It’s no secret to anyone that I have been undeniably in love with this band since they were brought to my attention a few years ago. It seems that things have recently come full circle for Dead Buttons. They have gone from trio, to duo, now back to trio as guitarist/vocalist Jihyun Hong and drummer/vocalist Kanghee (Daniel) Lee have reunited with bassist MJ.
Over the past few years, they have given us a wide array of auditory pleasures. From blues to punk to country to psychedelic rock, for me, it’s kinda like Jack White had a love child with Jim Morrison and it became Dead Buttons. Seriously…what could be better than that? We asked them a few questions about their upcoming Zandari Festa performance and MJ was nice enough to speak for the band.
Answers from Dead Buttons bassist MJ
We’d love to get an introduction to your band in your own words. Will you tell us who makes up your band, and how you describe your style of music?
Hi, I’m MJ and I’m the bassist from Dead Buttons. We met around 7 or 8 years ago. I already knew Jihyun (vocals and guitar) and we wanted to make a band together and were looking for a drummer. That’s when we found Daniel and created Dead Buttons. But a few months after that, we parted ways because I had some problems. Jihyun and Daniel went on to become a duo, and I did other things.
We met again several years later in Europe. I was working there and Dead Buttons were on tour. We spent a couple of weeks hanging out together and had a good time. We felt the same things we did when Dead Buttons first formed. When I came back to Seoul we had a meeting. At that time, Jihyun and Daniel were looking to do something new and so was I. We talked about music and the band and decided to join together and make Dead Buttons a trio again.
Describing our music is kind of hard, but we’re influenced by punk rock and psychedelic music.
What does being invited to play at Zandari Festa 2017 mean to you?
It’s one of the best festivals in South Korea. We love playing Zandari Festa.
What is the best part of Zandari Festa for you?
Getting to hang out together with lots of overseas and Korean bands, meeting delegates in search of good music, and taking a shower with a hangover after this crazy festival ends.
Who do you want to see play at Zandari Festa this year?
I want to see Kimoki Fuckingmadness. Jihyun says he wants to see The Dizzy Brains and Pseudo.
What can people at Zandari Festa expect from your performance?
We’re going to play together with Insoo Kim from Crying Nut. So we’re going to be a quartet for our showcase. The sounds Insoo makes with harmonica and keyboard are really cool so come check us out!
_
Dead Buttons will be playing on Oct 1st (Sunday) @ CLUB FREEBIRD from 17:30 – 18:30.
You can find out more about the band on their Facebook page or their Zandari profile and you can buy their music on iTunes.
Rock 'N Seoul 