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Nov
2ndMao Pre Halloween: GAWTMY’s final? stand, Nanwu confirms and other tidbitsThere were a few shows taking place this past friday in Beijing and some were quite high profile.. that said, I couldn’t not go to Mao Live for their pre-halloween bash once i heard that there was a good chance it might be Girls Are Waiting to Meet You’s last performance for a long time/ever. Continuing the trend of decent attendance at Mao, there were a good 300+ people when I got there with GAWTMY having barely gotten started.. funny how things have changed since the first time i saw the band! The only survivors in the lineup are Donna ( drums), Bing ( Bass) and Kirsten ( Violin) with another 10 people have played in the band at some point or another. The band members were decked out in full zombie regalia and put on what I would consider their finest performance with Aaron on vocals.. ever.. They played their usual songs with a few variations and one thing i remember thinking is how they sounded heavier on a few classics, especially with Dave’s guitar that could have been described as overly aggressive.. really liked it! This variation of the lineup with 5 persons works best so far and is definitely something to consider should they decide to get the band back together. Not There was up next and I took that opportunity to sneak out and get some food. I didn’t like their “experimental” side or the instrumental aspect of it all, especially not after that amazing GAWTMY [...]
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Oct
27thHalloween Music Quickslants: of Freaks, Fetishes, Big Sharks, Girls and Free Birdsit’s gonna be a costumes, costumes and more costumes this weekend for a special freaky edition of the quickslants… Beijing goes hogwild for halloween when all the freaks come out the play and sure enough, there are plenty of live shows to match any weirdness you might have in you. Thursday October 28th: Purple Smog @VA Club: Beijing’s one and only Jimi Hendrix cover band takes center stage at VA, around the corner from the Lama Temple. These guys only been around for a few months but they’re making wave in Beijing… I think Ruby might be trying to start an official fan club for them. The guys are good and the music classic! Friday October 29th: Halloween comes Early @ Mao: get a head start on the festivities when Girls Are Waiting to Meet You, Nakoma, The Others and Nanwu come out to rock your make up off. This is one hell of a strange lineup with huge differences in style but it’s hallowen i guess. This will be your one chance to catch GAWTMY for a little while as the band will be taking an extended break. Nakoma was good at Battle of the Bands and I look forward to seeing them again. and gotta love Nanwu Saturday October 30th: Things get sickly interesting here folks with great shows all over goddamn Beijing… I mean we’re talking A list of styles!!! They’re Still Singing @ 2kolegas: don’t look but the 2 K folks are really getting back into [...]
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Jul
21stLive Music Review: Don’t Call Me Laowai or return of the MaoTo say that Mao Livehouse has been flying below the radar since it reopened a month or so ago would be an understatement: They’ve been keeping a low profile and not really advertising any of their gigs much as of late! So much that events that I would usually recommend have been neglected. Whatever their reason, I hope they get back to the top soon or…. This past sunday, after learning that a few favorites would be on the bill for their “Don’t Call Me Laowai” showcase, Ruby and myself decided to head over and see it with our own eyes.. while the bill was not made public til the show started, it consisted of Girls Are Waiting to Meet You, X-Doctor, Concrete Nothing, Amazing insurance Salesmen & You Mei You! This is one hell of a lineup considering I’ve paid plenty of times before to see one of these bands headline a gig. having them all on the same bill seemed like pretty darn good value. I’ve been on 2 Kolegas schedule for so long I’m not used to shows starting on time which was -and still is- the norm at Mao Livehouse. We barely made it on time to catch Girls Are Waiting To Meet You! I’ve written so much about GAWTMY by now, some readers might be sick of hearing their name… I’m not! I caught the band the previous evening at an outdoors charity gig (more in another post) where they sounded horrible. They redeemed themselves [...]
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May
4thExclusive Free Track: Zombie Girl by GAWTMY ( No Longer Available)Thanks to Girls Are Waiting to Meet You for the previously non released “Zombie Girl”.. it was downloaded 47 times in April and 182 times in may as of yesterday before I removed it!!! The Goodies just keep on coming from the amazing musicians we have in Beijing: We’ve already had Mademoiselle and her Gypsy Jazz, ChunQiu (Spring Autumn) with Mando-Metal and Black Cat Bone with their brand of Blooze and the angelic folky sounds of the one and only Daisy Sweetgrass. Now, our friends over at Girls Are Waiting To Meet You deliver one amazing present: for the first time ever, the Zombie Girl track is available anywhere!!! you’ve seen the video directed by Andy Deemer ( also below) and heard the track live but there was nowhere you could buy/download the track until now… exclusively on BeijingDaze for 1 week (so get it fast) I just the Girls play on sunday night after MIDI at Jianghu jiuba where they put on a hell of a show despite being short a few members including Adam, their musical swiss army knife… I was a bit worried as the sax is such an important part of their sounds but they have reworked things nicely (more on that in another post). The band gets a lot of coverage on this blog and i do go out of my way to catch them, true! that is just a testament to their uniqueness! I love what they do and how dedicated they are to [...]
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Mar
30thReview: Mademoiselle charms & GAWTMY awes Yugong YishanTwo of my favorite bands managed to combine forces this past saturday for a show to remember at Yugong Yishan: Mademoiselle with her charming gipsy jazz & Girls Are Waiting To Meet You with their cacophony of uptempo melodies! Mademoiselle opened up the festivities and the full band minus Nico (drummer) was there! The guitar, clarinette, contrabass and accordion were all accounted for while she gracefully sang her way through French jazz classics in a way only Marie-Claude can. The voice was enchanting, the smile was hypnotizing and the audience fully under her spell. I had a few friends along that night including Miss Ruby and they all seemed to fully enjoy what was on offer. Alas, all good things must come to an end and so did Mademoiselle’s set! After a brief intermission, it was time for The Girls to come on and so they did! I was curious as to how the band had progressed since the last time i had seen them with Aaron as their new voice. The show at Jianghu was a bit shaky i remembered… what would tonight be like? The lights came on at the same time as the first notes to Majestic Tree and just like that, we were in business! The Girls powered through a fast paced set of songs from their album including Fortune Teller, I am a Writer and a reworked Across Green Fields. They also premiered a new song whose name I didn’t catch but i look forward [...]
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Mar
25thAll limber and ready to save the day: 10 Questions with Aaron Rosa the voice of GAWTMYIt was just about 9 months ago when i first came across Girls Are Waiting to Meet You at the French Cultural Center in Beijing (read it here) . A lot has happened since then: The band survived the GAWTMY curse long enough to release an album and play a few gigs then lead singer Natan Doran and Human music box Luke Tweedy moved back to England. Fast forward a few months, we got a new lineup and they’re itching to show you what they can do. I had a chance to catch up with Aaron Rosa, the new voice of GAWTMY, the get the skinny on it all 1- Whats going on in your world? This is your chance to plug your stuff: GAWTMY‘s world is finally getting back on track, and climbing out of our collective cave. We’ve got about 5 new song concepts that we’ve been banging on since november, and we are hoping to get them gleaming for a mid summer EP release. 2- Where’s GAWTMY been hiding, you guys haven’t played in a little while? We’re a little like voltron. We all live in or around the glorious castle of ‘Beijing Rock City’… but we park our big cats all over the place. Now that the cold is gone, and spring is once again the prevalent season of the land … it’s time to stretch… then when the mid-summer crisis comes we’ll be all limber and ready to save the day once more. 3-You got [...]
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Dec
1stThe Girls are back, hairier than ever and still waiting to meet youThis past sunday marked the debut of GAWTMY V. 2.0 with a new lineup to make up for the departure of some members. It also marked my first time visiting Jianghu Jiu Ba, a favorite amongst musicians in Beijing for their cozy and intimate feel. The new Girls: So, the Girls lost 3 members and gained 4! They lost a Ukelele and gained a banjo. They have also lost that special distinction of being a “no-guitar-band” with the addition of a permanent guitar player. I was looking forward to the show as i had had a preview of the new sound during their last show when Aaron Rossa stepped on stage and took over for Natan during “Zombie Girl”. I was mostly right! The show kicked off with Majestic Tree and Fortune Teller, 2 of my favorite songs off of their record and moved on through their catalog. They ended the show on a high with Early Findings and Zombie Girl. The room as well as the whole place was packed.. and i mean packed with a mix of foreigners and locals alike. it had fire hazard written all over it but somehow, no problems came about. What was interesting is that about halfway through the gig, a male audience member became frustrated at some lady next to him and mentioned in no uncertain terms that she was to either shut up or get the F out of there. The exchange went on for 2 mn with various obscenities in [...]
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Nov
26thBeijing Quickslants: This week’s live music ain’t no turkeyYes, it’s thanksgiving and yours truly loves this holiday.. while there’s a lot of things to be said about Turkeys, this weekend’s live show offerings are no turkey. We’re looking at one of the most solid lineups of live acts over a 3 day span that Beijing has seen in a while! Friday Nov 27: MADE IN NINGXIA @ 2Kolegas: Buyi, Wu & the Side Effects and Nucleus represent! Expect this one to be popular as Buyi has many groupies following them around the city and the country. I expected 2Kolegas to calm down in the winter but a recent trip there to catch DH & The Hellcats proved me wrong. Place still rocks in the cold of winter. 10pm, 40/30 RMB (students) Saturday Nov 28: Ah the choices… my oh my! this is a tough night to be a music fan in Beijing because it is so bloody tough to pick: The Redbucks @ Tiny Salt: Our good friends play what i consider the coming out party of Tiny Salt as a music venue in Beijing. Whether these ruckus-raising ramblers are singing about love and lust or moonshine and misdemeanor, there will always be something to dance, drink or sing to – and often all the above. Guai Li @ D22: These cats are really tearing up the music scene in Beijing. I honestly believe they’re one of the best live bands around despite the fact that i’ve only seen them on video. Friends whose musical taste I trust [...]
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Oct
8thGirls Are (still) Waiting to Meet You and They’re Setting The Record StaightSince the last GAWTMY show at Yugong Yishan, there has been talk of the band breaking up with the departure of lead man Natan Doron and multi-talented Luke Tweedy despite the shocking announcement made at the time which clearly stated that the band would go on with a new voice: Aaron Bronson Rosa. BeijingDaze caught up with Drummer Donna Renae to set the record straight: 1- What’s going on in your world? This is your chance to plug your stuff: Well, since I’m a university teacher, I’m off for the National Day holiday and enjoying the downtime, returning emails, watching DVDs (TrueBlood, season two!) and tidying up my smaller-than-life apartment. I’m also the campus CCL (crazy cat lady) so I’ve been feeding and playing with our collection of adorable homeless moggies. But I’m not allowed to bring them inside and anyway, I’m allergic. 2- Talking about GAWTMY, how are the Album sales going? Where can people buy the record in Beijing? Quickest place to get it would be online, provided you have an Amazon or iTunes account. But we do have some special-edition CDs that include the Zombie Girl video. Contact us if you want to buy one! 3- The last show for the video release was a memorable one for many reasons, chief one being that towards the end of the show, Natan announced that Luke and himself were leaving then introduced the Aaron as the voice of GAWTMY. What was going through your mind at the time? Keep [...]
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Oct
7thBeijing Quick Slants: This week’s shows and GAWTMY auditionloads of things happening in Beijing lately, even during the holidays: – Made it to Folk Me fest at Mao Livehouse (map) yesterday. Line up included an “unknown” trio, The Redbucks, Hanggai and Buyi. I wish they stuck to the band rotation they list outside because it’s sometimes difficult to know who is who unless you’ve seen them before. Great show overall with a review coming up soon. – GAWTMY is still alive, kicking and searching for a new Rhythm Guitar player amongst others: Check this City Weekend add . Expect an interview with their drummer and the new singer soon. – Bad Apples which had gone MIA over the summer marks their return to the Beijing music scene with a show on October 30th at Ginkgo(map) – Talking about Ginkgo (map), they continue their schyzophrenic line up of acts with Shanghai’s Tony Tse Live this October 8th. I heard some good stuff about his shows!! will definitely try to make this one! – Also,
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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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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