Same Old Thing, The Joy Is Seeing It Differently

Khene Player Performing During Morlam Lao Show

Last week we attended one of my brother-in-law's Morlam Lao shows in the village of Si That here in Isaan.  The show was part of a festival at a Wat in the area.  The festival was raising funds for the local Wat.  Although the show was free, the performance attracted people to the Wat grounds where they could purchase  handicrafts, food, drinks, play carnival type games such as "Pop the Balloons with darts", or just plain out make a donation to the Wat while they were there.  The key was to get the people through the gates.  A Morlam Lao show here in Isaan is always good to attract a crowd.

I have lived in Thailand for five years now and I don't know how many of these shows that I have attended other than it has been quite a few.  These shows are performed for all kinds of reasons such as weddings, house warming, Monk ordination celebrations, anniversary of deaths, running for political office, giving thanks for winning an election, local festivals, certain holidays, fundraisers for Wats, and I guess for no other reason than they are fun.

I am fortunate that my brother-in-law earns his living as an entertainer.  I am made aware of many of these shows.  Most of these shows are small village events without any advertising other than word of mouth.  With his involvement in may of the shows and with Duang's large extended family, there seems to be ample mouths to get the word to me.  I enjoy these shows very much - the music, the pretty girls who perform, and interacting with the people.  I also enjoy getting out with the local people and dancing "fawn Lao" style.

Dancer Applying Make-up Backstage

I always bring my camera gear to photograph the shows.  I enjoy taking photographs at these venues.  After so many of these shows, you would thing that I would run out of enthusiasm for the photographic opportunities a show presents.  yes there are the ubiquitous shots of performers applying make-up backstage, putting on their platform go-go boots, and the dancers performing.  I am fortunate in that I can go back stage at will and photograph the performers. But perhaps I am most fortunate in that I am able to see each show as a unique event with its own individualized photographic opportunities.

A Dancer Ready To Go Up On Stage

My photographic style is constantly evolving so with each show I am striving to experiment with different techniques or perhaps different angles for the photographs.  Often the dancers and performers are different who will also often inspire me.  Best of all, it seems that someone will always capture my focus for the duration of the show.  The center of my attention can be a dancer, a singer, someone in the crowd, a musician or even some aspect of that particular show.  No matter the case, it makes each show that I photograph "different and special" for me - my personal spin on a well used phrase over here of "same same, but different"

"Same same, but different" can be an aggravating phrase to many, but for me it captures some of the allure of living here in Isaan.  Thai food is renown for the varied textures and flavors of each individual dish. The simplest of dishes is actual quite sophisticated for the palate.  Well life is also quite remarkable when you allow yourself to fully explore it and delve deeper beneath its surface. "Same same, but different" exemplifies the possibilities for us.  What may seem banal and common place, can be stimulating and rewarding if we just allow ourselves to recognize and appreciate its subtleties.

Khene Player In Si That

For the show in Si That, the khene player became the focus of my photography efforts that night.  We had given him a ride from Udonthani to Si That along with my brother-in-law and his manager.  The khene player was very quiet and reserved on the hour drive out to the show venue.  He was very reserved as he sat upon a saht behind the stage applying his make-up. Unlike my brother-in-law who uses a more traditional flat white pancake make-up for his performances - thing along the lines of Dracula, the khene player used darker tones of make-up to accentuate the contours of his face.  This made for better portraits in that it created greater contrasts and implied shadows on his face.

Once the khene player had changed into his "work clothes" and completed his make-up he looked completely different than the person who sat behind me in the truck.

Once he grabbed his khene and went up on stage he was a different person than the person who sat behind me in the pick up truck.  He had been completely transformed.

So what is the khene and what significance does it have to Morlam Lao music?  The khene is a reed instrument.  It is the ubiquitous instrument of Lao music and in many aspects it helps to define Lao culture.  The khene is to Lao music what the lead electrical guitar is to rock and roll music.  Besides playing the melody, the khene player, like the lead guitarists, also creates the environment in which the singer performs.  The khene player dances, struts, and jumps about the stage as he plays.  His pelvic thrusts accentuate parts of the melody. He or she are entertainers as well as musicians.  This guy was very good so I had plenty of good opportunities to photograph him.

Facial Expressions Are Essential Too

So it was a Morlam Lao show the same as so many others that I had attended.  It was the same but different at least for me because of the khene player.  Focusing upon him during that show had revealed to me an aspect of the shows that I had not fully experienced before. It was an experience that I am pleased to share with others.

When I was working, I essentially had the same duties and responsibilities on my assignments for the last fifteen years of my career.  I never grew tired or bored with the assignments, "same same' as they were because although they were "same, same" they were also different.  Although the duties and responsibilities were the same, the magnitude of the projects were greater but more importantly the environments were very different.  For last ten years of my career those same duties and responsibilities were being performed overseas in the midst of different cultures.  The satisfaction and stimulation that I sought came not from achieving what I was accustomed to but from achieving it with all the challenges presented by unique cultures and situations.

So what does "same same but different" have to do with photography, my former career, this blog and perhaps you?

Well, they are all connected.

It is about enjoying life by exploring it deeper.  It is about not taking things for granted and willing assuming that it is all the same.  It is also about learning, continually learning.  It is about learning to appreciate and value the differences and subtleties that surround us

The joy is not in the comfort of the "same same" but in exploring and discovering the "but different"

One of my reasons for writing and maintaining this blog is to share the "but different" that I have found in "Allen's World"

The Beat of a Different Drum

Two nights ago, we attended a a traditional Mahlam Lao show in Nongdaeng Village located here in Isaan, the Northeast of Thailand.  The show which started at 21:00 would run until 03:00 or 04:00 - that it is the way it is here in the Lao Loum culture.  The people work hard and when they decide to party, it is an all out, no holds barred event.  I experienced the same spirit the two times that I lived and worked in Brasil.

The show was part of the merit making event to mark the death of one one Duang's relatives some twenty years ago.  In the Lao Loum culture here in Isaan, there is a merit making ritual after a person has been cremated.  This ritual which can and is often viewed as a party is typically about one year after the cremation but the real determining factor is when the family is capable of paying for the event.

The event is very much like the celebrations for a son becoming a Monk, or a couple getting married.  Canopies are erected in the front yard or if the front yard is not large enough - in the street in front of the family home.  Round tables and plastic chairs are set up beneath the canopies at which guests can eat and drink.  Underneath one of the canopies accommodations are made for the visit from the Monks - do to their status, Monks are seated at a higher level than the laypeople.  This most typically accomplished by erecting an elevated wood platform reserved for the Monks.  The platform in covered in cloth and sahts (woven reed mats).  Small squares of higher value fabrics or decorated textiles designate the area for each Monk to sit.

Sometimes if a special merit making service is to be conducted, such as a sermon, or what I refer to as a "morality play", the participating Monks are seated in an ornate gold colored raised throne like chair where they can sit with their legs crossed.

Off to the side and in back of the home there are canopies for preparing and cooking food for all the guests. People typically arrive around 08:00 and will stay until 20:00 or even much later if there is a show associated with the celebration.  For the entire time, people are eating and drinking.  Each table, at a minimum, typically has a 1.5 liter bottle of Coke, 1.5 liter bottle of Sprite, a couple bottles of drinking water, a couple bottles of Leo Beer, and perhaps a bottle of whiskey with "Lao Lao" being the type of choice.  Young girls ensure that there is plenty of ice at each table for the soft drinks, and beer.  People here drink their beer "on the rocks" and their whiskey "neat" or "straight up".  Empty bottles are quickly replaced.

As new guests arrive, they are quickly ushered to a table to be start eating and drinking.  The food is ethnic cuisine and typical consists of 7 or 8 dishes or rather different items.  There is a difference between "dishes" and 'items"  many of the foods are eaten with the hand so there may not be an individual dish for each guest. The guests will make a small ball of sticky rice in their hand and dip the ball in a common bowl of whatever at the center of the table.  Often soups are consumed from a common bowl at the table with each guest having their own spoon.

The celebration that we attended on the 12th was a grand event.   After the day events we returned to our home to freshen up and get some rest for the night's activities.  We returned for the night show.

The night show was a more traditional Lao music event.  The music was based upon the ubiquitous Lao musical instrument, the khene.  The singing was a sort of Lao rap except that for the most part there were no set lyrics.  The performer made up or rather adlibbed the words to suit the occasion or moment.  The singing style is also long and drawn out with a great deal of warbling as well as tonal range - again very Lao.

Besides the khene, the music is performed by conga type drums, and cymbals.  This is the accompaniment that you would find in traditional Lao villages.  In a concession to evolving times and mores, the group also had a couple of electric guitars, keyboard, and drum set for some of their songs. There were also four go-go dancers.

I was most impressed by the traditional drummer playing the two conga style drummers.  He was a show  unto himself.  I almost took as many pictures of him as I did of the go-go dancers.

The drummer had a distinctive face.  His age and face reflected a life of many experiences and I suspect more than a few adventures.  He performed on the drums with a zest and confidence that a lifetime of experience allows - confidence, uniqueness, and individuality.

I have written most recently twice about little "Eat" from Tahsang Village marching to the beat of a different drummer.  I had also mentioned that as a person who has marched and sometimes danced to the beat of a different drum, I had appreciation for little "Eat".  Well at the night show I found a man who marched, danced, and even played a beat to a different drum.  What could be better than that?  Imagine being comfortable and confident enough to march and dance enthusiastically to your beat on your own drum.  That truly must be a component of being "free".

Kissing the Drums In Appreciation

The drummer danced around his drums playing them with his hand and striking their sides with a drum stick.  The drums bore the scars of many a performance.

Playing the Drum With His Forehead

As part of his performance the drummer also would strike the drums with his forehead.  At other times he would "dry hump" his drums.

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He would also, on occasion, direct a pelvic thrust towards one of go-go dancers, perhaps all four of them.

Mahlam Lao shows are akin to vaudeville shows - singing, dancing, stand up comedy, music, and always a definite bawdy element.  Many of the jokes at best are double entendre and many times risque.  Many of the lyrics song between the male and female singers have to do with things of a sexual nature.  Sometimes the  female singer will try to grab the male singer by his genitals but seems to always not to succeed much to the delight of the crowd.  The male will sing about what he would like to do and can do to the female singer.  He will sometimes bend down to try to get a better glimpse of her but she always manages to foil his efforts - again the amusement of the crowd.  The antics are never obscene and often remind me of how close friends and family after a few drinks might joke and tease each other.

The Audience Loving the Show

The drummer was demonstrating his freedom to be himself.  It was comforting as well as reassuring to me to see that such diversity in culture still exists and to know that in areas such as Isaan are thriving.

There seems to be pressure in these modern times to develop a more homogeneous mankind perhaps in the belief that the more people are alike, the less conflict there will be. That scares me for it is the diversity of mankind and especially their culture that adds to the richness of living - for everyone.

There is no one culture that has the optimal solutions or even answers for all peoples.

There is no culture, let alone any society, that can best meet the needs and wishes of all peoples.

Seeing the drummer the other night - marching, dancing, and playing to the different beat of his own drum, gave me optimism that we hopefully will never get to "One World"

In "Allen's World" I am free to be me but even more importantly, you are free to be you.

Yes, They Khene

Last Sunday, around 7:30 P.M., we received a phone call from Duang's brother, "Number 4", asking us to attend a performance that he was giving in Udonthani that night at 9:00 P.M. I always enjoy the shows as well as the very interesting people watching opportunities that the audiences always provide so we accepted without hesitation.

Well it turned out that the performance was not exactly in Udonthani, as in the city of Udonthani, although we had to drive through the city to get to the location. However, the village was in Udon Thani Province so perhaps it was our misinterpretation. Fortunately his girlfriend waited for us in her car inside the city so that we could follow her to the performance.

The performance was held in a small farming village typical of this area of Isaan - in the middle of the rice paddies, narrow streets, and a combination of raised wooden houses and concrete block homes.

Upon arrival we realized that this was another funeral celebration. Several awnings had been erected with guests seated at tables that had bottles of beer as well as whiskey set upon them. Some young women and young men were busy bringing food to the guests.


Off to the side of the awnings and next to the house was a long table. Upon the table were three "bahn" (Thai) "hehan" (Lao). These are handcrafted spirit houses made largely out of banana stalks and bammboo. They are quite ornate and are used as and in offerings to the spirits. Next to each bahn was a framed photograph of a deceased family member. Small yellow candles were burning in front of the photographs.

The people of Isaan, the ethnic Lao Loum, believe that the spirits of deceased people need to be nourished with food and drink. As part of their Buddhist beliefs, the people believe that they can assist their ancestors in the after life by earning "merit" for them. Buddhists believe that we are in a continuous cycle of of birth, death, and rebirth until we reach enlightenment. Until we reach enlightenment, our new life's status is determined on how we lived our last life and how much "merit" we had gained. Living relatives can earn merit for themselves as well as for their specified departed loved ones by making offerings in their name and honor. Often these celebrations are held one year following the person's death however the ceremony is quite often delayed until the family can save enough money to afford it.


Part of the celebration involves having a group like Duang's brother's to perform. It is quite interesting to see go-go dancers, electric guitars, and electric organ perform in an event associated with death. One thing for certain is that at these events there will be playing of the khene.


The khene is a free reed bamboo musical instrument. It is the quintessence of Lao culture and the Lao experience. The khene, which is also spelled "kaen", "khen", and "khaen" is a mouth organ comprised of several bamboo tubes of various lengths, each with a free reed inserted in them connected to a hardwood chamber. The instrument has been around for thousands of years and is considered the mother of Lao music.

Kaens come in various sizes but all sizes share the similarity of being constructed of two rows of bamboo tubes. There is a 6 tube size, 14 tubes, 16 tubes, and 18 tube size. The length of the khene is related to the number of the tubes with the 18 tube version also being the longest of the instruments.

The khene is played by blowing into the central chamber and using the fingers of both hands to change the notes. The instrument is related to the harmonica and accordion of Western music. The sound, to me, is a very rhythmic "sing-song" sort of like a "Hee-Hawing" or braying of a donkey. I find the music to be rather hypnotic and I can easily accept as well as recognize its ancient heritage.

As part of the morlham shows that are widely held throughout Isaan, a portion of the show is focused around the traditional music of Laos or more specifically "Lao" people. Laos is a political demarcation determined in a large part by the European colonial powers. The ethnic Lao people, in particular the Lao Loum, Low Land Lao, inhabit Northeast Thailand as well as Laos. The shows typically start off with rocking electrified music complete with go-go dancers. After about three or four of these songs, which seem intended to get every one's attention as well as to stir them up, the tribute to the Lao traditions starts. The recognition of today's music's origins as well as honoring the Lao Loum heritage involves singing with only a khene as accompaniment. The songs initially are performed by either an older man or woman. They sing traditional songs in the traditional style. The traditional style involves an introduction that involves the extended pronunciation of words in a sort of warbling tone. Each word is stretched out using the singer's complete range until it seems that they will run out of breadth. After the introduction, the singer sings in such a manner that their voice is almost as much an musical instrument as singing the words. As much as I detest American "Rap" and "Hip Hop" (I won't call them music), the traditional Lao music is similar in that it tells stories with the verses often being created on the spot. I am pretty certain that the violence and vulgar lyrics of the modern form is not used in the Lao.

For funeral celebrations the traditional portion is a greater part of the performance. I get the feeling that the traditional music serves as a link and bridge to the past a manifestation of the bonds that keep the family traditions alive. After several traditional songs, the band will play several modern songs - several of which utilize the khene. Since the khene is not an amplified instrument, the khene player will either stick a microphone in his belt or the singer next to the khene player will use their microphone to ensure that the audience can hear the khene.


After completing the modern music set, the performance returns to a very traditional ritual. The relatives of the deceased go up on stage and kneel facing the audience. The relatives have offerings of food, drink, and items such as sahts (woven reed mats) and mohn (ornately decorated small rectangle pillows)set before them along with a framed photograph of the deceased. A singer then will perform several traditional Lao songs in the warbling lament style with only the amplified khene providing the accompaniment.

After the offering ritual, the show returns to it's modern music. The khene player provides great entertainment during the modern songs. Whereas during the traditional music, he was very still and respectful, during the modern songs, he, as we used to say back in Rhode Island - "He gets down and dirty". The khene player dances and prances around the stage while playing. Quite often he accentuates a hard drum beat of the song with a severe pelvic thrust usually in time with similar motions by the go-go dancers. At times the khene player will jump into the air and move his feet through a bicycle motion while playing. On some songs that have fast driving beats, he keeps time to the beat with a flury of pelvic thrusts while playing. No one gets offended. In fact the more antics like this that he does, the more the audience goes up to the stage to give him money.


Yes he khene ("can" - a play on words, they are pronounced the same) and he does.