Blues Roots That Shake the Festival

Recounting the full history of Korean indie rock's development at the By Taylor'd Festival would take far more than a lengthy 5,700 characters. It began in the beginning with the US 8th Army, where Korean rock first took root... The true start of indie rock came from live clubs like Drug centered in Hongdae, spearheaded by punk rock, and modern rock bands formed through PC communications... and so on and so forth. Spelling it all out would turn into an endless tirade, and with living witnesses to history still around, I couldn't claim "this is the absolute truth, the canon."

But one thing is clear: indie rock is still rock at its core. And the rock listeners who remain to this day, constantly declaring "I don't listen to that mainstream crap" while rejecting anything "too mainstream"—they're rock fans too. Which means when they encounter the true roots... they're fated to respond.

The guitar let out a sound that wasn't quite a note. With a clear test strum, the low drone of the drums faded. The venue fell into silence. Just ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠as the audience, curious about what music would come next, started wondering if it was a mistake—Suyeon began picking the guitar again.

A shuffle rhythm unmistakably based on the pentatonic scale—that sound. Blues vibes utterly mismatched for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a "girls' band" or "high school girl band" echoed through the venue's speakers. As self-proclaimed rock veterans racked their brains thinking, "I've heard this somewhere before..." Suyeon opened her mouth.

"What the hell!"

The curse that barely made it out lingered faintly around the industry seats before vanishing. It was Kim Tae-jong from Music Imma Seoul, who would handle the 7 PM show the next day, jumping up from his seat.

"Tae-jong, what's up? Sit down. You're blocking the view."

Cheol-yeon said indifferently, tilting his beer bottle. Realizing his reaction was over the top, Tae-jong sat back down, his face flushed beet red. But Tae-jong's outburst was just a bit more intense—the reactions from the Day 2 bands in the industry seats and the Day 1 bands who'd finished their sets were similar, just varying in degree. Expressions of utter disbelief at what they were witnessing.

No wonder... Cheol-yeon chuckled inwardly. Even he wouldn't have believed it if Paradox's Kang Seong-min hadn't sent him the live club footage. Who would believe a high school sophomore girl could play like that?

No matter the shock in the industry seats, the performance continued. The laid-back tempo got the audience subtly swaying, and Suyeon's rhythmic movements while playing the guitar encouraged them further.

"What is this?", "Dunno what it is, but it's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hype.", ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠"Fucking roots!!", "Whoa, what the hell?" Voices buzzed amid the chatter, and a drunken shout from earlier bellowed out loud: "Crossroads!!"

Suyeon smiled and kept playing. Though a cover, it was slightly different from the straight blues of Robert Johnson's Cross Road Blues or Eric Clapton's Crossroads. The tempo was noticeably slower, more danceable. And the first guitar solo that kicked off was enough to shock both the audience and industry seats.

Very relaxed, yet piercing straight into the listeners' ears. Like how scoring a zero is harder than a hundred, the rhythm and notes—none precisely perfect—ironically proved the player's precision. And through that, people subconsciously realized this guitar playing was truly alive. Not just mechanically "playing" the song without intent... but genuinely performing it.

As soon as the solo ended, the vocals resumed.

"Whoa, this is insane."

"You know what song this is?"

"Nah. Just know it's badass, that's enough, right?"

"You call yourself a rock listener and you don't know this one?"

Unlike the first verse, people's movements had clearly picked up. With some having left, the audience had more space to move. Just minutes ago, they'd stared coldly at the stage without budging—like carp waiting for food. Now, they gazed at the stage hungrily.

Then, another guitar solo. Tae-jong nearly jumped up again. The bluesy guitar tone rang out in earnest. No flashiness in the left or right hand movements—just deliberate precision. But the sound was different. Under Suyeon's hands, it displayed ever-changing attack, decay, sustain, and release. No unintended noises anywhere. The audience even halted their movements, mouths agape, staring at the stage.

As if experiencing something utterly unexpected in an unimaginable time, situation, from an unimaginable person.

Is that even possible? This has to be a scam, right? Tae-jong was no rookie; he'd devoted years to blues and blues rock. Abroad, maybe, but domestically, he was confident few surpassed him. But what that girl was showing now? Could true talent really transcend time itself?

Meanwhile, the nearly four-minute solo drew to a close. Cheol-yeon realized with shock that this wasn't planned—it was improvised. Isn't this too much? Was she trying to kill the next band's set entirely? How serious was she?

Cheol-yeon glanced at Yoon Hyeonjun from the [Yun Hyeonjun Band], the next slot, who'd slipped into the industry seats earlier. His face was drained of color, pale as a ghost.

"Hyeonjun. This isn't the time to be here."

"Huh?! Y-yeah? Uh, uh... yeah, right. Yeah. Gotta head down quick."

Hyeonjun bolted down in a panic. Cheol-yeon looked further back in the seats. The other Day 1 band kids who'd been sipping beer had left ages ago. Only Jo Woo-hyun from Day 1 headliner [Merkishd], scratching his head with his bandmates, still watched the stage.

"Woo-hyun. You not going?"

"No point going down now."

Saying that, Woo-hyun left his bandmates and plopped down at Cheol-yeon's table. The show didn't stop after the solo, flowing straight into the next song.

"This is Sternstunde!!"

Unlike the first song, the audience erupted in fiery cheers. Rearranged in blues style—far from the original's slower tempo and melancholic mood—it flowed from the band's fingertips.

"Did you know these kids? That they could do this?"

"Me? Of course."

Cheol-yeon hid his inner thought: 'Though I didn't expect this level.' It'd undermine his senior status.

"Knew 'em since they came out on Band Pioneer. Thought, whoa, these girls are something else."

"Really? But they weren't in the TOP 8..."

"Circumstances. I'll tell you over drinks later."

A bit stung at his own near-miss being exposed, Cheol-yeon cut it short and turned back to the stage.

Suyeon's guitar specialty was just strumming strokes this time. But her blues-infused voice held back the emptiness, controlling the audience. The danceable vibe from earlier was gone. People swayed inertially to the shuffle rhythm and lingering echoes but showed restrained movements fitting the song's mood.

"This is big trouble."

"Huh?"

Cheol-yeon questioned Woo-hyun's mutter. What trouble? But Woo-hyun just downed a whiskey without a word.

"Hey, your set's soon."

"Urp. It's hours away... Anyway, with kids like this showing up, the indie and rock scene's gonna be buzzing for a while."

"Yeah."

The birth of superstars isn't all positive. Influx of people, the chaos that follows. Someone (probably Paradox's owner) would make bank, but others might see income drop. Some might quit music over talent gaps and turn to haters; others strive to catch up or start blues inspired by them. Whatever direction, things were sure to get lively.

"Hasn't been kids like this to shout 'these are the ones!' for a while. Not bragging, but seems like none since us."

"Nah, weren't there a few bands on your level..."

Cheol-yeon shot Woo-hyun a glare before continuing.

"Dunno how fast these girls will grow. But it'll be quick—few years at most."

Suyeon's low vocals rang out as the strumming guitar howled again. Replacing the final trumpet solo—a guitar one. Eyes closed, head slightly bowed in silence unlike her busy hands, the notes raged even fiercer than before. Like a lighthouse waiting far off amid the crashing North Sea waves, a turbulent journey... A melody laced with a thread of hope cried out with intense bending.

* * *

The feelings from the day I met you were just like the waves

Making today's me a bit more "forward~"

The audience sang along to Iseo's voice on the finale, That Street We Leapt Over. Despite it being unknown, they'd memorized the chorus after one verse—proof of their focus.

"What?! One more time!!"

"The feelings from the day I met you~"

Like a pop star, Iseo kept yelling "again!" in excitement. The crowd clapped to Suyeon's rhythm, singing happily along. Watching, Ayoon felt a twinge of annoyance. If they were having this much fun, why the cold shoulder earlier? Why had those who left saying "no need to watch" mostly come back? Quit hogging seats elsewhere and just enjoy.

Can't be helped. My girls are just that good...

"Today's show was insane. They always this good? Never been to Paradox. You gotta book tickets. Die if you don't."

"I know, chill... Why you nagging?"

Amid the chatter, Ayoon turned to the nearby couple she'd bumped into earlier. Hearing they had to hit Paradox, she instinctively pulled out her phone. Better book quick? But she put it away, smiling at Suyeon on stage.

Screw tickets. Enjoying this moment longer was way more important. As these girls said in Gray Days, memories fade to ash anyway. Better the shining now than dusty photo albums. Ayoon watched quietly, then impulsively snapped a photo. Suyeon's smile bloomed fresh against the stage backdrop.