Weekly Gig Guide: Commencing Thursday the 7th November 2013

If you’re in Phnom Penh this weekend then you’re in the right place. If you’re not in Phnom Penh... change your plans. Over the next few days the capital city of Cambodia will host enough great musical concerts and gigs to rival any Asian cultural destination. Planeloads of visiting international performers will share the stage with the cream of Cambodian players and resident expatriate musicians.

In Phnom Penh we are fortunate enough to be accustomed to visits from artists of the highest calibre. Great musicians like jazz saxophonist Martin Jacobsen, blues-rock guitarist Niki Buzz, or classical violinist Nguyen My Huong. It is, however, quite rare and exciting to have all these guys playing in the same city over one weekend.

In fact the really great thing about this week’s program is not the music that has been brought to Cambodia, it is the music that has been made in Cambodia. All the way from King Father Norodom Sihanouk’s Musique et Chansons to 16-year-old Bosbapanh’s Le Pavillon Enchanté. From the works of contemporary Cambodian composers Chinary Ung and Him Sophy to Songkites - a group of young Cambodians who are busy writing the next wave of popular music. From the extreme sounds of Cambodian rock bands Sliten6ix and No Forever to all the expatriate musicians and songwriters who now call Cambodia their home. It’s all music from a place, of a place, in a place.

No Forever - www.KenEdgar.com

Things progress quickly around here. Not so long ago it would have been difficult to imagine festivals as great as The International Music Festival Phnom Penh 2013 and Penhstock IV taking place - not to mention superb world-class live music rooms such as The Groove and Doors Phnom Penh.

Now all Jack Diamond has to do is take a careful look at the listings and choose which fantastic gig to go to next. I would recommend a perusal of the The International Music Festival Phnom Penh 2013 website for the full program. Oh yes, and both The International Music Festival and Penhstock IV are completely free!

Sharky Bar’s festival weekend will this year be headlined by Niki Buzz, a bona fide legend of the New York City music scene and a fantastic guitar player. Adding to the list of must-see performances will be Psychotic Reactions on Friday night and the sassy Adobo Conspiracy on Sunday. The guys at Sharky’s also have a couple of shhhhh..... special guest appearances up their sleeves, fuelling wild rumours and speculation. I don’t know much about it, but I do know that there will be a very cool surprise act from the USA on Friday, and a special appearance on Sunday from a multi-platinum selling French songwriter!

There is of course plenty going on outside the festivals. Some fine vocal performers have quietly slipped into The Village and taken up midweek residencies. Liz ‘KC’ G. fronts new trio Unity on Thursday nights and she brings a lot of attitude and some great vocals to an accessible covers set. Wednesdays have been taken over by MWAUKA, a French-Congolese Gospel singer who bounces around the stage with infectious energy. Speaking of energy, Jack might be forced to bum-rush the Pontoon dancefloor on Saturday night when the Thai DMC Champion DJ Jedie arrives.  

Before I let you get on with the serious business of planning which amazing shows to catch over the next week, check out a couple of videos highlighting the healthy state of Cambodian music. Firstly, a new production from Dub Addiction, ‘Pel Roloeum Srech Srech’, to feature in a forthcoming Cambodian movie. Secondly, a wonderful piece from contemporary Cambodian composer Chinary Ung, ‘Spiral - I’.

As always, stay safe out there and I hope to see you around the traps

JACK DIAMOND.

Latest Gigs

Thursday  7-Nov-2013

• 7:00 PM ~ Carin Levine , Anna Steckel and Stephan Rahn * at The Intercontinental Hotel Phnom Penh
• 8:00 PM ~ Ace Zapa , Chuck Villar and KC G. at The Village
• 8:30 PM ~ Martin Jacobsen , Vinh Lê and Duylinh Nguyen at The Doors
• 9:00 PM ~ Rhiannon Johnson Trio and Ritchy & Barry at The Groove
• 9:00 PM ~ DJ Nico at Meta House

Friday  8-Nov-2013

• 7:00 PM ~ Sliten6ix The , Teaner Terners , Sophie Rose Lewis , RNA + Friends , Holliday In Cambodia , Psychotic Reactions and Sonic Detergent at Sharky Bar
• 7:00 PM ~ Melanie Brew and Bronwyn Blue at Le Jardin
• 7:00 PM ~ Mari Jinnai at The CJCC
• 8:00 PM ~ Songkites Preview Concert at The Doors
• 8:30 PM ~ Ringtail at The Village
• 9:00 PM ~ Midge * at Paddy Rice
• 9:00 PM ~ DJ Moodydann at Meta House
• 9:00 PM ~ DJ Cab , DJ Simon C Vent , DJ Polaak and DJ Donabelle at The Slur Bar
• 9:00 PM ~ Ritchy & Barry at The Groove
• 9:00 PM ~ Live Music and DJs at Bodhi Villa at The Bodhi Villa in Kampot
• 9:00 PM ~ BeatboxCoex * at The RiverHouse Lounge
• 9:30 PM ~ Euan Gray at The Doors
• 10:00 PM ~ DJ Wez-T and Rob Venables at Backstage Cocktail Bar
• 10:00 PM ~ DJ Jedie * at Pontoon

Saturday  9-Nov-2013

• 5:00 PM ~ DJ Funkelastiks at The Village
• 7:00 PM ~ Muscle of Love , Splitter The , Fumes The , Lazy Drunks , Sangvar Day , MWAUKA & The Gang , Niki Buzz & Band and Dr. G & The Blues Band at Sharky Bar
• 7:00 PM ~ Carin Levine , Anna Steckel and Stephan Rahn * at Meta House
• 8:30 PM ~ Jaworski 7 at The Slur Bar
• 9:00 PM ~ Ritchy & Phil at The Groove
• 9:00 PM ~ DJ Pieter at Meta House
• 9:00 PM ~ DJ Tonle Dub , DJ Mercy and DJ Polaak at Dusk till Dawn
• 9:30 PM ~ Kin Jazz at The Doors
• 10:00 PM ~ The Kimchi Collective at Emergency Room

Sunday  10-Nov-2013

• 11:00 AM ~ Stephan Rahn * , Etienne Chenevier * , So Sronos and Rong Sereyvann at The Intercontinental Hotel Phnom Penh
• 11:30 AM ~ Doors Brunch at The Doors
• 7:00 PM ~ Smokin' Kenny Smith , Bob P. & the Schkoots , Jaworski 7 , No Forever , Joe Wrigley , Jungle The , Adobo Conspiracy The , Jumping Jacks , Niki Buzz & Band , Ricky Rotten and Sharky Jam Finale at Sharky Bar
• 9:00 PM ~ Martin Jacobsen at The Groove

Monday  11-Nov-2013

• 9:00 PM ~ 10th International Music Festival Grand Finale at The CJCC
• 9:00 PM ~ Ace Trio at The Groove
• 9:00 PM ~ Ringtail at The Slur Bar

Tuesday  12-Nov-2013

• 7:30 PM ~ Gym Bar Open Mic Session at The Gym Bar
• 8:00 PM ~ Martin Jacobsen at Sofitel Hotel
• 8:00 PM ~ Joey Paz at The Village
• 8:00 PM ~ Salsa Party at The Groove

Wednesday  13-Nov-2013

• 8:00 PM ~ MWAUKA at The Village
• 9:00 PM ~ Danny & Breeda at The Gym Bar
• 9:00 PM ~ Diego Dimarques at The Groove

Coming Up

• Dub Addiction at Equinox
• The Grass Snake Union at Equinox
• Kasey Taylor at Pontoon
• Kok Thlok at The Show Box
• DJ DSN at The Show Box
• Joe Wrigley, Mealea Lay and Keith Kenny * at Equinox
• Gabi Faja and AI Iawasaki at The Doors
• GTS Sextet at The Doors
• The Klezbodians at The Doors
• Vibratone at The Doors, The Slur Bar
• The Underdogs at Equinox
• Sangvar Day and The Adobo Conspiracy at Equinox
• Jaworski 7 at Equinox
• Frisco Tony, The Beatniks, Dr. Wah Wah, DJ Nights and DJ Nicomatic at Meta House
• Laura Mam at The Village
• The Cambodian Space Project at Equinox
• Rhiannon Johnson Trio and Ritchy & Barry at The Groove
• Nostalgie at Slur Bar
• Rom Bak Battle at Slur Bar
• Hydrophonics and DJ Tech 12 at Pontoon
• DJ Phatt Controller, DJ Cab, DJ Polaak and Salmon All Star at The 3Mangos Guesthouse
• DJ F.U.D at Meta House
• DJ Flo Trallala, DJ Wez-T and DJ Chris Quixote at Meta House
• DJ JO at Meta House
• DJ Tonle Dub, DJ Mercy and DJ Chris Quixote at Meta House
• DJ Flo Trallala, DJ Wez-T and DJ B-Fox at Meta House
• Dina Chhan and Invisible Agent at Meta House
• DJ Flo Trallala, DJ Wez-T, DJ Funkelastiks, DJ Lefty and DJ Lion at Koh Rong Samloem in Sihanouk Ville
• DJ Phatt Controller, DJ Polaak and Salmon All Star at The Show Box
• DJ Cleo-P * at The RiverHouse Lounge
• Antonio Pineda, James Speck, Tim King and DJ Nicomatic at Meta House
• DJ Dan Beck, The Kimchi Collective, DJ Simon C Vent and Steve Goddard at Otres Beach in Sihanouk Ville