GALAXY EXPRESS USA Tour

By John Glynn

Galaxy Express, the award-winning South Korean rock band, have excited and thrilled so many rockers, from Asia to Europe. They formed in 2006 in Seoul. The threesome consists of guitarist/vocalist Jonghyun Park, bassist/vocalist Juhyun Lee, and drummer Heekwon Kim. They instantly began attracting interest with their infectious mix of garage rock, punk, and psychedelic sounds. The group is known for delivering extremely explosive performances.
They received great praise from local critics and fans for their 2007 EPs (“To the Galaxy” and “Ramble Around”), expectation was high for Galaxy Express’ 2008 “Noise on Fire” full length debut. The blistering album did not fail to deliver, accumulating mass accolades and winning “Best Rock Album” at the 2009 Korean Music Awards. That summer the trio wowed audiences at South Korea’s Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival, Taiwan’s Rock in Taichung, and France’s Le Fete de la Musique. Now the band faces their biggest challenge to date, a grueling tour of the United States. I got a chance to ask the guys a few questions before they departed.
Q. I was wondering who your musical influences are?
A. Ju-hyun: We love acts like The Doors, The Rolling Stones, Led Zepplin, The Ramones, Metallica, Rancid, Shin Joong-hyun, Sanullim, Crying Nut, and lots of other rock and punk bands.

Q. Is there a specific date or venue in the USA that really excites you as a band?
A.Jong-hyun: We’re really excited to play all the clubs on our upcoming tour. It will be our first time playing at all of the venues. We played in Austin during SXSW last year, but we played at a different club. We had a great time in Austin last year, so it’ll be cool to visit there again. We’ve never been to rest of the cities we’re playing in before, so we’re looking forward to checking them out.
Ju-hyun: I’m excited to play at The Deadhorse in San Angelos, Texas and The Factory in Lufkin, Texas. Both places have cool names! It’s always fun to explore new places. We’re going to try and get wild at both clubs.
Hee-kwon: I wish we were playing a strip club on this tour! I think that would be a lot of fun.

Q. As a collective unit, what is your ultimate dream?
A. Jong-hyun: We want to keep making good music forever. If we keep making good music, lots of other good things will continue to happen.

If you could have any 3 famous people (dead or alive) over for drinks/dinner……. who would they be?
Hee-kwon: John Bonhan, Jim Carrey, and the lead actress from Mission Impossible 2.
Jong-hyun: Pamela Anderson, Dee Dee Ramone, Freddie Mercury.
Ju-hyun: Kurt Cobain, Keith Richards, Kim Hyun Sik

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Here is the band’s USA tour schedule. They will be playing 16 gigs from March 9 – 25. Eight of the shows will take place in Austin, Texas during SXSW (one official showcase and seven daytime parties). They will also play at The Big Spill Festival in San Antonio, Texas and The Valley of the Vapors Independent Music Festival in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

March 9 Houston, TX – Super Happy Fun Land
March 10 San Angelo, TX – The Deadhorse
March 13 Austin, TX – (5:20 pm) Bernadette’s Bar (Indie Radio Rocks the World 2)
March 14 Austin, TX – (2 pm) Zen Japanese Restaurant (Slab x Slab Fest)
March 15 Austin, TX – (6 pm) Aussie’s Grill & Beach Bar (WeAre78704.com/Elevated Minds Music present: Music Madness)
March 16 Austin, TX – (1:45 pm) Casa Chapala (Sweet Tea Pumpkin Pie Does! Does! Does! Showcases)
March 16 Austin, TX – (4 pm) The Grackle (Grackle Rock!)
March 16 Austin, TX – (11 pm) Soho Lounge (Official SXSW Showcase)
March 17 Austin, TX – (2:30 pm) Tom’s Tabooley (Freddie Steady’s 12th Annual Frontier A Go Go Rock & Roll Hootenanny)
March 17 Austin, TX – (7 pm) Pearl Street Co-op
March 19 San Antonio, TX — The Korova (The Big Spill 2012 Festival)
March 21 Denton, TX – Ol’ Dirty Basement (J&J’s Pizza on the Square)
March 22 Lufkin, TX – The Factory
March 23 Hot Springs, AR – Low Key Arts (The Valley of the Vapors Independent Music Festival)
March 24 Dallas, TX – Double Wide
March 25 Austin, TX – Red 7