free jazz, nu jazz, electronic, experimental music, avant rock, harsh noise, noise, laptop, field effects
Say Bok Gwai
is San Francisco's first Chinese American hardcore band, melding two distinct cultures into a completely unique sound. Say Bok Gwai's original compositions are rooted in American punk/thrash/hardcore music and sung primarily in Cantonese. The subject matter ranges from Chinese American identity to grappling with traditionalChinese values and down with "the man" aesthetics.
Say Bok Gwai is a Chinese American band that pushes the envelope of musical, social, and political extremes. Say Bok Gwai shows a new face of Chinese American music and is not for the timid or easily offended.
Frontman Alex Yeung is a long time San Franciscan musician who has worked in both the local rock and experimental music scenes. Alex serves as the songwriter and guitarist for Say Bok Gwai---as well as playing guitar for the instrumental group Fear of Math. Drummer Andre Custodio has been an integral part of the Bay Area experimental music scene for over 10 years and is also part of the experimantal trio, Tri-Cornered Tent Show.
“The playing is always brutally aggressive, but for a collection of very short punk songs, there is a simply astonishing landscape of musical variety here - tempo variations, sonic texture, breaks and fills in places they've never been encountered before… Say Bok Gwai rocks!” -Reviewed by Andy Gesner president of HIP Video Promo