Quickslants: Darwin Backfires, Maybe Mars Grows, Yang Meng Returns and more

Exciting 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 Beijing Music landscape. You get Residence A, Rustic, CNdY, Cassette and a returning Illness Sickness all the same night.
This one should be nicely packed with a decent young audience rocking out in Gulou!

Saturday September 1st

Last Bookswap @ Sequoia
After 4+ years of calling various branches of Sequoia home, the bookswap and board games meeting will be help here one last time.
Join us to celebrate a place that has been there for us all along and thank Frank Siegel for being the one hell of a good sport. 2 to 6 pm

Darwin Backfire Release @ Temple
Bad Mamasan got a new EP and they’re gonna unleash it saturday night at Temple. The venue is being changed completely for the occasion with sound system and all. The band is scheduled to play the whole new EP and then bring onstage a massive number of guest musicians playing crowd favorites. Expect members of Suffocated, ChunQiu, Bad Apple, Beijing Beatles, Helen Feng and yours truly just to name a few… it’s gonna be one hell of a party so make sure you rest your liver.

Maybe Mars turns 5 @ Yugong Yishan
Love them or hate them, Maybe Mars has done a great job finding young bands and helping them grow both nationally and internationally. I might not like a lot of the musoc that comes out of the label but I wholeheartedly respect their work and their dedication. Celebrating 5 years, they give you Carsick Cars, AV Akubo, The Gar, Xiao He, Ourself Besides Me and a few surprises. I expect a sold out affair and a lot of emotional people in there.

Sunday September 2nd

Liu Kun @ XP
Low Wormwood’s frontman will be on hand at XP for an intimate performance. Be warned folks, this one starts early (we’re talking 3:00 pm)

Rock on