Cambodia: Rockin' All Over The World
2015
might be remembered as the year that classic Cambodian rock'n'roll
rose from being a cult curio to a global phenomenon. The second
annual Cambodian Music Festival will take place this
weekend at Pearson Park Amphitheatre, California, U.S.A. - many
'talented Khmer artists and artists inspired by the Cambodian
musical renaissance happening all over the world' (CMF Website) will be taking part.
Meanwhile, eight time zones away,
in Wiltshire, U.K, The Cambodian Space Project
will be performing two shows at the prestigious WOMAD
(World of Music, Arts and Dance) international festival in Charlton
Park. This spring and summer, John Pirozzi's acclaimed
documentary about the 'Golden Era' of Cambodian rock'n'roll, Don't Think I've Forgotten, has
been touring film theatres across America. Members of the
Drakkar Band and several other living legends of Cambodian
music recently visited the U.S.A. to play a series of sold-out
concerts in New York City, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Maryland.
Here
at Leng Pleng Towers,
in the back streets of Phnom Penh, we cast our eyes over another
collection
of great gigs and
cool scenes set to
transpire in Cambodia over
the next few days.
Silently
Splendid
![]() |
Aelita
– Queen of Mars pic: Meta House
|
The team at Meta House, the German-Cambodian Cultural Center based in Phnom Penh, never cease to amaze us with their ability to come up with consistently interesting and original events. This Thursday, experimental music act Electrick Universe will improvise a live soundtrack to accompany the 1929 silent movie classic Aelita – Queen of Mars. Check out our sister publication, Kumnooh, to stay in the loop regarding other music and arts events taking place at Meta House. This weekend, the Meta program includes a Paganini violin recital by Mathias Boegner and a multi-media poetry recital by the guys who brought you WASH. Far out!
Leng Pleng
is
pleased to report that a brace of newly-opened, smaller live music
venues in Phnom Penh are doing well with weekly acoustic nights. The
excellent Euan Gray
will
return to
Farm To Table
this
Friday for
more
soulful
originals and experimental guitar loops. Jeff
Sleeman
will also be getting busy with a looper pedal during his solo show at
Eluvium
(rooftop
of Aura hostel) on Saturday night. Jeff creates an innovative and
spell-binding instrumental sound using alternative tunings and
incredible
technique.
Pot Rockers
National Highway Number 3
could get a little busy on Friday evening, as bus-loads of revellers
will make the journey from Phnom Penh to Kampot. Well-loved bass
player Andre Swart, a
South-African expat resident in Phnom Penh for the last few years,
will be playing a farewell gig in
Kampot with The
Jumping Jacks on
Friday night at The Magic
Sponge. Andre
has played in several memorable Phnom Penh-based
bands including Grass Snake Union,
Kheltica and Moi
Tiet. Never
one to refuse a new bass-playing challenge, Andre has rocked
stages all around The Kingdom and even cultivated a lucrative
sideline in performing at
Chinese weddings. Leng
Pleng
wishes
him all the best for his imminent return to South Africa.
Kampot venue Bokor Mountain Lodge will host Cambodian songstress Miss Sarawan on Saturday night. The diminutive diva will be regaling the audience with acoustic renditions of Cambodian 'Golden Era' classics. Check out the video above to see Mealea 'Miss Sarawan' Lay make her singing début on Cambodian television last weekend.
Best
wishes to Jay Chan,
Indravedi, Gobshite
MGC, Savy
and Evrywhr and all
the acts performing on the Cambodian Music Festival
stage
this weekend and good luck to The
Cambodian
Space
Project as
they prepare to unleash the full power of Cambodian rock'n'roll at
WOMAD.
Whatever you're up to over the next few days, stay safe out there and... see you around the traps!
CLICK HERE FOR LATEST GIGS
Joe Wrigley
CLICK HERE FOR LATEST GIGS
Joe Wrigley
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