-
Jan
6th2011 in review: Best Live Music Performances in Beijing (and the worst)it started with a bang at 2 Kolegas as Buyi, Nucleus, Rustic and Subs rocked the hell out of the drive-in. That was one hell of a good show to start the year and remains in the top ten of best shows in Beijing for 2011. Many bands came, some vanished, others just took a break and some just lost any guidance… how did they fare IMHO? Let’s check it out! Here are some random musings about the best, the worst and the mediocre from my BIASED perspective! 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 [...]
-
Nov
4thQuickslants: Grassland Rumba, Autumn Descends, Ido Balance and Book SwapIs it already late thursday/early friday? goodness this week has flown by! They say that’s what happens when you’re busy having fun so here is hoping i had tons of fun because it did freaking fly by. So, another weekend looming with some pretty sweet and diverse choices to pick from. Let’s kick it! Friday Nov 4th: La Pegatina & Hanggai @ Mako: If you haven’t heard of “la Pegatina”, do yourself a favor and look them up. This Spanish motley crew has been heating up stages all over the world and they’re about to give Beijing a little taste of what the rest of China has seen over the past week that they been touring here with Hanggai. It’s a little rumba, some meringue, a side of Ska, a dash of reggae and a sprinkle of Cumbia just to name a few. Buddies Hanggai, who don’t really need an introduction anymore, are also on the bill and word is they’ve collaborated on a special version of Jiu Ge ( drinking song) just for tomorrow night’s shindig. Well worth the trek to shuanjing. See this Global Times writeup or check out this video from their performance at West Lake festival in Hangzhou Chun Qiu @ Temple: Kaiser and the boys are taking this thing seriously now after just floating around for a few years. The band is hungry and has new songs, picking up where they left off with their album. This show has been fairly on the radar over [...]
-
Oct
8thChunQiu @ Gulou 121: The Sleeping Dragon AwakesLast time I wrote about ChunQiu (Spring Autumn), I finished it by saying that someone should lock up those guys in a room and prevent them from leaving before they came through with enough materials for a new CD…. It’s not quite what happened but if what I saw and heard last sunday at Gulou 121 is any indication, the sleeping dragon is waking up. I honestly didn’t expect much out of a sunday night show in Gulou other than some good rock n roll and a couple of drinks, but boy was i wrong: When i got to the venue at 9:30, the place was jam packed the likes of which i had never seen it packed. As the Chinese saying goes: 山人海人, people on the mountain and people on the ocean…. or maybe in this case, people on the floor, tables and chairs.. wicked! The band played what i thought was one of the better shows i’ve seen them play and they were all on fire. Yang Meng, usually on the shy side of things was talking up a storm joking with the audience who were eating it up. That, for me, just makes enjoying a band easier when the frontman/woman does connects…. I can’t overlook mistakes, false cues and everything else, not that there were mistakes that night. To quote people who know a heck of a lot more than I do, the band sounded TIGHT… and I mean TIGHT… The audience was completely sold to the [...]
-
Sep
28thQuickslants: Bone Rock, Free Kolegas, Lao Da’s Revenge, Old What Turn 9 and moreOctober holidays are straight ahead folks with tons and i mean TONS of music opportunities in Beijing including festivals and what not…. Basically you gotta really try hard to not find anything interesting. I’ll do an October Holiday Quickslants later to deal with the flurry of shows next week. For now, here’s what the end of the week looks like: Wednesday Sept. 28 Bone @ Mao Live: Admittedly, I never heard of these guys before Ruby mentioned they were playing and I’m not sure what they are like. That said, they’re playing along with Residence A whom I have not seen in quite some time and same goes for Me Too. Yang Tiao is one that I’ve been meaning to check out for a while. Should be a good mid-week rocker Tha Knutz @ jianghu: Ok I admit it. I’m superficial enough to go check out a band based on their name sometimes! This would be one of those cases if I didn’t remember the band’s name popping out all over the city’s Jazz venues. Tia’s voice works really well for that lounge/jazz/soul mix even though she sounds like she might be having a few issues with really high notes. Still, Definitely worth a look IMHO. The songs repeating on myspace started giving me a headache! Thursday Sept 29: Marianne Dissard @ D22: I saw her two weeks ago at yugong yishan.. a prelude to her appearance at Black Rabbit festival. I enjoyed her performance despite the lack of a [...]
-
Aug
18thRockaid Day 3: Chunqiu, Long Shen Dao and Ember Swift rocked the house. Where were you?Seriously, as the title says, where were you? Heck, did you even hear about it? That’s what I found myself wondering as i was standing in the middle of a pretty darn empty Tango on sunday night watching some pretty darn good musicians play for a good cause. Was it the rain? nope, Sunday night was the better night for attendance as far as I knew. What was it then? How about god old fashioned lack of promotion??? The event was pretty much not listed anywhere at all and that sucks… How the hell do you go about putting a 3 day charity concert at Tango and not promote it properly? sad sad… anyways, those of us that came and were there on day 3, we were treated to some pretty special performances… let’s recap the action: Longjin, whom I never heard off before, opened up the festivities. They’re listed as a funk rock band…they didn’t sound like it. Heck, they didn’t sound like much but we’ll be nice on this one and just say: Don’t go out of your way to see them. Exit A was up next and that was not a good surprise as I expected Residence A to play.. my bad! It gave me an opportunity to check out the band after almost a year and a half of avoiding them. I had some hope for the band while Wang Yuqi 王钰琪 was with them but since his departure, they just started swimming along the shores [...]
-
Aug
11thQuickslants: RockAid, Samba, Shanren and friends ready to rock your weekendInteresting weekend ahead as usual folks with a variety of sounds available to those seeking musical entertainment. Rockaid is going on pretty much all weekend. Shanren return to 2K and host of other goodies happening left and right. The Tiger beer battle of the band continues with sessions at Mako Livehouse and Mao Livehouse. Kamila returns at Jianghu and more…. Without further due, let’s get rolling folks! Here’s where i’m most likely to show up for good tunes. Thursday August 11 Xiao He & Jeffrey Lewis @ Yugong: No, I’m not going there but it does have the potential to be amazing if both of these guys do things right. Here’s always hoping Xiao He forgets his laptop at home but I don’t think it’s gonna happen. I heard some good stuff about Jeffrey Lewis so go for it. I’ll be at Capoeira instead! Old Folk @ jiangjinjiu: Two relatively unknowns Ma Di and Dong Ye play a free show in gulou. This might actually be a cool opportunity to discover something cool and new. The guys at Jiangjinjiu are pretty cool about spotting talent. Friday August 12: Shanren @ 2Kolegas: I’ve never seen the wild ones play 2 K so it should be cool. I’d like to see how their sound has changed since last time when they started sounding increasingly more metal. This one is undeniably gig of the evening, bar none! Undistinguished Youth , whom i never heard, start things off. Rock Aid 1 @ Tango: first [...]
-
May
26thBeijing quickslants: Jess Awakening, 2 Kolegas Celebrates and Bluegrass RetrunsWell folks, if the whole fire safety hazard thingy hasn’t put a damper in your going out plans for this weekend, there’s plenty of stuff happening this weekend. 2 Kolegas is turning 6 which pretty much will monopolize my friday and saturday! I’m so thankful I’ll have Sunday for recovery, kind off… Thursday May 26th: Dolan @ jianghu: Hanggai is no longer the only game in town. They’ve got plenty of competition when it comes to that grassland sound from the likes of Ajinai and now Dolan. It’s not the same but they do share similar roots. Check it out Jess @ Great Leap brewery: Jess brings back the acoustic guitar for a double set at Beijing’s favorite microbrewery. Starts a bit early at 8:00 but it should be some good fun in case the freaking rain doesn’t mess it all up Friday May 27: 2 Kolegas 6 Year Celebration part 1: SUBS and BUYI headline the first night of celebration for 2 Kolegas with help from Skarving as wel las Wu & The side effects. Expect a huge party, DJ, alcohol, fun, and a whole lotta rocking going on until the wee hours of the morning. After hours Jam Session will probably also be taking place. ChunQiu Unplugged @ Gulou 121: Kaiser, Yang Meng and the boys will be in Gulou pulling out the acoustic guitars for those that want a chilled out evening. It’s always a joy listening to them do their thing with harmonies and what not. [...]
-
May
19thQuickslants: Hanggai, Mantas, SUBS, Ghosts, Kingdoms, Hellcats and return of the ArrowHolly smokes is this looking like a busy weekend in Beijing… stop me if you’ve heard this before but there’s a whole lotta rocking to be done. I’m almost glad I won’t be here for this as the ‘daze crew if off checking out the rock scene with our buddies from DUDE. Still, for those of you in town, there’s a lot to see with some impressive lineups throughout the city. I mean you can’t go wrong with any venue this end of the week starting today Thursday May 19 oh man… I don’t wanna be in your shoes Beijing. There are some tough choices to be made tonight with what seem to be a bombastic lineup Flying Mantas @ Mao Live: Our buddies on the Mantas, along with The Clamps, bring out the retro sounds on them Burns guitars for some old school goodness! I’ve heard reports of their mini tour in Beijing and that it’s going fairly well with the Mantas on fire but The Clamps side a bit off. Still, if it’s good music you’re after, this is not a bad place to be. Hanggai & Christian Zehnder @ 2Kolegas: The inner Mongolians have been spending a lot of time at 2 Kolegas lately with more shows there that before I reckon. Tonight (Thursday), they’re joined by Swiss Jazz virtuoso Christian Zehnder. It’s a bit unclear as to whether they’re playing together or if there’s separate sets but it might be a good opportunity to check them [...]
-
May
17thBetween Spring and Autumn, Yang Meng Releases Diary of Sun CityChunQiu was never your traditional Metal band, they’ve always done things differently in trying to bring elements of Chinese Folk into Rock music, most specifically the metal variety. That’s one of the reasons their songs are quite pleasant when done acoustically. I could be wrong but i think that’s what Yang Meng, who founded the band along with Kaiser Kuo, brings to the table. When I heard that he was branching out with his own folk solo project, Diary of Sun City 太阳城日记, I was really curious to hear how it would be different from the band’s unplugged sets. Last friday, at the release party show, was the perfect opportunity to check it out and see it for myself. The place was comfortably full when I got there around 9:30 with Yang Meng, Kaiser Kuo and Kou Zheng Yu digging into classic ChunQiu material in between solo songs. They played two sets to an audience that was mostly appreciative of the performance. Yang’s bandmates also served as his backing section for his new material on most songs except two when he solo-ed it on guitar. How was the new stuff? unsurprisingly similar to the older stuff and I do not mean that in a bad way. It’s a positive statement. What Yang Meng and the gang have done is really merge the monophonic Chinese folk with foreign harmonies and arrangements. There’s a flamenco inspired rhythm at times that vanishes in favor of a bluesier sound only to come back again [...]
-
May
9th‘daze FEAST: A day of Music and CelebrationYes folks, after threatening to do this for a while, we’ve take the plunge thanks to great friends all over Beijing that will make it possible! I’m announcing the first ( and probably only) ‘dazeFEAST to be held at 2 Kolegas Saturday June 25th 2011 What: ‘daze FEAST – A Celebration of Music & Fun When: June 25th, 2011 Where: 2 Kolegas – Liangmaqiao How Much: NO COVER ( buying CD from a participating band encouraged) Summary: Throughout the past two years, I’ve been fortunate enough to meet amazing people in this town in and out of concerts. The musicians, the fans, the friends, the venues have filled my life with enough memories for a few lifetimes. Well, now, these people are getting together to celebrate in Beijing for a whole day of music and fun at my favorite venue in town: 2 kolegas! This is a No Cover celebration but I’m hoping all of you will support the musicians, who have all gracefully donated their time and skill, by purchasing one or more of their CDs at the door. These cats have spent a lot of time and energy bringing you the fun and the music, they deserve the recognition. The Confirmed Lineup ( with many surprises coming up) * Mademoiselle et Son Orchestre * Dude * The Flying Mantas * Zhang Si’An * Black Cat Bone * Maggie Who * at least 2 more acts to be announced * There will be a lamb roasting in the pit [...]
- ‹ Older Posts
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
Ganbei!!!!
'dazeFEAST 2012 - June 23rd at 2 Kolegas.
17 Bands, Roast Lamb & All FREEWhat’s on Offer?
- 10 Questions (31)
- Album Reviews (22)
- Beijing 人 (44)
- Belly Ties (52)
- blabbers (326)
- Book Review (1)
- Chinese Through Lyrics (2)
- Freeloading (34)
- Geek matter (17)
- Gig Reviews (58)
- Need'em liquids (9)
- On The Road (3)
- Outsourced Blabbers (21)
- Provincial Restaurants (15)
- Quickslants (64)
- Roaming Around (11)
- Tunes under the moon (524)
looking for something?
Ingredients
2 kolegas Amazing insurance salesmen Bad Mamasan Beijing 人 black cat bone Brain Failure buyi Chunqiu DH & the hellcats Dude Ember Swift Flying Mantas free the birds GAWTMY Hanggai Hedgehog iz Jacky Danny Kaiser Kuo Kick Ass Lidong live music mademoiselle Maggie Who Mamer Mao Livehouse MIDI Miserable Faith Nanwu Nucleus Omnipotent youth society provincial restaurant randy abel stable Residence A rustic skarving Steely Heart SUBS Suffocated The Redbucks voodoo kungfu whai wu & side effects xiao he yugong yishanFresh Pills
- Quickslants: Tambours du Bronx, New Shanren, Painkiller Fest and more
- Mamer & Song Yuzhe: opposites attract at Jianghu
- Dreamer Festival 2013 – Azure Ray, Shan Ren, Omnipotent Youth Society and More
- PS: You Rocked Me – Abaji, One Drop, Devils, Yungiema etc..
- Quickslants: No Dong, Some Punk, a Little Ordnance and more
Can of Worms?
- Joann on Quickslants: Jurat, PiL, XTX, Yangjima for a Loaded End of Week
- On The Scene: 2013 Strawberry Festival Day 1 | Live Beijing Music on MIDI 2013: Anywhere, Anytime, Thanks for the Rock n Roll
- ex virility pill on Quickslants: Jurat, PiL, XTX, Yangjima for a Loaded End of Week
- ruby on MIDI 2013: Anywhere, Anytime, Thanks for the Rock n Roll
- Beijing Daze on MIDI 2013: Anywhere, Anytime, Thanks for the Rock n Roll