Willman Morcillo

On a certain steep slope in Itaewon, a sound quite different to the local indie scene has emerged. Audiences who are used to punk acts and classic rock cover bands now have a different tune to move to.
The Willman Band has brought a Latin flavor to bars in the capital. Although they haven`t been together that long, they beat out 13 other bands at Stompers Battle of the Bands to take home first place last November. Now, they are gigging all over Seoul and are ready to take Korea by storm.

Willman Morcillo
and band history

The Willman Band actually started in Los Angeles, California back in December 2003. It was called "Willman Morcillo and his Friends" due to the fact that Willman hired different people for different occasions and nobody knew what to call it.
Over the last six years, Willman has had members perform or record with him from pop artists such as The Black Eyed Peas, Issac Hayes, Macy Gray, Dream rock band The Breath of Life Tribe, Carlos Santana, Smooth jazz saxophonist Joe Sha-Shaty, and Mexican pop recording artists Ana Victoria. On one occasion, Willman`s - who was born in Colombia - performances were even compared to the legendary musician, Chick Corea in his ability to connect with his audience.
Willman`s style is unique in that he likes to take exceptionally talented and accomplished people in their own music endeavors and blend them into one team. He also likes to show off everyone`s unique personal and musical qualities, preferring to let people`s true identity come to light while at the same time being able to blend and mix together their different influences to create a new and fresh sound to the Latin and world music scenes.
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Willman`s current musical situation was brought together by accident in Korea. In September 2008, he came here to coach youth soccer. But after they had some problems in the program, he decided he wanted to reach out and get involved in the local Latin and salsa dancing scene to keep motivated. That is where he started meeting people, which led him to Stompers in Itaewon. There he met Fred Bourdom in May 2009 and Kim Chang-soo in August while meeting Jang I-jin at salsa class in July.
The four of them have now been together approximately six month and as audiences grow it`s apparent they are getting more exciting with each show.
Willman takes pride in saying that every gig pulls in more and more fans.
There is no doubt that Willman has found some talented musicians to work with.
Frederik Bourdon is no stranger to the local scene. He is a professional bass player, and has performed in America, Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Originally from Canada, he has lived in Korea since 2005, playing with several bands since then. Few will forget his run in the Funk Ups or Rabihem, a metal band.
Jang I-jin is a local girl who has studied the piano since she was 3 years old. Originally, she studied classical piano, but quickly learned that she was happier playing her own style. She was in a rock band in England while going to school. Playing Latin songs is a new challenge for her.
Kim Chang-soo was the last member to sign on to the Willman Band. He has learned the drums from several different sources, including the Seoul Jazz Academy and the Army. He has played all over Seoul with artists such as SG Wannabe.
"Check out our shows and come enjoy yourselves. We are very high energy band, but we also like good quality time with the people that come to our shows and good quality conversations afterward. Please tell your friends about us," Willman told Expat Living.
The Willman Band will take part in the second Night of Blue Dolphins at The Hive in Itaewon, Seoul on Feb. 20 from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. The concept is to "have a night of musicians playing live music free of charge in a supportive and nurturing environment."
On Feb. 26, The Willman band will take part in the last live show ever at The Hive before they relocate. The show will also feature well-known acts Funk University, Rabihem and We Need Surgery. Cover is 5,000 won.
At the moment, the band is writing and revamping material for their 1st CD as well as looking for funding to record and release their music and tour. You can find out more information including gigs, pictures and samples of their music on their website myspace.com/thewillmanband or email at the.willman.band@gmail.com; They also have a Facebook Fan Page "The Willman Band" and you can see some videos of them from The Battle of the Bands Finals, www.youtube.com/thewillmanband


To comment, e-mail mattlamers@heraldcorp.com - Ed.

By Summer Walker - The Korean Herald

The Willman Band, winner of this year’s Stompers Battle of the Bands, entertains the crowd at Ole Stompers Rock Spot in Itaewon, Seoul, Saturday. Scores of Koreans and foreigners poured into the small venue for the annual event. / Courtesy of Summer Walker

By JR Breen
Contributing Writer

The Willman Band scraped out a close victory at this year's Stompers Battle of the Bands, an annual music contest held at Ole Stompers bar in Itaewon, Seoul.

The Willman Band, a four-member group specializing in Latin music, beat off competition from four rivals.

"They're all superb musicians. They were so together, so tight. They deserved to win,'' said Alan Green, co-owner of the venue.

In the final, The Willman Band ― which consists of a bassist, lead guitar and vocalist, a drummer and keyboard player ― narrowly defeated the punk trio Seoul City Suicides with the former getting the support of two out of three judges.

The Battle of the Bands, now in its second year, was the brainchild of Green, Summer Walker and Cain Barriskill. They came up with the idea since Ole Stompers, a music venue, was devoid of any major events.

"Stompers is such a known music venue in Itaewon that we decided we should do a battle of the bands," Green said.

The event consists of three knockout rounds leading up to the final. The bands were assessed on musicianship, originality, performance and crowd reaction.

"The level of quality was really good overall,'" said Green.

"The Willman Band and Seoul City Suicides were the top two of the night. (They) had everyone jumping up and down.''

The other contestants were The Tremors, Ska Sucks and ...Whatever That Means.

jrbreen@koreatimes.co.kr - The Korea Times