Music Venues

Crossroads

Location: Crossroads is approximately 35.5421 meters from Soultrane in PNU. (see the wonderfully precise directions for Soul Trane)

Review: The gentle cousin of Soul Trane. It's owned by the same guy--which means the staff here is also very cool and English-speaking, and you can walk in with the beer you bought at Soul Trane with no worries.More a sit-down and drink and chill kind of place. The owner is a HUGE fan of classic rock and folk, and he's got a great collection of CDs that the staff will spin on request....or bring your own, they'll play those too. At this writing, there is a live acoustic act on Tuesdays by the talented Angela Crebbin and a rotating cast of supporting musicians. (Check the Music section for the most current info).A cool place to get fired up for the Trane, or a great place to duck out of the Trane for air later on. The bar usually draws a good mix of sociable types who don't like shouting in bars. Usually. Worth a look-see.

Interplay

Location: Near PNU, around the corner from Soul Trane and across the street from The Moo Monk.

Review: A large, ambient space with a wall size screen and good acoustics. The music is mainly jazz with blues, rock and folk rock mixed in. Many of the local musical acts appear here, from Sir Roger Blazemore (Remco) to the house band Cold Shot with some of the top Korean funk bands in between. If you bring in your own CD, the owner will spin it for you. There is the usual selection of Korean beers and also Heineken, Heineken Dark, Becks, Becks Dark, Leffe, Grolsch, bottled Guinness, Corona and Budweiser. There is no draft beer at the moment, but there will be in the near future.French fries, grilled cheese sandwiches and the usual assortment of finger foods are available.
It is located around the corner from Soul Trane and across the street from Monk. It is an alternative from the hustle and bustle of the PNU area. The owner also owns Pictures at an Exhibition Coffee Shop.

Moo Monk

Location: PNU area--see directions for Soul Trane. Moo Monk is around the corner on the main road.

Review: Moo Monk used to be one of the main expat hangouts, but in recent years has fallen on quieter times. Except...at this writing, they have a regular band (Mojo) on Fridays, which is by far the busiest night--standing-room only sometimes. They have other bands from time to time, but they don't seem to be regular. On nights with no bands, it's pretty quiet.Good atmosphere (especially on Fridays), a lot of tables, and a small bar. Prices are reasonable, and the music is usually good (Rock, blues, jazz...). The staff is cool--they'll play requests if they've got it, and they also have a fair amount of DVDs of live concerts (I"ve seen videos of the Sex Pistols, Jeff Buckley, Zeppelin...) which they often play on the bar monitors. Big stage and good sound for the live acts as well. On Fridays, there's usually some dancing to the band.
 

Soul Trane

Location: Near Pusan National University. From the main gate: walk out and make the first left. Walk straight about three blocks or so and turn right when you see Crossroads Bar on the left. Soul Trane is down on the right next to a chicken joint.

Review: Soul Trane has been one of the main expat hangouts for a while now--mainly English teachers, but a fair few soldiers and the occasional suits straggle in. Also a lot of Koreans, many from the university and often willing and able to speak English.It's not that big and it gets pretty packed on weekends. On Friday and Saturday nights there are regular live bands, with the occasional impromptu jam session on Thursdays or other nights. When the bands are off, the tables are cleared and the serious dancing kicks off. There have been a few DJs come and gone who are among the best in Pusan at keeping the crowd on the floor, and they play a pretty good mix. The staff is very cool and they all speak English.Nothing crazy on the menu--there is anju, but very few come here to eat. Stays open late (about sunrise) on weekends, and rocks into the early morning. Great place to get in touch with the expat community and your baser instincts.
 

Live House

Location: It's in DaeYeon Dong, next to Pukyoung University.  Take the subway to Pukyoung_Kyungsung Dae and walk from the main corner towards Pukyoung.  Take a left at the second street and follow it down to the next street.  Turn right and its on your right.  It's located where the old MONK was a long time ago.  It just up the street from Vinyl, above the OZZY bar.

Review: The decor is very comfortable and the place is really nice and quaint.  The staff is very friendly and can speak some English as well.  The owner is the also the entertainment, which is really good.  He plays requests to a kind of Karaoke machine backing him up, as he plays the sax.  This guy has played for presidents ( even Bill Clinton ) and is really very professional.  It's a great place to bring a group and have some beers early in the evening and enjoy some music before heading to the dance club.  Tell the owner or staff that Jeffery sent you from PusanWeb and I swear he'll give you a deal on your drinks.  Enjoy!
 

DaeYeonDong MONK

Location: Near Bukyoung University. Take the subway (Line 2) to the Bukyoung/Kyoungsoung station. With your back to Kyoungsoung at the T-junction, walk toward Bukyoung University on the left side of the main road. Turn left at the "TTL" shop (the next-to-last street before you reach the Bukyoung campus). Monk will be about 100 meters up on the left.

Review: Any bar named after Thelonius Sphere Monk had better play a lot of jazz. They do, as well as a fair amount of blues, rock, and soul. They have regular jazz bands (local) on Tuesdays and Thursdays. There is a jam on Mondays at 10:30, and other live jazz (and occasional rock/blues) bands on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Monk also hosts the popular "Poetry Plus"about once every five weeks. Check the Events calendar for current info and dates.

Great sound--cool place to check out bands. There's lots of seating and a bar, and an "upper deck" seating area with a nice view of the ample stage. Monk attracts a lot of music lovers, and gets a fairly mixed crowd. Prices aren't bad: bottles of domestic for 4,000 won, and some other interesting labels (Erdinger Dunkel, Murphy's Stout, Flensberger Pilsener...) from 5,000-14,000 won. Be there, or be square.