Going the Extra Myles
Singer Myles Kennedy on Alter Bridge, Slash and Led Zeppelin
Myles Kennedy is a stellar vocalist with one of the most unique voices in rock today. Born Myles Richard Bass, he is the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for Alter Bridge. While on hiatus with Alter Bridge, he sang for one of the greatest guitarists in rock today — Slash, as part of his backing band Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators, and to top it off, he has even jammed with members of one of rock’s most hallowed bands — Led Zeppelin. Seoul Journal talked with Myles Kennedy about his early introduction to music, bands that he has worked with and the rock music industry as a whole.
Scotland to the World: KT Tunstall
A Musician Sharing Her Music Globally Through Performance and Film
KT Tunstall is a Scottish musician best known for her 2004 song “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree.” Her passion for music began at a young age. Since her first performance of her original song.Tunstall has gone on to become a successful singer. She is currently living in L.A., composing original film scores for movies. Her most recent release is the 2016 album KIN. Seoul Journal’s Executive Editor Anthony Al-Jamie talked with her during a break in her very busy schedule to discuss her career and her origins.
Lumineers Light Up the Charts
American Folk Rock Band Tours the World with Long-Awaited Second Album
It was back in 2012 that the Lumineers, an American folk rock band from Denver, made a dashing debut with their self-titled album The Lumineers. Among the many refreshing and inventive tracks in the album, “Ho Hey” became a massive hit and went on to drive the album up to the second spot of the Billboard 200. In 2013, the New York Times described the Lumineers as a “young band." Now four years later, the band has become a major player in the American music scene and has recently released its long-awaited second album titled Cleopatra. The band consists of three members, Wesley Schultz (vocals, guitar) and Jeremiah Fraites (drums, piano) who are the founding members and co-songwriters, with NeylaPekarek, the cellist and backing vocalist. The band is currently on its world tour, taking on the globe with their original music and showcasing their growth ever since they released their debut album. Seoul Journal conducted an interview with Jeremiah Fraites, who talked about their new album Cleopatra and his experiences of being a member of the Lumineers.
Pop Opera Diva Rose Jang
Crossing Cultural and Artistic Borders
Rose Jang is an award-winning New York-based Korean-America pop opera artist, crossing musical genres and bridging cultures. Known for her operatic arias as well as musical and classic pop songs, she has performed for world leaders including the inaugural ceremony of South Korean President Lee Myung Bak and an event celebrating U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. Legendary R&B vocalist Patti Labelle said that Rose has, "an absolutely beautiful voice and is an amazing performer” after the two performed together. Jang’s recording of “You Raise Me Up” broke the record for the most weeks at #1 on the Korean classical chart, and her cover of “Memory” from the musical “Cats” topped versions by Barbara Streisand and Celine Dion on the domestic and international music charts. In addition to her spectacular musical career, she has served as a PR ambassador for many organizations, including the Korean Tourism Office, UNESCO of Korea, and for the National Committee for Jeju-do Island, being credited as one of the reasons why Jeju Island was voted to be a “New7Wonders of Nature.” Korea's Cosmopolitan Magazine featured Rose Jang as one of the “10 Most Powerful Korean Women in New York” in September 2012. Seoul Journal Executive Editor Anthony Al-Jamie spoke with Rose Jang about her remarkable rise in the music world.
Feel The Thunder
Sang-Hyun Park Talks About Solo Career After MBLAQ
Sang-Hyun Park is better known by his stage name Thunder (Cheondung). Born in Busan, he is the younger brother of 2NE1’s vocalist Sandara Park. The siblings grew up in the Philippines and, in addition to Korean, Thunder is fluent in English and Tagalog as well as conversational in Mandarin and Japanese. After training under one of South Korea’s greatest singers and dancers, Rain (Ji-hoon Jung), Thunder became a member of the South Korean male quintet MBLAQ, as a vocalist, lead rapper and lead dancer. Besides becoming idols in South Korea, they made their Japanese debut in 2011 and have sold singles and albums exclusive to Japan. Thunder has also had a successful modeling career encompassing both photo-shoots and runways. In December 2014, he announced his departure from MBLAQ to focus on studying music. Thunder talked to Seoul Journal's Executive Editor Anthony Al-Jamie about his career and future plans.
Iron House
Iron House
Taipei’s three-piece indie-rock band Iron House explores a diversity of beats and sounds while preserving a sense of radiant darkness in their down-tempo musical style. With Cheng Han on drums, Kao-Man on vocals and Harry on guitar, the trio take their listeners on a journey of eclectic dream-like sounds and hauntingly beautiful vocals. Iron House formed in April 2014, and has played around 41 shows in Taiwan and Japan. Their latest EP was released in July this year, and the band is now looking to tour China and Japan as well as festivals outside of Asia next year. It captures Iron House’s rock and electro influences, which are channelled into a deeper tunnel of ambient sounds by the dreamy vocals of Kao-Man. Their dark, hazy music is of a similar nature to bands such as Mazzy Star, Daughter, Warpaint and The xx. Seoul Journal intern Paula Dunne talked to Iron House to find out about the band’s history, their music and their plans for the future.