Hi Steem living the dream

Hello Steem community!

My name is Joe Wrigley, I'm a musician from the UK living here in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. You may not know much about this small South-East Asian country, beyond the fact that it was the scene of the most destructive act of Genocide in post World War II history. Cambodia has made huge strides since the era of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. Prime Minister Hun Sen has been in office for the last 31 years, presiding over a period of rapid economic development, billions of dollars of foreign aid and the kind of political turmoil, strife and intrigue that makes Game of Thrones seem like child's play.

What attracted me to Phnom Penh was the music scene here. During an extended trip to Thailand, I was casting around for somewhere that I might get gigs as a solo singer-performer - somewhere in South-East Asia with a healthy music scene. Singapore and Hong Kong would be too expensive. Saigon seemed a little too hectic and the expat scene in Myanmar was not developed yet. Getting a Chinese visa would be a long and complicated process. So... let's try Phnom Penh! The city was small but there seemed to be a lot of music going on - eclectic stuff like a bluegrass band, punk bands, jazz music... definitely worth a try!

Find out more: read my Steem Story about the Phnom Penh music scene https://steemit.com/csp/@joewrigley/five-reasons-why-phnom-penh-has-a-cool-music-scene 

My timing could not have been better. When I arrived in Phnom Penh, a number of live music venues had just opened up. They wanted live Western music and they were struggling to find enough acts to fill their rosters. Even as an amateur singer and performer, I was able to find paying gigs quickly. I was very lucky to find an opportunity in Cambodia that I had not been able to find elsewhere - the chance to work on music full-time.

A couple of years later and... I'm still at it! I perform regularly with my 1950's rockabilly trio Joe & The Jumping Jacks, Cambodian-Western fusion act Miss Sarawan and banjo-fiddle-guitar trio The Blueberry Moonboys. Please check out my website joewrigleymusic to find out more information about what I'm up to.

I also write a weekly newsletter for www.lengpleng.com - with listings information about the music gigs happening in Cambodia. The site, founded by Australian Ken White, has been active for several years and has played an important role in developing the Western music scene in Phnom Penh. 

https://steemit.com/@grittenald 

My bro-in-law Josh Bouw @grittenald told me about a new social media platform that pays users for generating content. Steem sounds good to me! Josh is a smart guy who knows his stuff when it comes to crypto-currency, pro-audio, web design, computers, coding and... quite a lot of stuff, actually!

Thanks for the invite and hello to Steem!

Joe Wrigley