AsiaLIFE

Phnom Penh’s music scene is back from the dead. A weekend in late November saw no less than eight gigs in the capital, three by internationally known acts. Compare that to a year before, when the biggest thing to hit the country was still considered to be Ronan Keating in 2007, and gigs by struggling local bands were few and far between. Now both musicians and their audiences speak of a surge in live music, but is the scene here to stay? Words by Nora Lindstrom.

Phnom Penh attracts all sorts, yet surprisingly few musicians seem to find their way to the city. Recently, that’s started to change. “There’s this huge music scene now, there’s like 12 people – it’s amazing,” says the Penh’s very own punk-rocker girl Melanie Brew. While she doesn’t give much credit to the quality of the music played, she says it’s stimulating to have so many musicians around. “There are no breakthrough bands here, but everyone is having fun, and that’s what it’s all about.”

Scott Bywater is one of the mavericks of the emerging scene. He currently plays in at least four different ensembles, and has further established a blog, Following the Applause, where he hopes to document the ongoings in the capital’s world of music. “There is an increased demand for local bands,” Scott says, adding that he is now also toying with the idea of starting a band making original music. The increase in demand is partly due to more venues looking for live acts. The Cavern on Street 104 was for some time this year a hub for up and coming bands and other musical antics, including the Abbey Road event, which saw a dozen or so expat musicians join forces in a tribute to The Beatles. Established venues such as Talkin’ to a Stranger, Sharky’s, Memphis, and the FCC also continue to feed music lovers, while the one-year-old Chinese House has proved itself a key player in the budding scene, most notably by hosting Chinese punk band Rebuilding the Rights of Statues in June last year to wide acclaim.

Bad Bucks

Finding the money to keep the scene going is however a problem for both venues and musicians. “If you want to do it for the money, forget it,” says Jimmy Baeck, of local band The Hellhounds. Like the members of most Phnom Penh-based acts, he has a “real” day job and plays music on the side. With three gigs over one weekend, newcomers The Fumes knows being cheap pays. “We’re free and we’ll do almost anything,” says lead guitarist Soula Walters, half in jest. The five-member band, which started out at the ISPP where some of its members work, says playing is about releasing teenage frustrations and having fun, not making money. “I was starved for music so had to do it myself,” says singer Karen Schelzig Bloom.

According to Derek Mayes of Talkin’ to a Stranger, payments for gigs generally vary based on how well-known the band is, and how many players it has. “We usually pay a few hundreds for local bands,” he says, adding that it’s financially unviable to pay more given that gigs are generally free of charge. Though Talkin’ occasionally hosts foreign musicians, these are often friends of the owners. “Getting bands in from Vietnam tends to be expensive,” says Derek. Memphis Pub owner Bona Thiem argues along similar lines. Since he opened Memphis some five and a half years ago, the establishment has been the Penh’s go-to place for regular live music. Bona is the mainstay of the in-house band, which plays blues and rock covers every night bar Sundays. “We enjoy, we play, we survive,” he says. Though he has a few international acts lined up for this year, Bona considers getting foreign bands in a financial gamble. Charging entry is not on the table. “We don’t want to get into that yet,” wife Melanie chips in.

Foreign Winds

Some bigger establishments are however looking for talent across the border and beyond. The FCC Group recently hosted New York band Ratatat as well as Aussie indie group I Heart Hiroshima. Both gigs were organised through links with the company’s establishments in Saigon, where the two bands also played. Craig Derbyshire of Saigon Sound System/Nine Dragons in Ho Chi Minh City accompanied the acts to Phnom Penh. According to him, the music scene across the border is quickly changing and becoming more established, as venues suitable for hosting bigger acts are cropping up. Craig himself is involved in The Hi-Fi, a 1,000-person capacity venue set to attract internationally renowned bands.

Like the FCC did for the Ratatat and I Heart Hiroshima gigs, The Hi-Fi charges entry. Craig acknowledges the cover charge puts some people off. “But as long as we keep the standards up and deliver, people are going to understand that it’s worth it,” he says. “You can’t sustain an international act on bar takes alone.” Still, if the cover charge for two gigs is a lowly US$5 with complimentary drinks, as was the case at the FCC, the number of international bands coming to town is likely to remain low in the near future. They need more than money to attract them to play in the Penh. “At the moment, we’re selling the adventure of coming here, but that can only sustain itself for x amount of time,” Craig notes. He adds that flexibility, meaning having venues able to put on shows at very short notice, is also key.

“Predominantly, we’re jumping on guys who are in the area already,” he says. For Susie, Matt, and Cameron of I Heart Hiroshima, playing in Phnom Penh was partly about being on holiday, and partly about doing something they’d never done before. “We were told when coming here that there were guys with AK-47s on the streets,” Susie says. “But we haven’t had any run-ins with the militia yet,” she adds, almost with a hint of regret.

More Equals Better?

Though everyone seems to welcome the arrival of foreign acts, many doubt the sustainability of bringing them in, citing lack of paying audience as well as suitable venues. Mat, Chris and David of local act Mispent Yooth argue you can’t expect Phnom Penhers who spend their time hunting for 75 cent beer to pay even a few bucks for live music. “People might pay a dollar,” David concedes, but notes that most audiences seem to attend gigs less for the music and more for “background noise”. That may have something to do be with the quality of the music. “There is a lack of competent musicians,” Chris argues. Mat agrees. “The number of bands is up, but the quality remains the same,” he says.

All three would like to see the scene develop. Mat suggests making NGOs foot the bill. “I think music should form a part of development aid,” he says. Punk gigs sponsored by USAID doesn’t sound very rock ‘n’ roll though. The capital’s only full-time expat musicians, Philippe Javelle and Richard Boisson of Phil & Ritchy, claim it is possible to make a living off music in Phnom Penh, provided you don’t aim too high. Previously professional musicians in France, a combination of frustration with how artists are treated in their home country and falling in love with Cambodia brought them here. “Mostly we’re both 42 and now is the time in our artistic lives that we want to breathe – settle down a bit and write our own music,” Phil says.

The two first arrived a year ago, on what they thought would be a two-week holiday, but which turned into them playing 12 gigs. Demand has since not dissipated. “We had to stop playing after a while, because we didn’t want people to get bored of us,” Phil says. He suggests that the transience of life in Phnom Penh might be what is keeping other musicians from being more serious about their art. “Here when you’re an expat, I think most people just enjoy life and are not building something real because they think they won’t stay,” he speculates.

Khmer Audience

Finnish hard-rock band Bum N’Draze is one of few long-term expat bands. Established in January 2003, it’s still going strong. “Rock and roll was going down and we’re here for the rescue!” exclaims the band’s drummer Jouni Anttonen, aka Twilight Dzouns. On tours with names such as “Unplugged Funeral”, “Year of the Cock”, and “Siberia Teaches”, the band has gigged through Cambodia from Takeo to Rattanakiri, and also performed in Thailand, Myanmar and Indonesia. “For this rock and roll thing, if we play to purely Khmer or western audiences, I think the Khmer audiences are more enthusiastic,” Jouni says. While Finnish hard-rock may strike a chord among Khmers, Bona at Memphis says most of his regular clientele is made up of foreigners. Danny, bassist in the establishment’s in-house band, further argues Cambodian musicians show little interest in playing to wider audiences. “Khmer bands play commercial pop. There is a limited supply of musicians interested in playing more international music,” he says.

Andy Stanke of Riverside Bistro agrees, also noting Khmer bands often seem to have inflated opinions of how much they can charge. Andy has two Filipino bands who play nightly at his establishment. Recently he launched Monday night jam sessions, where anyone can come and play with the in-house band using professional equipment. Not that the expat music scene is entirely devoid of domestic talent. One to watch is Khmer singer Srey Thy, who has been spotted around town fronting bands playing 60s style Cambodian music. She is also involved in the Cambodia Space Project, the brain child of travelling musician Julien Poulson, currently in Cambodia.  

Based on his experience in Saigon, Craig argues that in order to develop the music scene, relying on the expat buck is not enough. It is essential to get locals not just to play music, but to get excited about concerts too. Alas, that’s easier said than done. Before their gig in Phnom Penh, Susie from I Heart Hiroshima described her surprise at how many people refused to pay the entrance fee for their concert in Saigon. “Even though it was only 2,000 dong or something!” she says. Craig says the scene in both Vietnam and Cambodia has to be developed one step at a time. “We’re not making a fortune off it, it’s really just about trying to get something going in the area,” he says.

LAMstock

Somewhat surprisingly, one of the people getting things going in Phnom Penh is 17-year-old Pieter Lam, a student at ISPP. Faced with a school project, he was inspired by a music festival broadcast on MTV, and decided on organising a similar event for his assignment. Thus LAMstock was born, the name inspired by Waynestock in the teen-film Wayne’s World. After all he wasn’t even born when Woodstock happened.

Held in early December, the event attracted both young and old musicians, as well as friends of the bands. “The promotion for the event was a bit late, but getting the bands and the venue was easy,” Pieter says. “I have a very good supervisor who knew lots of bands so we called everyone up and asked if they wanted to play.” Many said yes, with the final playbill of the daylong event at Gasolina including around a dozen acts, among them The Fumes, Bum N’Draze, as well as Pieter’s own student band Jebus.

Punk revivalists the Stiff Little Punks also made an appearance, with singer Ian Anderson turning up in a ripped shirt seemingly straight from their previous night’s gig at The Tree. “Phnom Penh is a hotbed of enthusiasm and rock and roll,” he exclaimed. “The spirit of rock and roll is still alive!” Though Phnom Penh is still far away from hosting real music festivals like in HCMC, and the child-friendly festival was somewhat at odds with Ian’s hyperbolic attitude, LAMstock was certainly a step in the right direction. Darren Jahn of The Fumes says he would like to see more similar events, with a few local bands headlining. “It would be great to get three or four bands together for a gig, maybe at the Parkway studio where they had that Elsewhere party,” he says.

It’s too early to tell what 2010 will bring music-wise, but things are certainly looking up. Though Melanie Brew may still be some way from establishing her dream all-girl band Squishy, there are at least a dozen acts livening up the bar scene in the capital – a state of affairs that seems to keep everyone groovy.

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BANDS

Dimple – Nepali singer-songwriter plays mellow, acoustic world music
The Hellhounds - Purposefully limited repertoire of Americana and old school blues
The Panthers - Another of Scott and Dan’s outfits, focusing on standards and ballads  
Lazy Jazz Drunks - Six-piece expat band playing rock n roll, indie, blues and punk covers
Mekong Pirates - Twelve-member band performs funky original tunes in French and Khmer
Riverside Rhythms – Experienced Filipino band plays well-known covers
Stiff Little Punks - The Penh’s only punk band, complete with proper attitude
The Fumes - New female-fronted expat band plays alternative rock, indie and punk
Bum N’Draze  - Unclassifiable hard-rock led by Finnish duo
Memphis Band - Plays blues and rock covers nightly. Occasional jam sessions
Melanie Brew - No more of Betty & the GT Falcons, she does occasional solo gigs
Phil & Ritchy  - Swing, soul, acoustic, jazz and pop by French duo
Beer O’Clock Band – Ken’s new thing ... ??
D’Sco: The Geckos of Love - Bluesy rock and pop by yet another of Scott and Dan’s ensembles
Dr JP & The Nurses - The capital’s resident heavy metal band. Occasional gigs.
Route 66 – Play at Sharky's regularly

VENUES

The Tree - Small shophouse bar with occasional gigs
The Cavern - Not quite its namesake in Liverpool, occasional gigs
Talkin’ to a Stranger - Regular Sunday sessions and other gigs
The FCC - Usually hosts bigger international acts
Memphis Pub - Regular in-house band every night
Huxley’s - British pub with occasional live music
The Winking Frog - Has Filipino band that plays on weekends 
Chinese House - Regularly hosts both mellow acoustic sessions and bigger gigs
Riverside Bistro – Live music by Filipino bands nightly, Monday open jam sessions from 8pm
Sharky’s - Many musicians’ favourite venue, regular rock gigs
Rory’s Pub - Small Irish pub with occasional live music  
Velkommen Inn – Relaxed Norwegian shophouse bar with occasional live music

WEBSITES

Following the Applause (phnompenhgigs.blogspot.com) – insights into the emerging scene by Scott Bywater
Leng Pleng (lengpleng.blogspot.com) – news on upcoming gigs and a place for the Penh’s musicians to share experiences