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Shampoo Fairy Interview 2013 - Waeng

NeoNara has officially proven that punk rock is far from dead. While the softer tunes of bands such as The Script, Walking on Starlight, and Five For Fighting have dominated airwaves as of the past ten years, punk rock has returned to its underground roots, and rightfully so. NYC band Waeng takes its roots primarily from Green Day, while simultaneously shirking the band's mainstream success. In fact, bandleader, singer, and guitarist Beomgyu Choi (no relation, first name rhymes with "eww") intentionally ensures their music does not make it onto streaming services. "I'd rather sell physical CDs at shows," he explains while he and the rest of the band sit comfortably under the food tent at NeoNara, Waeng's first big music festival.

One could make the case that Waeng transcends genres, just a bit. Beomgyu skews more emo, but openly out trans-woman and bassist Shelly Wright pens most of the band's lyrics and mixes their music. The band would be a shoo-in for the next Queeruption, if they ever get around to having it. Waeng's drummer, Kai Huening, rounds out the group and is the most radio-friendly, though if cute-core were a thing, he would be a part of it. During our conversations, he mentions F.A.O. Schwartz as his favorite place in New York City, and went on and on about a hair ribbon he saw in a punk lolita shop.

So punk is subversion and rebellion, and Waeng is made up of three people who rebel against society in their own individual ways. When you put them together to make up Waeng, the real magic happens.

DC: All right, so. Who came up with the name Waeng?

BC: It was me. Some idiot high schooler called me that for two years before he graduated. Said my last name was Waeng. It annoyed me at first, but then I decided to claim it as my own thing. We first got started playing gigs around my high school up in Tarrytown. I met Kai on the train down to the city once, and we both met Shelly in the city. So even though we're far apart sometimes, it doesn't take much for us to all get together.

SW: Kai lives like a ten minute drive from Beomgyu? And his family is loaded, so it's just a hop and a skip for me to be close to them.

DC: Is there a reason you wouldn't move upstate to be closer to them?

SW: Pfft. Upstate. Who wants to live in upstate? I'm quite happy with where I am. I moved to New York after my parents kicked me out for being trans, and I met Angel shortly after that -- she's my girlfriend. We live together, and she has this ritzy job working in FiDi, so I'm not moving as of yet. But it's not that far from me to where the boys are, and they come down as well.

KH: We have the best parties at Shelly's place.

DC: Which also reminds me. Kai, you just recently celebrated your eighteenth birthday! How does it feel to be an adult now?

KH: It doesn't feel real, to be honest.

BC: You haven't stopped talking about your Hello Kitty collection, so I don't think too much has changed yet.

KH: That's true! And I'll still be living with my dad while I go to college upstate. I still wanna have time for Waeng, though! Dad says if anything happens with Waeng and we get big, I can put college on hold until we work things out.

SW: I think what really ties us all together is that we all have a passion for this band and the sound we make. So even when we're far apart, we have that working for us. I'm glad Kai's an adult now, though. It means we can play more gigs in the city without getting in trouble.

BC: Can we fast forward until we're all twenty-one? We can't play at any bars until then and it sucks.

DC: Well, you're performing here at NeoNara in a bit, and you do certainly want people to come out and see your shows instead of sitting at home and listening. What would you say to someone to persuade them to come out to one of your shows?

BC: First off, if you don't come out, you're missing out. Straight up. That's how this works. You're missing the tight-knit community that has become Waeng fans. You're missing hanging out with some bang-ass people, sharing your life with them. And you're missing out on hearing our music go in and out of your earholes. You know what I'm saying?

KH: And if you come out to shows, it's the only way to get your passport stamped.

SW: You fill out the passport, you get free swag. You can stamp it here at NeoNara, too.

DC: Is there anything else that we should know?

BC: We know our sound isn't for everybody. And, to be honest, we're totally fine with that. We make the music that we want to, and we'll continue doing that as long as we can. I would just ask you to give us a try before making a decision for yourself.

ABOUT SHAMPOO FAIRY

Hello, readers! My name's Daniel Choi, and if you're reading this, you're already my number one fan! Music is my LIFE, and instead of playing or singing, I bring you the HOTTEST music news within the five boroughs. I'm best known for my band interviews, which focus on the artists as people instead of all that other boring crap. (And if you're wondering about the blog name, it was a nickname I picked up in high school. Don't ask.) I currently live in the West Village in NYC, and I'm a senior at Baruch College -- feel free to say hi if you see me!