Earlier this year, Philly-area alternative rock singer-songwriters Judah Kim and John Faye teamed up to organize a first-of-its-kind show: Asian American Pie, an all-Asian mini-festival celebrating AAPI Month. The concert takes place at the Lounge at World Cafe Live on Saturday, May 11th, and also features singer-songwriter Alyssa Garcia, poppy modern rockers Moonroof, and the impressionistic Beau Frères.
Kim, Faye, and Garcia appeared together on the WXPN Local Show this week to reflect on the festival and its significance to them. They talk about their experiences being persons of Asian descent in a heavily white rock scene; each said it was not uncommon to find themselves the only Asian artist on a lineup, in a crowd, even in a classroom. They also talked about chasing their dreams while fighting cultural preconceptions — from within their community and without. Kim reflected on his essay Why an All Asian Rock Show is Important; Faye talked about his time in the 90s rock band The Caulfields, how things have changed since, and how they haven’t; Garcia reflected on the idea of tradition and spoke hopefully of the younger generation making their own decisions about which traditions should be upheld and which should be challenged.
Each artist performed live too: Kim shared the meditative “Fate” on acoustic guitar, Faye rocked out to “Orbit” on his acoustic, and Garcia played the stunning “It’ll End With You” on keys. Watch their entire appearance on WXPN Local in the video below; for tickets and more information on the Asian American Pie Festival, head to the WXPN Concert Calendar.