Song Review: Kidnappers – Pause
Well, New Year has come and gone and I think we’ve all had enough time to sober up. New Year’s Eve was quite a bit of fun and we got to stay out past our 12 o’clock bedtime so thanks police, we really appreciate it. Getting back in the swing of things after the holiday season is always tough for me. Turns our that Citylife gets a bunch of singles and promo releases on a regular basis so I’ve got a nice, easy review of a song I picked up.
Chiang Mai’s Winter Fashion In Pictures: Donations To Charities Needed
It’s that time of year again, but this time it’s different. The cold breeze overhead is worse than people in Chiang Mai have experienced in years, and with such a dramatic shift in temperature, many of us are not prepared. So in times of need, we make do, and here are some people Citylife snapped around Chiang Mai today making use of what they can find to keep warm.
Flames and Flowers with Nick Anderson
There are more than 1,000 species of orchids that bloom across Thailand, sometimes in the most unexpected of places. Typically, orchids can be found clutching the trunk of a tree while drawing nourishment from rain water trickling through the topography of its bark. Other species can be discovered blossoming in the darkest pockets of shade on a forest floor, or in the coolest, mistyclouds of Doi Inthanon’s highest peak.
Rasmee’s Isaan Soul
Warm arms embraced a young Rasmee as she listened to the deep vibrations coming from her father’s chest every night, slowly sending her to sleep. The lyrics of ancient Morlum lullabies and traditional Cambodian melodies captivated a young Rasmee, filling her dreams of the future with blurry images of music, fame, performance and soul. Thirty years on, there is something special happening in Chiang Mai, attracting ears from across the globe. A unique fusion of traditional melodies; Africa and Asia, morlum and soul. This is Rasmee, and this is her Isaan soul.
Some Hip Hop & Soul from a Good Soul
Here in Chiang Mai you meet a lot of interesting people. If you’ve lived here for any period of time you know that Chiang Mai attracts a certain kind of person. If you’re like me, you’ve meet some folks who you meet once and then they disappear like ships passing in the night. Others, however, make an impression and help make Chiang Mai an even more enjoyable place to live. I recently met this cat whom, from the moment I was introduced, made me ask two simple questions; who is this dude and when can we hang?
Holiday Season in Chiang Mai Means Parties, Parties, Parties!
So the holidays are upon us and, for me at least, I never quite get in the same spirit of the season as I did when I lived in the States. Maybe it’s the weather or lack of Christmas overtones breathing down my neck everywhere I go. Either way, Chiang Mai does liven up around this time of year with parties and events every weekend. While the streets may not be lined with Christmas trees and snowmen (something I am actually thankful for) there is still plenty going on in the city this season that will bring joy into your hearts.
Joob Joob Presents: Chemistry
As the weather clears up in northern Thailand people are getting ready for the cooler temperatures. Around this time of year it starts getting easier to go out and enjoy yourself without having a heat stroke and I’ve always felt that more people have the energy to go out this time of year.
Why Did People Give This Man 100,000 Dollars?
I stopped by Sangdee Gallery after work on August 25th for a glass of wine with a few of our writers to find the usual convivial crowd replaced by a handful of expat men huddled over sleek laptops – marketeers, bloggers, online experts of all walks – tensely sipping espressos on the long teak table, huddled in whispered conversation, and startling the staff with the occasional fist bump and shout.
Kolour Bangkok: A New Sunn is Rising
Once again I’d like to venture down to the kingdom’s capital and highlight a group of promoters who are not only leaving their mark on Bangkok’s nightlife but also making waves throughout Asia and the world. In a city of so many bars and nightclubs, promoters scratch and claw their way to gaining notoriety in the city and making a name for themselves.
The Swordsmith
I drive around the suburb of Hang Chat in Lampang, stopping every few minutes to ask another person to point me towards the town’s sword maker. Down a rural road, past a Tesco Lotus sign, some noodle shops, and a field of horses, I find a sign that reads “Hit the Knife Group Station.” It is the shop and home of Bunthun Sitthipaisan, one of Thailand’s last and most renowned sword makers.
Contemporary Art Hotspot: Does Chiang Mai Have What it takes?
At its best, contemporary art asks questions, breaks rules, pushes boundaries beyond expectation and challenges us to think and feel, more deeply. For an artist, it means failing often, and being vulnerable. However, the contemporary arts presence can also make or break a city’s relevance to the international art world.
Sisters, Spaces, Spices and All Things Jane Poocharoen
In the autumn of 2013, Wowdow “Jane” Poocharoen’s life was embroidered with misfortune. Her long-term relationship came to an end, the stress from her job was taking its toll, her eyesight suffered from long hours at her computer and the roof on her house had fallen in.
Chiang Mai’s Loudest
In Chiang Mai, where the acoustic guitars are oh-so-delicate and the sweet lullabies of modern pop covers pair perfectly with a steaming, artsy latte, it’s easy to conclude that you’re in a musical fairyland void of anything heavy. But when they get the chance, Chiang Mai’s fledgling scene of metal and hardcore bands turn up loud, and force all virgin ears to run for the hills.
Kamin’s Collection of Spirit
Kamin Lertchaiprasert is making a bowl in his art studio. He has made dozens before, the same as this one. When he finishes he will place it to dry with the others and make another, and after that, another one. As he smooths its edge with a wooden rib while rotating the tiny pottery wheel, lost in the repetitive task, Kamin conducts more of what he calls research.
Waewdao Sirisook: Lanna and the Mirror
“No matter where I go, or what I do, I always want to come back here,” explains Waewdao Sirisook fondly, gesturing to the sunny, bustling streets of Chiang Mai that surround the coffee shop where we meet. Waewdao has been dancing for over 20 years, a passion that has jettisoned her around the globe, a skill that can be seen in the slightest of her movements, a connection to her body evident in the nonchalant but elegant wave of her hand. “The people here, no matter how I perform, no matter what kind of dance it is, come out and support me. I will always come back to show them what I’ve learned, no matter what.”
Zudrangma Records & Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band: 21st Century Molam
In my relatively short time here in the Kingdom, Thai music is one thing that interests me greatly, yet it seems to be, for me at least, a very difficult genre to really sink my teeth into. The few stores at Kad Suan Gao that I’ve found that have LP’s have a limited selection and the records aren’t exactly cheap. But every now and then I’ll hear a dusty radio in a som tam restaurant with some catchy music and I can appreciate the musical heritage of this place. But these are deep waters.
Citylife Duels with Miltos
Game of Thrones fans don’t have to be reminded of the importance of a good sword trainer. It was Syrio Forel, First Sword of Braavosi, and expert in the ways of Braavosi Water Dance that trained Arya Stark, crafting her into a deadly force whose skills soon posed a threat to even the burliest of Lannister knights.
Summer Rain Reading
Now that the end of summer is nearing us and the rain clouds are slowly blowing in, its about time we all stock up on a few hearty reads to see us through those wet evenings when leaving the house is off the table. Here are seven of Chiang Mai’s best bookshops, offering romantic fiction to political history and everything else in between.
Recovering the Lost Vinyl of Thailand
To some the sound track of Thailand is nothing more than a proliferation of earnest but relentless acoustic covers of Wonderwall in coffee shops all over town, but plucked from the dusty corners of libraries, radio station back stock, and forgotten crates in antique shops around the country, record collectors and DJs are rediscovering a funky and freaky era of Thai music that is earning international attention.
High Hopes for Chiang Mai’s Art Scene
“In Chiang Mai, things aren’t fixed. Art is fluid here,” said Lyla Phimanrat, founder and curator of Lyla Gallery, Chiang Mai’s newest art space. Lyla debuted her gallery with AN-TI-TLE, a selection from Chiang Mai artist Mit Jai Inn. Lyla guides me through the pieces; vast, paint-splotched canvases on the floor and wall, welded steel tumbleweed like sculptures and metre-high free-standing canvas scrolls.
Thailand’s Biggest Music Export: Nakadia
This month I’m going to look slightly outside the borders of the North and look at one of the biggest success stories to come out of this country. As the electronic scene here grows, so too have local talents that are starting to see recognition on a worldwide scale.
Cafe CMBC: A Diamond in the Rough
One of the things many of us love about Chiang Mai are the many dive bars and small restaurants that litter the city with their delicious foods and cheap beer; beer you’ll never have to pour yourself if you don’t want to. No matter how long you live here, it seems you always stumble across a new bar that is frequented by loyal patrons. When I first moved here, I went to meet a friend at a bar in the Old City, just across the moat from Miguel’s Mexican Restaurant. This bar was CMBC and I fell in love (no really, I met my wife there).
Thailand’s K-Pop Obsession
For a foreigner, it’s easy to compare Asian fanclubs – more specifically Korean and Japanese – to the “Beiber Fever” of western tween girls’ fame. Images of these young pre-pubescent girls discovering sexuality and believing that super feminine men with an arrogant personality are true husband material come to mind. In Thailand it’s similar; but these fans often include people in their twenties, thirties…even forties. Though most fans are harmless enough, there have been a few incidents involving uber fans, which have taken a more sinister turn…