Live Music Bar, Seoul

Unfortunately, this fantastic place to relax and enjoy rock/blues music -built around the original founder's private music collection- with some nice refreshments in Gangnam is a bit hard to find. I was happy enough to be back for a couple of days a little while ago - so here's a snap of their small outside sign, which you will need to spot in order to get there. Good luck & enjoy!

They do have a facebook page in English (and the staff does speak English, too) - but it seems that facebook does not get the actual location right on a map. Google maps is accurate, though.

you may check www.facebook.com/Woodstock.Music.Bar.Gangnam

Cheers

Dress Code: casual

There are several "Woodstock" music bars in Seoul, even Gangnam. The one I like best is on Yeoksam-dong side of Gangnam station, up the hill towards the second irish pub location. hard to find, but absolutely unique in terms of character. laid back. good music. darts if you like. from what I understood, the place got started as a pure act of love for blues and rock music, with a huge private collection of vinyl. The place just can take you back in time in the best possible way, i.e. by the music you remember from some time ago. A real bar, which is still rare in Korea, and very friendly people in an interesting mix - this is not your typical expat bar. I once lived close by, but will definitely stop by every time I get a chance to travel to Korea again!

you can find the address here
www.facebook.com/Woodstock.Music.Bar.Gangnam

Once Upon a Blue Moon has live jazz nightly and makes a great date spot in an intimate, candlelit location. Drinks are a little pricey but worth it. OIBM is also much dressier than most, so don't wear your blue jeans and sneakers!

Black Bush Whiskey named it one of the World's Best Bars... (http://www.worldsbestbars.com/city/Seoul/OnceinaBlueMoon.asp

Dress Code: slacks, dress shoes, nice shirt minimum. Some will have coats and ties.

Gran-A is in Novotel Ambassador Doksan. It is located at Guro industrial complex area, so many business persons usually visit here and have a relaxed time with live music. It’s hard to find sophisticated pubs, bars and restaurants around here. Gran-A is an oasis for visitors to enjoy their nightlife in this area. A music band from Philippines provides you with fantastic atmosphere by their good performance. However, the most attractive thing is that we can drink draft beer all you like for 10,000 won only. If you visit at Christmas or Halloween seasons, you are lucky. There are interesting events and parties during the seasons.

Big Electric Cat has live bands most nights of the week. The house band (and house drink) is called the Big Cat. Good place to hang with friends or meet ladies. It has a fair mix of Koreans and Westerners. During weekends, the place is usually filled with lots of people standing in the aisles!

This is a very small, hole-in-the-wall bar, so some nights it'll be crowded and others it'll be dead. Friday and Saturday are the busy nights, but we enjoyed coming here on weeknights as well, because it is just a comfortable place to relax with friends. And it is next door to other great spots like 3-Alley Pub and Scrooge's.

Tuesday is open mic night and it often gets some pretty good local talent. On Mondays the bar is closed.

The Korean girl (Choi Jung-Suk) who sings and DJs has a strong resemblance to Roy Orbison...

BOTTOM LINE is recommendable place.
Since 1985, this place have been a haven for jazz geeks.
In early 1900's style building, you can enjoy playing on Every Friday,Saturday

You get off the DongIncheon Station, and take a walk for 15minutes,
Take a direction to Insung Girl's Highschool, then find Incheon branch of SCjeilbank,then look for Chinese restaurant JoongWhaRoo to see the signboard of this bar.

Otherwise take on a taxi, it cost you minimum fare only.
you can show driver this phone number for exact place: 032-766-8211

Address:
BOTTOM LINE JAZZBAR
8-4,Chungangdong4ga,Jungku,Incheon,Korea
Tel : +82-32-766-8211
Email: [email protected],kr
Webpage: http://cafe.daum.net/Bottomline

Also every municipal bureaus are planning Jazz concert for people,
so you can dash to every websites!

One of the Annual International, being held in Korea is JARASUM jazz festival
please refer this page : http://www.jarasumjazz.com/

This is the place you want to go. A variety of LIVE music bands perform, particularly on the weekends. Pool table, expected list of beverages, safe, no working girls prying at your wallet, friendly. Bar owners/bartenders Dwayne R. and his wife Hyun Ji run the place and are very welcoming and sociable. Dwayne is also a world-class drummer who sits in on gigs with several of the bands that show up to play. If you are a musician, (solo or not) and you'd like a stage to gain some experience on, Dwayne is very open to such ideas.

Located at the very top of "The Hill". Don't want to walk up the hill past all the "girlie bars"? Easy acccess from several different directions including to the right of the top of the long, wide stairs just past the fire station and gas station going toward Han Nam Dong or the Rocky Mountain Tavern.

Tell Dwayne that you saw this introduction to his place by John Valentine here on the Net and there is a good possibility he'll let you put a drink on my tab. Rock & Roll!

Dress Code: Come as you are!

Hard Rock Cafe is taking over the world as we know it... Now there is a location in the Apgujeong-dong area of Seoul. If really must have your Hard Rock Cafe Seoul t-shirt to wear back home, stop by here. Otherwise, skip HRC and head to one of the hundreds of better places in the city that have a little unique character.

As of Jan 2007, the Hard Rock in Seoul is temporarily closed. Check their website for updates.

J's is located in the alley beside the Hamilton Hotel and KFC in the heart of Itaewon. It is large, but quiet and dark. They have live music several nights a week. On weekends, they have several bands perform for about an hour or two each. Nice place to go with a group to enjoy music, but quiet enough that you can go with your significant other to sit in the back and talk.

We never spent much time here. Some nights it was so quiet it was almost spooky; other nights it was too busy to be much fun. I'm always looking for that happy medium!

nice place ,friendly english speaking staff
live philippino band , doing the usual rock oldies ,the atmosphere is not too wild
but if you want to be in a familiar setting this will be it
5000won for local beers
and the traditional HRC menu
the best feature about this place is the huge bar

Dress Code: no dress code,but koreans are normally well dressed

Anyone who doesn't know of the Hard Rock Cafe world franchise was probably born while I was writing this so it would not do me any good to tell you what sort of place this is. Unlike most franchises though, the Hard Rock organization lets each general manager tailor it's staff and entertainment to suit the tastes of the local clientel. Patrick Ong, general manager Seoul, has done an outstanding job here. The staff is from all over the world to better fit the cosmopolitan area that is Kangnam; not just Korea and they are all multilingual. The food is great and some the best cocktails to be had in Seoul can be found here. You can go as cheap as a 5000 won mug of OB draft all the way up to a bottle 30 year old Ballentine's for a measley 1,300,000 won!
Some of the best live music to be had in Seoul can be found here every night after 9pm except on Mondays. Bring your dancing shoes and Cuban cigars and relax in an atmosphere that may remind of late nights in Spain or San Paulo if you are not careful.

Dress Code: You will be equally confortable and equally treated here whether you are wearing Armani or Levi's. Everyone feels and is treated like a friend here.

WOODSTOCK (02)-749-6034: This place has one of the finest house/cover bands around (LRD) as they often will take a well known song into an area never thought possible. The band is there EVERY day of the week at 10pm. Sunday usually hasn't any music, but on the first and third Sundays the club supports a true open mike presentation that is sponsored by SAN (Seoul Artist Network) and open to everyone that usually means an international array of musicians, poets, comics and sundry expressions of the muse, professional or otherwise. www.lancereegandiehl.com

Dress Code: No dress code. Come enjoy the music.

Sound Holic is a pretty happening place for koreans to hang out and listen to korean rock bands. I had no clue what they were saying half the time but it was pretty good.
They did a few songs in english... But every one would always go wild when a band call cherry filter would come on stage.

Dress Code: koreans dress there best all the time... i saw a few people in suites???it can figure it out eather, i know it was a rock consert??

The Drug Club is not really a club at all but a spray painted basement. It's a small alcohol/ drug free venue where up and coming Korean rock/ punk groups play. Crying Nut started out here as well as others. It's quite an experience and well worth the price of admission. This is Seoul's underground scene.

note: concerts are usually early like 6:30 early so depending on whosse playing you should arrive before that.

Dress Code: There were suits there were suspenders there were plaid skirts and pants and there were Roots sweat shirts...

OK, so most people (including me) stay out of Iteawon but I have been known to hang out at Bar Nana - esp. when my mate Jimmy is play a few of his songs.
It's a very casual place - good crowd of people - normally empty of annoying US GIs.

Dress Code: Just come as you are.