Chiang Mai’s music scene

Heaven's Beach is an Asian version of a juke joint in Texas on the Rio Grande. (Iphone photograph)

The New York Times recently ran a story on a neighborhood institution called Heaven’s Beach, a couple of doors away from the Rasta bar that I’ve photographed a few times. The writer noted the Beach’s great, raw rock and roll and other music venues in Chiang Mai, which is a nest of creativity on many fronts.

Art outside in a small bar drinking area

The bar is run by a clan of Issan (northeastern) folks who function as a commune. Issan, the source of the massive people’s demonstrations in Bangkok in recent months, is also the source for much of the country’s musical originality and creativity. Click here for the story in the Times. See the Joe Cummings’ interview for background on Thai music under the On the Record listings.