Leng Pleng - Live Music and DJ Gig Guide of Cambodia: Weekly Wrap - Commencing Thursday the 15th September 2016

The spirit of the celebrated (and much-missed) Phnom Penh venue Equinox is alive and kicking within the Equinox Archives Online Museum - a site produced by 'Mr Equinox' himself, Anthony Mrugacz. Anthony has now made a portion of his extensive audio archive available online via 'Radio Free Equinox in Exile'. Here you will find audio samples from several years of live gigs, documenting performances by bands as diverse as Grass Snake Union, Sliten6ix and Mekong Pirates. Former Equinox General Manager Mrugacz is currently in self-professed 'exile' in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A – still working in the challenging field of live sound engineering. Seventeen months after the venue's closure, Phnom Penh is now fortunate to boast two excellent full-time dedicated live music spaces in Jazz Club Phnom Penh and Oscar's on The Corner. One cannot help but wonder if Anthony might be persuaded to return to the city sometime in the near future to add a third in the form of 'Equinox 2'! - we certainly hope so!

(l-r) Clayton England, Conrad Keely and Brendan Moerman create
another great jam at Showbox. Pic: Steve Porte

The guys at Showbox have been doing very well with their weekly Wednesday Open Mic sessions. The event is always well-attended and features the most eclectic and energetic set of regular performers to be found at any such open jam around town. Alaskan fish farmer Clayton England has quit the city at short notice after overseeing several successful editions of the night – but sometime hosts Scott Bywater and Danzo Ke'Aloha are still around to ensure that things proceed smoothly. With a slightly wobbly sound system and a very hot and crowded room, steering the Showbox open mic ship is no easy task. But the results have been consistently great, with performers such as Michael Bridgett, Vantinn Houern and Brendan Moerman all showing up regularly to make the music happen. The resulting jams range from crazy hip-hop/funk mash-ups to Khmer blues to avant-garde instrumental post-rock, in addition to staple singer-songwriter acoustic fare. This Saturday night, there will be an additional jam session at Showbox to celebrate the birthday of singer Vantinn 'Tin' Houern... let the fun commence!

Classy Chris Kotchie will display some serious guitar
work on Sunday. Pic: Meta House Facebook

The German Cambodian Cultural Center, better known simply as Meta House, will be hosting another fabulous classical music recital this Sunday evening. Australian Chris Kotchie is not only a concert-level classical guitarist but also a composer. His compositions are influenced by the history and landscapes of his homeland and he has studied with one of the finest guitar duos in the world: The Grigoryan Brothers. Check out the Soundcloud link below for a sample of Chris' work.