Songs for Hye-song & Escape to Despair

Escape To Despair: Stories of North Koreans Living in South Korea

A very big thank you to Lee Tae-hoon, founder of The Korea Observer, for inviting myself and my fellow band members to perform a few songs for brave Kim Hye-song. Never could I have imagined my two passions in life (music and totalitarian regimes/cults) could ever combine in the form of such an unforgettable experience. Below is Hye-song sharing her story. If you can watch it and not cry, there is something seriously wrong with you:

https://vimeo.com/75270928

The event came together very quickly and quite frantically with a phone call from Mr. Lee late one recent Friday afternoon asking if we (my band) were available to perform at some point over the weekend. As soon as he told me about Hey-song, I just couldn’t say no. Thankfully, my desperate calls to fellow band members Ian and Maggie were positively received.

The songs we played and a subsequent performance by the children were filmed for a documentary (see above) focusing on the lives of North Koreans in Seoul. While the songs we played didn’t make it into the finished documentary, the ice cream Ian, Maggie, and I provided for the kids gets a mention at the 40:17 mark.

With crossed fingers, we’re all hoping that that the documentary will help Hye-song find her mother. Stranger things have happened. And won’t that be a happy day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3LisT0_KUI

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