2019 Chiang Khong Music Fest

[DavidFL]

1PM - 11PM there will be a free shuttle service from the downtown hotels & market to the Tha Leua Bak Port where the event is being staged.

 

[ianyonok]

I'll be there with the missus. Hotel booked. Looking forward to it.
See ya there.

 

[Guzzibs]

See you there Dave looking forward to some good music by the river.

 

[ianyonok]

My wife and I had a great time at the Chiang Khong Music Festival. It was a little weekend break for us and my wife's birthday. We watched all of the Midnight Ramblers and the Chiang Mai Blues Band and friends. Great to see some top quality music played live by excellent musicians. Both these bands really nailed it. You could see they were all enjoying themselves too. The acoustics were great. Unlike a club, being open air and next to the river, the sound was very clear.
We "helped out" at the bar, on the up stairs terrace, where they were making super marguiritas. In fact we propped the bar up to the end of the night and helped them pack it all up, as they were giving us a lift back to the hotel.
We stayed in a discounted river view room at the Teak Garden. Have to say, I thought it was an excellent hotel, very nicely designed for a block.
The multi-colour lighting in the pool is nice and the room was super comfortable with top quality bathroom fittings, great bed and thick mattress. We had dinner on the open terrace before the gig and that was pretty good. We also used the round hot tub on the private room balcony, in the cool morning, watching the sun rise over the misty Khong river. Super.
Thank you very much to David, for organising this great event. We'll be going next year as well, for sure.
Perhaps if there had been more promotion around Chiang Khong, there would have been more people there. Banners and signs down the main road would help. Promotion around the bike clubs should get more riders visiting too.
Great event for the area. I'm sure it is something that can grow into a popular annual festival. Cool music in the Cool air by the Khong.
Great stuff.

 

[Eoin Christie]

Well done, David and Chiang Khong!

 

[DavidFL]

Woo-hoo what a great time & magic night that was........great bands, fabulous venue & a top sound system.

Some pics from the event.

The venue at the old, newly renovated ferry port

Setting up

Sound check 1 by the Chiangmai BLues

Sound check 2 by Midnight Ramblers

Introduction

The Chiang Khong Youth band,

Playing with borrowed instruments.
The instruments are kept in a "school pool" & shared amongst the schools in Chiang Khong.
These kids were ken to test themselves out & play as a band on a big stage.
A wonderful effort if it ever was.



More to come

 

[DavidFL]

Official opening by the TAT Chiang Rai

Ribbindasky - the opening band from Chiang Mai

RibbindaSky

and what an amazing voice


more to come..

 

[DavidFL]

Band # 2 from Chiang Mai - The Multiple Standards.

The Multiple Standards

A cool mellow jazz band playing jazzy classics

more to come..

 

[DavidFL]

Band # 3 was GG & the tempo certainly increased with this brilliant band

There was a blistering guitar shredding solo by the lead guitarist

Art on drums also shone in his solo

more to come

 

[DavidFL]

Band # 4 was the farang guys from Bangkok - Midnight Ramblers, playing 100% Rolling Stones & boy did these guys rock & put on an outstanding performance.

Midnight Ramblers

What a fantastic act these guys were. And they certainly enjoyed themselves, such that they are keen to come back for a MK 2 event.

More to come..

 

[DavidFL]

The main act for the night - the Chiangmai Blues featuring Chart Bebop

Chiangmai BLUES

Chart Bebop starred with Johnny Be Good

And then there was an Etta Jame's - I'd Rather Go Blind - I never thought I would hear someone sing it so well as that in North Thailand.
Absolutely outstanding.


Ajarn Por on Saxophone was also brilliant with Chiangmai Blues.

The song to end the night was Hey Jude & what an outstanding rendition that was too.

 

[DavidFL]

Getting this event to actually happen has been a dream of mine for a few decades.
Like many riders perhaps, I've often sat by the Mekong, after a great day's ride at dusk having a cold drink for happy hour & thought wouldn't it be awesome to have some nice jazz and blues bands playing beside the Mekong too.
And wow, its actually happened.
It wasn't my event, but that of the local Chiang Khong community who embraced the idea, pulled together to have a go and do it. All on a shoestring, but it works at that fabulous venue by the river.

Thanks to the good Dr Shinshiro Kenji Arthur for the drone photos an first class images
You can see more on the facebook page
Chiang Khong Music Fest 2019


The bands were sufficiently happy to want to do it again.
Thanks for everyone who came & made the event a success.

To quote Ribbindasky band

The night at Chiang khong Music Fest 2019 was a blast it's such a warm music event that happened near by Maekhong River. Thanks to all the organizers audiences and staffs that made this event happen and having us performing at this stage. It is one of the best moment playing music ever.

​

Last but not least. GG Band does not have a Facebook page. They don't always play together, but get together for events on request.

 

[DavidFL]

A vdo clip from the observation deck & food court

 

[DavidFL]

My wife and I had a great time at the Chiang Khong Music Festival. It was a little weekend break for us and my wife's birthday. We watched all of the Midnight Ramblers and the Chiang Mai Blues Band and friends. Great to see some top quality music played live by excellent musicians. Both these bands really nailed it. You could see they were all enjoying themselves too. The acoustics were great. Unlike a club, being open air and next to the river, the sound was very clear.
We "helped out" at the bar, on the up stairs terrace, where they were making super marguiritas. In fact we propped the bar up to the end of the night and helped them pack it all up, as they were giving us a lift back to the hotel.
We stayed in a discounted river view room at the Teak Garden. Have to say, I thought it was an excellent hotel, very nicely designed for a block.
The multi-colour lighting in the pool is nice and the room was super comfortable with top quality bathroom fittings, great bed and thick mattress. We had dinner on the open terrace before the gig and that was pretty good. We also used the round hot tub on the private room balcony, in the cool morning, watching the sun rise over the misty Khong river. Super.
Thank you very much to David, for organising this great event. We'll be going next year as well, for sure.
Perhaps if there had been more promotion around Chiang Khong, there would have been more people there. Banners and signs down the main road would help. Promotion around the bike clubs should get more riders visiting too.
Great event for the area. I'm sure it is something that can grow into a popular annual festival. Cool music in the Cool air by the Khong.
Great stuff.

Thanks for the feed back Ian - much appreciated.
For a first time event like this it was a lot of work, feeling our way, but seemed to work quite well.
It was actually organized on a shoestring with some limited support coming from TAT Chiangrai, after the event, once receipts were produced.
Many people gave their time for free & for a small fee - even the musicians, wo liked the concept & wanted to be part of the event and for it so succeed.
We actually had an early agreement for sponsorship from Boonrawd - Beer Sing / Leo - to sponsor the event, but the naughty issue of selling alcohol in a public place rose it's head & was not solved, & unfortunately Boonrawd pulled out. This is also why the MHS Music NIghts stopped, not to be resolved.

In Chiang Khong, the guy who worked the most was Wachara at Tammila Gh, my good friend of 30 years, who embraced the idea & went for it with me.
Through his local contacts he got a team of volunteers & people to help. Everyone pitched in & that the event happened is a tribute to the local Chiang Khong community.
The TAT in Chiang Rai have a cap on the amount of money they can disperse locally for events, before approval has to come from Bangkok.
We have reached that cap & are 40,000 baht short at the moment - so Khun Wachara is the one out of pocket right now.
Getting local business people in Chiang Khong to chip in financially was too much, as they did not appreciate the concept, or the type of music. Why not have a pop concert?!!

However if the short fall can me made up for this inaugural event, then we feel there maybe a way to resolve the sponsorship issue in the future, as all the bands want to do it again - the venue beside the Mekong river is totally awesome & we would like to so it again at the same location, with more food vendors, & a "toilet bus" parked at the venue.

A big thank you again to everyone who came. I didn't do a head count, but we reckon there was about 350 people at event. I'd been hoping for at least 500.

There is a quantity of Music Fest T-shirts left over & if anyone would like to support the event a bit more & help recover costs, you can get one via Tammila guesthouse in Chiang Khong Tel 053 791234mor via GTR.

 

[Guzzibs]

Thanks Dave and the Chiang Khong locals who organised the event. First one is the hardest guys and myself and Mon enjoyed the night so lets do it again next year. The music built nicely through the night up to the CM blues and guests who put on a great finale. Top spot with good people so congrats to all. Brian and Mon

 

[DavidFL]

Thanks Dave and the Chiang Khong locals who organised the event. First one is the hardest guys and myself and Mon enjoyed the night so lets do it again next year. The music built nicely through the night up to the CM blues and guests who put on a great finale. Top spot with good people so congrats to all. Brian and Mon

Thanks Brian. Much appreciated