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Sep
14thQuickslants: Grunge Nights, No Fillers, Sand and CoversChange: All Events at 2 Kolegas cancelled til 9/18 due to tense situation with nearby Japanese Embassy IT’s already been a week? Time flies when when you’re waiting for music and there is a shitload of it in town over the next few days. Ruby’s has already been out and about catching Zhaozhe, her “potential” gig of 2012, but the real action starts tonight with a shitload of goodies. We’re even treated so some pretty sweet sunday choices. Let’s dig in: Friday September 14 Music Day @ Tango: Reflector headlines this night eclectic music at yonghegong which has Escape Plan (former Perdel), Residence A, Namo and Dude. Arguably some of the most popular and fun bands in the city right now, they’re sure to draw one hell of an audience at Tango… I hope so because the place feels like a cave when empty. Lao Liu & Sand @ Jianghu An old favorite stops by Jianghu as it gets closer to closing its doors. Lao Liu still one of the better bluesmen of the capital and has a loyal following. Cool little chill gig to warm your heart as temperature take a dip. Cover Night @ Yugong Yishan Here is a gig that has some great potential if done right and the bands get out of their comfort zone: Not There, Army of Jade Kirin, Velvet Highway, The Gray and Longjin are set to cover some of their idols. I can definitely see AJK doing Marylin Manson but the tricky [...]
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Jun
14thQuickslants: New Albums by Hedgehog, Namo, Wutiaren – 3 Years of Hot Cat and moreI was wondering the other day whether the quickslants were still needed considering we’ve got the wonderful Beijing Gig Guide doing a great job with recommendations and LBM delivering some consistent content albeit with a gigantic rose colored glasses, not to mention the expat rags. Coverage is big enough I thought that the reasons I started the quickslants were no longer valid. Unfortunately, the more things change, the more they stay the lame and it’s up to the bloggers to provide exposure on the bands… otherwise, you’ll miss out on bands like Namo and Wutiaoren releasing their albums and end up watching some third tier Dio-wannabe Metal cover band. I’m grumpy… anyways, let’s get to it! Thursday June 14 Le Comptoir des Fous @ Temple This actually sounds like one hell of a party: fusion of hip hop, reggae, jazz and little Cajun flair seems like the right thing to do on a thursday night to get some energy. They’ve been touring China for a little while now and should be ready for a big party with potentially a lot of people that speak their language. Friday June 15th Namo @ Mako One of the best bands to come out of China over the past few years has a new record out, “I’m your KingKong”. I’ve heard the title track and it is a much heaver louder sound that they had before, at least on this one track. I’m curious about the rest of the record! They’re fun, they’re good [...]
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Apr
26thQuickslants: The Busiest Music Weekend in the World I thinkseriously, I’ve lived in 4 continents, countless cities and seen my share of shows but nothing compares to the musical onslaught that is about to be unleashed on Beijing over the next 5 days. It’s actually mind blowing and busy enough to make a music fan go insane trying to decide where/what to do. This set of quickslants is just for the regular shows in the clubs/venues. Here is the my guide and list of picks for the May Mayhem of Festival that i’ve done separately . Shall we get started? (pic shamelessly ripped from http://www.zazzle.com/ Thursday April 26th La Souris Deglinguee @ Yugong Talk about a blast from the past. This band was a crowd favorite in France and I never thought i’d catch them in Beijing of all places. These French punks have been around since 1976 and they’re still rocking their ass off with some cool live shows. If you can’t catch them at MIDI, this is your chance to see them on their own. I expect a heavy French presence tonight. Friday April 27th Acoustic Brain Failure @ Jianghu: Last time these cats got together to do this, i missed it. Thankfully, they recorded the whole gig and put it online as a proof that they got the chops and can play their instruments. I like what they do and I love how they’ve been doing it lately so I would expect Jianghu to be extremely packed for this one. Nova Heart EP Release @Yugong Somehow, [...]
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Mar
29thQuickslants: Hellcats, Mantas, Metal Battles, Sound of the Xity and moreThis end of March/beginning of April period is kicking ass, taking names… And there’s no escaping it baby! These quickslants basically carry over into next week thanks to the ballsy folks from Sex in the Xity who have pretty much taken over Beijing from April 1-3 with shows all over the freaking city spawning all genres! C There’s a lot to get to so let’s get started without any further delays: Thursday March 29 Dong Chorus @ Jianghu I went out of my way to catch these guys last Thursday. They didn’t disappoint! beautiful harmonies, really interesting outfits and just all around special. I’d see them again. Be warned though that even though they might announce Wu Hongfei on the bill, she doesn’t play. I actually got quite ticked off about that at 2K but what the post. Still, worth checking. Friday March 30 Hellcats/Mantas/Beatles @ 2Kolegas Put on you dancing shoes an come on over baby… The hellcats will be swinging it, The Flying Mantas with surf things up and might show you a couple of surprises. The Beijing Beatles can take care of the fab side… This is an early candidate for gig of the freaking year and I expect to see 2 Kolegas hopping til the wee hours of the morning. Christmas, purveyors of idiotic rock, also on the bill. gonna be an interesting one. Saturday March 31 Mademoiselle @ Modernista Yes, spring is back and so are the lovely tunes of one Marie Claude Lebel. The [...]
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Mar
1stLive Music Quickslants: Torturing Nurse, AIS Returns, 2 Kolegas Reopens & moreThis week has really flown by folks. It’s already Thursday and I’m bracing myself for a busy fun few days ahead! If you haven’t done so yet, go ahead at read jtdj’s review of the Pains show last Saturday. It has sparked a lovely discussion with over 20 comments and still going.. Great exchange on there! So, what’s happening this week? Thursday March 1 Bye Bye for South By @ Yugong I’m not sure yet whether I’m going to this one or not but I feel obligated! I might not care about most of the bands on here but they are getting ready to head to Austin where they will be the flag-bearers for China. I’m pretty sure Nova Heart is gonna bring the heat but all the others have not played in quite sometime and I’m not sure how/where they stand. I actually haven’t seen carsick cars play in over two years so if i want to retain my right to criticize them, I gotta at least make an effort. I’m also curious about Rustic‘s new lineup. I’m guessing it’s gonna be packed! Steerage @ Modernista A new Irish music outfit in Beijing by the sound of things… The way they advertise themselves is intriguing enough and they mention the word “ukulele” which is as far away from my idea of Irish music as can be. Could be interesting. Friday March 2 Ningxia Night @ 2Kolegas At last, those lazy bastard have decided to come out of the spring [...]
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Dec
29thQuickslants: Mantas Release, D22′s Last Stand, Ningxia Returns and moredamn damn damn… another year goes down, another calendar thrown out, a few more gray hairs and it’s the end of 2011 folks! Let’s see it go down in flames. Last year, the lineups for NYE shows were mighty impressive and it was pretty darn hard to pick one. This time around, it’s a bit less mind blowing but nevertheless solid… The big big big event is of course what is being advertised as The Last Big Shows at D-22 with their prodigal children sending the place off with the right fireworks…. so, let’s see what we got! Thursday Dec 29th: I don’t Rock @ Mao: This is actually called “I don’t rock but I’m truthing” which makes me wanna throw a bunch of jokes in there regarding the musical ability of some bands on the lineup… but I won’t! Residence A is the sure highlight of the show but you also have Lazy Camels, Gray, Elenore and You Xi that could prove half decent. Either way, it’s really the only decent gig in town that I am aware of. Friday Dec 30th: Gar, Snapline, AVO @ D-22: One of the last two giant nights at D-22 with some interesting performances. Gar is a mysterious band that keeps us guessing with rare appearances. I’m still not 100% sold on their so-called influence but they have a decent record. Snapline is bleeh but AV Okubo is a force to be reckoned with. The wuhan kids are rarely in Beijing and worth [...]
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Oct
11thGreat Ningxia Night, Superb Summer GroupThere was a whole lotta music this past week as i mentioned before with some pretty darn mesmerizing stuff starting with Super Ningxia Night at 2 Kolegas. For this October holiday edition, the gang pulled out all the stops and brought over a banging lineup with 7 bands: Nucleus, Zhao “lao da” yiran, Summer Group, Lidong, Buyi, Skarving and WHAI… how about that to get your socks off? Unfortunately, I missed Nucleus and Lao Da due to other commitments but got there for everyone else. The place was not packed and that made things quite a bit nicer: A good crowd but not elbows to elbows… The bands did their usual performances with all the good and bad that comes with it… I’m not really gonna review all of them but a few things did standout: Lidong: Good friends Lidong, with a new album almost ready, were missing the talented Wu Kejia on guitar so the songs sounded a bit different. The ever amicable Tofu tried making up for that absence replacing Wu’s guitar parts with interesting visual antics on stage. I really did the fact that Marie-Claude ( Mademoiselle) has rejoined the band. The accordion adds a lovely dimension to those songs. WHAI: So this is the unnamed project i referred to a few months ago with Liu Miao (2 Kolegas, Lidong), Zhang Wei(buyi / Longshendao) and Chen Zhong. The lineup might be new but the band has actually been around for a while with Ubuli on skins. I [...]
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Oct
3rdNational Holiday Quickslants: Modern Sky, Super Ningxia, Old What fun, Charity and moreIt’s been a beautiful beginning for october in Beijing with blue skies, mild temperatures and freaking empty roads… oh yeah! For those of us fortunate enough to be in Beijing and enjoying the quiet, it’s pretty cool. That said though, nightlife and music events are plentiful for the next few days… heck, there are so many that they get their own quickslants. Of special not is the charity show on October 8th at Mako Livehouse with Zhou Yunpeng raising money to benefit kids with haemophilia Modern Sky: October 3-5 I’m not even contemplating heading over to this one but it is happening over in huairou and the usual suspects will all be there. If you can brave the transportation issues and the disaster that modern sky run events are, then you should be fine. Head over to the Beijinggigguide for updated schedule of events. Monday Oct 3: Pairs @ Mao: More Shanghai bands doing the trip up north. They’re slapped with a bunch of indie bands but these kids are actually a lot heavier, noiser and more interesting. I’m really tempted to check them out tonight at Mao. They play along with Cassette, Me Too and Next Year’s Love. Buyi @ Jianghu: Haven’t seen my ningxia boys in a little while and I’ve actually never seen them at jianghu come to think about it. Heck, I haven’t been to Jianhu in a few weeks and this sounds like a nicer evening than the potential crapout at Mao. I hear they [...]
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Aug
19thQuickslants: Mo’s Last Stand, CMCB, Suffocated, Namo and MoreThe quickslants are coming in a bit late this week folks but trust me, it’s been freaking busy as hell on this side of ‘daze HQ. Plenty of goodies happening around town with some of them in places we’re not used to writing about much anymore! Friday August 19 Growl 4 @ Mao: CMCB, Suffocated, ZuoYou and The Face, 4 really old school bands are set to rock the shit out of Mao Live. Last time I saw suffocated, they unleashed a storm of metal of MIDI. One of the better sets of the year and I’m looking forward to more. The Face, since they added Diao Lei ( ChunQiu, Honeygun) have gotten even better. The real band I’m looking forward to though is CMCB: I have fond memories of seeing them in Chaoyang Park last year where they impressed the hell out of me with their brand of rapcore. I’m looking forward to more. Nanwu/Namo @ Jianghu: You better get there early for this one folks. These kids are the new darlings of the scene so everyone and their mama will be there to watch them play. I’m not sure Jianghu can handle the onslaught but it should be fun! The stage has got to be too small for them but I’m sure they’ll find a way. Unique brand of crosstalk rock and loads of laughs. Back To School @ Hot Cat: Not There, funk/intrumental/rock , is throwing a party at Hot Cat Club, free of charge and you’re [...]
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Jun
28th‘dazeFEAST: The aftermath of a day filled with Sunshine, Music, Love and CelebrationI’m not sure where to start reviewing this baby because it’s so close to my heart and it’s very very very freaking biased but here comes folks! It’s gonna be a long one so buckle up and get a cup of coffee! I’ll start off by thanking 2 Kolegas for being the perfect venue and the Beijing Meteorological Bureau for their outmost cooperation. I need to thank the amazing Ruby for being at my side throughout the whole thing and helping keep the show rolling smooth. Trust me folks, dealing with 15 bands and their schedules was not an easy feat and she was a freaking Champ. Couldn’t have pulled it through without you babe! Thank you to Iris, Grace, Fiona and Mo Mo for manning the merch table I also need to thank Jaime Welton of Black Cat Bone/Bad Mamasan for cutting his vacation short to come and play ‘dazeFEAST no matter how hard that was. Huge thanks go out to Yang from Painkiller Mag and Rock in China for sorting out the Orange Amps Another big ups for Chery Bomb of the Flying Mantas for helping get flyers sorted out Thanks to Lauren Johnson, nightlife editor at City Weekend for the huge support she provided over the past few weeks. Thanks to Timeout, The Beijinger, Beijing Boyce, Beijing Gig Guide and Music Dish China and all others for also listing the event. A huge round of applause to all the bands and musicians because without the bands, there [...]
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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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- Quickslants: Tambours du Bronx, New Shanren, Painkiller Fest and more
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- PS: You Rocked Me – Abaji, One Drop, Devils, Yungiema etc..
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- HEATWOLVES热狼 on Full MIDI 2013 Information: Camping, Travelling, Hotels and More
- 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