K-Indie Music Night: Crying Nut & Say Sue Me

Presented in collaboration with Lincoln Center

Wednesday, July 19, 2023 at 7:30 pm 

Venue: Damrosch Park

(Amsterdam Ave & W 62nd St, New York, NY 10023)

The undeniable chart-topping popularity of K-Pop has raised Korea to the heights of global creative influence, but that's not all Korea has to offer! The country's thriving independent rock scene offers a nuanced counterpart to K-pop's glossier production. K-Indie’s diverse expression of sound - from guitar-driven, underground post-rock to mellow, lo-fi electronics - mark it as the likely next big thing in Korea's role as a cultural exporter. 

As part of Lincoln Center’s spotlight on Korean artists this summer, join Seoul punk and indie rock pioneers Crying Nut and Busan surf-rock indie band Say Sue Me for an energetic taste of Korean rock n roll! 

Crying Nut became a household name in South Korea following their performances at the 2002 FIFA World Cup and Say Sue Me won Best Modern Rock Album and Best Modern Rock Song at the 2019 Korean Music Awards. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see both bands performing in New York City!

K-Indie Music Night is presented by the Korean Cultural Center New York in collaboration with Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. The event is part of Korean Arts Week at Lincoln Center's Summer for the City.

▲ Crying Nut

Crying Nut was formed in 1993 by four high school friends and is hailed as one of the most important rock bands in Korea.

Crying Nut had its first gig in 1995 at the live club, Drug, which was the heart of the early Korean indie-rock scene. When the band released a split album, “Our Nation vol. 1” with indie label Drug, in 1996, it was the first of its kind and completely new in Korea.

Crying Nut’s debut album was finally released in 1998 and sold over 100,000 despite being released by an indie label. Through the album, many young people came to know what punk rock music and ‘Let’s race a horse’ received extensive airplay. The band quickly became an established act on the underground circuit attracting mass media attention. 

In 1999, accordionist Insoo Kim was added to the line-up, completing Crying Nut.

Due to its arduous touring schedule and estimable quality of songwriting, Crying Nut became a mainstream band and whenever the band releases a new album, Crying Nut charms music fans and critics with various music styles and witty, beautiful, self-referential lyrics. 

Embracing all kinds of musical genres such as Reggae, Ska, Polka, Irish, and more, the band released its seventh album, “Remodeling” in 2019. 

With over 10 compilation albums including the legendary 2002 FIFA WorldCup Official Album and international festivals all around the world, Crying Nut celebrated the band’s 25th anniversary in 2020. 

AWARDS

2019 28th Seoul Music Awards (Band of the Year)

2013 Masterpiece of Korean Indimusic Top 100 (#2 ‘Maldalriza’)

2013 M.net Korean Legend 100 Artist selection (Korean Legend 100 Artist)

2010 100beat.com Top 100 Korean Albums of the Decade (#54 ‘Sewage Hand Love Song’)

2007 Korean Music Awards (Musician of the Year - Nominee)

2007 Korean Music Awards (Best Rock Album of the Year - Nominee)

2007 Korean Music Awards (Best Rock Song of the Year - Nominee)

2001 MNET Music Video Festival (Indie Artist of the Year)

2000 MTV Asia Music Awards (Korean Artist of the Year - Nominee)

2000 MNET Music Video Festival (Indie Music Video of the Year)

1999 KMTV Korean Music Awards (Indie Artist of the Year)

1999 MNET Music Video Festival (Indie Music Video of the Year)

1998 MNET Music Video Festival (Indie Music Video of the Year)

▲Say Sue Me

Cited as one of 2018's ‘break-out bands' and “your new favorite indie rock band from Korea” by MTV TRL, Say Sue Me are a Surf inspired Indie-Rock/Pop act from Busan, South Korea. 

Members consist of Byungkyu Kim on lead guitar, Sumi Choi on vocals and rhythm guitar, Jaeyoung Kim on Bass and Sungwan Lim on Drums.

The band released their first album “We’ve Sobered Up” in 2014, and an EP “Big Summer Night” in 2015, on Korean label Electric Muse. A self-titled compilation that paired their first record and EP was released by UK Damnably Records in 2017, marking the band’s first release outside of Korea, which served as an introduction to International audiences. Following well-anticipated showcases at SXSW & The Great Escape in 2018, the band released their sophomore album Where We Were Together and a RSD covers EP It’s Just a Short Walk!, winning praise from the likes of Pitchfork, NPR, Billboard, i-D, The Independent, Stereogum, Paste, MTV, Uproxx, Fader, Drowned in Sound, DIY, The 405 & more. Lauren Laverne, Tom Ravenscroft, Gideon Coe, Iggy Pop and Don Letts on BBC 6Music have championed the band as well as Elton John on Beats1 and KEXP. In the same year, the band embarked on tours in Europe and Japan and appeared as part of the line up at the first DMZ Peace Train Music Festival in Korea’s Demilitarized Zone. They count Yo La Tengo, Japanese Breakfast, Snail Mail, The Ravonettes, Speedy Ortiz, The Beths, and The Notwist as fans.

In 2019, Say Sue Me were nominated for five Korean Music Awards (ultimately winning 2), going up against the almighty BTS in three major categories. They released ‘At The End Of The Road’, an environmental ode to the sea, showcased at SXSW 2019 for a second time, recorded a live session in the shoe box at Vans HQ in Los Angeles, played Les Eurockeennes Festival, Greenman Festival, Reeperbahn Festival and embark on their first North American tour in late 2019. 

Like everyone else in the world, the band were forced to take a touring hiatus in 2020, and quietly began work on a new album. In 2021, they wrote opening theme songs ‘So Tender’ for JTBC and Netflix’ Korean drama Nevertheless, and ‘My Heart’ for TvN’s hit Korean drama Yumi’s Cells, broadcast rights for which has been sold in more than 160 countries around the world. 

In 2022, the band returned with a new album ‘The Last Thing Left’ and celebrated their 10th anniversary since forming the band with a special EP of cover songs, titled ‘10’. They again received nominations at the 2023 Korean Music Awards for Best New Album (Rock) and Best New Song (Rock).