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May
3rdQuickslants: Lidong, Yunggiema, Not There, Reggae and more
Gee… 3 days of non-stop music are over and we’re back to regular rotation before we go unto another onslaught of tunes. So in case the festivals didn’t do you in, here are some goodies you can look forward to over the next 3 days. Of course, don’t forget the CD BLues festival that I mentioned earlier Friday May 3: Lidong @ JIanghu we all know my addition/affection for all things Ningxia, right? well, good buddies Lidong are coming out to the hutongs for one of their last shows for a few months. beautiful modern northwestern folk from the Ningxia plains that will keep you on your seat. Jianghu is probably the best place for them to pull this off… with the nice weather, might as well hit it. Yunggiema @ Mako One of my favorite female vocalists running around all smoggy. She’s got a new performance out and it’s apparently quite different from the stuff she’s been doing with Song Yun Zhe so i’m really excited about this one. It does seems like she’s playing every other day lately but i’m pretty much convinced that there is no such thing as too much Yunggiema. I mean there is a good reason she’s nicknamed the Siren. By the way, Mako is reopening their upstairs restaurant tonight with some pretty tasty xinjiang food so in case you got a bit of a hunger, this will take care of it. Saturday May 4 One Drop @ 2 Kolegas yup, the reggae boys [...]
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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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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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Oct
26thQuickslants: Monsters, Queens, Ghools, Fairies and more Creature Musichere’s a toast to post titles that don’t mean jack shit.. because that’s really the case here. I couldn’t think of anything better that would encompass all the musical goodness that lies ahead over the next 5 days or so… yeah, this is a long edition of the quickslants due to a busy weekday set of great shows.. let’s kick it! Friday Oct. 26 Whai @ 2 Kolegas The ever evolving WHAI is turning 1… man the band has changed so much since i first spotted them. The sound is more complex, they have added a DJ and are now internationally travelled: they just came back from playing a festival in Korea. I still can’t quite define what they play other than experimental progressive folk fusion.. how is that for a mouthful? The lads have pushed hard on this gig and the weibo promotions are through the roof. I expect a lot of fun, drinking and playing around. Tuleger @ Jianghu Gangzi has changed his stage name to Tuleger, but his Inner Mongolian stylings are still the same. Tonight, he’s letting loose a new release: “I Am Mongol”… i haven’t had a chance to listen to the new record yet but I have no reason to think it won’t be good. He’s slowly but steadily following in the footsteps of Hanggai and Ajinai while retaining his own style. Saturday Oct. 27 hardest night for me to pick a gig.. really! so much good stuff out there: Rolling Stones Tribute @ [...]
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Sep
25thQuickslants: Capitan Tifus, Indie Attack, Hardcore Lands and Ningxia Night RetrunsEarly quickslants this week folks after last week that saw no quickslants due to a busier than expected schedule. There’s a good reason for this, namely an Argentinian Ska band, Capitan Tifus, stopping by Yugong Yishan this wednesday.. It’s also a good day to get start planning your gigs for the beginning of the holiday weekend. Shall we get started? Wednesday Sept. 26 Capitan Tifus @ Yugong Yishan “The most promising band from Argentina” has been making noise online checking out the sites and making sure they let everyone know they will be here. I like a hard working band, especially one that sounds good at what they do. The band has been touring the word behind their latest album and promises a high energy show with dancing galore. Thursday Sept. 27 Randy Able Stable@ Temple The rambling americana trouble makers head over to Temple for another evening full of classic ditties and a few originals. These guys are ‘daze favorites for good reasons and always worth checking out when you have a chance. The Temple gigs go on for two sets so definitely worth the trip and… guess what… it’s free! Friday Sept. 28 Indie Night @ 2 Kolegas interesting mix of bands hitting the drive-in friday night: Steely Heart, Wu & The Side Effects, Residence A & Perpetual Motion Machine. I’m not sure why they called it “indie” night as these bands are just good dancing bands. If Ruby wasn’t out of town, she’d be drooling all over [...]
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Aug
31stQuickslants: Darwin Backfires, Maybe Mars Grows, Yang Meng Returns and moreExciting little weekend ahead folks with some genuinely interesting gigs planned over the course of the next 3 days. As much as last weekend was a little blah, this one is pretty darn solid with some hard decisions to make, especially looking at Friday and saturday. My gig of the week goes to the Bad Mamasan EP release without a doubt but i would have loved to checkout some of the bands at YGYS the same night. oh well, can’t have it all. Friday August 31 Li Dong @ Blue Stream The Ningxia folksters and good daze friends venture into the western side of the city to Blue Stream bar promoting their album and new line of T-shirts. It’s always fun to have the guys singing in a smaller intimate venue like this and maybe a nice opportunity to enjoy their rooftop while you can’t see the pollution outside. Yang Meng @ jianghu Yang laoshi returns from a long long trip home and mini tour of southern China in support of his solo album: The Sun City Diaries. If you’ve heard ChunQiu play their acoustic sets, then you know what to expect! He has a beautiful voice and is a joy to listen to! It’s also an opportunity to get back to Jianghu and enjoy it with old friends as the venue’s days are numbered. Definitely a good option on this Friday. Young Young Young @ Mao Live A good solid lineup of young bands making their mark in the [...]
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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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Jul
11thcool news and happening: Chinese Metal at Wacken, Lidong on the charts and Black Snakes Substhere’s been quite a bit of things happening around the Chinese music scene as of late and some of them are particularly exciting for yours truly, especially in terms of developing the scene overseas: Suffocated, Yaksa and The Falling will be featured in this year’s Wacken open air metal festival. How about that folks? 3 Chinese bands playing the biggest Metal festival in the world.. I’m stoked! This is a huge feat with many parties involved to make it happen including MIDI, Painkiller Magazine’s Yu Yang and the Chinese Ministry of Culture. I hope this works out for all parties concerned. A few years back, Voodoo Kungfu made it to Wacken but there never seemed to be any follow up. Here’s hoping this is different and the bands make the most of their opportunity. For those going to Wacken ( lucky bastards), the show times are scheduled as follows ( h/t Rock in China) The Falling on W:E:T Stage 02-08-2012 at 16:40 Yaksa on Headbangers Stage 03-08-2012 at 11:30 Suffocated on Party Stage 04-08-2012 at 11:00 Congrats to the bands going and good luck! I think Suffocated will do just fine. Yaksa really needs to have a good day to impress but The Falling will get swallowed live. A band like SAW, Tomahawk or Ordnance would have done a much better job in terms of appealing to a Metal audience that knows their shit. On a lighter fokier note, looks like the lidong masterplan is picking up: Their song Xiao [...]
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Jun
28thQuickslants: Reggae Parties, Old School Rock, Throat Madam and morerecovered yet folks? I think yesterday’s little gig at 2 kolegas was my Hair of the Dog… Full of energy, ready to get back in the ring and dish out/take another swing. So, what’s up over the next few days? A heck of a lot! Of course, Football is still reigning supreme and determining what happens with Beijing Nightlife but Music is holding its ground and there’s some really intriguing stuff taking place. Let’s kick it! Thursday June 28th Make up Night @ Mao Live One of the most interesting events I’ve seen listed at Mao Livehouse in a long time. Gloomy Hymn of Darkness, Tenger Cavalry and other heavy bands come together to celebrate the inner freaks in each of us. I can’t figure out what Mao is doing with it in terms of charges but it looks like there’s some discounts for couples and folks are definitely encouraged to dress up. I’d be very excited to check out Tenger Cavalry that I referred to a few months ago. It’s looking like this previously-one-man-show is now a full fledged band specializing in melodic pagan metal. me likey!! Friday June 29th Ningxia Night @ 2 Kolegas do i really need to write more? Ningxia bands, Ningxia Friends, Ningxia Noodles and a heck of a lot of good times await those that make it to the drive-in. This particular edition features Buyi, Wu & The Side Effects, Whai and Lidong who might be pulling double duty friday night. Old School Rock [...]
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May
18thLidong Album Review: Northwest Folk Folk From The Heart of The Ningxia PlainsMigration complete… the bird has landed… I’ve been trying to come up with cool poetic ways to get things started on this Lidong album review to match the band’s music and lyrics but i find myself unable to. I’ve been hearing these songs for the most part of the last 2 years and I’ve seen them performed live countless times under different arrangements. Still, when I got a copy of the master tracks finally, it brought a smile to my face. Let’s see how it came off!! ‘daze on Lidong There are 9 tracks on the record, 2 of which are reapeated in an alternative arrangement. We start off with “Future” that boasts a lovely guitar opening and some funky accordion works courstesy of Lidong’s sole foreign member, Marie CLaude. The combination is a bizarre sonic caccophony, almost schyzophrenic. part of the song sounds like the boulevards of Paris, part of it sound like rowdy backyard barn concert. Xiao Mudan, the next number, is one of those earworms… you have been warned! I love this track live but it’s not really doing it for me on the record as part of it sound too clean. don’t forget to check out the promo video for the song… this one brings out the romantic in me with lyrics like “who can understand my heart”. It’s my favorite track on the album by far. Hexi is one of those songs where i have mixed feeling.. parts of the song are beautiful while others [...]
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