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

Greetings:

In country for their Magical Mekong 2023 Tour are Australian band PlanB – a nine piece outfit that features a brass section of four and a didgeridoo – they’re on tonight at Waterside, Friday at Duplex, along the highway to Kampot for Saturday and Sunday shows at Monkey Republic and Fish Studios Rooftop, back to Phnom Penh for Oscar’s on the Corner on Monday (note early show), thence to Balcony Bar in Battambang for Tuesday.

Also tonight in Phnom Penh, find Stu Cottom at Villa Grange, Phil O’Flaherty at Botanico and La Union at Hideout.  Big D Walker & George commence a new residency at The Confidential and The Extraordinary Chambers go late at Oscar’s on the Corner.  Simon & Giuliano are at Harry’s & The Welsh Consulate in Siem Reap.
The new year weekend continues on Friday night in Phnom Penh with Chi-Town at Oscar’s on the Corner, In Kampot 1960 Restaurant kick off a three day festival with Kampot Playboys, while Sak Oudom Vid are at The Bay.
On Saturday in Phnom Penh Los Primos are at Back Street Bar and Ponytail Express are at Oscar’s on the Corner, and Kampot Playboys are at KAPAL in Kampot.   In Siem Reap, Jam-Cha are at Laundry and Mikayla, Gerard & Giuliano are at Funan Reamker.

Phnom Penh-based singer songwriter Gareth Bawden has a new track, Runner,  available on Bandcamp, released on the artist-run label Teenfreaks, produced by Andrea Rubbio of Geography of the Moon.    Japan Guitar Shop have a new single Woke up this morning on YouTube now and other plaforms shortly.  Geography of the Moon’s new live EP, Bootleg Lives, was released last Friday and is also available on Bandcamp.

The LengPleng Feature Interview

 A welcome back to PlanB

This Khmer New Year we welcome back PlanB, nine-piece band including a full four-piece brass section, from Adelaide, South Australia, for their Magical Mekong 2023 Tour, starting tonight in Phnom Penh, touching down in Kampot, Battambang, Siem Reap and finishing up in Vientiane.  Bass player Peter Flierl was good enough to answer LengPleng’s questions about their return.

Even for a touring band with a history of performing in South East Asia this year’s tour is an ambitious one, with many venues that will be new to you. How did it all come together?

You certainly hit the nail on the head with the ambitious tour aspect. Although PlanB have had the good fortune to perform in Cambodia during four international tours pre-COVID, the band has not played in one single venue that is included on the current Magical Mekong Tour.

Read the full article here

Passing Chords – a few things you may not know about

George Hess.   “I’ve been a musician most of my life. After high school, I went to Berklee and then was a freelance musician for about ten years before I went back to grad school. After I finished my doctorate, I was a professor of music for 30 years at universities in the US, Singapore and Malaysia. I’ve been in bands, but mostly, I’ve been a sideman and freelancer. I’ve backed people like Jim Nabors, Lou Christie, Myron Flores, and the Osmonds, played in musicals and with orchestras and a lot of jazz artists like Dave Liebman, James Morrison and Bob Berg with faculty jazz groups.    Phil Javelle, my wife, and I just opened a private cigar club, The Confidential, on Bassac Lane. I’ll be playing there Thursdays with Big D Walker doing jazz, funk and blues. We hope to have music most nights.”

Do you have a pet musical hate?
Other than bad music, I really don’t like bagpipes.

A private musical indulgence:
As a kid, I liked great riffs and didn’t pay much attention to the lyrics. Some of the words are pretty awful like Under My Thumb or Don’t Fear the Reaper. But I still listen to them once in a while.

The year you first came to Cambodia:
I first came to Cambodia in 2010 doing outreach for the conservatory at NUS. I met my wife during one of those trips and we got married in 2012. I’ve been in and out ever since. I retired from Sunway University in December and we’re here to stay now.

An early music memory:
I was a mascot in a drum corp when I was 7. I still remember the cadences I learned.

The last thing you had to eat:
Italian cheese and cold cuts

A country you want to visit:
I’ve pretty much hit all of the ones I wanted to, except maybe South America, but that’s too far now.

A book or movie you keep going back to:
Effortless Mastery by Kenny Werner. Completely changed how I think about playing.

What languages do you have?
Only English really. I can read and speak basic German and speak some Khmer

Your primary instrument, and when you started playing it:
I started the guitar at 10 and can play bass pretty well, too. I can work my way around a piano, but I wouldn’t play any gigs on it. I’m also a producer, composer and arranger.

Something people might be surprised to know about you:
I got my first passport at 50 and have now have filled four of them.

You have a time machine and a magic ticket to one gig or festival in the past. What do you choose?
Tough call. Either Woodstock or the John Coltrane Village Vanguard sets.

A question from the last participant – Who or what are your biggest musical influences?
Too many to list really. Here are five that are pretty important: Keith Richards, Carlos Santana, Jim Hall, Charlie Christian, Pat Metheny. But I can think of a dozen others, not just guitarists, who influenced my music.

Steve Porte Photo of the Week

The audience in the swing with Khmer Blind Band at The Deck on Saturday 8 April 2023

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See you around the traps.
your correspondent,

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

Weekly Gig Guide – week commencing Thursday 13 April 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:

By Weekly Wrap