SOUNDTRACK: SSINGSSING-Tiny Desk Concert #651(September 21, 2017).
I have never seen or heard anything quite like SsingSsing.
It’s easy to dismiss them as a novelty by looking at them, but their music is really compelling. Their songs may be (as stated below), a regional folk style, but the music is really groovy and interesting–the bass is nicely prominent but never obtrusive, and the guitar plats a lot of different strumming techniques, bringing very different intonations to the music.
And then there’s the front trio who are totally infectious.
One look at (and listen to) the cross-dressing, Asian rock band SsingSsing and you would hardly think they’re singing music inspired by traditional Korean folk. But SsingSsing isn’t like any other band I’ve ever seen or heard.
The group sings a regional folk style called minyo and the gender bending look has to do with shamans not glamour. As singer Hee-moon Lee describes it, “In Korean traditional art, male shamans, called baksu, have the body of a male. But as mediums, they need more than a single sexual identity, because they’re channeling both male and female spirits. When I act a female character and sing, I have to overcome the fact of my being a male sorikkun (singer), and try my utmost to bring a more neutral, unisex feeling to the performance. It sounds silly, but I feel like going back to the sensibilities of my youth, when I liked Madonna, helps.”
They play three songs:
“Minyo Medley” opens with reggae guitars and the strangely infectious vocal of the female singer doing a nearly cartoon-high pitched” Oh” sound and the taller male singer (with the cute white bob and white lipstick) laughing and then stating “Oh,” as if surprised out of his laugh. It’s weird and catchy and cool all at the same time. The lead singer with the magenta curls sings traditional vocals and eventually the other two join him. The middle of the song slows down to a quiet guitar motif and mellow singing from the lead singer. The end of the song picks up speed with an almost ska feel as it rocks to an end. Then there’s a little coda of that opening (and even more crazy laughter) as the song ends properly.
On “Nanbongga (Song of Beloveds)” the woman sings lead which opens with a slinky groove and all three gently dancing. The two men alternate spoken words before the woman singing in a traditional female Asian style takes over. By the middle of the song everyone is dancing with the men singing back up and the tall guy (I love that he is holding a clutch the whole time) saying what sounds like “caw.”
The final song, “Saseol Nanbongga (Narrative Song of Beloveds)” appears to be a variant on the middle song (although perhaps not, it is musically quite different). However, the taller guy does a lot of very fast recitations in the verses with impressive delivery. The backing vocals are really catchy and the lead singer is really into it. The song totally rocks by the end.
How bummed am I to have found out that they were at MusikFest this summer and I could have seen them? Because this is a band that begs to be seen live.
I don’t know which singer is which, but here’s the band members: Hee-moon Lee (vocal), Da-hye Choo (vocal), Seung-tae Shin (vocal), Young-gyu Jang (bass guitar), Tae-won Lee (electric guitar), and Chul-hee Lee (drums).
[READ: June 25, 2016] Amulet: The Stonekeeper’s Curse
I read the Amulet series last year but for some reason never got around to posting about the books. So, let’s get this series finished.
The Stonekeeper’s Curse opens pretty dark. We head to a tower where guards have captured the creepy looking guy from book one (Emily could have killed him when he attacked them, but she spared his life). Turns out this guy is the son of a faceless creature (in a scary mask). The father says that his son has failed him again. The son argues but the father’s mind is made up.
He will have one more chance to get the amulet and the girl and he will have help from an older looking creature named Luger.
Cut back to a colorful scene with a walking house (that happened in book one, too). Navin is “driving ” the house and is doing a pretty good job. They are on their way to Kanalis to get medicine for their mother who was injured in the first book.
Kanalis has suffered a curse and most of the people in town are slowly turning into animals. It may or may not be contagious. As our heroes walks around, a fox-person is following them. But as soon as the creepy elf guy charges, the fox steps in. Emily sees him and asks who is he. He says he’s a bounty hunter. Miskit says they don’t want to deal with his kind. He ultimately relents and admits he’s not really a bounty hunter. His name is Leon Redbeard and he offers to help them if they will help him too.
So he takes them to the doctor. He tells them they have to travel to get the special ingredients needed for their mother’s illness. But as they are talking, there’s an attack on the hospital –innocents be damned–and everyone must flee underground.
Meanwhile, Leon shows Emily that if she can control the power of the amulet, she will be very strong and able to do many things–including fight off the elves. But the amulet keeps talking to her, telling her that she needs to give in to the power completely–she will be so strong if she just yields. But she fights the power.
On the other side of town, Navin and friends have trudged to the edge of the woods to talk to the ancient trees where the medicine can be found. And when Emily and her team get to the woods together, after fierce battle they are reunited. And their mom is made well.
But moms can be a little overbearing and something of a nuisance when you’re on a mission. So while its good to have her back, if only she could back off a bit.
I Just Read About That... 
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