Episode 28 – ADG7

ADG7 singer Hong Ok, and bandleader Kim Yak Dae with Shaun Smith at the 60th annual Philadelphia Folk Festival.

South Korean shamanic folk-pop band ADG7 quickly became one of my favorite acts of the 60th annual Philadelphia Folk Festival – so much so that I, along with many, many others, saw the nine-piece band Saturday night and again Sunday morning.

ADG7 stands for Ak Dan Gwang Chil in honor of the band forming on the 70th anniversary of the National Liberation Day of Korea known as Gwangbokjeol. I was lucky enough to interview one of the three singers, Hong Ok, and bandleader Kim Yak Dae who plays a large bamboo flute known as a daegeum on Sunday, Aug. 21, 2022.

Listen to ADG7 on Last.fm and see the band’s performance on NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Concert.

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The intro and outro music was written, composed and recorded by Paul “Dawg” Dixon.

ADG7 performs Martin Guitar Main Stage Saturday, Aug. 20, 2022 at the 60th annual Philadelphia Folk Festival (Shaun R. Smith/The High Note).

Photos by Justyna Smith.

ADG7 bandleader and daegeum player Kim Yak Dae and Hong Ok describe their performance at the 60th annual Philadelphia Folk Festival on The High Note with Shaun Smith. ADG7 bandleader Kim Yak Dae describes the daegeum, large bamboo flute played in his Korean folk band on The High Note with Shaun Smith.Hong Ok, singer for ADG7, describes the traditional Korean clothes she wears in ADG7 and how they were used throughout history on The High Note with Shaun Smith.