Lance Reegan-Diehl poses on the front cover of his 15th album, “Maniacal Cavern.” Courtesy of Deeleebob Music
By Jon Dunbar
Lance Reegan-Diehl, who often goes by the initials LRD, set a high bar for expat musicians in Korea, decades ago. But rather than towering over those who have filled out the music scene after him, he’s helped lift people up through his numerous collaborative projects, from making music together on stage to hosting one of Seoul’s longest-running festivals. Although, it is unlikely anyone will take a path like the one LRD continues to explore.
“I made quite a guitar career in Seoul/Korea and Japan for a guy that literally just showed up and was lucky enough to meet some people that wanted to record him … back in 1998/1999,” LRD told The Korea Times.
In the late 1990s after extensive recording at Greenhouse and Red Stripe Studios, he found his way out of Vancouver’s music scene, playing gigs in traveling bands, at hotels and on cruise ships.
He can play anything, from rock, country and R&B to jazz, and his latest album, “Maniacal Cavern,” released earlier this year, is a testament to his love of metal and prog rock. It’s the 15th he has produced himself and the 29th he has been a part of, and it carries the sophistication of a guy who’s been making music that long and still excited by it. It has 13 tracks, nine of which are instrumentals, and some of which are longer than seven minutes, venturing into what he calls “prog territory.”
His first time to Korea was in 1998 when he played at the Seoul Grand Hyatt. By the early 2000s, he was residing in Korea playing regular gigs on the jazz and rock circuits at venues like Chunnyundongando, Jazz Story, Hard Rock Cafe and Woodstock.
“I had more fun than anyone should be allowed,” he said of those days. “There was a real music community as well back then.”
Through Kim Do-gyoon of the metal band Baekdoosan, LRD started doing session musician work, starting with Danny Jung.
“Through this networking, I was introduced to the manager of BoA, and he came to watch me play several times,” LRD recalled. “Through our friendship, I was asked to do session for her.”
He recorded on her single “My Sweetie,” and the follow-up “No.1.” A young LRD can even be seen playing guitar in the video for “My Sweetie,” inside what looks like a stainless steel cheese grater.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eloisKQd7TA
“All of this was during World Cup 2002, and led to shows on TV, stadiums and large venues for the 2002-2003 years,” he said.
But tragedy struck toward the end of the year when BoA’s manager died in a car accident. This resulted in BoA going in a new musical direction, without LRD — although he has nothing but good things to say about her and working with her.
He continued to work as a session musician for years after that. “Many summers were spent walking in the city of Seoul hearing my guitar tracks echo through out of hit radio, TV and various sources,” he said.
He moved on from session work in 2010 when other options came up and he also focused more on his own work — although he added that he did record guitar parts in 2021 for the Canadian metal god Thor’s album “Alliance.”
Throughout this whole time, LRD operated his own recording studio, Deeleebob Music. Mentioning that he has had various kinds of recording studios for most of his life since 1990, he added, “I have always seen it as a bit of a ‘mad man’s’ laboratory or creative center. That cavern can also be part of my mind where my inspiration and creation comes from. And from time to time, my last studio in Seoul was referred to as my ‘Cave’ by a few patrons.”
That explains the title of his latest album “Maniacal Cavern,” which he says contains “Some of the most outrageous guitar antics I have tried to this date.”
He continued, “From many legato phrases to strict alternate picking, to liquid sweep-picking and out-of-control tapping. Using one string, the G string, to play an entire eight-minute piece. Playing slide, heavy rhythms and riffs, coming up with unique melodies that sprang from nowhere sometimes, and purely inspired by the people I surrounded myself with, and the energy in the composition.”
Composed mostly of instrumentals, it somehow, surprisingly, manages to avoid falling into self-indulgence. A large part of that could be the number and quality of guest musicians he brings into the fold smoothly. “I had a mission to challenge myself, and anyone who dared to play on it or contribute,” he said.
This includes drummer Rob Denni and bassist Peter Krasulski, LRD’s partners-in-crime since the Woodstock days in 2003. It also includes Italian guitar virtuoso Andrea Quartarone and German guitarist Svenson, as well as local players Tracy Scott, Tom Daly and trumpet player Joep Van Rhijn, plus on bass from Canada Jay Wittur (Doug and the Slugs, Trigger Mafia) and Kevin Stuart Swain (Thor, Idle Eyes and more).
“Every guest on my album was flown in via the internet,” LRD pointed out, a practice that has become common in the 2020s due to pandemic restrictions on travel and gatherings but has also resulted in some great music collaborative opportunities.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=watch
The whole album feels like some combination of a stadium concert, based on some of the big influences LRD draws from, and a more intimate street music festival ― one like HBC Fest, which LRD himself co-founded way back in 2006.
“I like what I did in that area,” he said. “I built all the stages, I managed to get almost every expat bar owner to put in a system or a stage of some sort. I actually think that what the fest did ― and my studio being in that area brought out a lot in the local folks who lived there ― and it was ‘that’ community that made things move in the area.”
The latest HBC Fest was held in October 2022, and while there hasn’t been one this year, LRD also refuses to close the door on future festivals. He placed a notice on his website saying that HBC Fest will be on hold this year in consideration for the police and other rescue workers, to lessen their burden in the wake of the Itaewon disaster.
Visit deeleebob.com for more information.
