Interview: Korean Punks, Drinking Boys and Girls Choir, Return to Chicago for Headlining Tour

Oct 29, 2024 admin_bitlc Features, Interviews, Music News, Reviews 0

By Kyle Decker

In the name of journalistic integrity, I should begin this article with a confession. Drinking Boy and Girls Choir (DBGC) founding members Bae Meena (bass) and Kim Myeong-jin (MJ) (drums) are old friends. (I’ve met their newest guitarist Megan Nisbet a couple of times now and the woman is a delight). I was part of the South Korean punk scene for a few years and DBGC is from Daegu, the city where I lived. So my old band Food for Worms and DBGC came up in the same scene. As two of only a handful of local punk bands, we played tons of shows together during what I would say was the peak of the Daegu punk and indie scene.

10 years after our first show together, DBGC’s label mates include Japanese art punks Otoboke Beaver and fellow Koreans Say Sue Me, an indie/surf-rock band from Busan (both deserve your attention). DBGC’s song “National Police Shit”, from their first album Keep Drinking, was even played on Iggy Pop’s radio show and earned vocal praise from the Godfather of Punk himself.

DBGC first set foot in America for SXSW in 2019 along with their Damnably labelmates. Of course, we needn’t speak of 2020 and the delays and destruction it inflicted. DBGC has spent the last couple of years making up for lost time. Their second full-length LP, 2021’s Marriage License, received widespread favorable reviews from Spin, Paste, and MTV. Now the ladies are setting out on their second North American tour in 2024. They played Chicago for the first time back in March while on tour opening for Otoboke Beaver. They did two nights at Thalia Hall, with at least one of those nights selling out the 800-capacity venue. With a third album on the way and the recently dropped Live in Busan album, DBGC is headlining their own North American Tour. Kicking off in Washington DC on October 29th and ending in Seattle on November 17th, the tour will bring them to Chicago at the Empty Bottle on November 7th. I’ll be there on the night, to be sure, but I couldn’t wait to hear their thoughts and insights. So I reached out to my friends a little early. Behold our shared Google Doc chat!

What do you want people who are just discovering Drinking Boys and Girls Choir to know about you?

Megan (Guitar/Vocals): I’d like them to know that we just released a live album, which we recorded this past January in Busan, South Korea. Have a listen to that, and then come to the show!

Meena (bass/vocals): We’re a punk band heavily influenced by American and Japanese punk music. However, our music also embodies a deep Korean sentiment. Through our band, we want people to recognize that Korea has a rich diversity of music beyond just K-pop.

MJ (drums/vocals): We are from Daegu City, the most conservative and the hottest (these days there are more cities hotter than Daegu because of the climate crisis but still,) city in South Korea. Also Daegu has DBGC(yay) and the oldest Queer Parade outside of Seoul.

Please enjoy our music with this bipolarity.

Your last tour through North America was earlier this year with Otoboke Beaver, and I later learned from Jon Dunbar at Korea Times (and bROKe in Korea) that it was the longest North American tour by a Korean artist. I grew up going on road trips and I think you’ve now seen more of the States than I have. How was it being on the road that long? What stood out to you most about America?

Megan: You can be in snowy mountains one day, and in the desert the next. I really enjoyed what we saw of nature. Watching the stars near Joshua Tree, searching for constellations in the cold night. Little precious memories like that stick out to me.

Meena: I had a vague fantasy about California, but the reality was even more captivating. Especially the weather.

Is that what the song “Oh My California” is about?

Meena: Right! Everyone we met in the U.S. was kind, and we received so much support. Being welcomed so warmly made me reflect on my own behavior. Now that I’ve returned to Korea after the tour, I’m striving to be kinder to the people I encounter in my everyday life.

MJ: Almost the same as Megan. I really enjoyed the changing weather and the stars. Megan and I watched a nebula in Pioneertown with a small astronomical telescope. I am not familiar with using a telescope so we could catch only one very luckily. And It was fun that I noticed I have a minor allergy to desert dust!! If I didn’t do a US tour, I wouldn’t notice that for my whole life. What a fun experience. Hanging out with Otoboke Beaver is always fun too. 6 weeks together? Way better!

Otoboke Beaver has established a fan base here and can draw a large crowd. So opening for them must have been great. But now that you are headlining this tour, there must be a lot of mixed emotions. What are some of your biggest hopes for this tour? What are some of your worries?

Megan: For me, although we certainly have a smaller crew this time around, and less friends on the road with us, it’s a huge and wonderful opportunity. I just feel like we’re blessed and should grab it with both hands. Every single person that comes out to a show is important to us, we just want to have fun together.

Meena: There’s definitely a lot of pressure when it comes to ticket sales ^^;;, but we’re committed to giving our audience a great experience. We hope many people will come to see us and enjoy the show!

MJ: First, when we heard that we were going to do the headline tour, I felt ‘Finally!’ but at the same time I worried about how many crowds would come to our show without Otoboke Beaver. But now it is almost there, so there are no worries anymore. We are prepared to just go and have fun. Ah, I do have small concerns because of my personality. Weather, health, accidents…

Well, you all made a really great impression on fans those nights at Thalia. I think a lot of those people will show up. When Say Sue Me packed the Bottle, people said they knew them from opening for Otoboke Beaver.

Your opening act in Chicago is Bussy Kween Power Trip, a Black Queercore band. Which is a good fit, I think. Because if I remember correctly Drinking Boys and Girls Choir has often been involved in organizing the Daegu Queer Culture Festival (Daegu is a highly conservative city. The region is the Korean equivalent of Texas). What’s it like to be part of that event in such a conservative part of a conservative country?

Megan: It’s important to us to promote a message of love. With no exceptions.

Meena: Our second full-length album, Marriage License, was created with the hope that we never lose hope in the face of discrimination and hatred. We want to remind people that no amount of hate or discrimination can erase our existence.

MJ: The political situation in Korea has never been hopeful to Queer since I identified as a queer.

There was an incident at last year’s festival that even made the news here. Tell us about that from your point of view.

MJ: The Daegu Queer Culture Festival, the oldest queer parade outside of Seoul, was attacked again this year. Why should we disappear? Hate to queer and minorities is clearly a crime and the world is changing even if it is very slow.

The Daegu Queer Culture Fest has been around for 16 years, right? The news I saw here last summer (2023) was that the mayor’s officials were the ones who tried to attack or stop the festival by blocking the roads and intimidating people and the police got in trouble with the mayor for defending your right to gather.

Does that sound accurate?

MJ: You’re right. The mayor was sued by DQCF last year and DQCF won. The reason was that the public authority represented by the mayor refused to the parade. He also had friction with the police protecting the parade.

He sounds like an asshole. Glad to hear DQCF won the lawsuit.

While we’re on the subject of Daegu, the last time we talked it sounded like you were the last punks in town. Can you give our readers a brief history of the rise and fall of the Daegu punk scene?

MJ: I didn’t visit a live club when I was young, and I learned about the indie music scene of Daegu after I started a band, so I don’t know much about the past. However, Daegu must have been a city famous for hardcore and punk in late 90s and early 2000s.

Represented by Omado Crew(Records), and after that, there were lots of punk and hardcore band and crew members who visited live club often and enjoyed together, sometimes made gigs together. It is true that after some famous bands left Daegu, it is hard to find many punk/harcore bands.

There seemed to be a peak in the 2010s. I remember the 999 Family crew would always show up and support the local bands from 2012 to around 2017. Most of that crew were in bands themselves.They made shirts and had flags. They even made a banner with all the band logos. The Plastic Kiz, Sevendred, Skanking Bunny, Skaleton, Drinking Boys and Girls Choir (of course), Bullet Ant, Torn Self, and some ex-pat bands like Colours and Food for Worms. Other bands were a little more indie-rock. But that’s the scene I remember most. Some of the younger bands forming around the time I left were more post-grunge style (like Creed or Nickelback).

MJ: Kyle, you know a lot of things about the Daegu scene, as I expected haha.

Why do you think punk rock died out in Daegu?

MJ: But I don’t really know why many bands, especially punk bands, disappeared in Daegu. Is it too hard for Korean society to enjoy rock music? It seems that young people are forced to live safely without the opportunity to deviate, get angry, and talk about revolution when they have to feel it. Maybe that’s why there are fewer punx and more and more safe music possibly to get to the mainstream.

Megan: I’d like to think that at some point, young Korean people will get tired of the media that they’re being fed, and make something they can call their own, that’s a little more meaningful. Is Korea primed for a new punk rock movement? I hope so. There’s a lot to be angry about.

Daegu used to have those illegal pop-up bulgogi (meat) tents. These places wound up being frequent locations of after parties in the Daegu scene before they were finally shut down. They were also the site of some of my fondest memories in Korea. What are some of your “meat tent memories”? (Although those nights can be difficult to remember. Hahaha)

Meena: Not long ago, I was cleaning out my Google Drive and came across a video of myself dancing, drunk. It brought back memories of the time after the My Man Mike performance in Daegu, when we all went out to eat together. In my early 20s, when money was tight, it was a special place where you could get a bowl of udon and a plate of bulgogi for just $10. It’s a spot full of memories.

I was there! I remember that! That was the night my mom and brother arrived in Korea to visit. I organized that show and after party so they could experience it.

MJ: I can remember one night. Me and a friend of mine, we only have 10,000KRW($10ish), we ordered one small plate of Bulgogi and one Soju. we needed more, so we searched all our bags and piggy bank and made 3,000KRW to one more Soju. The owner gave us a Udon soup for free.

What are some of the biggest differences you have noticed between American punk shows and Korean ones? Or even European ones?

Megan: People in the states aren’t hesitant to come over and say hi! I really like hearing from people that they enjoyed the show, or they like my guitar tone, or whatever. Super friendly! Good energetic crowds.

Meena: I really love the culture of supporting bands on tour. It was amazing to experience the support we received from the audience. Their energy and encouragement made a big difference and reminded me how important the connection between a band and its fans really is.

Because this is a Chicago-based magazine, I should probably ask you some Chicago-based questions.

This will be your second time in Chicago this year. What things did you like about this city last time you were here?

Megan: We tried that crazy drink, Malört? Couple of shots of that, then out into the rainy night to see an acoustic Bouncing Souls show. Very fond memories. I’ll also just be obvious and say the pizza.

Coming to Chicago and not doing a shot of Malört would have been a failure. Hahaha. It’s definitely a must for the full experience. There’s a whole meme culture around describing it. Some people describe it as tasting like “burnt fries and bug spray” or “gym socks and sadness.”

How would you describe the taste of Malört?

Megan: What is it again? I remember thinking it wasn’t all that bad. People were kinda overreacting…

It’s an extremely bitter Swedish aperitif. It’s an acquired taste. I’ve done shots as a joke on visitors and newcomers so many times, I unironically like it now.

Megan: I dunno… I guess it wasn’t so bad that it’s like, burned into my memory or something. It buzzed us for the show, so we were happy! I don’t know if I’d enjoy a “gym socks and sadness” hangover, though…

Meena: I’d love to go back to the brunch restaurant I went to with Kyle. It was my first time trying that meal, but everything was so delicious. I still think about how good it was.

Megan: If the restaurant is that good, we have to go back. I missed it the first time!

That would have been Bang! Bang! Pie and Biscuits. Mj, Meena, Young-do, and I did it family style. We had the quiche, a chicken pot pie, a peanut butter chocolate pie, and their famous key lime pie. I think we had biscuits and gravy too.

MJ: Joongboo Market. In Korea, there is no wine sized Soju. It was very impressive.

Megan: Wine sized soju?! That’s terrifying.

Very. It’s great for parties, though.

MJ: Megan, we bought it together. Wine-sized Cham Soju (from Daegu).

Megan: I thought we went for the fancy stuff, Hallasan… That’s kinda “premium” soju from Jeju island. Tastes super clean.

Megan: Another cool thing that I did with Young-do (our sound engineer) and Accorinrin (of Otoboke Beaver) was check out Chicago Music Exchange. What a treasure trove of amazing instruments. I’d love to go back. I don’t even want to buy anything, just visit it like a tourist attraction.

Will you get a chance to spend a day or two here again? What is something you didn’t do last time that you hope to do this time?

Megan: No chance this time, but our friend Yoshie from Otoboke Beaver got to see a Cubs game, and I’m jealous. Maybe one day. We’ll take recommendations for cool stuff to do.

Meena: I want to visit several landmarks in Chicago, especially the Field Museum. I’ve also heard that the Empty Bottle, where we’ll be performing this time, is a historic venue. I’m so excited and grateful for the opportunity to play there.

For sure. The Empty Bottle is iconic. A few years ago, Rolling Stone ranked it among the best small venues in the country. I lived a block away 12 years ago and would go to random shows. There are usually cats hanging around the bar before and after gigs.

What were some things that stood out about Chicago that were different from other places you visited?

Megan: Isn’t there a river running through the city? It would be cool to take a walk around there. Doesn’t it snow a lot? Can we expect to build a snowman in November? That would rule!

Yup. The Chicago River runs right through downtown. The riverboat tours/booze cruises are a lot of fun, and in the summer the Riverwalk is open with bars, restaurants and live music right on the river. To your other question: I have built snowmen in November. I’ve also played touch football in a t-shirt in November. Sometimes in the same week. Chicago weather is chaos.

Megan: We don’t get snow almost at all where we live in the South of the Korean Peninsula.

Yeah, in my nearly 5 years in Daegu, I saw light dustings twice. You could still see grass poking out and it was gone by noon.

Megan: Snowball fight in Chicago, let’s go!

You’re on! Who are some of your favorite Chicago music artists? It can be punk or any genre.

Megan: The Smashing Pumpkins! Me and MJ have been fans since we were young. I’ve also been listening to Steve Albini’s bands recently, like Big Black. I want to get into Shellac. I’ve been checking out 88 Fingers Louie as well.

MJ: Oh, is The Smashing Pumpkins from Chicago? I just know the band is from US… Cool! Was it too stupid question? Actually I don’t care much about that information…

Megan: I admit that I did have to do a sneaky little Google search for this question… I’m Scottish! I just think of the bands I like as “American” for the most part. There are exceptions, though. I feel empathetic towards “east coast” punk bands…

MJ: So I googled [the bands from Chicago] and I found Earth, Wind & Fire, Rise Against, OK Go(I’ve seen them live in Korea!), The Smashing Pumpkins, Shellac, and Disturbed. But definitely The Smashing Pumpkins is my favorite among these bands.

Definitely get into Shellac. I got to see Shellac play in a circus tent in Eckhart Park back in…2011, I want to say. I’ll recommend the album 1000 Hurts especially. Also, the one that came out the week Steve Albini died, To All Trains. That band’s minimalism and speak/sing vocals are a big influence on my current band, The Head Caution.

Megan: Cool, I’ll put some songs on our tour playlist, and definitely check that album out on my own time.

Do you have any final words for our readers?

Megan: We play fast, energetic, and fun punk music. Come hang out with us at the Empty Bottle.

Meena : Come to our show and enjoy! We love greeting the audience after a performance, so don’t hesitate to come up and say hello!MJ: See you very soon!