Blues from Busan: Korean Band 'The Cowchips' Bring Fresh Energy to a Classic Style

 



Busan, Korea seems to be have to an active underground rock scene from what I've been seeing, and is home to at least a few bands playing British-inspired rock with a swagger and rawness that is not seen amongst the more popular Korean bands, who tend to play softer, more indie-rock style tunes.

The Cowchips are unique even amongst the Busan scene though, and I've become a huge fan of their old-school American blues rock sound. So far they've released one album in 2016 called Return Home (귀가) and a bunch of singles throughout the years. 

I recommend starting with the album, which is kicked off by the fun and energetic 'Get up your mind.' Vocalist Choi Se-ryun (최세련) belts powerfully over bluesy guitar licks with plenty of groove, and finishes off the song with a laugh. The album also includes some more laid back tracks, like the title track, which contains a tasteful and melodic guitar solo that has become one of the highlights of the album for me. 

I recommend checking out all of their singles as well - I like them all, but lately I've been listening a lot to 'Paradise' and 'Highway Blues' which were included as part of compilation albums. 'Highway Blues' in particular can be tricky to find on Spotify as it's under the artist name 'Cow Chips' instead of 'The Cowchips' but it can also be found by searching for the compilation album 'Dong Baek Rock Won Compilation' from 2013.


Here's a video of them playing 'Get up your mind' live:



And the music video for 'Return Home (귀가):



Social Media

https://www.facebook.com/TheCowChips


https://twitter.com/TheCowChips


https://www.instagram.com/cowchips_official


Band Members

Vocals: Choi Se-ryun (최세련)

Guitar: Ryu Won-seok (유원석) https://www.instagram.com/wonseok.ryu/

Drums: Yoon Gun (윤건)


Random Recs for Fans of The Cowchips:

Susan Tedeschi - It Hurt So Bad: Spotify Link

Tyler Childers - Rustin' In The Rain: Spotify Link

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