Hong Kong Music

Last night at Joyce is Not Here’s regular Saturday night gig, I had the pleasure of seeing another of our city’s great talents Aileen Alonzo. With a really captivating voice, she tells beautiful stories about life and love (and caterpillars in the shower!) The titles of her songs such as Icarus and Alice, are often inspired by mythological stories and fairytales. She mentioned that she likes the idea that these tales relate so closely to real life. I personally enjoyed her set a lot and was impressed by her mastery of vocals, guitar and keyboard. Her passion for her craft really showed through the performance.

During the break, Aileen and her friends Darren and Lei Au (who are also musicians) gave me some insight into the music scene in Hong Kong as they see it. Aileen has been playing for about five years now, doing solo sows, playing in the band Dark Himaya (who’ve just launched a new album), and busking HKs streets. Her next venture is a new band called CLEEN which will play “acoustic glitch” – (Seriously, check this out!) I was impressed by the way she seems to be going for exactly what she loves. She’s just quit her job in a bank after 10 years to focus on music. According to Aileen, the independent music scene in the city has definitely been getting better and better.

Darren who played guitar and sang with Aileen for some of the songs during the gig, is also optimistic about the growing independent scene. He told me about how there used not to be so many indie music venues, except for the Wanch but now there are some great newer venues coming up. In his opinion, the person that has done most for the HK music scene is Chris Bo of the Underground (Something I can’t beleive I haven’t written about yet! Sidenote: watch out for a post). When I asked about his favourite Hong Kong musicians, he mentioned The Bollands, a New Zealand couple who’ve played for months in Hong Kong, and who will soon be moving back to live and play here. They sound like a duo to watch out for.

Lei Au told me a bit about busking in the streets of Hong Kong. She plays mainly percussions and it seems like something she really enjoys. I’ve always wondered about what the experience of busking this city is like. When I asked her, she told me that can be very nerve-wracking at first, but once you get into it and passersby start responding, it’s a great feeling.

I really enjoyed both the performance and having the chance to chat with these musicians. It was inspiring to get the perspective of people who are active in and optimistic about the music scene in the city.

Some links to keep you updated:
I found this gem of a tune from Aileen’s new band, CLEEN (live performance debut in April!)
[bandcamp track=3604555012  bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=venti]

And of course, the Facebook pages for two of her projects Here’s CLEEN, and here’s Dark Himaya

I don’t remember seeing many people busking in HK a few years back. I’ve noticed many in the area between Pedder street and LKF these days and have heard of many more on Kowloon side. Just this past Wedneday night, the sounds of Enrique Iglasias’ “Hero”, and The Fugees’ “Killing Me Softly”, were livening up the Central evening air. Seems like more and more groups of people are daring to just go and play to the crowds whether they like it or not!

I’m a fan of these musicians! I think there is something very liberating about playing the streets. It adds a nice touch to the atmosphere, whether you stop to watch or are just passing by. It’s almost like musicians are on a mission to bring music to the masses.

Sometimes it can be tiring to hear generic tunes though, so I would like to see some less overplayed songs and more original ones – Something that makes me stop and ask for a CD. It’s also a great way for musicians to get exposure and reach the people who don’t particularly seek out gigs.

What do you think?