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Mar
13thQuickslants: Americana, MATZKA, 3 Years of AIS, Jeff Lang and more
I had to try and get in an early quickslants this week folks because there are just way too many good things happening in town with Jue Festival action as well as a stronger than usual lineup that might get lost around. I mean, i’m kinda pissed off that i’m probably missing all of it due to bar commitments but that doesn’t mean you can’t go, right? Wed Mar.13 // Americana Workshop – Jianghu Randy Abel and Liu Yusi combine forces tonight to answer all your American Folk Music questions and play a whole bunch of tunes for you all. Audiences are also encouraged to bring your own instruments, and participate in a folk jam at the end of the night. Free if you bring in an instrument. Thur Mar.14 // Mongolian Bling – YUgong Yishan Forget about nomads and monks! It’s hip-hop that’s making Mongolia move in the 21st century. Join JUE | Music + Art and the film’s director/producer, Benj Binks, for the China Premiere of insightful yet exciting new documentary, Mongolian Bling… Screening at 7:00ish followed by Q&A then performances from film stars Gennie and Quiza, Beijing MC Nasty Ray and members of Hanggai. Fri Mar.15 // MATZKA – Mako Livehouse This is one hell of a cool band from Taiwan. Reggae with aboriginal characteristics! I’ve been aware of them for a while now and they freaking rock!! Do yourself a favour and block out this date. I might have to close the bar for this one! [...]
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Feb
22ndQuickslants: Novaheart, Insurance Salesmen and Re-TROS
back in business my babies… CNY has just is kinda in our rear-view mirror and we can start looking ahead to some good gigs all around town. The city is slowly waking up but this weekend offerings are more than respectable so let’s see what’s cooking. Friday Feb.22 Novaheart @ Yugong Yishan The new darlings of the Beijing scene are kicking off their nationwide tour at Yugong Yishan tonight. From what i’ve seen and heard in videos, the band is coming together nicely and the addition of Atom on drums has been a good move. I’m hoping my other duties allow me to sneak out tonight and check it out with my own ears. Catch them before they head out for a little while, especially if electro disco is your kinda thing 16mn @ jianghu I can officially call them the ‘dazedarlings of 2012 i think. I like these kids and the kinda music they’ve been putting together. THey’re still a little green but growing up fast. Robin plays a mean guitar and Cindy just needs a bit more practice to kick things in hight gear. I’m curious about the new songs they’ve been working on. Intrepid Adventurers @ VA yeah, they’re pop rock but they’ve come a long way since i saw them the first time around about 6 months ago. It’s pop rock well done and the kids are genuinely having fun on stage. Don’t get me started on that drummer… she’s some kinda trouble. Saturday Feb.23 AIS [...]
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Jan
12thlast minute slants: Stable, Omnipotent Society and Wild Children Reunited
I really gotta get my life sorted out so i can start following up again on all the bands stuff.. a Year ago, there is no way a saturday like tonight would have gone almost unnoticed with 3 awesome nights gigs happening almost at the same time: Saturday Jan 12th: Stable & Salesmen @ 2K The Randy Abel Stable planned this little honky tonk night a while ago and that was enough for it to be a stand out night but as of yesterday, we have The Amazing Insurance Salesmen added to the bill alongside Lucifer (Rustic) and folkster Meng Zhi. This is one hell of a good party lineup with decent musicians and good people. Omnipotent Youth Society @ School I’ll be honest, I haven’t been to the new School yet but from everything I hear, if you liked D22, then this is gonna be your hangout. And tonight, they got Omnipotent Youth Society… These kids sell out Mao Live so expect those 100 tickets on sale to go very very fast. Heck, there might be people waiting now. This is one of the best bands to emerge over the past few years. Wild Children @ MOMA What? what year is this? Wild Children were credited for inspiring bands all over the city and the country. They have been broken up for almost 10 years…. and they’re back! While Zhang Wei Wei and Guo Long have been cooperating for years and also put out a great CD last year, [...]
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Dec
6thQuickslants: Chasing Stars, Demon Launch, Ningxia Tag Team and more..
long time no quickslants… well, maybe every post this week will start with “long time no..” I had a couple of weeks off just jetting around the old world and been running around like a chicken with its head cut off since i got back. Still, manage to make it to plenty of shows and I hope i’ll have reviews up soon enough. You can already get started with last friday’s gig review from the PK 14 gig at Yugong Yishan. So, what’s on the menu for the next few days? some intriguing and interesting options are available: Thursday Dec 6 WHAI + Chasing Star @ Yugong Yishan now this is a show where I’m open minded.. 2 bands with people i like and appreciate playing a genre of music i don’t usually care about. However, in this case, both bands do it well enough that i can’t help but like it. WHAI has changed a lot in a year and their last gig at 2K was apparently one of the best ever. I can’t wait to see how this change comes through in the music. As far as Chasing Star goes, it’s looking like they’re getting pretty serious about putting that record out finally. They sound nothing like that band i heard back in 2006, especially music wise, after they added so many electronic elements. I haven’t seen them play in over 2 years now so I’m curious about more potential changes. Tuleger @ Jianghu The artist formerly known [...]
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Nov
2ndQuickslants: Sick Time, Insurance Salesmen, Metal Health and more..it might not seem like it but there is actually an interesting weekend coming up folks. I’ll keep it short and sweet for you all: Friday Nov 2 AIS @ Yugong Yishan The Amazing Insurance Salesmen are back at it with what’s becoming a monthly occurrence… i did this new rhythm of playing less shows and making their brand more special.. now let’s get some new songs in a CD and I’ll be a happy fan. Me Too are on opening duties. Buyi @ Jianghu The Ningxia quatuor heads over to Jianghu for one of their sit down performances. I saw them earlier this week at 2 Kolegas and they’re sounding a bit heavier than usual.. can’t say that’s a bad thing in my book. Saturday Nov 3 Trash till Death @ Club 13 out of the blue, CLub 13 reminds us that they’re still around with an interesting lineup going all day from 2 p.m. until midnight. The festivities are split into two parts. Part I: Putsch, Hellfire, Nine Treasures, Never Before, The Metaphor. Part II (8:30): Tractor, Los Crasher, Tengger Cavalry, Hellward, Explosicum. That is definitely a lot of bang for your buck Jacky Danny @ Hot Cat this might be one of those shows where the sound system at Hot Cat can be overlooked. Jacky Danny played their hearts out last week at Temple and i only heard good things about Executant of the Sword, the opening act. I wonder if Ricky Sixx is still on bass [...]
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Aug
28thThe Beijinger Showcase Delivers on Good Times, Beer and some MusicSo last year at some point, the Beijinger managing editor promised a New Music Showcase and the team set out to deliver. The result was called “The Beijinger New Music Showcase” that took place last week over at 2 Kolegas… The promise was for the audience to discover new music, drink a lot of beer ( free flow from 4:00 to 11:00pm included Slow Boat, Vedett, Tiger and Budweiser) and have one hell of a party. I got there a little late on the day so I missed the first few bands that went on, namely Not There and Pacololo but I did manage to catch Residence A, Stiletto, Elephant Fresh,Ronnie’s Will, Bad Mamasan, the new SUBS and the Amazing Insurance Salesmen.. That is a decent lineup worth the admission price , especially at RMB100 ( btw, full disclosure, I didn’t pay to get into this gig). I was excited to actually catch some band I hadn’t seen before along with some sure values. Granted, the only really new band in the fold was Stiletto but we’ll deal with that later. Residence A was on as i got there putting on a performance like only they can do. The played most of their usual songs but also had some new material that sounds a bit different, mellower than their early efforts. They had the crowd jumping throughout most of their set and the excitement boiled up with some moron pouring his beer over Zhao Zhao whom managed to not miss [...]
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Aug
16thQuickslants: Punks Rule, The Beijinger Showcase And More Weekend MusicMan did the week fly by. I was planning to throwing in a couple of overdue album reviews that have been on the backburner for some time then next thing i see, it’s Thursday and the Quickslants are due.. Ouch! Tough slants this week with some big ass events going head to head and a lot of people split as to which one to go for. Let’s check them out Thursday August 16th Knucklebone Oscar @ Mao He’s labelled as Scandinavia’s best kept secret. A dynamo that’s half man and half ape but all power and mischief. It’s a whole lotta rockabilly and blues as far as I’m concerned. really old school and punchy. Actually I might just have to ditch my plans and go check it out. Powerman 5000 @Yugong Rob Zombie’s little brother and his crew are in town for some cleaned up power metal or whatever they call it these days. I would have preferred to get big brother in town but this could be an opportunity for the younger bands to get a little lesson in showmanship. Friday August 17 Rock for Eve @ 2 Kolegas Who am I to say no to this? Wu & the Side effects, Beijing Beatles along with Wu and the Side Effects will be on hand to bring the fun at 2 Kolegas. I think it might be the first time all 3 of these bands are on one bill and at least two of them have not played in [...]
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Aug
2ndQuickslants: Less Licks, Bookswaps, Icelandic Vibes, Dual Triple Headers, Returns and moreIf you missed out yesterday on the Franz Nikolay/Randy Abel Stable gig at Yugong Yishan, don’t despair! Plenty of interesting shows are coming up over the next few days that might be just as intriguing. While some of them are sure to be packed, especially Friday night at Mao and Old What, other little gems can be just as much fun. Thursday August 2nd Cao Yang @ Jianghu I’ve been listening to Cao Yang’s douban trying to figure out if it’s worth seeing or not. 2 hours later, I’m still confused and in-between. The show is billed as “I’m back” blah blah blah blah… 3 bands on the bill and potential good times if you just stay away from the red wine. 3 bands on the bill and a good opportunity to chill in the hutongs with this weather Friday August 3rd 3X3 – Hedgehog, Casino Demon, Gar @ Mao Biggest lineup I’ve seen at Mao in quite some time. This is solid shit in Beijing’s underground musicland. Hedgehog, love or hate them, deliver every show and have put on some memorable concerts lately. Casino Demon is back in form and slowly working their way up the ladder again after a few months off. GAR is one of those bands i don’t freaking get! People are mystified by the fact that they never play so anytime they come out, they cause a frenzy. How about the music though? Either ways, this will be a fun show with gigantic attendance. Misfits [...]
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Jul
31stNews To Ooze: No Megadeth, Welcome Apocalyptica, Beijinger Showcase, Punk & Hardcore FestivalsWell well well… Megadeth’s show on August 3rd has been “postponed” until further notice. This doesn’t really come as a surprise. 2 weeks to the show, no prices were announced, no advertising was printing etc.. I’m not sure the folks from Guitar China have any credibility left outside of a few hardcore fan who believe their “we’re the victim” cries. They had a major fuck up with Dream Theatre not too long ago and now they pulled off this one. The consensus since day one was that it was impossible that Megadeth would be playing Tango: Too small, they’re too expensive and somethings just didn’t add up. On the other hand, Apocalyptica is confirmed to play at Yugong Yishan this September. Originally, rumors had them playing Beijing earlier this summer at the workers’ gym but nothing came out of that. They are reportedly confirmed for September 7th at Yugong Yishan which has the potential for being a madhouse considering the legions of Metallica fans in China and how this is the closest they’ll get to it for a little while. They’re also playing Mao Live in Shanghai. The Beijinger has announced the lineup for their New Music Showcase at 2 Kolegas. Looking good with Subs, Bad Mamasan, Residence A, Amazing Insurance Salesmen, Not There etc…. I can’t complain: half the bands on the lineup were there for ‘dazeFEAST. Hoever, I’m kinda bummed a little bit though because I really was hoping they’d go out and help discover new bands, bring [...]
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Jul
27thQuickslants: Festivalitus, Ningxia Force, Miserable Faith and MoreAnother weekend, another set of quickslants and a whole lotta music going on but who’s watching? Seriously, I think poor Zhangbei is having the distinction of being the festival with the least coverage this year, at least in the Anglophone blogosphere.. Maybe just an excessive case of festivalitus, a weird China-born disease stemming from excessive amounts of festivals using the same bands and sub-standard setups? oh well!! To be fair though, this year’s lineup is not bad but they really have not learned their lesson as far as sundays go: Everyone of the past two years, Sunday headliners played to an almost non-existent audience as folks rushed to get back to Beijing. Anyways, let’s see what’s taking place: Friday July 27th Buyi & Lidong @ 2Kolegas This is the party spot for the evening with two of the most talented bands out of Ningxia. Buyi has delivered on their performances for years and there is no doubting their chops. Since the release of their album, Lidong has moved up a few notches and can now claim the spot left vacant by Wu & the Side Effects while they regroup and re-record. 2 good bands, 2 Kolegas, all the buddies will be there and it’s gonna be a swell time. Red Pirates @ Hot Cat I like these cats and they always manage to show us a good time with their brand oh Hard Rock. Dave rocks the vox, the Drummer has one of the biggest smiles ever and the guitarist [...]
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The Mini Skinny
What once started as my personal ramblings has morphed into the number one collective resource about underground live music in Beijing and China. All bands, all music, all Rock n Roll, all the time with a little side of eclectic topics.. best of all, it's still as BIASED as ever
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'dazeFEAST 2012 - June 23rd at 2 Kolegas.
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- On The Scene: 2013 Strawberry Festival Day 1 | Live Beijing Music on MIDI 2013: Anywhere, Anytime, Thanks for the Rock n Roll
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