November 12th, 2009 |
Posted in Editor's Picks by zack
It seemed to me that there has been an unusually high number of Friday the 13ths this year. One quick check with the old Wikipedia confirmed my suspicion. Every year must have at least one Friday the 13th, but no more than three. And guess how many 2009 will have seen after this Friday: three. If you really, irrationally fear Friday the 13th, you suffer from paraskevidekatriaphobia, which I think I may be developing after my last Friday the 13th, when a late Thursday evening watching Hassan and his band at Anar turned into a Friday morning hangover and, eventually, a clavicle-rearranging bike accident. One more bad Friday the 13th and I might become an official shut-in. So there’s a lot riding on this weekend. Musically, the lineup is not as crowded as last weekend, but there is some cool stuff to check out.
Thursday, November 12
Indie Heart Attack featuring Jake Newby, Not Me
There can be only one destination tonight. Jake Newby will be showing off his collection of Chinese Indie rock and it should be fun. Not sure what he has against birds, but we will let that one slide if he hips us to all the Mandarindie classics.
Not Me – 21 Dongping rd. near Wulumuqi rd.
Free Entrance
10 pm
Friday, November 12A (can’t even write it now)
Candy Shop and others, Yuyintang
I’m not necessarily hyping this show at Yuyintang. I really just want to share a quote from the mustachioed one, Dan Shapiro:
Lackluster rap-rock meets all-girl “punx” and utterly-depressing screamo / crabcore.
That’s succinct and hilarious, but tell us how you really feel, Dan. And can we not say crap on the Internet now? I didn’t get the memo.
YuYinTang – 1731 Yananxi rd. near Kaixuan rd.
Entrance 30 rmb
since 9pm
Friday got a little less awesome when it was announced that Holy Ghost! from NYC was forced to cancel their show due to one of their friends giving up the ghost, so to speak. Too bad.
As a substitution, I would suggest two dance shows elsewhere, one local and one international:
The Future, Dada
DJs Mickey Zhang, Ben Huang, and Nat Alexander teleport into Dada. Evidently, the future is Yellow. And a Void. And there’s house music.
Dada – 115 Xingfu rd. near Fahuazheng rd.
Free Entrance
10 pm
Roni Size, the Shelter
Roni Size is apparently a pretty big deal (get it?), brought to you by Sweatshop. I can’t really tell you anything about Mr. Size and I don’t feel like thinking up any more pathetic puns on his name. You probably don’t want to read them either, so let’s just move on to Saturday, shall we?
The Shelter – 5 Yongfu rd. near Fuxing rd.
Entrance: 80 rmb
10 pm
Saturday, November 14
Saturday is the real gem of the weekend with a variety of gigs going on around the city.
Uprooted Sunshine w/ Clive Chin, the Shelter
This is going to be pretty cool; Uprooted Sunshine in their element with reggae history on their side. I went to Chin’s talk at Dada last night, but couldn’t make it through the whole thing. Let’s just say older people, mics, and unlimited freedom don’t necessarily mix well. I popped over to Anar for some tribal drums and then returned just in time to ask Chin “Who killed Peter Tosh?” He was quite vague about it, though. We might have a suspect.
The Shelter – 5 Yongfu rd. near Fuxing rd.
Entrance: 50 rmb
10 pm
Triassic Park featuring Stegosaurus, Live Sound Garage
See what they did there? The famous title is Jurassic Park, but they changed it to another Paleolithic era. See? Now that’s how you name an event. I have never been to this venue, but if it’s anything like my parents garage, there’s not going to be much space for an audience. Not with the Pontiac in there.
Live Sound Garage - 696 Weihai rd. near Maoming rd.
Entrance: 30 rmb
9pm
Steely Heart by STD, LOgO
I don’t know much about this band, but Pet Conspiracy and Bigger Bang have convinced me that bands coming from Beijing should not be missed. ‘Nuff said.
LOgO – 13 Xingfu rd. near Fahuazheng rd.
Entrance: 30 rmb
10 pm
tags: Ben Huang - Candy Shop - Clive Chin - Dada - Friday the 13th - Holy Ghost - Indie Heart Attack - Jake Newby - Live Sound Garage - LOgO - Mickey Zhang - Nat Alexander - Not Me - Roni Size - Steely Heart - Stegosaurus - The Shelter - Uprooted Sunshine Crew - Void - YuYinTang
October 8th, 2009 |
Posted in Editor's Picks by mike
Thursday:
Alec Haavik and The Friction 6-8
Man were they robbed at the battle of the bands. It’s nothing against Uighur, who are entertaining performers, especially leadman Hassan, who has an undeniable stage presence, but The Friction Six really killed it that night and are in another class from the other performers on the night. The cards were stacked against them with the eight minute time limit. Also, rocky as they are, they were clearly two jazzy for the crowd who were looking really for straight rock/pop. We pick them all the time and it’s because they’re one of the best and most original bands in Shanghai. The Illusion trio play the early set.
JZ Club, 46 Fuxing Lu near Yongfu Lu
9:00-1:30ish
No cover
Friday:
SSO “Mad for Maisky”
Cellist Mischa Maisky studied with Rostropovich and has performed with the likes of Bernstein, Ashkenazy, and Barenboim, so he’s a heavyweight cat. Also that picture is INCREDIBLE. (Check out the rest of Dan Porges’ photography. There’s some awesome stuff in there). The program looks tasty as well: Shostakovich Festive Overture, Cello Concerto 1, and Tchaikovsky Symphony 4, which I’m pretty sure is the one my violinist friend (who just auditioned into the Boston Philharmonic after long bouts with tendinitis and ulnar nerve entrapment. Congratulations Matt!) only needs an exploding car in the finale to be perfect. Check it out! The Shanghai Symphony Orchestra will also play a brunch concert of Vivaldi the next day.
Shanghai Oriental Arts Center, 425 Dingxiang Lu by the Pudong Science and Technology Museum
Tickets available at 50, 100, 150, 380, and 580RMB. Call 62172426 or 62173055 to book.
7:30 start
Saturday:
Sweatshop feat. Chilton Gaines
Sweatshop is back in effect at the end of this vacation when the weekend really starts after what I realize is a fake Friday for many of you. Chilton Gaines is coming in from Toronto to join the local crew in rocking the shelter down to sub-basement 4, where the top-secret biological experiments take place. JJ MCs and the support DJs are Siesta , Girafas, and Viceroy
The Shelter, 5 Yongfu Lu near Fuxing Xi Lu
9:00 start
40 RMB cover
Yellow Bananas and Slick 50
Due to Friday being a fake Friday I’ve subtracted an event there and added it over here. As with other Xingfu Lu events, you can go without having to totally commit to either as neither has a cover and they’re right next to each other. Bananas are doing their usual risque theme thing, as well as a pun (Ben HUANG=Yellow + Bananas). Should be a rocking fun night with excellent techno from one of Shanghai’s favorite DJs and two Shanghai’s favorite party impresario dudes.
Slick 50 of London threatens to drop the “heaviest sub, the bootiest rhythms and the shakiest snares. Off-beat danger jazz mixed with smooth smack grooves and freestyle soundscapes.” Sounds right up my alley. Split Works are making a departure from their usual indie thing to bring this guy over. That’s 50 Layabozi points for genre flexibility. Collect 10,000 points and you can redeem them for the layabozi snowboard!
Yellow Bananas at LOgO, 13 Xingfu Lu near Fahuazhen Lu
11:00 start
No cover
Slick 50 at Dada, 115 Xingfu Lu near LOgO and Fahuazhen Lu
10:00 start
No cover
Sunday:
HoB&J Jam Session with The Mike Null Blues Band
With the band in there now it’s definitely going to be a blues jam rather than a jazz jam. As always the drinks are a lot cheaper if you sit in and play a tune. Mike shreds and so does his band so check it out.
House of Blues and Jazz, 60 Fuzhou Lu near Sichuan Lu and the Bund
9:30 start
No cover
tags: Alec Haavik Friction Five - Bananas - Ben Huang - Chilton Gaines - Dada - Girafas - House of Blues and Jazz - Illusion Trio - Jane Siesta - JZ - LOgO - Mike Null - Mischa Maisky - Shostakovich - Slick 50 - Split Works - SSO - Tchaikovsky - The Shelter - Viceroy
July 30th, 2009 |
Posted in Editor's Picks by mike
Thursday
Andidote
Shanghai’s classic grimy monthly dance party goes down in basement club C’s, where you can warm up on this cool post Thunderstorm night. DJ’s are Kid Plastik, J Alexander, Fish, and Ozone.
C’s Bar, 685 Dingxi Lu, between Fahuazhen Lu and Yan’an Lu
9:00 start
No cover
Fei and Haixin
A good pre-Antidote option, though at 70 RMB a pitcher of beer, a slightly more expensive option, is this duo at Sus2, a dive-y bar RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO C’s. The two-guitars-and-voice duo play some sweet pop and jazz, the customers are a little sloppy, and the staff are super nice. It’s a good homey low-key spot if you want a short break from the wild freakout going down in the basement at C’s. Disclaimer: last time I went there with a few musician friends we sat in for a couple tunes and were given three pitchers of beer and t-shirts by the extremely friendly boss, so they have pretty much permanently won me over. I’m pretty sure I would have liked it anyway though.
Sus2, Same address as above
9:00 start
No cover
Friday
Bottle Trio
It’s the return of the Conflict of Interest Pick! This is the gig I do Fridays and Saturdays (and Tuesday without a singer) at the newly opened Sound Blue jazz club. There have been some issues with quality of service and price of drinks, which we have discussed with the boss to no avail, but I do sincerely think the band is pretty good. It’s made up of hidden treasure Mark Bai on piano, who is really a top-notch player in town but is little seen or heard because he doesn’t hang out at JZ, which is, in addition to being a great club, an important place for jazz musicians to show their face if they want to get calls. Anyway, he plays a real nice Brad Mehldau-style piano with great touch, time, inventiveness, etc. I play bass and new arrival Alex Ritz is on drums. He’s got that thing where it sounds a little dirty but everything is actually clean, if you know what I mean, similar to the effect of Elvin Jones though he doesn’t really play like Elvin. He’s also very musical and thinks always about the whole sound of the band and not just the drums. It’s one of my favorite gigs I’ve had in this town. Friday and Saturday we’re joined by the great singer Jennifer Palor who has a strong R&B foundation but sings jazz very well, has a lot of energy, and can scat. Come on down and I’ll buy you a beer.
Sound Blue, 107 Sinan Lu near Jianguo Lu
9:30 start
No cover
Mic Park II
There’s a great big get together for Shanghai’s hip-hop scene and we’re very pleased to see Anar continue to push towards being an all-around music spot. Rocking it will be Young Cee, Koz, MC Newshan, DJ Cavia, R.P.S., and LU1. There will also be a freestyle session and a special guest from Miami. Sounds pretty tight. Now that the Chinese rock scene is growing so fast I think it’s time to get some Hip-Hop stuff going.
Anar 129 Xingfu Lu, by the corner of that park and the unnamed street that runs in from Huashan Lu
10:00 start
No cover
Saturday
Jeff Lang
Australia’s hottest folk/rock dude comes to town, courtesy of those hardworking music lovers over at Split Works. Split Works’ write-up says that “while his influences range from the folk music of the Southern United States to the British Isles, Lang’s lyrics evoke the environment of his native Australia in a subtle, plainspoken manner.” It’s something I’ve discovered since coming here and meeting so many Australians that they’re almost more American than Americans, closer to the ideal of Americans presented in westerns and so on. I mean, as awesome as the American West is, the Outback kind of kicks its ass. And isn’t AC/DC more like an American rock band than any of those English rock bands are? Think about it; it’s pretty deep. Jeff Lang isn’t exactly that kind of giant-balls-cowboy guy, though. There’s a legit country/folk base, but he’s got a beautiful androgynous voice and a very light touch of electronic sounds, not like electronic dance music, but a nod to the fact that computers exist and are a part of our lives now, if you know what I mean. Anyway, he shreds, plays many instruments (acoustic, electric, and slide guitars, mandolin, banjo, drums, and chumbush), and Split Works doesn’t bring lightweights. Check out his his site, Douban, and Myspace.
YuYinTang, 1731 Yan’an Xi Lu, enter from Kaixuan Lu
9:00 start
50 RMB cover
SMS Closing Party
Shanghai Music Society finishes out their summer season with a long long list of local DJs: Damien Kay, Kluba, Clement Pony, Laura Ingalls, Dave K, Xeum, Jaco, Philippe Ortega, Wassili, Ben Huang, and Paul Cayrol. We usually don’t pimp Bar Rouge because there are so many more music-centric options in town, but Shanghai Music Society is clearly doing something different there, and many of the DJs on that list are pretty kickass. The view’s not bad either.
Bar Rouge, 18 on the Bund, 7th floor, near Nanjing Lu
10:00 start
No cover
Sunday
Greg Luttrell Band House of Blues and Jazz Jam
The jam is a great night to visit the venerable House of Blues and Jazz, not least because if you join the jam you get half price drinks. The Greg Luttrell band have been kicking ass over there. They are all great players doing what you need to do to really rock that room: straddle the line between entertainment and art, which, come to think of it, is pretty important at every music bar in this town. Anyway, they’re doing it yo, so check it out if you haven’t and dig it again if you have.
House of Blues and Jazz, 60 Fuzhou Lu near Sichuan Lu and the Bund
9:30-1:00
No Cover
tags: Alex Ritz - Anar - Antidote - Bar Rouge - Ben Huang - Bottle Trio - C's Bar - Clement Pony - Damien Kay - Dave K - DJ Cavia - Fei - Fish - Greg Lutrell - Haixin - House of Blues and Jazz - J Alexander - Jaco - Jeff Lang - Jennifer Palor - Kid Plastik - Kluba - Koz - Laura Ingalls - LU1 - Mark Bai - MC Newshan - Mic Park - Mike Brownell - Ozone - Paul Cayrol - Phillippe Ortega - R.P.S. - SMS - Sound Blue - Split Works - Sus2 - Wassili - Xeum - Young Cee - YuYinTang
April 25th, 2009 |
Posted in Articles by mache
The the continuous changes of plan and misinformation about the Midi Music Festival have created a great deal of talk and gossip about it; possibly the marketing campaign couldn’t have gone as well as this if they’d planned it.
The great news is that finally we know the line up, and all the information you need to go and rock your head off.
The Midi Festival will run from May 1st to May 3d. The place is Youshan Meidi Square (优山美地广场) next to the Jiangsu University in Zhejiang near Nanjing. Zhejiang is on the train line connecting the major cities of Nanjing and Shanghai, and most trains along the line stop there; both regular trains and the faster bullet trains. The cost ranges from ¥13-30 (regular train) to ¥30-75 (bullet train); you can find more information about it on China Highlights site. And those willing to use the event as an excuse for a longer trip can choose the Yangtze ferry from Shanghai to Chongqing that stops at Zhejiang; the trip takes about 14 hours.
Every day the shows will begin at 2 pm and finish around midnight. Tickets are ¥120 for the three days and ¥50 for a single day.
On May 1st the bands begin at 2pm with Beijing dance rock band TOOKOO (more about them here), then Honey Gun Band, Sand Orgy, Turdus from Norway, Twisted Machine from Beijing, Again, Mike TV from the UK (who will be on April 30th at YuYinTang), Thin Man, Army of Freshmen from the U.S.A, and closing the night is the famous Cui Jian. The DJs playing on the Electronic side of the Festival will be DJ Sky Zhang from Chongqing, DJ Bob Chen from Ningbo, DJ Gary from Guangzhou, DJ Harry from Chengdu, DJ Xeum from France, and DJ @llen from Taiwan.
Performing on May 2nd are Yu Guo, Hollerado from Canada, Spring Autumn, CMCB from Beijing, Priestess from Canada, The Subs, Gammalux from Germany, El Columpio Asesino from Spain (who will also be playing on May 1st at MOcA’s Art Lab), AK 47 from Beijing, and The Stills from Canada. On the electronic stage will be DJ Ivy V from Shanghai, DJ Jerry K from Guangzhou, DJ Fish from Shanghai, DJ Tootekool from German, and DJ Mickey Zhang from Beijing.
On May 3rd LRight Band will open at 2pm, then Bonk from Norway, Reflector from Beijing, Jets Overhead from Canada, Cold Fairyland from Shanghai (you can read more about them here), So Called from Canada, Roshme Band, Yaksa, Muma & Third Party, Blind Sight from Holland, and Miserable Faith from Beijing. DJ Cody K from Hongkong, DJ Jerryson from Shanghai, DJ Eagle Ningbo, DJ Baru from Japan and DJ Ben Huang Shanghai will be scratching tables on the 3rd.
You can buy your tickets for the concert on line on Beijing’s ticket company Piao. And for all those organizing road trips to the concert let us know: take photos, film videos and send them to us- we want to see who wins the “best rock face” award.
tags: Beijing - Ben Huang - Canada - China - Cold Fairyland - Dance - Electronic - Emo - France - Japan - Midi Music Festival 2009 ZheJiang - Miyadudu - MoCA - News - Norway - Rain - Rock - Shanghai - Spain - TOOKOO - UK - Video - YuYinTang
It seemed to me that there has been an unusually high number of Friday the 13ths this year. One quick check with the old Wikipedia confirmed my suspicion. Every year must have at least one Friday the 13th, but no more than three. And guess how many 2009 will have seen after this Friday: three. If you really, irrationally fear Friday the 13th, you suffer from paraskevidekatriaphobia, which I think I may be developing after my last Friday the 13th, when a late Thursday evening watching Hassan and his band at Anar turned into a Friday morning hangover and, eventually, a clavicle-rearranging bike accident. One more bad Friday the 13th and I might become an official shut-in. So there’s a lot riding on this weekend. Musically, the lineup is not as crowded as last weekend, but there is some cool stuff to check out.
Indie Heart Attack featuring Jake Newby, Not Me
