I was 5, my parents took me to see the Rolling Stones at the Stade de France in Paris and almost ten years after I when back to the same place to see them again – this time, I remember the show and it was great!

The last thing you had to eat:
Beef lok lak.

A country you want to visit:
There are so many and I love travelling…next big trip could be Japan or somewhere in South America like Brazil.

A book or movie you keep going back to:
I like Coen Brothers movies (good soundtracks !).

What languages can you speak?
French, English and a bit of Spanish.

Your primary instrument, and when you started playing it:
My first instrument was the drums, I started when I was 7. Then I picked up the guitar around 10 and I would say that’s the main instrument I play now. But I always love trying new instruments, getting out of my comfort zone and keep practicing!

Something people might be surprised to know about you:
I occasionally do film scores and I once played the main character in a short movie (without knowing anything about acting, it was fun).

You have a time machine and a magic ticket to one gig or festival in the past.  What do you choose?
Not very original but I’d say Woodstock for sure!  Also one show from Miles Davis (the Great Quintet era) and why not a Franz Liszt performance…

A question from the last participant: The final question in the movie This is Spinal Tap:  what would you do if you weren’t playing music?

Great movie! Mmmm…I never considered doing anything else actually (sorry but I really have no idea hahah).

Steve Porte Photo of the Week

Andrey Meshcheryakov with Jam-Cha at Oscar’s on the Corner on Friday 4 March, 2022.

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.

Our revived 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.  Check it out every Tuesday – to subscribe send a subscribe email to fabianhipp@kumnooh.com.

Note:  LengPleng.com has returned to its weekly email service.   If you wish to receive LengPleng in your inbox every Thursday please send an email saying Subscribe to gigs@lengpleng.com.   And tell your friends.

See you around the traps.

your correspondent,

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

 

Weekly Gig Guide – week commencing Thursday 10 March 2022

** residency/weekly 

For DJs and clubs, we recommend Phnom Penh Underground

Thursday

 

Friday

 

Saturday

 

Sunday

 

Monday

 

Tuesday

 

Wednesday

 

Coming soon:

Coming later:

 

By Weekly Wrap