Crying Nut is one of the pioneers of punk music in Korea. They played at SXSW in 2012 and have returned for their second SXSW. Besides playing at the K-Pop Night Out showcase they also played a stack of shows in Austin. I caught up with the band during their time in Austin.

Tell us a little about yourself?

Yoonsik Park: Hi, we’re Crying Nut from Seoul, Korea. We’re a five-piece punk band. I play guitar and sing, Sangmyun Lee plays guitar, Kyungrok Han plays bass, Sanghyuk Lee plays drums, and Insoo Kim plays accordion and keyboard. Back when we started Crying Nut in 1993, Korea had no punk bands or punk scene. So we decided to start one!

Why do you want to play at SXSW?

Yoonsik Park: We previously played at the festival in 2012 and had a really good time. That’s why wanted to come back this year. There’s going to be tons of people from around the world there. We’re really curious what they’re going to think about Crying Nut’s music. And we’re excited to meet bands from many different countries too.

What do you want to get out of SXSW?

Insoo Kim: Lots of alcohol, lots of friends, and lots of rock ‘n’ roll!

What should the audience at SXSW expect from your showcase?

Sangmyun Lee: They should expect to enjoy themselves and have a lot of fun! When we played at SXSW in 2012 the police came to our gig because too many people were jumping and they were worried the building might collapse! We don’t want any buildings to collapse, but we hope people will get wild and crazy with us again this time around.

Have you planned anything special for your showcase?

Yoonsik Park: No, we’re just going to play hard like we always do.

Any bands you want to check out at SXSW?

Yoonsik Park: Maybe Coldplay? We’re going to walk around a lot during the fest and see what new and cool music we can stumble upon.

Insoo Kim: I want to see Pinata Protest. They are a great Tex-Mex punk band that also has an accordion player. I saw them at SXSW 2012 and they were a lot of fun!

The famous Texas BBQ - will you be trying it in Austin?

Sangmyun Lee: Definitely! We ate Texas BBQ when we went to SXSW 2012. I couldn’t stop smiling and laughing because I was so happy. I’d never seen so much meat on a table at one time! It was awesome.

Check out Crying Nut on their website: http://www.cryingnut.kr
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CryingNut