"Korean Cultural News" Vol.24 Kim Ejun, Director of AgeofBand

Actually, I'm currently a university student and I was actually preparing to take the civil service exam, but I wanted to do something fun before graduating, so I started uploading videos of my favorite bands' songs, like Silica Gel. Then, by chance, the band members themselves found it interesting, and my number of followers increased dramatically. So I felt I had to do something, and decided to start uploading information about the band.

Actually, I learned the violin from a young age and studied classical music quite seriously. However, my parents were strict, so I only listened to classical music and had no time or opportunity to listen to other genres of music. Of course, I wasn't allowed to use a smartphone.

However, when I was in my second year of junior high school, a senior invited me to join a band because I thought I could play an instrument, and that's when I first touched the bass (laughs). From there, I became friends with the band club members and started listening to music like Oasis and Radiohead. That's when I transitioned from classical to rock.

AoB's current style was established after I started an internship at ZANDARI FESTA, an annual showcase for Korean indie music, after entering university. I became hooked on how interesting Korean indie bands are. I listened to SE SO NEON in Korea, and Jane Remover and Yellowcard overseas, which I also found interesting. The Korean indie scene was also expanding, with hip hop and electro being the focus.

Our main focus is on sharing band news. We also regularly post album reviews of musicians who have released new albums. However, as we continued to share information online, we realized that the best experience was to see a live performance in person, so we started organizing our own live shows. It's like earning money through online media and investing in live shows.

Many of AoB's readers are young listeners, so we try our best to make live shows as affordable as possible. Also, new bands are not a strong source of content, so we have tried releasing compilation albums by asking readers to vote. We are trying to find ways to deliver information to them.

I do everything by myself, from interviewing, writing, and distributing. It's gotten so busy that I've even taken a leave of absence from university. I can't relax knowing that there are readers out there looking forward to my articles. But I only have 24 hours, so sometimes I miss collaboration opportunities because I don't have the time, and although it's fun, I sometimes feel lonely. I'd like to start thinking about the next phase soon.

The music events held in Euljiro, Itaewon, and Haebangchon may not have the best acoustics, but they're great places to discover new music. Also, while rock music used to be centered around live music venues in Hongdae, I personally prefer the neighboring Sinchon area for rock music these days. I always check out Baby Doll and 1nfinity club.

It would be a dream come true to hold a band event at 88 Lawn Square in Olympic Park, a venue that can accommodate 20,000 people.