Beautiful Busan

One of the things Sarah and I always praise Daegu for is its accessibility as a metropolitan region. In addition to be an accessible province in and of itself, it is also extremely close to many other exciting areas in South Korea. One of them is the coastal province of Busan.

Me inside a fish tank a Busan Aquarium at Haeundae Beach

Busan is a little over a 1-hour $10 roundtrip trainride from Daegu. It's located on the Southeast coast of Korea, and is known for its beautiful beaches, massive seaport, fish markets, and incredible nightlife.

This past weekend was Busan's annual fireworks festival, and a bunch of us went up for the weekend to enjoy the festivities. In addition, we also spent the day walking around the Busan Aquarium at Haeundae Beach (definitely recommend this as well!).

2011 Busan Fireworks Festival at the beach

This exhibition of explosions and loud noises is not your average fireworks show (sorry, 4th of July), and it is certainly not for the faint at heart. :)

We arrived at the beach around 3:00 in the afternoon, which I would recommend to anyone going to this festival in future years. We were able to secure a front row spot on the sandy beach and had some of the best seats in the house when the official show began around 6:00.

The only complaint was the excessive rain and overcrowded vibe. People come from all over Korea (and other nearby regions) to watch this firework show, so you can imagine the insanity (just think New York City during an Apocolypse...haha!).

All in all though, it was an INCREDIBLE weekend and worth every minute waiting on the beach and every drop of rain that fell on us. Put this in your list of "to-do's" if you haven't already!

Happy birthday, Tom! (Tom & Lisa)

It was also a great weekend in that we had the chance to celebrate our good friend Tom's 23rd birthday (he's a youngin!). It was a fun combo of festivities and a great way to hang with friends.

Expanding My Horizons

Last night I had the incredible opportunity to perform a short acoustic set at an art exhibition in downtown Daegu. The artist was Shin Moon Kwang. She is a well-known painter here in Daegu, and last night at the event she had the chance to display some of her work for colleagues and local critics, and she even received a special award for her outstanding work.

I was asked to perform a short set at the gallery. I was personally invited by her daughter, YoungJi Nam, who is the CEO of a music company based in Korea and Japan known as Gummi Bear Productions. She is a really cool gal!

It was an incredible opportunity to perform in front of some well-respected people in Daegu, as well as a great chance to experience the local art, sample some traditional homemade teas and desserts, and just be in the midst of Korean culture. I felt very humbled and extremely honored.

KPOP Extravaganza!!

Last night, Sarah and I had the opportunity to attend the 2011 Asia Music Festival, where the top performers from several Asian countries (including Korea, China, Japan, and Taiwan) come together for a slew of performances. It just so happened to be in Korea this year, and it just so happened to be hosted at the World Cup stadium right here in our hometown province of Daegu.

                                      One of the new KPOP bands that were debuted at the festival

EPIK, the organization we teach through, treated us to VIP tickets to this insanely awesome concert. Our seats were incredible too!


We were able to see tons of KPOP bands perform, including BEAST, Super Junior, U-Kiss, Girls Generation, and Miss A...to name a few. 

Miss A performing at the festival

They kick of the first 30 minutes of the show by debuting their newest up and coming KPOP groups to sort of jump start their careers. Some were good, some were horrendous! One of the groups is the first photo shown above.


The rest of the night, the well known acts take turns coming out and performing 2 or 3 of their most popular songs. For people who get bored watching long sets of one artist or group, this type of festival is very entertaining and keeps you interested throughout. 

BEAST, one of Korea's most popular KPOP groups at the moment...they were VERY entertaining!

My favorite performance of the night, however, was by a Korean musician named, simply, Lisa. She performed a folky acoustic set (comparable to Colby Calliet) and even did a cover of "Tick Tok" by Ke$ha and "Run" by Girls Generation. Lisa was an incredibly talented artist who knew her way around a guitar, had a remarkable live voice, and played with a full band, something we fellow musicians are especially impressed by.

My favorite performer of the night, Lisa. She freakin rocked the house!!

All in all, this is an experience anyone living in Korea has to experience at least once. Whether you like this kind of music or not, it is incredible to experience something that is central to Korea's entertainment business and pop culture. 

Sarah and I, glowsticks in hand, ready to partaaaaaay!

Check out clips of all the live performances from the 2011 Asia Music Festival at our video blog website, www.youtube.com/epik4iners !!

English Festivals: The Devil is in the Details!

This week at school was our English Festival for grades 3, 4, 5, and 6. The kids spent about two weeks preparing their acts for the festival. Students were allowed to choose their groups as well as their performances, in the context of the theme: theatre and music.

Believe it or not, this is Cinderella and her Fairy Godmother :)

Most of the groups in every grade chose to do skits, mostly fairy tales and obviously tailored to their age groups and English speaking levels. The large majority of them were terrible and the kids were not that into it, but there were some great acts. Hard to say it was worth the time and effort put into it, though…unfortunately.

It was a busy few weeks for us as teachers, and when it concluded this afternoon, we were VERY relieved and ready to get back to our normal lesson planning.

An incredible 6th grade rendition of Mama Mia...eat your heart out, Glee!

Some of the memorable skits including a boy dressed up as Cinderella, a 6^th grade group’s rendition of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and an unforgettable final performance from a group of girls who did an incredible rendition of Mama Mia (see above photo) that put the Glee cast to shame!

Open Mic Night!

This week included an incredible and pivotal moment for me here in Korea. I was finally able to get out and play a set of my original music at an open mic night.

We discovered this place in downtown Daegu called Urban Lounge Bar & Live Club. It's a basement club in the middle of downtown that is owned and operated by this guy named Philan. He is a really REALLY cool person and incredible sound engineer. I was blown away by the sound quality and atmosphere of the club. One of my favorite places I have ever performed at, no exaggeration.

If you are a musician in Daegu and are looking for a place to play music, Urban is the place to be! They have open mic night every Wednesday evening from 10:00 p.m. - 4:00 a.m. Just show up, sign up, and play. I was able to do a 40 minute set. It's very accomodating and there seems to be a really good consistent crowd.

There was also this really cool Korean duo who performed right after me (see picture below). They played this style of music that was like a fusion of emo and folk. It was INCREDIBLE!! I really enjoyed hearing other musicians too, and what a great place to network with fellow artists!

I was also so very humbled and deeply grateful for the number of my friends and fellow teachers who came out to support me and my music. It was truly a memorable night not just because of the opportunity to play music, but the chance to spend time with so many of my friends here and to know how much they care for me.

All in all, I'd say it's been a GREAT week so far!

All of the Lights!

This past weekend Sarah and I, along with our good friends Jen and Tyler, hopped on a bus and went out to the province of Jinju for the 2011 Lantern Festival.

The 2011 Jinju Lantern Festival, located on and along the Gamsung River 

This festival commemorates the ancient lantern lightening custom used by Koreans in the Imjinwaeran War of 1592, when Japan invaded Korea by attacking the Jinjuseong Fortress in a very famous historic battle. It is also a time to commemorate and remember those who served and died during this fortress battle. The lanterns carry individual wishes and float along the Gamsung River and are also hung along the riverside.

Entrance to Jinjuseong Fortress in Jinju

Jinju is a beautiful area of Korea (personally one of my favorites so far), and has a wonderful history. Its large market area is definitely a good tourist stop, and the food there is also pretty incredible.

We were able to find a motel room that comfortably suited 4 people and was only around 15,000 won per person (or about $15). The bus ride roundtrip was also only $17/person.

Tyler, Sarah, and I walking down one of the lantern halls down by the river

One of the most exciting parts of living in Korea is the ease and affordability of travel and exploration.

Floating lantern replica of Jinjuseong Fortress

I have also been told that if you take part in only one event/trip during your entire time in Korea, the Jinju Lantern Festival every October is one of the greatest highlights you'll have. From my own experience, I definitely agree!