September 2008 ArchivesMain page is here. |
September 22 2008 Chris Murray Combo Uploading my card, I found two final pictures I took of the Chris Murray Combo on our final morning. It was very early and I hadn't slept the night before, and in a couple hours I was supposed to start my first day of full-time work. Not a good day.
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September 21 2008 Chris Murray Combo's last day We didn't meet up until around 4pm, and by then most of us were still tired, and aware that we had to be up extremely early the next day to get the band to the airport. There were plans made for us, including Diane's last supper in Korea, and stopping by I&I Djangdan's studio, but in the end we chose neither and went back to the hostel to crash. |
September 20 2008 Chris Murray Combo Saturday afterparty After the show, we all went to a nearby barbecue restaurant and had a lot to eat and drink. From there we went to Club 500 where the reggae music was cranked. I suggested we go to Roots Time, but someone told me there wasn't room for us. I took this to mean it was filled to capacity already, but in fact Smiley was there waiting for us. We got separated from Chiquis and Ben, and Chris ended up following Hoarang and his wife to the riverside to watch the sunrise. I took a lot of great portraits in this gallery, but on my work computer they all look kind of grainy. They look way better on my home computer, which has a crappy screen. I used a special Microsoft image resizer that I'm concerned has degraded the quality. Still, it saved me a couple hours. I'm not sure what I'm going to do. |
September 20 2008 Chris Murray Combo in DGBD The Saturday show was better and worse than the other show in a couple ways. There weren't nearly enough people out, but on the other hand there were way more people inside while Chris Murray Combo was playing. In the end, I decided not to sweat the lower than expected turnout and try to make sure everyone was having fun. There were a few problems with the bands, like I&I Djangdan's complicated stage setup, as well as the drummer of Skasucks being hit by a car right outside the venue and going to the hospital. Fortunately he came back and they got on stage as the final opening band. Kingston Rudieska had more time to put together a bit more of a collaboration with the Combo, and the show ended with Jang Goon from I&I Jangdan performing Arirang with them. You can see that video a few entries down. |
September 19 2008 Chris Murray Combo Tour afterparty After the show, we went out for chicken in a nearby place. The restaurant was filled with ska people and we were relegated to outside. Chris Murray met Jang Goon, the singer of I&I Djangdan, and they made plans for the following night (scroll down to the Youtube video). |
September 19 2008 Chris Murray Combo Tour in Bar Nana The first show went a lot smoother than I was expecting. I wanted to ensure a good turnout so I moved Kingston Rudieska from Saturday night to Friday night. Looking back maybe that was a mistake, but the Friday show did have a successful turnout in my opinion. Kingston Rudieska pulled out their fanclub, who generally aren't there for dancing so much as fawning at the handsome musicians in suits, and a lot of them left without seeing the Chris Murray Combo. However, everyone who stayed had a great time, and there was more dancing and more noise after songs. There was a lull in the crowd in the middle, but then everyone came back in and we had a powerful ending. Special thanks to Lorne for working sound. |
September 19 2008 Chris Murray Combo Tour dinner Before the first show, we went out to a barbecue place that was much more humble than the first one. The band was satisfied with every meal they had, and we kept them well fed with a variety of foods. Remember that: Korean food kicks ass, especially when you're an alcoholic. |
September 19 2008 Chris Murray Combo Tour surprise show Well, a lot of people are getting married these days. And leave it to Jeff Moses to screw it up for us by proposing to Trash in the perfect way. If you want to read about how he did it, take a look through this scrapbook he made for her. I'm proud to say that some of my own photos made it into the scrapbook. My response to that was to invite the Chris Murray Combo to my home to serenade...my cats, let's just say. |
September 18 2008 Chris Murray Combo Tour in Hongdae I met up with the band after work in Hongdae Playground, where they were starving. We went out for Korean barbecue, then we borrowed a guitar for Chris in the park and put on an impromptu jam session. It was in a quiet section of the playground, so not many people noticed, but we did get quite a few musicians joining in, including a great jazz singer and a foreigner with a very strange looking sax. |
September 18 2008 Chris Murray Combo Tour at the war museum I only had 50 minutes of work on Thursday (but an hour commute each way) so we met up in a convenient place for me to go, and also for us to poster around a bit. We had lunch at Istanbul, and then walked over to Samgakji to see the war museum. We looked around outside at all the planes and tanks, then decided there wasn't enough time to go inside. |
September 17 2008 Chris Murray Combo Tour in Insadong Our plan for the first day was to take the guys to Insadong to look around the market. However, I got an urgent callback from a company I had an interview with, basically asking me to come in in ten minutes (on the far side of Anyang nonetheless). I left them early and they went to Tapgol Park and Nakwon Arcade (where I've still never been). |
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September 19-20 2008 Chris Murray Combo Tour 
Kingston Rudieska with Chris Murray Combo
This will be a monumental show, with Korea's top ska band meeting the Chris Murray Combo. Expect lots of dance numbers, singalongs, collaborations, guest musicians, and jamming.
Chris Murray Combo
Chris Murray shares the stage with several Hongdae acts. If you haven't heard of I&I Djangdan yet, they're a killer dub reggae band featuring DJ Seafran from France and Jang Goon on vocals. I saw them last Saturday and my feet still haven't stopped moving.
Unfamiliar with the Chris Murray Combo? Chris Murray got his start in the Canadian third-wave ska band King Apparatus, then moved to California and started performing solo, just himself and an acoustic guitar. He mastered lo-fi recording, releasing albums done on 4-track and even on a walkman. Now he fronts a three-piece combo which has established itself at the forefront of ska worldwide. Recently he released a collaboration album with the Slackers.
Watch a live video of Chris Murray
Chris Murray's website |
LINKS
CONTACT
Jon underscore Dunbar at Hotmail
010-3212-2812
No long distance calls please; they won't work.
Seriously, don't ask me right now.
Please remember that these photos are all copyrighted to me. If you want to use them in any way, there's a 90 per cent chance I'll give you my permission, and be able to give you a copy with a higher DPI.Copyright Jon Dunbar 2004
Photos taken by
Nikon CoolPix 950
digital camera.