“My name is…Jong-hyun. Report #1…Today’s show…was awesome! But a kick pedal was broken.”
Thus our interview with Galaxy Express begins. After climbing up to a small green room in the rafters of The North Door in Austin Texas, we shake hands with the rock trio who have arrived in town just in time to perform at the “Start Up Night Out” event presented by KOCCA during the interactive part of South by Southwest.
Due to a missed flight, Park Jong-hyun, Lee Ju-hyun, and Kim Hee-kwon have been traveling for more than 30 hours without sleep. We decide to keep our interview short and sweet so that the guys can go get some rest before the Southby madness hits.
Cy starts off the conversation by asking them about their travels. “We spent some time in LA.” Jong-hyun tells us. “We went downtown to meet our friend Sungwoo and his aunt who lives there. We had eight hours there so we met friends, ate food, and drank beer.”
We couldn’t believe that these guys could get on stage after traveling so far on very little sleep and manage to perform the way they did. I’ve seen them perform four times now and I’m telling you, every single performance is melt your face amazing! These guys put so much energy into their gigs.
“We just do it. Rock & Roll is our duty! The show must go on!”
We saw Galaxy Express perform their new single “The Way” for the first time and our impression was that it sounded like a jam session so we were wondering if that is how the song came about.
“You’re right!” Jong-hyun tells us. “That song was born as a jam but, then we played it together a lot of times. We made changes, talked about it, and then it was re-born. It was like ten minutes long and now it’s five.”
We heard that the guys were planning on recording one song every month this year and then compiling them to make their next album. Jong-hyun laughs and says “We were just kidding! We are going to make a lot of songs this year but we can’t promise that it will be one song every month. We’re going to try though.”
As far as their creative process goes, Jong-hyun tells us that everybody brings ideas for new music. “We meet almost every day and play together. We play music over and over and new songs come out. We don’t have a plan for the new album but we’re going to figure it out.”
Musical Influences
60s and 70s rock music, bands like Cream, have had an influence on Galaxy Express. “We love that band!” Jong-hyun tells us. “When we listen to their music it’s awesome! I wan’t to play like that and make music that feels like that.”
In this regard we can definitely say that Galaxy Express has succeeded. They are incredible live performers, putting so much energy and emotion into every single note that they play. You can’t help but be drawn in along with them.
“It’s a shared experience when I’m listening to my heroes but, also they feel like my friends.” says Jong-hyun.
About Austin
BBQ, fresh air, and Texas beer [Shiner and Lone Star] are just a few of the things that keep Galaxy Express coming back to Southby again and again. We hope that this trend continues for many years to come. We are always looking forward to the next time we get to see these guys perform live. If ever you have the chance to catch a live set, don’t pass it up! Until then, go support them by checking out their music.
Rock 'N Seoul 