Khon Kaen is one of the four major cities of Isan, Thailand, also known as the "big four of Isan", the others being Udon Thani, Nakhon Ratchasima, and Ubon Ratchathani. It is the capital of Khon Kaen Province and the Mueang Khon Kaen District. Khon Kaen lies 450 kilometres (280 mi) north-northeast of Bangkok.
The khene is a mouth organ of Lao origin whose pipes, which are usually made of bamboo, are connected with a small, hollowed-out hardwood reservoir into which air is blown. Today associated with the Lao people of Laos and Isan, other similar instruments date back to the Bronze Age. In Cambodia, it is used among the ethnic Lao population of the province of Stung Treng and is used in lakhon ken, a Cambodian dance drama genre that features the khene as the premiere instrument.
Nakhon Ratchasima, often called Khorat ) is one of the Isan provinces (changwat) of Thailand's northeast corner. It is the country's largest province by area, with a population of about 2.7 million who produce about 250 billion baht in GDP, the highest in Isan. Neighbouring provinces are Chaiyaphum, Khon Kaen, Buriram, Sa Kaeo, Prachinburi, Nakhon Nayok, Saraburi, and Lopburi.
Khon Kaen is the fifth-largest of the northeastern provinces (changwat) of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Nong Bua Lamphu, Udon Thani, Kalasin, Maha Sarakham, Buriram, Nakhon Ratchasima, Chaiyaphum, Phetchabun, and Loei.
Music of Laos mainly refers to the music of the Lao people, a Tai ethnic group, although it can include other ethnic groups living in Laos.
The music of Thailand reflects its geographic position at the intersection of China and India, and reflects trade routes that have historically included Persia, Africa, Greece and Rome. Traditional Thai musical instruments are varied and reflect ancient influence from far afield - including the klong thap and khim, the jakhe, the klong jin, and the klong kaek .
Though Thailand was never colonized by colonial powers, pop music and other forms of modern Asian, European and American music have become extremely influential. The two most popular styles of traditional Thai music are luk thung and mor lam; the latter in particular has close affinities with the music of Laos.
Mor lam is a traditional Lao form of song in Laos and Isan. Mor lam means expert song, or expert singer, referring to the music or artist respectively. Other romanisations used include mor lum, maw lam, maw lum, moh lam, mhor lum, and molum. In Laos, the music is known simply as lam (ລຳ); mor lam (ໝໍລຳ) refers to the singer.
Jintara Poonlarp b. March 6, 1969 in Kaset Wisai District, Roi Et Province, Thailand) is a Thai mor lam, luk thung and pop music singer. She is one of the most popular and prolific of the artists in the mor lam and luk thung genres, having released 40 original albums as well as many compilations. She records roughly equal amounts of mor lam and luk thung, but two of her best-known songs are the string hits "Ma Tammai" and "Faen Ja," recorded with Thongchai McIntyre. She is also sometimes known by her nickname Jin or the epithet sao siang pin.
A Rocket Festival is a merit-making ceremony traditionally practiced by ethnic Lao people throughout much of Isan and Laos, in numerous villages and municipalities near the beginning of the wet season. Celebrations typically include preliminary music and dance performances, competitive processions of floats, dancers and musicians on the second day, and culminating on the third day in competitive firings of home-made rockets. Local participants and sponsors use the occasion to enhance their social prestige, as is customary in traditional Buddhist folk festivals throughout Southeast Asia.
The Khon Kaen Silk Festival is an event held in Khon Kaen, Isan, Thailand over ten days at the end of November and the beginning of December each year. It was first held in 1980.
Banyen Rakkaen is a Thai mor lam and Thai luk thung singer. Banyen Rakkaen is one of the "Queen of mor lam" and after 45 years in the business she named a National Artist in 2014 for her contribution to folk music.
Maha Sarakham is the capital city of Maha Sarakham Province in Thailand's northeastern (Isan) region. Sarakham, as it is known to its inhabitants, is in a rice-growing area on the southern Korat plain, straddling the Chi River. Maha Sarakham is 475 km northeast of Bangkok and 73 km southeast of Khon Kaen.
The dance and theatre of Laos is the primary dramatic art form of Laos' majority ethnic group, the Lao people. It is shared with the ethnic Lao that inhabit the Isan region of Thailand as well. There are mainly two types of dances, the classical dances performed in the royal courts and the folk dances now associated with morlam.
Mittraphap Road or Thailand Route 2 is one of the four major highways in Thailand, along with Phahonyothin Road, Sukhumvit Road, and Phetkasem Road. It runs from Saraburi to Nong Khai. It was built with financial assistance from the United States of America.
Dynamite Warrior is a 2006 Thai martial arts film directed by Chalerm Wongpim and starring Dan Chupong.
Caravan, is a Thai folk-rock band that formed out of the 1973 democracy movement. It launched the phleng phuea chiwit genre that has since been popularized by Carabao.
Ban Phai is a district (Amphoe) of Khon Kaen Province, northeastern Thailand.
CentralPlaza Khon Kaen is a shopping mall in Khon Kaen, Thailand. The mall opened on December 3, 2009. It is the first shopping mall of Central Group in Isan of Thailand. Thailand's second largest retail corporation in the northeastern region of Thailand, the largest department store in the northeastern region is The Mall Nakhon Ratchasima. Later Central Pattana acquired Charoensri Complex in Udon Thani, and renamed it CentralPlaza Udon Thani. The total cost of the shopping complex was 4 billion baht.
Phi Fa is a deity or spirit in the local folklore of northeast Thailand and Laos. It is also known as Phi Thaen (ผีแถน). They play a prominent role in the Phra Lak Phra Lam and the stories of Khun Borom.
