“Seoul Drum Festival”: An open festival will be held from Sept. 3 to Sept. 24 at the Seoul Square in central Seoul, for people to enjoy the beat of drums. Festival highlights include opening and closing ceremonies, performances by foreign performance teams, world percussion instrument performances, lectures and seminars. Some performances will be held at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts...

“New Concept Performing Arts Festival”: Hanguk Performing Arts Center will be staging 12 performances through Oct. 2 at Arko Arts Theater and Daehangno Arts Theater in Hyehwa-dong, central Seoul. Under the slogan “Make the Difference,” the festival aims to showcase experimental and original dances such as “Synchronomous” by Intermedia Performance Lab and “EARTH” by Live EARTH MUSEUM. For more in...

“Wedding”: Based on playwright Lee Gang-baek’s 1974 play of the same title, its musical adaptation celebrates the re-opening of the Samilro Warehouse Theater in Myeong-dong in central Seoul, which closed in February due to financial problems. Known as the very first independent theater venue in Seoul, the property has been the home to small-scale, independent theatrical activities by many perfor...

Sexual overtones, lack of diversity among challenges to overcome Since the Korean pop music idol group’ concerts in June in Paris, the K-pop industry is leading a second Korean Wave around the globe. This is the last installment of the two-part series of articles looks at the bright and dark sides of K-pop, respectively. ― Ed. The K-pop boom and the popularity of Korean idols are often attribut...

Taylor Momsen, a Hollywood star from popular U.S. TV drama “Gossip Girl,” admitted that she does not wash often. Also being a singer, Momsen told the magazine Elle that she was too busy to shower due to busy schedule from her concerts. She is now on the world tour with her band “Pretty Reckless” until next year. She told Elle “I tend not to bring a lot. A lot of black eye shadow, and dry shampo...

“New Concept Performing Arts Festival”: Hanguk Performing Arts Center will be staging 12 performances from Aug. 19 to Oct. 2 at Arko Arts Theater and Daehangno Arts Theater in Hyehwa-dong, central Seoul. Under the slogan “Make the Difference,” the festival aims to showcase experimental and original dances such as “Synchronomous” by Intermedia Performance Lab and “EARTH” by Live EARTH MUSEUM. For...

“TIMF Ensemble Sound on the Edge 2 - Oboe +”: Ensemble TIMF said it will showcase modern classical music featuring the oboe as part of its “Sound on the Edge” project on Sept. 7 at Ilsin Hall in Hannam-dong in Seoul. It is the second of the three-phased “Sound on the Edge” project. The performance will include not only solo oboe pieces but a duet with cello and a performance with a string trio a...

“Koichi Domoto 2011 BPM in Seoul”: Koichi Domoto, a member of Japanese idol group duo Kinki Kids, will hold his first concert in Korea on Sept. 10 at the Olympic Hall. Since debut in 1997, the idol group has been actively engaging in various entertainment areas in Japan, ranging from singing to acting to hosting TV shows. Koichi Domoto debuted as a solo artist in 2006 with the album “Deep in you...

“Seoul Arts Center “Young Artists Opera Festival”: aspiring theater students from three universities ― Chugye University for the Arts, Dankook University, and Kyunghee University ― are to perform three well known operas for this year’s “Seoul Arts Center Young Artists Opera Festival.” While students from Chugye will perform Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848)’s 1382 work “L’elisir d’amore” (The Elixir...

Luke Bryan “Tailgates & Tanlines” Capitol Records Nashville Nearly every photo of Luke Bryan shows him flashing a bright smile, and at his best, his music captures the easy-going personality that makes the Georgia native as appealing as the sing-along party songs he favors. Recently voted top new artist by fans during the Academy of Country Music Awards, Bryan kicked his career in gear over t...

Jay-Z and Kanye West, “Watch The Throne” Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam Recordings/Roc Nation Released online as financial markets took a historic plunge, the full-length collaboration between Jay-Z and Kanye West revels in self-described “luxury rap.” Two of hip-hop’s biggest stars tell us in rhyme form that even in this economy, they can afford fine art, haute couture, even top-tier German home applian...

Jeff Bridges “Jeff Bridges” Blue Note If Bad Blake, the boozy country singer Jeff Bridges played in 2009’s “Crazy Heart,” could make albums, he may have made something like “Jeff Bridges.” The actor’s self-titled album is decidedly country, at once sad and hopeful, laced with heartfelt harmonies and slide guitars. Perhaps inspired by the movie and certainly made possible by his Oscar win, Bri...

While idol-centered K-pop has been heavily covered by the media, the Korean indie scene has received relatively little attention. This is the seventh installment of a series of interviews shedding light on the scene. ― Ed. Rock trio Every Single Day is one of the first-generation Hongdae indie bands that formed in the late 1990s. After forming the band in 1997 in Busan, vocalist and bassist Moon...