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107 Groove Korea: How did you fnd SXSW 2014 compared to 2012, described by one of you as “the most fun you’ve had since you were born”? Sangmyun Lee: In 2012 I was really excited about the festival. This year I was able to play it a bit cooler since I knew what to expect. SXSW 2014 went really well for us. Kim Insoo: We were able to play to more people this time around, which was cool. I was happier than last time because we had more opportunities to perform and meet more people. We were all able to make a lot of new friends this time as well. Kyungrok Han: I had a great time in 2012, and I had a great time at this year’s festival as well. Anywhere with beer and rock ‘n’ roll is heaven to me. What was your most memorable moment from SXSW 2014? Sangmyun Lee: I feel like I should say it was our official showcase as part of the K-Pop Night Out concert at Elysium. But honestly, I think our last performance in Austin was my most memorable moment. It was an unofficial daytime gig at a party called Freddie Steady’s 14th Annual Frontier a Go Go Rock & Roll Hootenanny. We played in a small record store called Antone’s Records and it was a lot of fun! Han: Playing in front of a packed room at the K-Pop Night Out show was great, but I also think our set inside Antone’s Records was my favorite show we did. It was unusual for us to play at a re- cord shop, and that made it really cool and memo- rable. Plus the audience was very passionate and all seemed to really love music. How did you fnd the American crowds? Han: All the crowds we played for were fan- tastic. Everyone was really kind and seemed to really enjoy themselves at our gigs. People were dancing, smiling and cheering while we played. There were even a few girls that came to all of our shows in the U.S. They saw us every time we played in Austin during SXSW and then watched us play in San Antonio and Los Angeles too. We were incredibly touched by this. What was on your set list? What songs gar- nered the best reception from the crowds? Sangmyun Lee: Our set lists changed during all of our gigs at SXSW. We played some of our pop- ular older songs like “Luxembourg,” “Let’s Drink” and “Speed Up Losers,” along with lots of songs from our newest album, “Flaming Nuts.” Han: For our newer material, I think “Summer” went over well in Texas. And “Lego” was fun for people to sing along to. Did you get the chance to see many other bands perform? Han: We watched The Woggles play, and we all loved them. They played with tons of energy and never seemed to get tired. They definitely have great rock ‘n’ roll spirits. Kim: I watched some Mexican acts play. They were all awesome. I really loved Mon Laferta and Troker. i heard lady Gaga showed up at one of the gigs. Did you see her? Kim: She came to the K-Pop Night Out show- case, but I didn’t see her. I think she came af- ter we finished playing. Or maybe she was there when we played and just didn’t say hi to us? If she’s around again, she should come introduce herself and have a drink with us. We’re all good guys! When I frst heard of Crying Nut, the name made me think of something that only men possess. but isn’t it true that the name has something to do with walnut cakes? Han: Yes. The name came from something that happened to us when we were in middle school. We were waiting for the bus to come, but then spent all our money on walnut cakes and didn’t have the bus fare anymore. So we had to walk all the way home crying. We didn’t know the right word for “walnut” so we just used “nut” instead when making the name. Sangmyun Lee: But we like it when people associate crazy things or men’s body parts with our name. It’s funny and I think those are usually much better meanings for the name Crying Nut! you have been referred to as the Godfathers of Korean punk, as a Korean punk institu- tion, veterans of the punk movement and pioneers of Korea’s punk rock scene. Which slice of praise do you fnd most preferable? Kim: We just like to be called Crying Nut. It’s simple and it’s who we are. i heard that you’ve compared the group members to bibimbap. Why do you think you are such a good combination of flavors? Han: We all have our own personalities and have different tastes in music. We’ve all learned to respect one another’s musical tastes. We’re all different people, but when you combine us to- gether we make something good that many peo- ple enjoy. if you could go on tour with any band, which one would it be? Sangmyun Lee: Any rock band that is made up of great drinkers. Han: Crayon Pop. Kim: Motörhead or The Rolling Stones. What do you have planned for the rest of 2014? Han: We’ll be playing lots of gigs and working on some new songs. And I always say that I’m going to study English after we finish a U.S. tour, so I’m going to study English — hopefully!