http://www.lifeweek.com.cn/2012/0130/36358.shtml

It’s a long read and my limited Chinese is getting in the way of a full understanding but from the bit I’ve understood, this is a well constructed critique of the industry and all the players. From revenue sharing to artist responsibility, it seems to cover it all. Highly recommended if you read Chinese and are interested in the Chinese music industry.

The CORE IN CHINA compilation project is a non-commercial promotional compilation record scheduled for release in May 2012. Artists and bands of the genres screamo, deathcore, nintendocore, metalcore, post hardcore and various other ‘core-styles are being approached from January to March 2012.

Up to 20 bands from Mainland China, Hongkong and Macau are being show casted as the fresh and dynamic heavy underground from China. For each band, Chinese and English biography and song lyrics are being included in the booklet to enable international accessibility of the music.

If you are interested in the project, either to participate or to hear more about the compilation contact Rock in China:

AZCHAEL@ROCKINCHINA.COM
YANG@ROCKINCHINA.COM

The Project now has its on page on the Rock in China wiki with more extensive description, requirements etc.. :
http://wiki.rockinchina.com/w/CORE_IN_CHINA_(VA)

I’m curious to see what comes out of this as I’m one of those old school guys who’s never bothered spending my time figuring out the various ‘Cores… it used to be a core was something you’d talk about in connection with nuclear reactors, wasn’t it?

In-conjunction with Pangbianr and Subjam, Japan’s Makoto Kawabata, France’s DJ Urine and China’s The Tea Rockers Quintet brought us Miji concert No. 7. That’s a lot of names, and some you may not have heard of, but you can find a very detailed writeup of who everyone is and how this show all came together over here at Pangbianr.

I arrived around 8.30 to find the drive-in nicely full, without being crowded, quietly listening to the opening act, The Tea Rockers Quintet. On the main stage were Wu Na with her guzheng and guqin and YanJun with his table of dials and assorted sound making goodies. At the back of the room another small stage was set up beside the sound desk with Xiao He, his guitar and laptop, and Li Daiguo with a double bass and various other stringed instruments. I didn’t actually see Lao Gu and his tea ceremony though, possibly he was out the back?

They played for an hour and had the audience completely under their spell, each instrument blending in with the others and taking it’s turn to lead. Li Daiguo and Xia He provided some vocals, although it was more using their voices as another instrument adding to rather than singing over the music. I could have listened to this for much longer, and will be looking forward to the group’s first album being released later this year.

The back stage was quickly packed up and everyone’s attention moved to the front stage where Makoto Kawabata was setting up his pedals. Unfortunately DJ Urine wasn’t able to join him on stage as planned, but he first played solo and then was joined by friends, Mafeisan. He was playing what looked like an electric guitar with the tuning at the top cut off, something I’d never seen before, and was playing it first with a metal pipe and then a violin bow and a lot of pedals to create an amazing psychedelic, experimental soundscape. I was standing up front beside Mamer, someone who also uses these kind of objects when playing his bass, and he too was also watching intently.

When Makoto finished the stage was quickly packed up and in the blink of an eye the scene at 2 Kolegas changed. Musicians and audience disappeared and at the same time were replaced with a whole different crowd. I was planning to head out at that point too, but the sound of a post rock guitar tuning on stage enticed me to stay on for Sparrow.

Well, one of these people is leaving us and it’s quite a sad thing in my book… a big loss: Michelle Dai, who has brilliantly held the post of Live Music Editor at The Beijinger, is leaving the job and the city in pursuit of other adventures!

I still remember when Michelle first made an impression on yours truly, with her live music roundup that covered the reunion of giants (he yong, cui jian, etc…)

Earlier this week, while I was having dinner in a restaurant in Gui Jie, He Yong walked in and sat at the table right next to ours. All of a sudden I felt my heartbeat accelerating. In order to explain my feelings to my friend – a financial journalist who has close to zero interest in rock music – I said: “Imagine if the ex-managing director of China Citic Bank just randomly walked in and sat down next to you.”

More than 15 years ago, in the spring of 1994, three men – He Yong, Dou Wei, Zhang Chu (aka “The Three Heroes of Mo Yan” 魔岩三杰 ) – released hugely significant albums at the same time. Later that year, they went on tour to Hong Kong along with Tang Dynasty. That concert is still considered a milestone of Chinese rock music. In the same year, Cui Jian released his third album, Balls Under The Red Flags. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call that year the climax of rock music in China. Too bad that the milestone probably marked the end of a highway. There have been many long discussions about whether the rockers walked further and further away from Chinese people’s impression of rock music or the struggle against “the powers that be” sealed the fate of rock & roll in China. It didn’t take much time for rock music to go back underground.

Why am I repeating all these clichés? Because all the abovementioned rock stars (except Dou Wei) and nine other bands and musicians are likely to set another milestone tonight at Workers’ Stadium at the Rock Heroes’ Concert. The roster also includes names like Xu Wei, Wang Feng, Black Panther, Pu Shu, Zheng Jun, Shuang Zi from the mainland; Qi Qin and Xin from Taiwan; and Huang Jiaqiang (Beyond) from Hong Kong. If Dou Wei were to show up (as some rumors insist he will) along with Luo Dayou from Taiwan, and if Huang Jiaju, the former lead vocalist of Beyond, were to be resurrected for a single evening, tonight’s stage would feature practically everybody who has had an impact on Chinese rock music in the past 20 years.

In any case, you will be able to see Luo at the Greatwall Tanglewood Music Festival. And I was so curious about the rumor of Dou Wei (and Faye Wong?!) presence at the Rock Heroes’ Concert that I screwed up my courage, turned to He Yong at the next table, and asked him if it was true. He denied it.

This is still one of my favorite pieces of hers… it’s got personality, personal story and good/solid background knowledge!As the year went, Michelle’s coverage of the music scene got better with each article, each post and each interview and I’ve learned to seek and respect her opinions…. now, I’ll miss them. I’ve also enjoyed the brief conversations we’ve had about music, tattoos and other random blabbers.

Thank you Michelle! Here’s wishing you the best of luck and success for your future endeavors…

Keep on Rocking!

- A while back, they organized a concert where the bands paid the audience members 1 RMB to come and check them out! That is freaking awesome marketing! I can only imagine that they have a hard time drawing crowds down there despite them only having a few live music venues. That’s a display of creativity, the likes of which i can definitely get behind.

- Now, 20 bands have teamed up and put together a 20 song FREE sampler for people to listen to them. This album is a joint effort by Shanghai’s own Zangnan Records, Luwan Rock and Twin Horizons. It looks like the guys behind the album reached out beyond their own immediate circle to get some real diversity in there. I’ve managed to hear about most of those bands all the way up in Beijing, especially Friend or Foe, Pairs, Rainbow Danger Club etc…

Read an interview on Shanghai 24/7 by the man behind the project, Ivan

Here’s the track listing:

http://weareshanghai.bandcamp.com/

1. Duck Fight Goose – Light is God’s Bread
2. Boys Climbing Ropes – The Knitting Song
3. Stegosaurus? – Stinky Tofu
4. The Beat Bandits – Sukiyaki Beat
5. Break for Borneo – Complicated
6. Friend or Foe – Crazy Eye
7. The Dangxin Mofos – Geeky Boy
8. Rainbow Danger Club – Drown The Creatures
9. X is Y – Never Sever
10. Pairs – I Wanna Die in the Ocean
11. Dragon Pizza – Bomb Cola
12. Moon Tyrant – I am the Way
13. The Fever Machine – Heartbrokenbleedin’ Again
14. The Instigation – No Way Out
15. The Horde – Beijing Sucks
16. Sonnet – Perfect Son
17. The Song Dynasty – Slow
18. Top Floor Circus – 进来白相相 (Jin Lai Bai Xiang Xiang)
19. Baltic States – The North Sea
20. Little Punk – I’m Not in the Mood for Making a Song

Sadly, I’m not sure beijing bands have it in them to do anything like this… we had the AIDS CD which was the closest thing so far! So there you have it folks, head over to Bandcamp and download your sampler!

If you’re in Shanghai tonight (13th) or tomorrow (Jan 14th), make it to the launch parties for the CD.. Listings and times on The Shanghaiist

AK47 @ MIDI:

Never been a huge AK47 fan but this past MIDI, they put on the performance of a lifetime! The crowd was all in it at the side stage, moshing, screaming, jumping, singing…. IT was a trance-like state for almost everyone there! The music was heavy, loud, sharp like a razor blade and was the perfect accompaniment for dust storms.

The Black Snakes @ ‘dazeFEAST:

Holly mother of god were these cats impressive! I had no idea what to expect when i added them to the bill other than they were friends of Kang Mao. Boy am i glad! Their energy was out of this world, stage antics second to none, sweating it out and getting the audience in a frenzy! That was just beautiful! Thank you again guys!

SUBS @ King of the Road:

When all was going to hell with drunk people in the audience, douchebags and 2 Kolegas filled to the brim, Kang Mao and her gang came out to deliver a blistering powerful performance to show those pretenders how things were done! It might not have been the band’s finest hour but it was one of their best freaking shows ever, especially with the new lineup gelling together. The amount of energy around the room at that point was stratospheric.

Dong Zi @ Jianghu:

There was something special about that show that just can’t be described in words. At some point, past the songs, things became strangely intimate. The audience stopped mattering and the musicians entered their comfort zone, where all was one. The turnout included the who’s who of folk/roots music in China with Wu Tun, Zhang Zou, Ma Tiao, Guo Long amongst others, some of which even got on stage to play a few songs. It became the folk equivalent of a Ningxia night at 2 Kolegas… Having the musicians so relaxed brought out the best in them IMHO…

ChunQiu @ Gulou 121:

I’ve seen the gang play their share of shows all around Beijing and even in Tianjin… truth be said though, they could have played them with their eyes closed. But on that early October 2011 at Gulou 121, the dragon was unleashed again! The band played with a passion, determination and energy I had not seen in a very long time.

Last Choice @ Mao Punk Fest:

In a sea of baby punksters, Last Choice, hailing from Changsha stood as men! They were heads and shoulders above most bands at this year’s Punk Festival with their demeanor, energy and proper old school punk that had the crowds at Mao Rioting.

Out of Control @ Mao Rolling Stones Tribute:

I don’t expect much from tribute shows usually, especially in China. So when Scott Chen and his gang hit Mao Live like a hurricane, I was not ready for it. The band put on an awesome show with usual suspects and even some of the more recent covers like “anybody seen my baby”… I throughly enjoyed this! They played well, had great charisma, perfect style and even changed some of the songs around. Made me happy!

Abaji @ Jianghu:

A master displaying his craft… this show was so magical in may ways for me. Seeing someone i never expected to see live in Beijing after hearing him in Paris back in 1999. Abaji made me and the rest of jianghu dream that night with an amazing performance. He is a class act! and a talented one that is. The magic of this show was reflected best in an email i got the next day from a reader: “[..] The concert the other evening was fantastic! [..] For me that concert has been the best I’ve seen in my time in Beijing, [...]“

Hanggai & La Pegatina @ Mako

As far as fun times go, this show scored through the freaking roof on so many levels. 2 extremely fun and energetic bands, a Mako live house filled to the brim but not uncomfortable, good music, good mood and ok weather… recipe for great fun! The amount of dancing and screaming along that went on inside Mako that night could have been mistaken for a riot if one was not aware… Last time i walked out of a show so worn out and sweaty was Exodus at Mao…. strange if not bad comparison.

Bad Mamasan Album Launch @ Yugong:

I’ve seen Bad Mamsan for pretty much every show they played over the past two years but this one was special. All the friends were there and all the guest performers were there helping the band bring out “jeanine the wolverine” successfully. The Who’s who of Metal came out to pay tribute and have one hell of a good time with over 2 hours of blistering riffs. hell yeah!

Special mention (out of town)

Concrete Blonde @ Hangzhou West Lake Festival

I travelled far for this gig but the band travelled even further to play it. They are one of my favorite bands around and Johnette is everything a lead singer should be. Powerful, charismatic, humble and so freaking talented! The set they played in Hangzhou under the rain, in the mud with the audience just jumping up and down hanging on to every piece of lyric and every chord was magical. I expect them to know Metallica songs but not to be able to sing along to Joey or Tomorrow, Wendy.

Most disappointing Gigs:

Thin Man @ Anda (September 2011)
In the rank of disappointments, this one is pretty big! I used to swear by Thin Man as one of the most underrated and oft-forgotten bands in the country. I insisted that if China had a yaogun hall of fame, they should be one of the first in line…. never more! Dai Qin looked like a wanna be teenager decked out in a velvet suit and going through the motions with a made-for-cctv band… I almost puked in disgust! I was ashamed to see one of the heroes of scene come to that.

Bigger Bang @ Yugong ( Women night) (March 2011)
“crappiest performance I’ve seen in a long long time” is how i described it at the time. Even Pupi’s “barely there” outfit couldn’t save them. words like “boring” “uninspired” “tiresome” come to mind when describing the band that night..and I haven’t even covered the bad music/vocals. A year later after they had rocked the 2010 women show, the band has regressed on a regular basis. It’s entirely possible to blame it on this being their first show together in a while but i had noticed a downward trend too long ago to let it slide. I haven’t seen them since they became known as Da Bang

Voodoo Kungfu @ Mao (december 2011)
This was not actually a bad show but it was so freaking disappointing. Li Na might still be one of the most talented frontman in China but having more than half of the songs coming out of a computer doesn’t cut it. I’ve seen Voodoo Kungfu be great and I have a hard time settling for just an average version… no sir! that’s a cop-out!

Free the Birds (Ziyo)
the few times they played Beijing, they were just completely off sync. What can i expect from a band that doesn’t really play much or practice much together at this point? Much like Voodoo Kungfu, I’ve seen this band be great and it pains me to see them crash and burn the way they have over the past 12 months. They should be ruling the scene and the festivals at the same level as queen sea big shark but instead, they’re almost an afterthought.

Cui Jian @ intercity
I was really impressed back in 2007 by Lao Cui at the Chaoyang Pop Festival. He was on the spot, edgy, controlled the crowd and delivered an awesome performance. This year, he looked old and going through the motions. Voice was completely off, the jumps and screams manufactured… just a shame

There were a whole bunch of other good gigs, some probably even better than the ones above… that said, as far as I’m concerned, the ones mentioned above were the cream of the crop

There was a shitload more bad shows as you might imagine but these could be considered as my biggest disappointments of the year

I spoke to Nevin Domer a few weeks ago about the situation and the Maybe Mars gang is definitely looking at reopening something new and fresh in the new year so keep your eyes peeled on that!
I’ve never been a D-22 person for various reasons, mostly distance-related. That said, I still think they deserve a lot of respect for having nurtured a good 2 generations of musicians in Wudaokou. Their impact on the Beijing/China rock scene remains to be seen over long term if any of their bands survive the test of time…. However, the immediate impact is that we’re losing a venue with good integrity and the kids will be missing their homebase.

We’re far away I guess from that day in 2007 at the now defunct Bank Bar in gongti when D-22 shocked Beijing’s F&B scene by winning the Bar of the Year Award…
http://www.thebeijinger.com/blog/2007/07/27/Who-is-D-22
I’d be lying if I said I will miss the place because as it stands, I don’t go there much… I do think that tons of people will miss it and this is one closure that’s tipping the scales even more in favor of Gulou being the musical epicenter of Beijing.

Steely Heart

If you’re not sure who was nominated this year, check out this cool clip from Midi introducing the awards and the nominees:

And, drumroll please, here are your winners:

Best New Band: Steely Heart
Best Album Artwork Design Award: Pet Conspiracy 宠物同谋 “Pet Conspiracy”
Best Instrumental Performance: Jì Yuán 纪元 (Air Carnival 空中狂欢节乐队- Guitar)
Best Hard Rock Band: Ordnance 巨蟹座
Best Metal Band: Yaksa 夜叉
Best Female Vocalist: Jiāng Xīn 姜昕
Best Folk Musician: Hao Yun 郝云 (presented by Alex from Beijing Gig Guide!)
Best Rock Song: Gala “The Purest Dream Chasing Heart”
Best Rock Album Year: Long Shen Dao 龙神道 “Hug”
Best Live Performance: Miserable Faith 痛仰
Best Rock Band: Long Shen Dao 龙神道
Best Male Vocalist: Zuoxiao Zuzhou 左小祖咒
Contribution to Rock: Modern Sky 摩登天空

Best Folk Musician Award

Big congrats to all the winners, especially the busiest guy of the day, guitarist Gao Xu, who took home 3 awards (2 with Long Shen Dao, 1 with Yaksa), played at the ceremony with Long Shen Dao and then headed off to Yugong to play with Yaksa!

A few interesting notes … Steely Heart have been around for a few years and just released their second EP/album, so not sure how they can be called ‘New’? As much as I love Zuoxiao Zuzhou’s music, I’d hardly call him the best vocalist, he doesn’t really sing, he mumbles, but his musical arrangements are worth celebrating. Nice try giving the Contribution to Music award to their competitors Modern Sky – after last year awarding it to themselves! GALA for best song? Maybe I’m just not a pop fan, but I had to turn it off halfway through.

CMCB

We also got some great performances during the afternoon and evening. Steely Heart opened this show, and I keep saying this but they just get better every time I see them! I’m really sorry I didn’t make it to their album launch. CMCB brought on a few guests to help out their set, and we got a crowdsurfing lesson from their lead singer as well! Liquid Oxygen Can were heavy and hard, with not only a drummer but also a percussionist playing giant (oil?) drums. LongShenDao were down to four, but kept us grooving with a backing track in place of their keyboardist and Zhang Wei’s guzheng as he was busy with Buyi. Voodoo Kungfu weren’t on the line up, but stepped in for Ordnance and wowed the crowd. From the balcony I spotted two really long lines of headbangers with arms around each other shoulders enjoying this one. Hao Yun soothed us with his folk tunes, joined on stage by various friends including an erhu player. Luoqi played before the final awards, I’ve not seen them before, but she has a nice voice and their guitarist is the easily recognisable Shi XiaoPeng from XiaYueTuan.

Long Shen Dao

Now, I haven’t seen all the bands or listened to all the albums that were up for awards this year, but based on the ones I know, I would have made some different choices…

Ruby’s picks!

Best New Band: Long Shen Dao 龙神道
Best Album Artwork Design Award： Nanwu 南无
Best Instrumental Performance：Kòu Zhēngyǔ 寇征宇 (Suffocated/Chunqiu guitarist)
Best Hard Rock Band: Yaksa 夜叉
Best Metal Band: Voodoo Kungfu 零壹
Best Female Vocalist: Kang Mao 抗猫 (SUBS/Bye Bye, Thanks for the Fish)
~ we all know she can scream, but this year proved she has a gorgeous folk voice as well.
Best Folk Musician: Xiao He 小河
~ how was he not in the shortlist for Silly’s Ballads?
Best Rock Song: Long Shen Dao 龙神道 “The Heart Guides the Way”
~ not the song that they were nominated for, but I just love this one
Best Rock Album Year: Zhaoze 沼泽 “Cang Lang Xing”
~ I agree with Jon Campbell on this, I can’t believe this didn’t even make the shortlist!
Best Live Performance: Miserable Faith 痛仰
~ Ok, I agree with Midi on one! I’ve seen them so many times this year and they’re always great shows
Best Rock Band: Omnipotent Youth Society 万能青年旅店
Best Male Vocalist: Joshua C. Love, Proximity Butterfly 变色蝴蝶
~ yes, I know a foreigner will never win this, but he does sing in both English and Chinese, and has the most beautiful voice
Contribution to Rock: Mao Livehouse
~ a breeding ground for young bands as well as a great venue for big international acts (for example this year Shonen Knife, Exodus etc) held an excellent punk festival, consistently good sound and lighting, shows start on or close to scheduled time and they’re there for the music, not to make money off the bar!

Voodoo Kungfu

Now, I’m sure BD will have more to say about this when he gets back to the Middle Kingdom, but what do you guys think? Who should have won in your totally biased opinions?

photo courtesy of Santa (www.bjsantacon.com)

The Route

This one is staying top secret until the Saturday, but we can tell you like other years there will be two starting points. East-side Santas will meet up at Bang！Bang! Pizza in Shuangjing and West-side Santas make your way to Pyro’s Pizza in Wudaokou. Start time is 12noon!

The full route will be announced as the Santa’s are on the move tomorrow, To follow the route during the day you can sign up for text messages from Santa on the Santacon website, follow Santa on Twitter, Facebook or Foursquare.
Santa’s got a great line up of venues throughout the day culminating at one very special location, but you’ll find out more about that from Santa himself tomorrow!

Music!

I’m sure there’ll be plenty of drunken carolling through the hutongs, but this year Santa has also planned a couple of great Beijing bands to entertain Santas along the way. We can’t tell you where or when they’ll be playing, but there will be performances in two different venues by:

Flaming Heat
Lead by Ricky Sixx, the former bassist of Rustic, this 80’s rock band will have you dancing!

Not There
This band have been entertaining Beijing for over a year with their eclectic mix of Rock, Funk, Psychadelic and Experimental music.

Suit up!

Haven’t got your red and white gear yet? Head to any of the city’s markets, Yashow, Silk Market, Tianyi, or hit up Walmart or Carrefour. Or if you’re feeling creative, make your own. Costumes are compulsory on this one folks, so get to it! Last year saw raindeer, life size Christmas presents and even Rock n’ Roll Santa put in an appearance!

For inspiration check out these great photo’s Jonah Kessel took at last year’s Santacon here.

I got to see Twinkle Star a few weeks ago and was really pleased by their performance. If you don’t know who Twinkle Star are, don’t worry! I didn’t either until a saw them and realized it was a new name for Alt Senior. These kids are fun with Zhao Meng and Haitao swapping turns at Bass and Vocals. I liked their energy and even some songs. Sure, it’s pop rock but it’s well executed and definitely well presented.

Yet another new venue in the area that we’re gonna have to keep track of is Blue Stream Bar, down the street from Gulou 121. Remember the amicable Slash that used to work the sound at Jianghu? well, this is his new pet project and it’s essentially been described as a smaller Jianghu with better sound system. I haven’t been there myself but it’s already picking up some steam with shows by Dong Zi, Buyi and more. Gonna have to check it out soon.

If you are interested in Chinese Music, then you should be following Jon Campbell’s blog. Even away from China, he is keeping an eye on the scene and providing candid opinions about what’s happening. See his very interesting take on the upcoming MIDI awards!

Another band making noise in Beijing is Devils at the Crossroads. These guys showed up out of nowhere a few months back and they’re sounding like Beijing’s answer to The Fever Machine. They are are launching their debut EP friday night at Temple and it could be worth checking out. I wasn’t impressed by the vocals on douban but J-Curls assures me that they sound better in Person

Don’t forget my favorite bored band, Steely Heart, releasing an album tomorrow nigh as Ruby pointed out in the quickslants.

Temple is really picking up steam on Gulou. They have managed to get Chun Qiu to play a gig there and they keep lining them up! Really good for Clement and company. Coming up there, Juratt will be releasing his album next week not to mention another album release by Devils at the Crossroads this friday. Bad Mamasan is planning a Friday the 13th extravaganza there next month! I still stand by my assesment that I expected more from them and it’s not yet there but it’s steadily improving. It’s kinda becoming Gulou’s answer to 2 Kolegas in a weird way! oh.. the white russians are MEAN and Strong

Looks like Beijing is being snubbed by Lamb of God on their next trip to China. They’re playing a date in Shanghai but no plans to come up to the capital as far as I can tell. Having played 2 shows in row here last year, I can understand that. We will however be looking forward to Opeth visiting Beijing in February.