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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
8thQuickslants: Women’s Day, Jue, Punks and Japanese Noise
A bit of a late quickslants edition but as they say, better late than never. A whole lotta things going on for the weekend and even early next week so let’s get right into it starting with all the women’s day festivities around town: Fri March 8 Women’s Day @ 2 KOlegas Residence A, Wu and the Side Effects allong with some ROlling Bowling rockabilly will be providing the entertainment over at the drive in. I believe women get in for free and the gig is very much worth it. It might actually be quite hopping and crowded but in 2 KOlegas Fashion, it’s all good. Not a bad start to a Friday Ember Swift @ Temple Well Well Well… my favourite Rock n roll mama hits up temple and who better to lead Women’s Day festivities than her? I’m not sure if it’s her solo or with the full band but it will be good either ways. Guo Jian, LSD frontman, will be DJing afterwards. Sat March 9th Mars En Folie @ Yugong Yishan a celebration of all things francophone over at Yugong brings together an eclectic mix of musicians and lot of French folks if you’re into that sort of things. They usually party hard and you’re gonna be in it for a good time. so, why not “Laisser les bon temps rouler”. Some of the acts include Kl Pelgag, Benjamin Schoos & Sophie Galet, Les Mauvaises Langues and Junior Tshaka… who?? yeah.. Nostalgia @ School Two of [...]
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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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Apr
19thQuickslants: Abaji is Back, Marky Ramone Returns,Borbetomagusand Swan Punch more Music FunYou’re in it for a treat Beijingers… this is a good weekend with some substantial goodies in store for you all. I’m just pissed off I’m gonna miss a lot of it due to out-of-town Capoeira commitments. Let’s get started: Thursday April 19th: Swan Punch @ Tango Metalheads from Denmark hit Beijing tonight as part of their China tour. I just heard a few samples of the two bands scheduled to play tonight and these kids are not bad! Cool little show to get for a heavy hitting start to the weekend. The Kandidate are relatively new whereas Scarred by Beauty are hardened veterans of the scene and fuse a few different types of metal together. Me thinks it could be worth it. Borbetomagus @ 2 Kolegas Art Noise from New York City… really ‘daze? art noise? well, I’ve only ever been exposed to the local variety of noise so it might be enlightening/refreshing to see what other people do with this kind of music elsewhere. I have absolutely no clue as to what they do and therein lies my interest. just got word that this was canceled folks.. sorry. Friday April 20th Abaji @ Temple Last year, Abaji brought Jianghu to its knees! This guy is so freaking talented that just thinking about the prospects of watching him play sends shivers down my spine. It’s bedoin blues, world music, incredible musicianship and much more! I’m not sure how Temple is gonna handle this but i might just get to [...]
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Apr
12thQuickslants: Lots of Insurance, Subs-tacular, Tributes, Electric Shadows Anniversary and moreAfter a few weeks of balls-to-the-wall type of shows, we got a nice chilled weekend to recharge the batteries before facing another onslaught for weeks! and that’s why you’re getting minislants folks! Let’s get to it: Thursday April 12 Rock Tigers Rolling Bolling @ 2 Kolegas Chances are this is not gonna happen as I’m writing this a few hours before the gig and it’s hard to get official confirmation. Worse case scenario is that you’ll be in the drive-in listening to Rolling Bolling. If by miracle the tigers show up, then you’ll get Kimchibilly aka rockabilly made in Korea. I heard a few things online and loved the energy! Here’s hoping! Tigers won’t be there! Li Jianbin @ Jianghu You might remember him from the band “Dong Fang Hong” or Low Wormwood’s 2009 tour, Lao Li is one of those Lanzhou multi-instrumentalists with a sharp guitar, yellow river flavor and folk credit. He’s releasing his new album, Moonlight Through Flowers, with an intimate performance over at Jianghu. It could and should be enjoyable. He reminds me a lot of Dong Zi. Friday April 13 Rock Night @ Yugong Yishan Amazing Insurance Salesmen, Wu & Side Effects, Devils at the Crossroad and Dwaas are on hand to deliver a big rock night for those of you that get there. There’s some pretty good raw talent on there folks and it will be loud.. that is if Yugong’s sound holds up. Dwaas is the unknown on there because from what i [...]
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Dec
21stQuickslants: Second Hand Rose, Muma, Subs, Voodoo Kungfu and More (updated)Hellooo Beijing.. miss me? I didn’t think so either. Ruby did an amazing job keeping the show on the road while I was out on an ear-cleaning mission. Many posts/comments coming up once I catch up but let’s first get started with some quick slants as tonight (wednesday) has some pretty darn solid offerings. Wednesday Dec 21st Muma & 3rd Party @ Yugong Yishan One of the most intense performers I’ve seen this side of the big silly is back with a heavy hard hitting record. We’ve been waiting and talking about this one at ‘daze central for a few months already and the results will be heard tonight. I did get to sample a few of the new cuts and it’s very dark and industrial sounding (think NIN). I’m not sure how that’s gonna come of live, especially at Yugong Yishan. Still, Muma & 3rd Party are veterans coming off a national tour and this should be pretty darn solid. Second Hand Rose @ Tango: Good old funny veterans are back in Beijing playing a venue they have learned to control.. Their last gig over there was pretty darn amazing for the band’s 10th and I wouldn’t expect any less from the gang. They’ve also been out touring quite extensively this year so it should be quite tight. Cross-talk rock at its finest with a hint of drag and a whole lotta attitude. Thursday Dec 22nd Take a break and save yourself for the weekend…. It’s gonna be massive [...]
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Dec
13thMidi Awards 2011: Do you agree with the winners?As much as I wanted to hangout with the Santas on Saturday and make the most of a rare not so cold, blue sky day in the Jing, I also wanted even more to head into the big warm dark cave that is Tango 3rd Floor and spend the entire day watching bands, drinking beer and seeing who got to take home a Midi brick or 2 (or 3 in the case of one lucky person!) So with BD on a plane downunder, Alex & I headed to Yonghegong to party with our favourite bands! If you’re not sure who was nominated this year, check out this cool clip from Midi introducing the awards and the nominees: And, drumroll please, here are your winners: Best New Band: Steely Heart Best Album Artwork Design Award: Pet Conspiracy 宠物同谋 “Pet Conspiracy” Best Instrumental Performance: Jì Yuán 纪元 (Air Carnival 空中狂欢节乐队- Guitar) Best Hard Rock Band: Ordnance 巨蟹座 Best Metal Band: Yaksa 夜叉 Best Female Vocalist: Jiāng Xīn 姜昕 Best Folk Musician: Hao Yun 郝云 (presented by Alex from Beijing Gig Guide!) Best Rock Song: Gala “The Purest Dream Chasing Heart” Best Rock Album Year: Long Shen Dao 龙神道 “Hug” Best Live Performance: Miserable Faith 痛仰 Best Rock Band: Long Shen Dao 龙神道 Best Male Vocalist: Zuoxiao Zuzhou 左小祖咒 Contribution to Rock: Modern Sky 摩登天空 Big congrats to all the winners, especially the busiest guy of the day, guitarist Gao Xu, who took home 3 awards (2 with Long Shen Dao, 1 with [...]
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Dec
7thNews and Tidbits: Twinkle Star, Juratt, Steely Heart, Devils, Opeth and moreIt’s been quieter than usual over here with gig reviews mostly because it’s been quite repeptitive over the past few weeks with nothing too exciting. There will be a gig review of the Dawanggang show from Saturday night but not much more… a few news and notes though: I got to see Twinkle Star a few weeks ago and was really pleased by their performance. If you don’t know who Twinkle Star are, don’t worry! I didn’t either until a saw them and realized it was a new name for Alt Senior. These kids are fun with Zhao Meng and Haitao swapping turns at Bass and Vocals. I liked their energy and even some songs. Sure, it’s pop rock but it’s well executed and definitely well presented. Yet another new venue in the area that we’re gonna have to keep track of is Blue Stream Bar, down the street from Gulou 121. Remember the amicable Slash that used to work the sound at Jianghu? well, this is his new pet project and it’s essentially been described as a smaller Jianghu with better sound system. I haven’t been there myself but it’s already picking up some steam with shows by Dong Zi, Buyi and more. Gonna have to check it out soon. If you are interested in Chinese Music, then you should be following Jon Campbell’s blog. Even away from China, he is keeping an eye on the scene and providing candid opinions about what’s happening. See his very interesting take [...]
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Dec
6thLive Music Quicklsants: Aussies, Albums, Awards … and Santas!Well, BD is escaping the snow and heading off to sit on the beach in sunny Australia, so you’ve got Ruby on quickslants this week, Which means I get to plug the shows I’ll be heading too! And there’s some good ones in the mix too, looks like I’ve swapped BD for a couple of Aussie bands, there’s also an awards show, 2 album launches and a Christmas pub crawl. Who says things slow down over the winter? Wednesday December 7th: Splitworks 5th Anniversary Party @ Temple The lovely peeps over at Splitworks have brought us many great shows including last year’s JUE Festival and this year’s Black Rabbit, so come out and help them celebrate their 5th birthday. They’ve even brought us a present – chillwave legend Chad Valley with support from Streets Kill Strange Animals. Parkway Drive @ Mao Livehouse Aussie hardcore hits the ‘Jing! Tickets ain’t cheap for this one, but as someone who’s seen these guys before at a festival, they’re totally worth it. And it’s conveniently close to Temple, so you can join the party afterwards …. Thursday December 8th: Steely Heart Album release @ Yugong Yishan These indie rockers have been getting better and better each time I’ve seen them. They’ve been working hard on their debut album, and are launching it with support for Brain Failure and the always awesome Ghost Spardac. Flounder & Illness Sickness @ Gulou 121 Another Aussie band touring the Middle Kingdom, Flounder have worked there way up north [...]
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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
- 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