Rather amused to find AsiaLifeGuide writing up the Cambodian Space Project's recent gigs in Siem Reap as an homage to Dengue Fever (as opposed to, say, Ros Sereysothea or Pan Ron) ... even more oddly, that we were more "blue grass". Some other kind of grass involved in the composition of the snippet, I imagine. Anyone who knows what they mean please let me know.
On a more positive note check this out for a review of the CSP's last night in Hong Kong - with some great pictures.
seeya about.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Geckos and then Kep: 2 - 3 April
This quieter weekend began as late as Friday night, with the return to the stage of D'Sco: The Geckos of Love. We've been spending a lot of time as a mercenary rhythm section for several Phnom Penh bands all over the place, and it was time to get our Gecko on. Chinese House was the location, the crowd was belatedly good, and if my guitar had played ball and not got all noisy on me it would have been just completely swell. As it was we ripped through most of our old favourites, even including a special tribute to Lou Reed who almost played the Velkommen Inn the previous evening. Shame about that aircraft overbooking. And only one broken string! It was a fun night.
On Saturday night the Mekong Pirates stormed the Kukuluku bastille for a benefit for the Kep Ecole de Francaise, and put on a fine show with lots of dancing (well, eventually) with the depleted horn section being balanced by the augmented guitar line up - for one tune they even had 3 guitars at once, a veritable CSP manoeuver. I know it's my personal preference, but in the midst of all that reggae there's a very fine funk band struggling to get some oxygen. A couple of good sweaty sets were topped off with up to eight people pushing on with an extended group percussion jam.
Let's hope the music drought breaks with the New Year and the rains ....
On Saturday night the Mekong Pirates stormed the Kukuluku bastille for a benefit for the Kep Ecole de Francaise, and put on a fine show with lots of dancing (well, eventually) with the depleted horn section being balanced by the augmented guitar line up - for one tune they even had 3 guitars at once, a veritable CSP manoeuver. I know it's my personal preference, but in the midst of all that reggae there's a very fine funk band struggling to get some oxygen. A couple of good sweaty sets were topped off with up to eight people pushing on with an extended group percussion jam.
Let's hope the music drought breaks with the New Year and the rains ....
Friday, April 2, 2010
First Cambodian-based band to play in Hong Kong (unless we're wrong about that) - 24 - 27 March
I guess I should pull my finger out while I can still remember it all ... I've not been sure if Hong Kong has a place in a Cambodian-centred blog. In the end I've decided that the title gives me the answer: I shall follow the applause.
Especially when the weekend began late on a Wednesday afternoon with the news that Sharky Bar had had to cancel live music for the foreseeable future; and that the story only got worse over the next few days. Trying times, my friends ... the devil's music seems to be causing a moral ruckus.
So the secondary phalanx of the Cambodian Space Project took off for Hong Kong at about 6.30 Phnom Penh time, landed in Hong Kong at 10-ish then bundled itself (all 5 of the travelling party) into a taxi (complete with stretchy straps holding the boot down) to Wan Chai, where in a familiarly un-staged, vivid, Englishy kind of pub called The Wanch we inserted ourselves behind the advance party of vocals and guitar and played a big thumping long set fired by tall cold Carlsbergs, timezone changes and travel dust.
In the break between sets the crowd, who had (1) never seen anything like it and (2) loved it all the same, took their chance to get home on the highly efficient, cheap and pumpkining-at-midnight subway. This put an end to the gig, but not the party, as the night was still young. It was 16 degrees and drizzling, the smokers were shivering in the cold, and I stood in the street under the gentle rain and was reminded of Hobart town. Yes, the night was still young ....
The following night saw us top of the bill for SPACED at Rockschool, just up the street from The Wanch. Here we were treated to equipment, a drum kit on a riser, a mixer ... we responded with an extended set playing on and on until we were too tired to play any more. Prior to playing we had dashed around the city on foot and tram filming video in the astonishing company of filmmaker KM Lo .... paying homage to Wong Kar Woi with such madness as banana gangster-agogo-hkg.mp4 and agogo-hkg-intro.mp4 ... hearing an awful lot of bad cover bands banging on into the streets entertaining the Rugby 7s crowds.
Friday night we were just another band on the line-up at The Underground, also at Rockschool. Limited to 30 minutes, we stripped down to the basics - jettisoning the psychedelic in favour of the energetic fun pop, and we were so tight ... it was very cool. It was great to bring this music to an audience that didn't know it, to see how a crowd will react to the pop genius of Chnam Aun Dop Pram Moi and Happy New Year. At the conclusion of the evening we went in search of a restaurant that was allegedly on the second floor of a building somewhere ... our inquiries were fruitless until a particular gentleman said, "Restaurant? Sure. Let's go." He walked 20 feet and unlocked a steel rollerdoor, turned on the lights and headed for the kitchen, bidding us come in and sit. This is 2 a.m. Hong Kong hospitality. Mr Wong (for that was his name) quickly opened several bottles of Tsaing Tao, and whipped up large platters of fried pork and chicken and a huge vat of rice, and we ate like visiting emperors. Or visiting an emperor. Or something. We emptied ourselves into the night in the vicinity of 3.30 am vowing to return the following evening ...
The following evening, after a day of sleeping and a little shopping, we gathered on a 32nd floor rooftop, with all big city lights around us ... jamming acoustic, swapping songs, and managing to coax Srey Thy into improvising a song about the weekend experience, the chicken from Prey Veng flying all the way to Hong Kong. This and some other magic was captured by our videographer The Fabulous Marc. At around midnight we headed back in search of the mystery restaurant (which I was convinced was only a group hallucination, or a freak hole in the space-time continuum) and discovered that it did in fact exist. Super Restaurant Kitchen was open and ready for us to bundle in with instruments flying in all directions, with impromptu performances of our greatest hits to the bemusement of the customers, and indeed Mr Wong and his Thai waitress as well. Our great thanks for their fine hospitality.
The music continued after dinner on Great George Street, Wan Chai, where the few early morning pedestrians were treated to the rump of the Space Project busking some French ditties and my very ragged version of Ca Plane Pour Moi. We considered it a fitting end to this chapter in the Space Project archives, and we got the Space Commander to his plane the next day -- he is off to wander the globe for a few months and we will do our best to carry on in his absence.
Fear not! (or, on the other hand, Fear!) The Cambodian Space Project will rise again. Maybe sooner than you think.
p.s. D'Sco: The Geckos of Love return to the Chinese House tonight at 9!
Especially when the weekend began late on a Wednesday afternoon with the news that Sharky Bar had had to cancel live music for the foreseeable future; and that the story only got worse over the next few days. Trying times, my friends ... the devil's music seems to be causing a moral ruckus.
So the secondary phalanx of the Cambodian Space Project took off for Hong Kong at about 6.30 Phnom Penh time, landed in Hong Kong at 10-ish then bundled itself (all 5 of the travelling party) into a taxi (complete with stretchy straps holding the boot down) to Wan Chai, where in a familiarly un-staged, vivid, Englishy kind of pub called The Wanch we inserted ourselves behind the advance party of vocals and guitar and played a big thumping long set fired by tall cold Carlsbergs, timezone changes and travel dust.
In the break between sets the crowd, who had (1) never seen anything like it and (2) loved it all the same, took their chance to get home on the highly efficient, cheap and pumpkining-at-midnight subway. This put an end to the gig, but not the party, as the night was still young. It was 16 degrees and drizzling, the smokers were shivering in the cold, and I stood in the street under the gentle rain and was reminded of Hobart town. Yes, the night was still young ....
The following night saw us top of the bill for SPACED at Rockschool, just up the street from The Wanch. Here we were treated to equipment, a drum kit on a riser, a mixer ... we responded with an extended set playing on and on until we were too tired to play any more. Prior to playing we had dashed around the city on foot and tram filming video in the astonishing company of filmmaker KM Lo .... paying homage to Wong Kar Woi with such madness as banana gangster-agogo-hkg.mp4 and agogo-hkg-intro.mp4 ... hearing an awful lot of bad cover bands banging on into the streets entertaining the Rugby 7s crowds.
Friday night we were just another band on the line-up at The Underground, also at Rockschool. Limited to 30 minutes, we stripped down to the basics - jettisoning the psychedelic in favour of the energetic fun pop, and we were so tight ... it was very cool. It was great to bring this music to an audience that didn't know it, to see how a crowd will react to the pop genius of Chnam Aun Dop Pram Moi and Happy New Year. At the conclusion of the evening we went in search of a restaurant that was allegedly on the second floor of a building somewhere ... our inquiries were fruitless until a particular gentleman said, "Restaurant? Sure. Let's go." He walked 20 feet and unlocked a steel rollerdoor, turned on the lights and headed for the kitchen, bidding us come in and sit. This is 2 a.m. Hong Kong hospitality. Mr Wong (for that was his name) quickly opened several bottles of Tsaing Tao, and whipped up large platters of fried pork and chicken and a huge vat of rice, and we ate like visiting emperors. Or visiting an emperor. Or something. We emptied ourselves into the night in the vicinity of 3.30 am vowing to return the following evening ...
The following evening, after a day of sleeping and a little shopping, we gathered on a 32nd floor rooftop, with all big city lights around us ... jamming acoustic, swapping songs, and managing to coax Srey Thy into improvising a song about the weekend experience, the chicken from Prey Veng flying all the way to Hong Kong. This and some other magic was captured by our videographer The Fabulous Marc. At around midnight we headed back in search of the mystery restaurant (which I was convinced was only a group hallucination, or a freak hole in the space-time continuum) and discovered that it did in fact exist. Super Restaurant Kitchen was open and ready for us to bundle in with instruments flying in all directions, with impromptu performances of our greatest hits to the bemusement of the customers, and indeed Mr Wong and his Thai waitress as well. Our great thanks for their fine hospitality.
The music continued after dinner on Great George Street, Wan Chai, where the few early morning pedestrians were treated to the rump of the Space Project busking some French ditties and my very ragged version of Ca Plane Pour Moi. We considered it a fitting end to this chapter in the Space Project archives, and we got the Space Commander to his plane the next day -- he is off to wander the globe for a few months and we will do our best to carry on in his absence.
Fear not! (or, on the other hand, Fear!) The Cambodian Space Project will rise again. Maybe sooner than you think.
p.s. D'Sco: The Geckos of Love return to the Chinese House tonight at 9!
Additional photos by The Lovely Irene
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Seems to be mostly about endings: 18 - 20 March
Another blistering performance of The Hellhounds was witnessed by a select crowd at Sharky Bar last Thursday, complete with wandering/wondering wayfarer Johnny Pilgrim standing in. A boisterous couple of sets with some new material, including a bounding Who do you love and a cheeky Women are smarter which morphed juicily into a half-remembered Iko Iko. This effort was followed up by a surprising number of the same songs (WDYL and Folsom Prison Blues, for example) when the very same stage was taken up by some of the very same personnel in my farewell performance with the Lazy Jazz Drunks. Ian the Punk and Tall Tom were in fine form as we jukeboxed (as noted by Mythical Dude and his compadre) our way through three sweaty sets, sometimes being a bit more jazzy than previously considered possible: we even stumbled through an impromptu Fly me to the moon. Helping out on a few tunes was Song, a drummer of great technical skill and demolition techniques. I slowed the tempo in the later stages to perform a short tribute to the late Alex Chilton, whose death I had heard of only that afternoon, then we ramped it up again for a big finish, drumsticks and sweat flying in all directions.
And finally, in a weekend of endings, Saturday night saw the final Phnom Penh performance of the current line up of the Cambodian Space Project, with the Space Commander taking off for Europe for a few months. We packed ourselves into one side of the bar at Equinox and made merry with a percussion heavy couple of hours that managed to evade the attention of the Too Loud police, although also somehow evaded the Sound Quality police as well. Technical knowhow had established a really good sound check sound that somehow evapourated in a prolonged screech of wireless microphones, a tangle of cables and a reliance on sonic bravado so well known to the long-suffering fans and members of the CSP. We look forward to future efforts with a greater concentration on PA mechanics and better selection of PA hiring firms. p.s. the sound was marginally better at the final performance of the weekend, at Tassilo's wedding at the Himawari, but the curfew was even earlier.
And so the Cambodian Space Project heads north east to the surreal island of Hong Kong ... from whence reports will emanate next week. Which is a good time to renew my call for reviews of the shows I don't get to, or even alternate reviews of the shows that I do. This blog oughtn't be restricted to just one view, please share your thoughts.
Seeya when I'm back in PP.
And finally, in a weekend of endings, Saturday night saw the final Phnom Penh performance of the current line up of the Cambodian Space Project, with the Space Commander taking off for Europe for a few months. We packed ourselves into one side of the bar at Equinox and made merry with a percussion heavy couple of hours that managed to evade the attention of the Too Loud police, although also somehow evaded the Sound Quality police as well. Technical knowhow had established a really good sound check sound that somehow evapourated in a prolonged screech of wireless microphones, a tangle of cables and a reliance on sonic bravado so well known to the long-suffering fans and members of the CSP. We look forward to future efforts with a greater concentration on PA mechanics and better selection of PA hiring firms. p.s. the sound was marginally better at the final performance of the weekend, at Tassilo's wedding at the Himawari, but the curfew was even earlier.
And so the Cambodian Space Project heads north east to the surreal island of Hong Kong ... from whence reports will emanate next week. Which is a good time to renew my call for reviews of the shows I don't get to, or even alternate reviews of the shows that I do. This blog oughtn't be restricted to just one view, please share your thoughts.
Seeya when I'm back in PP.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
A belated one before the new weekend starts up: 9 - 13 March
It all began a long time ago, when one of the most prominent pianists of the age Vladimir Ashkenazy came to play Chaktomuk Theatre, which probably accounted for the small but keen crowd that chose instead to attend last Tuesday's Fun Planet birthday party featuring the Cambodian Space Project. A smaller, gentler Space Project was on display, with a hastily-mixed collection of amplifiers, a brief rainstorm, and quite a number of curious Khmer observers who stayed until bedtime.
Then there was quite a gap for me, as I am attempting to reduce my playing in quantity in an effort to increase it (and the pleasure arising therefrom) in quality, so it was Friday before I was on stage again, with the CSP taking to the stage in Siem Reap. Thursday night a very stripped down version had fascinated the crowd at Silk Garden; Friday we clambered aboard a raised stage, battled with a PA and coloured lights, and pulled out two long sets of sweaty Khmer rock'n'roll at L'Abacus. See here .... the dancing was a bit subdued, I assume due to the bar being too far from the stage, but by the same token it was hard for me to see past the footlights. A highlight was the inclusion in the band of Aya on melodica.
The next night we followed up with an appearance at X-Bar, again playing under the stars, with a more extensive light show, a lower platform, a bigger and more involved audience. Our three sets were followed by a long series of jams with revolving personnel - D'Sco: The Geckos of Love put their two cents in as well - that were still going when we left at 4 am. See here ....
We also managed to fit in a couple of video and photo shoots which have also been FBook documented already. Our thanks to the coalition of bars and assorted Siem Reap folk who helped make it a great weekend, especially the photographer du jour The Fabulous Jean-Francois and documentarist and videographer MOVE NOW! Marc. And while I'm at it, a big dip of the hat to number one fan - and brutally honest critic where appropriate - The Baron Bruno.
The CSP is now poised to make its final public PP appearance (for a while) at Equinox on Saturday 20th before heading for 3 shows in Hong Kong. And then I can get back to writing about some other bands for a change, including D'Sco: The Geckos of Love, who are due for a revival, methinks.
Seeya near a stage.
Then there was quite a gap for me, as I am attempting to reduce my playing in quantity in an effort to increase it (and the pleasure arising therefrom) in quality, so it was Friday before I was on stage again, with the CSP taking to the stage in Siem Reap. Thursday night a very stripped down version had fascinated the crowd at Silk Garden; Friday we clambered aboard a raised stage, battled with a PA and coloured lights, and pulled out two long sets of sweaty Khmer rock'n'roll at L'Abacus. See here .... the dancing was a bit subdued, I assume due to the bar being too far from the stage, but by the same token it was hard for me to see past the footlights. A highlight was the inclusion in the band of Aya on melodica.
The next night we followed up with an appearance at X-Bar, again playing under the stars, with a more extensive light show, a lower platform, a bigger and more involved audience. Our three sets were followed by a long series of jams with revolving personnel - D'Sco: The Geckos of Love put their two cents in as well - that were still going when we left at 4 am. See here ....
We also managed to fit in a couple of video and photo shoots which have also been FBook documented already. Our thanks to the coalition of bars and assorted Siem Reap folk who helped make it a great weekend, especially the photographer du jour The Fabulous Jean-Francois and documentarist and videographer MOVE NOW! Marc. And while I'm at it, a big dip of the hat to number one fan - and brutally honest critic where appropriate - The Baron Bruno.
The CSP is now poised to make its final public PP appearance (for a while) at Equinox on Saturday 20th before heading for 3 shows in Hong Kong. And then I can get back to writing about some other bands for a change, including D'Sco: The Geckos of Love, who are due for a revival, methinks.
Seeya near a stage.
Friday, March 5, 2010
A special mid-week blog ... due to the quiet weekend coming: 2 and 4 March
It was a double birthday celebration, it was a documentary film night, it was a video shoot ... Chinese House hosted Call and Response, a film about human trafficking, followed by who else but the everywhere-at-once Cambodian Space Project. As I was one of the birthday celebrants, I made damn sure I was doing something fun: we set up with two drum kits and pushed through a long thumping rhythm-heavy set while squeezing the 9 piece band onto a stage surrounded by dancing and drinking. The Breton Bandit is continuing to find his feet, I am continuing to grow my hair, Ratta-Man is continuing to find new and unusual ways to appear and disappear at will, Bong Jay is continuing to lose his mind as the time begins to run short with so much still to do, The Lovely Irene continues to walk straight from work-mode into performance-mode, The Swedish Ambassador is still fairly Swedish and was also a celebrant, Bong Sak keeps it steady on the beat, McSwashbuckle makes the good times roll, Srey Thy just gets more glamorous ... somehow we have to get through this month and life will be quieter.
Last night The Hellhounds renewed their acquaintance with Sharky's, blue cheese burgers and Johnny Pilgrim with a lively couple of sets with a good crowd and a drummer who pushed the soundcheck back an hour due to his non-attendance. Lots of old favourites and a couple of new ones, up to and including some blasters like Who do you love, Shame Shame Shame, Dead Flowers, sounding better than ever. And no broken strings to report! The year of the tiger is boding well.
It's a quiet weekend coming, but next weekend the CSP are on the road to Siem Reap. Come for the fun, stay for the madness!
Monday, March 1, 2010
A lowkey blog about the weekend that I felt particularly crook but somehow kept going: 25 - 27 February
The Hellhounds worldwide tour of Sharky's continued on Thursday night despite the absence of Bong Thom, and with the addition of last week's special guest Johnny Pilgrim. We ran a stripped back setlist, pushing the wildness quotient up a bit but really missing the mandolin. And I wasn't so well, which didn't help. Still, the blues went down pretty well, as ever. And Mythical Dude got through a whole set -- hell, nearly the whole night -- without breaking a string, but stumbled at the last hurdle. Which brings me to a fundamental question: if Jimmy Hellhound ever broke a string, would the world cease to be?
On Friday afternoon the Cambodian Space Project took itself on the road to Sihanoukville, to participate in Khmarnival, an AIDS education outreach event involving some fabulous dance, pantomime, circus acts and clowning by young former street kids. Pretty inspiring stuff. We came onto the stage after dark, following two mixed bands of the young and enthusiastic -- and what a stage. It was huge, like playing a stadium. Everyone was wandering around wondering what to do with all the space. Way up the back, miles away, and miles high on a drum riser, I felt like Ringo. A great view, but it was so dark I could barely see the crowd. We played until bedtime. And then stayed up for a cleansing beverage or two.
Saturday night we were all back in Phnom Penh, and a stripped down and perhaps more relaxed CSP played at The Alley Cat's last Saturday of the month buffet and prize drawing. Elsewhere in town the Lazy Jazz Drunks and Lost Highway played Sharky's, and then the LJD took a stab at an after midnight gig at Candy Bar. No reports in yet on those adventures.
It looks like a quiet weekend coming up, and perhaps my health can last for more than a day at a time. Preparing for a big finish for the CSP's current trajectory: Siem Reap on 11 - 13 March, Maxines on 20th, and 3 dates in Hong Kong to go out with a bang … before coming back for more in August.
See you about.
On Friday afternoon the Cambodian Space Project took itself on the road to Sihanoukville, to participate in Khmarnival, an AIDS education outreach event involving some fabulous dance, pantomime, circus acts and clowning by young former street kids. Pretty inspiring stuff. We came onto the stage after dark, following two mixed bands of the young and enthusiastic -- and what a stage. It was huge, like playing a stadium. Everyone was wandering around wondering what to do with all the space. Way up the back, miles away, and miles high on a drum riser, I felt like Ringo. A great view, but it was so dark I could barely see the crowd. We played until bedtime. And then stayed up for a cleansing beverage or two.
Saturday night we were all back in Phnom Penh, and a stripped down and perhaps more relaxed CSP played at The Alley Cat's last Saturday of the month buffet and prize drawing. Elsewhere in town the Lazy Jazz Drunks and Lost Highway played Sharky's, and then the LJD took a stab at an after midnight gig at Candy Bar. No reports in yet on those adventures.
It looks like a quiet weekend coming up, and perhaps my health can last for more than a day at a time. Preparing for a big finish for the CSP's current trajectory: Siem Reap on 11 - 13 March, Maxines on 20th, and 3 dates in Hong Kong to go out with a bang … before coming back for more in August.
See you about.
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