[UNSCENE MAGAZINE] Q&A with Angry Bear: Conquering South Korea One City at a Time

By: Milgem Rabanera

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Seoul's premier alt rockers, Angry Bear, have been quite the prolific busy bees, or bears, rather. At a solid four members – KC Swink doing bass/vocals, Scott Prince also vocals/guitar, Ian "Sax" Chiasson on guitar, and Patrick Connor on drums – they deftly infuse a kaleidoscope of rock genres. Having completed their first albums "Gom" and "II" (mastered by the talented KC Swink), they're currently going 'round the country performing their latest songs in the making of a third record.

UNSCENE had the privilege of speaking with them right before they left their home base for a weekend circuit of Cheonan and Busan. Though they have made their mark in Korea, with plenty of media coverage, we were still curious as to their origins and plans. Keep an eye out for summer festivals and neighboring Asian countries-you may find them at a show near you.

How did your band come up with its name?
The band name "Hwanan Gom" was originally created by KC when the band first started as two-piece acoustic act (KC and Scott). A gig was in the works and a name was needed. KC was messing around with different combinations of Korean words for his own amusement and struck upon the combination of "Hwanan" and "Gom". It pleased all involved and stuck. We later added the English 'Angry Bear' to save confusion. We still prefer to go by "Hwanangom" - but use the English translation a lot as well.

I noticed the two stuffed bears at the base of your drum set at the recent Club FF show. It sounds like there's a fun inside story to this. Care to indulge our readers?
The two stuffed bears were found in a gift shop on a Chuseok trip to Everland, and we knew instantly their form was malleable. Their faces were redesigned and have since become our mascots – present around the drum kit at every show. KC still thinks one of them looks like a pirate, though.

I see from coverage in Chincha?! Mag, and Busan Haps that you and fellow band members met via hagwon network. Still hagwons by day, and rocker badasses by night? Or has the latter become full-time gigs?
Scott and KC originally met at a hagwon. At that time they shared accommodation, became friends, made music, formed the band and began playing shows. Patrick was in attendance at one such show, suggested it might be good to add a drummer to the lineup. After some coaxing, Scott and KC agreed to jam, and two became three. Ian who had been playing in several locals bands (Animal Dads/ Bedroom States) became a good friend of all of us, and was a logical addition to the band once we decided we needed more sounds.

We are still teachers by day, and (bad-ass?) rockers by night.

What are each members musical backgrounds (in other bands prior? Classically trained? Self taught? Mixed assortment of talents?)?
Patrick: Before coming to Korea I had never played in a band, actually. Angry Bear is only the third band I have ever been in. I'm mainly self-taught, which explains a lot!

IAN: I first started playing guitar at 15 to 16. My friends and I in school wanted to be the next Nirvana. We all got some sweater vests, ripped holes in them, and bought guitars. Unfortunately we didn't know how to tune to each other and couldn't figure out why we were ass. I continued to play in some punk bands in Canada up until I came to Korea. (I bought a tuner eventually.) When my band here (Bedroom States) was about to demise, I quickly hopped on the Angry Bear bandwagon.

SCOTT: First started playing guitar when I was 14 years old – mostly because I wanted to be a member of Iron Maiden and felt as though I'd had enough practice at pretending my badminton racquet was an instrument. Pretty much self-taught since and pretty much sucked too in all high school/college bands prior to starting Angry Bear.

KC: I played the cello for a year in 5th grade to avoid playing the recorder, but quit a year later when I realized I was in for a mandatory practice every night if my parents had their say. I picked up a guitar the summer before my senior year in high school, promptly (and foolishly) forming a band with another (still close) friend, and changed to bass. I've never bothered to take lessons. I've always just put on music I liked, and tried to sound out the bass lines.

If there was a band you'd be loathed to be compared to when a fan attempts to describe your sound, what would it be?

Ian: Any and all comparisons are welcome. I think we all love hearing what other people hear when they listen to us. Someone told me once that we sound like the child of Maroon 5 and Franz Ferdinand. [A] definite odd comparison, but fun nonetheless.

KC: I feel as if comparisons often reflect the person doing the comparing as much or more than the music being compared. As for my own ego, I've heard things I both like and dislike and think it's possible to take away positives and negatives from both the most glowing, and the most contemptuous comparisons. I have a tendency, however, to focus on my own opinions of the music more, and a general crowd response shows.

From all the previous magazine coverage, it looks like you've conquered playing big cities in Korea. Are there plans to do more of Asia?

We have conquered cities aplenty around the peninsula – not many remain out of our control. We have also played shows in a few of these cities. Once we control them all, we may embark on a countrywide tour, visiting all of our empire.

What songs usually get the crowd moving?

Scott: We have a decent mix of songs style-wise. 'The Walls' tends to get people moving, as does a song called 'No Mind'. Then again, equally as likely to get the crowd moving are Patrick's slippery drumsticks, which are often airborne during a set.

Angry Bear on what separates them from the others in the rock scene:

Ian: Our jeans aren't tight.

KC: I'd suggest not trying to stand out from the rest, in some eyes, might make us stand out from the rest. In all walks of life, there are gimmicky things one can do to 'create an edge', but I am hesitant to do something if it seems unnatural, or forced. That is not to say we don't embrace the 'strange' when it appears of its own accord; more that we loathe to call it up through ritual séances and have it do our evil biddings.

* Taken from "Unscene Magazine". If you have any comments, concerns or are looking to contribute an article, please e-mail: info@un-scenemag.com or contact the appropriate editor. Letters to the editor can also be sent to info@un-scenemag.com.