Totally
plugged!
Jeff T (info@tokyojoesbkk.com)
writes: "Tokyo Joe's Blues Bar is located in Sivaporn Plaza, opposite the Ariston
Hotel in Sukhumvit Soi 24 and features live blues every night of the week. Bands
include Almost Unplugged, Savannah, Soi Dog Blues Band and Cannonball. Currently
every Saturday night is devoted to Jazz with the ROL Jazz Trio holding the house
down. Cuisine is mainly Thai Isaan, Japanese and Armerican favorites. Website
is at www.tokyojoesbkk.com and is updated
every week with band listings. Tokyo Joe's Blues Bar was the venue of the recent
One World Beat Global Music Festival, www.oneworldbeat.org,
in which 160 events took place in 45 countries around the world on the weekend
of March 19-20, to raise money for children with HIV/AIDS. In Bangkok we raised
over 47,000bht, thanks to our generous customers. We would like to be listed on
your website, thank you in advance. Jeff T" Plug taken!
|
| | | | | Ban
Mai Daeng
Between Soi 18 and Soi 20 of Viphavadee-Rangsit
Road - almost on the corner of Soi 20 | | | | |
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Ronald Katsigazi from Uganda (ronald_katsigazi@hotmail.com)
lets us know where to go if you want a genuinely Thai experience.
Hello there,
I thought you might like to know about a place that I found
out about a couple of weeks ago. I have been living in Thailand for about 6 months
working as a sports coach. I know a lot of young Thai people, and although I saw
them socially, I couldn't help thinking the things I did in the evenings usually
involved going to places other foreigners go. We'll I wanted a bit of a change
and so I asked my Thai friends to take me out on a typical Thai evening. So they
did, and I ended up at Bahn Mai Daeng. It doesn't look much except a small
pub from the outside, but inside there are layers upon layers of tables facing
a stage at the front of the building. It's absolutely incredible the number of
people the place can hold. By around 21:30 the place starts warming up. A band
comes on playing what they call "songs for life" - a kind of Thai country music
that has its roots in the student uprisings of the past. While the first band
was on me and my friends ate - I am not an expert but I really enjoyed the Thai
food we had. By the reception my Thai friends gave it, I can only assume it was
good. And then the main band came on - apparently the bands that come to
this place are either up and coming stars or they are already famous. My friends
told me that Ad Carabao - a legendary 'songs for life' singer sometimes comes
to Bahn Mai Daeng and ends up singing some of his own songs with the band on stage
- pretty good value if you happen to be there that night! I haven't seen Ad Carabao
there but I have seen a few bands since then. Although I don't really know what
they are singing about, the atmosphere generated in the place is ALWAYS electric.
And by the way… every time I have been I have one of only two or three foreigners…
and certainly the only black man! If you are looking for a real Thai experience,
I recommend this place. Unfortunately, they wouldn't let me take pictures inside.
I think they were frightened that their boss would not approve. But take my word
for it, even if you don't have one of the best nights of your life (which I think
you will), you'll have definitely had a genuinely cultural experience. It's
a bit It's a bit of a drive from Khao San Road, but I think it's worth it. If
you decide to go, I can only assume a taxi will be best. You'll be heading up
towards the airport and taking u-turn in front of a university called 'St John's
University'. The palce is between Soi 18 and Soi 20 of Viphavadee-Rangsit Road
- almost on the corner of Soi 20. Say this to the taxi driver: "By
Bahn Mai Daeng tee Thanon Viphavadee-Rangsit lat wang Soi Sib Pet let Soi Yee
Sib" - most taxi drivers know the place though... Have a good time! Ronald,
Uganda Send your comments
No comments yet. | | |
Go with the FLOW…
The music scene in Bangkok has never been that great - herds of Filipina
lounge singers murdering "I will survive" in competition with local talent playing
"Honky Tonk Woman"- yet again. On Khao San Road its been even worse - the closest
thing to genuine live music has been some vendor putting an "S Club 7" CD on one
of the street's outdoor sound systems. Grim! Now at last there is something to
shout about - FLOW. FLOW play at Dali Bar every Tuesday,
Thursday and Friday, and the whole experience is pretty wonderful. |
FLOW | |
FLOW are a genuinely international
band. Peter was brought up in Canada and his twin brother "Breeze" was brought
up in Tasmania. Mitt, FLOW's drummer, is Thai, and Rick, the lead singer is American.
The 'farangs' in the band have been in Thailand a good while - "Breeze" seven
years and Pete and Rick three years. This is NOT a garage band - they work full-time
and they have produced an album - "Go with the Flow" - which is available at the
Dali Bar or via mail order through their website
at the reasonable price of 300 Baht. Rick writes the songs, but the arrangements
are a group effort.
I sat with "Breeze" over a beer in Dali Bar and
he gave me a bit of insight into the FLOW's history and culture. "Rick and Pete
played together in Los Angeles" he told me. "We all met up here and
decided to get together and jam. We asked Hanchai (the owner of Dali's Bar) if
we could practise upstairs at his bar. He agreed, but we didn't really get much
chance to practise. People used to come upstairs so basically we were gigging
from the start!"
FLOW have been around a bit. They've toured Vietnam,
Cambodia, and regularly play a variety of venues around Bangkok. "In Cambodia
we started a gig just as the coup started. After the 4th song everyone split and
there we were left on the stage. We could hear the war going on in the background.
You've never seen roadies tearing down a rig so quickly!"
As we sat talking
and drinking I listened to the band's album over the Dali bar's sound system.
For those of you who are British and festeringly old like myself, FLOW's music
is very reminiscent of the "Icicle Works" later music in the 1980's - a sort of
classic rock with an edge. What's very different to the "Icicle Works" is the
Thai language song that appears on FLOW's album. This song stands out - not so
much because of the switch in language, but for the change in style - it is much
harder than the other songs on the album for some reason. Despite being
around for a while, FLOW don't really have a regular following. "Most of the Thais
who come to see us want to hear "Hotel California" and there's only so many times
you can play that! Here on Khao San Road the audience changes regularly, so again,
we don't really build up a regular crowd. People appreciate hearing something
other than the standards you might hear at a bar in Bangkok, but the crowd we
pull 's just the way it is." | |
For me, the experience of watching FLOW play was very much tied
up in the venue - Dali's Bar is unique in Bangkok (at least I haven't seen anything
like it). A two-storey townhouse situated on Soi Rambutr, this is the only place
in the area with original Salvador Dali paintings on the walls. Upstairs is where
the band plays. The dividing wall between two rooms has literally been demolished
to make a single room. There's been no attempt to smarten the place up and it
looks all the better for it - you literally watch the band through a big hole
in a wall, or you sit on the floor in front of the band as they play. |
Hanchai - owner of Dali Bar | |
"Breeze" told me FLOW have played to 80 people at Dali's.
That might be a pretty uncomfortable number, but with 20 or 30 or so it's a very
relaxed atmosphere. Although FLOW's album features electric guitars, at Dali they
play a semi-acoustic set minus their drummer. They started the set I saw with
an extremely weird song with lyrics that include "Marilyn Monroe didn't marry
Henry Miller". They then moved on to their interpretation of some familiar numbers
alongside the stuff that they've written themselves. Their lyrics are obviously
designed to make you think - head music we used to call it!
Speaking
with "Breeze" it was clear FLOW are simply into music and don't want to be classified
as anything other than good, which of course, they are. Good music coupled with
a unique venue with drinks at reasonable prices make Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays
at Dali's night's not to be missed. I asked "Breeze" how long FLOW would be doing
what they are doing. "Don't really know the answer to that…" he said. "We'll go
with the flow!" Should've seen that one coming… |
UPDATE
We're not 100% certain FLOW are still playing at Dali Bar - it's a shame
if their not. Anyone know what's happening at Dali Bar? Last time I went it was
shut... although it was Saturday afternoon with no one around. Email
us if you know... |
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your comments |
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