A closed sign hangs at a venue that will never open again, April 2, 2023. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

This is the sixth part in a series intended to raise awareness of Korea's elusive live music scene and help more people find it.

Central Seoul's Itaewon has a long history as an entertainment district, and has over the ages hosted various live music venues. But Seoul doesn't have a long memory, and many of these have faded into oblivion. Even though the area has changed drastically in more recent decades, it has still housed some pretty great live music venues. Almost all of those are gone now, but sometimes traces of their existence still remain.

Here are some live music venues from Itaewon and Haebangchon that are no longer with us.

Kingston Rudieska plays in Bar Nana in central Seoul's Itaewon, Sept. 19, 2008. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

7. Bar Nana

Bar Nana was a small basement room down a steep set of stairs, in a narrow alley of Itaewon. I used to go there to see Kingston Rudieska, a ska band that has never had less than eight members, playing there to a packed room late at night. It seemed more like a Hongdae club compared to the other Itaewon venues. The building still exists, and recently, Skunk Itaewon opened upstairs, bringing occasional live music back to the alley.

A bar patron appears very displeased to find himself seated right in front of the stage at Woodstock, Dec. 12, 2014. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

6. Woodstock

A mainstay of Itaewon's live music scene back in the old days, Woodstock was a third-floor bar overlooking the intersection on the way up to Hooker Hill. I have memories of seeing S-Gerat, Sato Yukie, and Crux perform here, and partway through the show, a bunch of middle-aged Koreans in suits came in and sat at a table right in front of the stage — the whole time, they seemed very annoyed by this band performing loud music right behind them. Woodstock had been owned by an old Korean man known as Mr. Woo, and it closed down about five years ago when he died. The building has since been redeveloped, and on its spot now stands a much taller glass building, which always seems to be vacant.

The Hidden Cellar shows signs of flooding, April 2, 2023, shortly after its surprise closing. Courtesy of Ron Bandun

5. The Workshop/The Hidden Cellar

Neither of this pair of venues existed primarily for live music, but The Hidden Cellar was a suitable space for full bands whenever shows were put on there. Usually both bars housed live music during the biannual HBC Festival, with acoustic acts upstairs and live bands downstairs. Unfortunately, its sudden closure in March 2023 caught everyone by surprise, including the business owners. It's still not certain what happened, but the building has since undergone extensive renovation, with its new form being revealed recently. It probably won't host live music events again.

The sign for Bedrock is still on display over the entrance, March 29, which now leads down to Togul, a private practice space. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

4. Bedrock

Bedrock was a popular venue until late last decade, and many people still playing music in the area have fond memories of the place. Its closure removed a decent venue from the local community, and it was slowly forgotten, other than the fact the original sign was still displayed over the entrance. Last year it came out that Korean indie band the Yangbans took possession of it in 2019, making it into a private practice space named Togul. Although it has hosted a few shows, they say there are no plans to reopen it as a proper music venue, but ... if they did, it would be a very nice one, so maybe it's only a matter of time.

The sign for Thunderhorse Tavern is still on display Feb. 3, almost six years after closing. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

3. Thunderhorse Tavern

Before it was Thunderhorse, this place went by a lot of different names, including Muse, Laughing Tree Lab and Powwow. When sound guy and drummer Kirk Kwon moved in after relocating from the main Itaewon strip in 2012, the Gyeongnidan area was still deathly quiet, with barely any nightlife around and more of a residential vibe. If Thunderhorse were still open nowadays, it would probably be one of the quieter establishments along the street. Kirk was known as a metalhead, and this basement venue welcomed loud bands. It closed in 2018 due to various problems with the building, and Kirk moved back to Canada. He has since returned to Korea a couple times to work sound at the beach punk festival IT'S A FEST! Curiously, the sign for Thunderhorse is also still displayed out front, even though the place closed down way back in 2018. It looks like it had simply been covered up by a sign for Elpino 323, and when that well-liked Mexican restaurant moved out, the Thunderhorse sign was re-exposed.

The sign for Ole Stompers Rock Stop remains visible at the start of renovations on the building, June 26, 2022, years after its closing. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

2. Ole Stompers Rock Spot

Before Thunderhorse, there was Stompers. Located high up on Hooker Hill, it was quite a memorable landmark. It had been owned by Dwayne, who later put in several good years as a bartender at Thunderhorse. After closing around 2012, the Stompers sign remained displayed out front for years; it was only removed relatively recently when the entire building underwent a significant renovation. Now, the same space appears to host a tanning salon.

Phillies Basement sits empty, Nov. 12, 2023, half a year after closing. Courtesy of Ron Bandun

1. Phillies Basement

Although the restaurant opened in its original location in 1997, it wasn't until around 2008 that it expanded into the basement space. Down there became a suitable event space, hosting everything from stand-up and trivia nights to live music. In its last few years, it became an essential part of the local music scene. Unfortunately, Phillies had to relocate in 2023 to a nearby space, one that is superior in almost every way, except that it doesn't have a large enough basement for putting on shows. As an extra indignity, the old building remains standing, totally vacated, more than a year after everyone moved out.

What other venues have I missed? Don't be afraid to date yourself by naming any of the really old ones.