click here for an audio-visual look at the gig highlights
***for full gig listings jump to the bottom***
Greetings:
The heat heralds the looming Khmer New Year and appropriately enough the gigs are starting to slow – but there’s still much to come later this month, at least in Phnom Penh, with new and developing bands taking their chances and older outfits coming back after breaks.
In Phnom Penh this Friday there’s Scotch’n’Soda (being Marianna & James) at Craft, Alab (being Gaby & Jed) at Farm To Table, Miss Sarawan at Lantern and Mikayla & Antonio at Botanico. The Blue Souls are at Back Street Bar, The Stuffs are at LOLA Music Lounge and Brooke Palmer is at Cloud. Later on find Geography of the Moon having a release party for their new single Sometimes at Voodoo Boulevard and AlliG & TheQuilas are at Oscar’s on the Corner. In Siem Reap, Joe & the Jumping Jacks are at Laundry.
On Saturday in the afternoon Silver & Taylor are followed by Matsamuru Fishworks at The Deck, later there’s gypsy jazz with Intan & Friends at Aquarius and Vart Van is at Botanico. Bassac Street Festival offers up Japan Guitar Shop, Vanno and DJs, while Geography of the Moon are at Seekers Spirits and Wind-Up Mice and L’Amant Dans le Placard are at Oscar’s on the Corner.
Come Sunday, The Fallen Apples (being Mirasol & Randy) are at The Deck, Brooke Palmer is at The Vine, Cardboard Li-Fi are at Noisy Chili and the Electric Muxu Orchestra are at Oscar’s on the Corner.
Department of New Releases
Tomorrow Geography of the Moon release the first single, Sometimes, from their upcoming new album. And please note well, tomorrow is Bandcamp Friday (US Pacific Time) – all purchase will have the full price paid through to the artist (no platform fees), so if you were waiting on purchasing music from your favourite Cambodian-based recording acts, now is the time.
Passing Chords – a few things you may not know about
Mark Doherty. A professional musician and music educator, originally from the UK. He is currently playing with blender, the Oscar’s on the Corner Wednesday band, and is looking to get something going in the way of jazz.
Do you have a pet musical hate?
Just showing off your chops without any musical feeling annoys me. You have to play for the music, not on top of the music.
A private musical indulgence:
I do a lot of listening and go through phases of listening to classical then straight into jazz or anything else. At the moment I’m going through a Beatles phase.
The year you first came to Cambodia:
March 16th 2023, so just over a year.
An early music memory:
Seeing Buddy Rich in the flesh in my early days of my drumming career.
The last thing you had to eat:
A curry.
A country you want to visit:
Tanzania – to see Mt Kilimanjaro
A book or movie you keep going back to:
The Jolson Story from 1946. I love Al Jolson.
What languages do you have?
Aside from English, a little Italian and a little Chinese having lived in China and Italy.
Your primary instrument, and when you started playing it:
Drums, started when I was 13 years old.
Something people might be surprised to know about you:
I also do some singing in the Frank Sinatra vein.
You have a time machine and a magic ticket to one gig or festival in the past. What do you choose?
1970 – to see Elvis live in Vegas.
A question from the last participant: If you could have one piece of clothing from a famous person in history, what would it be?
Anything Elvis wore, for example a piece of his leather suit from the ‘68 Comeback Special.
Department of Mutual Support: Friends of LengPleng
Please welcome our latest Friend of LengPleng – 60 Road Studios in Siem Reap.
Being a Friend of LengPleng gets your logo into the weekly email and onto the weekly wrap page and an automatically click through to a page on our website for further information, photos, videos and so on. We also pay special attention when you have a good story for us – an upcoming event or an artist you wish to highlight. Email gigs@lengpleng.com for further details or bail up Scoddy wherever you see him.
Steve Porte Photo of the Week
Phil Javelle having fun with The Fender Benders at Oscar’s on the Corner, 30 March 2024
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 4 April 2024
** residency/weekly
For DJs and clubs, we recommend Phnom Penh Underground
Thursday
- Intan & Phil, 6.30 pm, Elephant Bar **
- 4Play, 7 pm, Prince Brewing **
- House band, 7 pm, Yang Pov Riverside **
- Jam session, 7 pm, Tiki Garden (Kampot)**
- Band@Work, 7 pm, Hard Rock Cafe Angkor (Siem Reap)**
- Cornerstone, 7.30 pm, Hard Rock Café Phnom Penh **
- Soul Diva Band, 7.30 pm, Hotel Cambodiana **
- Open mic upscaled with The Initial G, 8 pm, LOLA Music Lounge **
- Nestor Garcia Joa, 8 pm, Despacito Latin and Jazz Club **
- Metro Band, 8 pm, Metropole Underground **
- Antonio & the Playful Minds, 8.30 pm, Samai Rum Distillery
- Open mic, 8.30 pm, Cloud **
- Kevin Sysyn, 9 pm, Excelsior **
- The Extraordinary Chambers, 10 pm, Oscar’s on the Corner
Friday
- Scotch’n’Soda (Marianna & James), 6.30 pm, Craft
- Alab (Gaby & Jed), 6.30 pm, Farm To Table
- Miss Sarawan, 6.30 pm, Lantern **
- Sunset piano with Phil Javelle, 6.30 pm, Elephant Bar **
- Ex-Pulse, 7 pm, The Waterside
- Mikayla & Antonio, 7 pm, Botanico
- Khmer Magic Music Bus, 7 pm, Bouchon Wine Bar **
- Intan & Friends, 7 pm, Mealea Restaurant **
- House band, 7 pm, Yang Pov Riverside **
- Jampot open mic, 7 pm, Karma Traders (Kampot)
- Gerard Evans, 7 pm, Endora (Siem Reap) **
- Band@Work, 7 pm, Hard Rock Cafe Angkor (Siem Reap)**
- Cornerstone, 7.30 pm, Hard Rock Café Phnom Penh **
- Soul Diva Band, 7.30 pm, Hotel Cambodiana **
- Andy Luna, 7.30 pm, Temple Food & Beverage (Siem Reap)**
- The Blue Souls, 8 pm, Back Street Bar
- Sister Srey, 8 pm, Rosewood **
- Nestor Garcia Joa, 8 pm, Despacito Latin and Jazz Club **
- Metro Band, 8 pm, Metropole Underground **
- The Stuffs, 8 pm, LOLA Music Lounge
- Open mic, 8 pm, Mex’d Up (Siem Reap)
- Brooke Palmer, 8.30 pm, Cloud
- Geography of the Moon single release party, 9 pm, Voodoo Boulevard
- Joe & the Jumping Jacks , 9 pm, Laundry (Siem Reap)
- AlliG & TheQuilas, 10 pm, Oscar’s on the Corner
Saturday
- Intan & Friends, 11.30 am, Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra **
- Silver & Taylor, 2 pm, The Deck
- Matsamuru Fishworks, 5 pm, The Deck
- Pristine & Carlos, 6.30 pm, Lantern
- Vart Van, 7 pm, Botanico
- Gypsy jazz with Intan & Friends, 7 pm, Aquarius
- Ex-Pulse, 7 pm, The Waterside **
- Khmer Magic Music Bus, 7 pm, Le Moon
- House band, 7 pm, Yang Pov Riverside **
- Rooftop beats with Phil Javelle, 7 pm, Palace Gate Hotel **
- Band@Work, 7 pm, Hard Rock Cafe Angkor (Siem Reap)**
- Seawolf, 7.30 pm, Hard Rock Café Phnom Penh **
- Soul Diva Band, 7.30 pm, Hotel Cambodiana **
- Bassac Street Festival with Japan Guitar Shop, Vanno and DJs, 8 pm, Bassac Street
- Geography of the Moon, 8 pm, Seekers Spirits
- Sister Srey, 8 pm, Rosewood **
- Nestor Garcia Joa, 8 pm, Despacito Latin and Jazz Club **
- Metro Band, 8 pm, Metropole Underground **
- Wind-Up Mice plus L’Amant Dans le Placard, 10 pm, Oscar’s on the Corner
Sunday
- The Fallen Apples (Mirasol & Randy), 2 pm, The Deck
- Sunday sessions with Brooke Palmer, 5 pm, The Vine
- Sunday Sundowners open mic hosted by Mike McCann, 5 pm, Tacos Kokopelli **
- No pros open mic, 5 pm, Pomme (Siem Reap)
- Cardboard Li-Fi, 6 pm, Noisy Chili
- Joe Wrigley, 6 pm, Bar Oz **
- House band, 7 pm, Yang Pov Riverside **
- Arome Khmer, 7 pm, Bat Muk Yu **
- Sunday piano sessions with Jim Latt, 7 pm, Miss Wong (Siem Reap)**
- Band@Work, 7 pm, Hard Rock Cafe Angkor (Siem Reap)**
- Soul Diva Band, 7.30 pm, Hotel Cambodiana **
- Kevin Sysyn and friends, 8 pm, Little Susie **
- Nestor Garcia Joa, 8 pm, Despacito Latin and Jazz Club **
- Metro Band, 8 pm, Metropole Underground **
- Open mic, 8 pm, The Mended Drum (Siem Reap) **
- Electric Muxu Orchestra, 10 pm, Oscar’s on the Corner
Monday
- House band, 7 pm, Yang Pov Riverside **
- Diego Dimarques, 7 pm, Endora (Siem Reap) **
- Seawolf, 7.30 pm, Hard Rock Café Phnom Penh **
- Giuliano Turello, 7.30 pm, Temple Food & Beverage (Siem Reap)**
- Scott Bywater, 8 pm, Little Susie **
- Blue Mondays, 10 pm, Oscar’s on the Corner **
Tuesday
- Jammin’ with George, 6.30 pm, Craft
- Phnom Penh Ukulele Circle, 7 pm, Bong Bonlai restaurant (YK Art House)**
- House band, 7 pm, Yang Pov Riverside **
- Rod Tolentino, 7 pm, Pasta La Vista (Siem Reap) **
- Adam Marsland, 7 pm, Anantara Angkor Resort (Siem Reap)
- Band@Work, 7 pm, Hard Rock Cafe Angkor (Siem Reap)**
- Seawolf, 7.30 pm, Hard Rock Café Phnom Penh **
- Andy Luna, 7.30 pm, Temple Food & Beverage (Siem Reap)**
- Lone Star Saloon open mic, 8 pm, Lone Star Saloon **
- (TBA), 8 pm, Karma Traders (Kampot)
- Temple, 10 pm, Oscar’s on the Corner **
Wednesday
*Note that Wednesday events are often not announced until early in the week – check back here for updates*
- Latin Quarter with Phil and Nestor, 6.30 pm, Elephant Bar **
- NT Acoustic Band, 6.30 pm, Lantern
- Scott Bywater, 7 pm, Bar Oz **
- Chor Yee & Lim, 7 pm, Bouchon Wine Bar
- Band@Work, 7 pm, Hard Rock Cafe Angkor (Siem Reap)**
- Siem Reap Soundlab featuring Simon Gilbert, 6.30 pm, The Mended Drum (Siem Reap) **
- Cornerstone, 7.30 pm, Hard Rock Café Phnom Penh **
- The Fallen Apples, 8 pm, Back Street Bar
- Open mic hosted by David Zdriluk, 8 pm, Little Susie **
- Nestor Garcia Joa, 8 pm, Despacito Latin and Jazz Club **
- Dennis plus open mic, 8 pm, Can Can **
- SR epic open mic, 8 pm, Laundry (Siem Reap) **
- Around the piano with Phil Javelle, 9 pm, Excelsior **
- blender, 10 pm, Oscar’s on the Corner **
Coming soon:
- Miss Sarawan & Scoddy, 7 pm, 11 April, Tacos Kokopelli
- Silver & Taylor, 6.30 pm, 12 April, Craft
- Khmer Blind Band plus Bustaka Boys plus Vartey Ganiva, 5 pm, 13 April, The Deck
- Miss Sarawan, Arome Khmer plus Rotab Trot, 2 pm, 14 April, The Deck
- Crucial Dub Alliance, 5 pm, 20 April, The Deck
- AlliG & Friend, 6.30 pm, 20 April, Lantern
- Green Leaf Motif, 2 pm, 21 April, The Deck
- Arnab & Nilimesh, 8 pm, 21 April, LOLA Music Lounge
- Bloody Mary Morning Band, 10 pm, 21 April, Oscar’s on the Corner
- Arnab & Nilimesh, 9 pm, 22 April, Laundry (Siem Reap)
- Arnab & Nilimesh, 7 pm, 25 April, Meta House
- Arnab & Nilimesh, 9 pm, 26 April ,Voodoo Boulevard
- Cambodia Country Band, 10 pm, 26 April, Oscar’s on the Corner
- The Broken Cymbal, 6.30 pm, 27 April, Lantern
- Checkered Past plus The Oscar Band, 10 pm, 27 April, Oscar’s on the Corner
- The Broken Cymbal, 5 pm, 27 April, The Deck
- Arnab & Nilimesh, 8 pm, April 27, Sundance
- Arnab & Nilimesh, 5 pm, 28 April, The Deck