March 11th, 2010 |
Posted in Editor's Picks by mike
Actually, I think it’s not fair to call Finland a classic invader country. Though they share excellent death metal and extreme alcoholism with their Scandinavian neighbors, I think they’re more invaded than invader. On to the picks:
Thursday:
Niklas Winter & Teemu Viinikainen
Coinciding nicely with my own trip to Finland tomorrow these two Finnish guitar badasses are coming to JZ for a gig. If I know anything about how JZ financing works, we have both the inestimable Ren Yuqing and the generous Finnish government to thank for this. Check out Teemu’s space for some sounds. For even more hot guitar action, these viking bros are joined by our own Lawrence Ku, bassist EJ Parker, and drummer Chris Trzcinski. Opening is the illustrious Illusion Trio, with me, Oleg Roschin on piano, and I think Chris on drums again.
JZ Club, 46 Fuxing Xi Lu near Yongfu Lu
9:00-1:30, assuming they do three sets.
No cover, gotta love that government money
Friday:
DJ Vadim
As re/previewed by our own Zack, the illustrious Vadiim returns to these Shanghaiian shores, with his wife and cohort MC Yarah Bravo. Though I wasn’t too taken with her rapping when they came last year, perhaps it will be better with the updated soundsystem, maybe I was just in a bad mood, etc. In any event, Vadim is creative and eccentric, and certainly beyond reproach on the wheels of steel. Support from V-Nutz, Fortune, hBd.
The Shelter, 5 Yongfu Lu near Fuxing Xi Lu
10:00 start
50 RMB cover
Hanggai
The #1 Mongolian party band returns! Everybody who has seen them loves this band, and for good reason. They just come right in and get to it with conviction, energy, and booze. Do Not Miss! Also, when I saw them in November at Dream Factory we assumed there would be opening bands and general amateur late-ness. There wasn’t, and we showed up half-way through, and we only got to hear as many songs as we did because they were generous with their encores. Definitely get there on time! The first show in Shanghai of Split-works’ Jue Festival.
YuYinTang, 1731 Yan’an Xi Lu, enter from Kaixuan Lu
9:00 start
50 RMB cover
Node Lounge Soft Opening
A new club is opening in Red Town, possible a cousin to the infamous Dragon, in any event with direction from Baru of Dragon fame. Music comes from Dave K, Wassili, King, and Baru himself. If you can steal some time to check it out, there are going to be free drinks from 9-midnight. That’s pretty awesome. Stay tuned for the grand opening on the 10th of April.
Node Music Lounge, 570 Huaihai Xi Lu, nearish to Hongqiao Lu
9:00 start
No cover
Saturday:
St. Vincent
Again, as CD-reviewed by the never-sleeping Zack, St. Vincent comes to Shanghai as part II of the Jue Festival. As with part I, get there early because it’s YYT and it’s sure to be PACKED. Expect melodious innocence with unsettling lyrics. Myspace? Boys Climbing Ropes open.
YuYinTang, 1731 Yan’an Xi Lu, enter from Kaixuan Lu
9:00 start
120 RMB cover
LTJ Bukem
On the DJ front, at least, it seems like Shanghai gets it’s share of heavy hitters. The same weekend as Vadim comes one of the original immortals of jungle/d ‘n b, that is LTJ Bukem, joined by MC Conrad. I picked the wrong weekend to go to Finland, though the temperature is apparently above freezing now.
The Shelter, 5 Yongfu Lu near Fuxing Xi Lu
10:00 start
80 RMB cover
tags: Baru - Boys Climbing Ropes - Chris Trzcinski - Dave K - DJ Vadim - EJ Parker - Fortune - Hanggai - HBD - Illusion Trio - Jue Festival - JZ - Lawrence Ku - LTJ Bukem - MC Conrad - Mike Brownell - Niklas Winter - Node - Oleg Roschin - Split Works - St. Vincent - Teemu Viinikainen - The Shelter - V-Nutz - Wassili - Yarah Bravo - YuYinTang
February 3rd, 2010 |
Posted in Album Reviews by mache
Boys Climbing Ropes is an emblematic Shanghai band. They are a representative sample of the local bestiary, as is their sound. The characters behind the band have continued to grow in the wilderness of Shanghai’s indie music scene. You should not overlook this as a minor detail. It’s a great asset for these punk beasts.
Except for the Darkness is the second EP from the band. At first glance it may seem irrelevant that this is an EP, but to me it’s not. There is a certain care behind it, including a pinch of timidity and maybe a lack of resources (money, or free time out of their daily jobs), but I believe it includes strategic thinking. We are in a strange environment where it is not so complicated to go into a studio to record an album for a relatively cheap price you can record one thousand copies of a new album. After all, we are in a paradise city for CD and DVD copies. That’s why it’s not strange in China to get albums of new bands that haven’t been out playing a lot. But then, if you want a decent album with proper sound engineering, and a solid musical proposal, the story is different. So definitely, there are stories behind the EP concept for bands in China.
Boys Climbing Ropes have enough experience and stories to tell about their musical trip in China and, even though they have been around almost five years, they are as young as the local indie music scene. This means their development is linked to the local scene; they are becoming more confident while the scene is growing and empowering. They are becoming more creative while the scene becomes more solid. They are becoming better while the scene is becoming bigger and more popular. So, whether you love or hate rock, they are local treasures.
Last Saturday night at YuYinTang (another Shanghai cultural treasure) the first chords of the Boys Climbing Ropes’ Except for the Darkness release show sounded at 11 pm and those chords excited the atmosphere in a blink. It was already crowded in front of the stage, but with these magical chords it got even more so. People were running to the hall, chords calling them, and more bodies pushed for space to dive into the audience, looking for a spot to rock and, of course, to mosh. Every person that had to be there was there to celebrate the greatness of the moment. The show was perfect, the sound was awesome, the mosh was memorable. In summary, it was a great celebration for music.
On the tiny free spaces of these moments of music in China, I can never avoid wondering how the future will remember this one because in my world these are the spots “that build structures in places that they taught us never exist,” (as BCR say on their “Whale Song”).
The album Except for the Darkness displays with accuracy Boys Climbing Ropes’ best sounds to date. “Little Person”, the opening song, reflects well the initial call, the battle cry of the band when onstage. Even though the entrance comes at the ears aggressively, once inside, there’s a certain warmth that keeps you with it comfortably, and that goes on all through the album. As it evolves, this dark warmth becomes more palpable and clear. This characteristic could in time prove itself as the band’s identifying mark. For now I can say this punk music has room for you to be in it, which to me is the biggest accomplishment of BCR. This comes from a tighter coalition in the band, and a better musical direction. It’s about practice, practice, practice. How much do we appreciate Shanghai bands that are actually an effective team?!
As the songs go on, Jordan’s riffs mark a path through the album. The guitar sounds dirty and when it meets his voice they crash and match in a sour and rusty combo that moves the air around the speakers.
Little Punk’s voice gets always along with Morgan’s bass. They share a clandestine joy for playing with silences in between chords. Sometimes I lose the bass in the whole of the sound, but I believe it must be there because my instinct tells me that’s what’s keeping everything together. When it comes in again for a space, I breathe.
On every song there’s confusion mixed with rage and, strangely, with innocence too. Little Punk’s voice is always coming from the shadows and, with Jordan’s, either battling or agreeing on every other corner, having their own private discussion on what is transcendent and what is not. One could feel like joining the argument. Personally, I’d rather listen, but the situation is interesting and keeps me hanging in there, absorbing.
The simple set of four notes on keyboards can be part of that innocent sound heard all over, and it could also be read as a leitmotiv of the album. Because of the repetition from song to song or because of its simplicity, it comes to me as a flawed device. Instead of innocence, I think of lack, although creativity can happen in black and white, or only with squares and circles. Art is in the use of the elements.
The drums by Devin are a whole different artistic subject, the discussion of chaos against order in action. We know that on live sessions when the drums see Devin come, they (yes, the drums) pray for long, courageous roots to fix them to the ground. On Except for the Darkness the drums are well content, still on the front, but not as notorious as when I think of them in the live setting. I figured this could be the result of the sound engineering under Brad Ferguson, so I had to ask about it. Brad:
“I don’t want to give away any secrets… but the production of the drums was one of the most difficult parts and it’s obviously different from their live sound but it was what the band, and I, felt was best for the album. First of all drums are difficult to record well in general, and in Shanghai, there aren’t many good places to do it. Then, as you said, he’s a very powerful drummer, so I started by recording him playing in Juju’s studio, we did several takes of each song and then I went back and edited the drum parts using some samples of his drum hits and other drum samples to rebuild the drum parts. I just wanted a steady rhythm at a level that worked for the intensity of the songs. They’re very intense live, but for the album I was thinking more indie-rock, more jangly guitars, reverb vocals, etc. In the end, we all sat down and listened to rough mixes several times, adjusting them to sound how the band wanted. They wrote the songs, and they have the vision for the songs, I just did my best to capture their vision.”
The result is a well-developed and well-presented album, strong and solid in its simplicity, that brightly instigates curiosity in what will come after.
The CD kindly includes the lyrics, for which I’m thankful. If you are like me, then you’ll give also one more point to BCR’s new EP for this. I believe rock must have a big mouth, and often it’s difficult to understand what’’s being said with all the yelling and the funny accents. When rock says something good the power grows bigger and faster. It’s important to understand what is being said. And Boys Climbing Ropes have many things to say.
I applaud this album because it builds tensions, and produces energy that moves, not only to mosh, but to pay attention, too. I didn’t get to listen to them before Little Punk joined them, but I’ve seen them evolve with her the last two years, the evolution has moved faster the last months. And now with this album they’ve moved even further.The six plus one songs flow smoothly, but every time I end up on the last song, the hidden one (no title for this one), the same ideas appear. I thought if this was a preview of what could come next, it sounds like an interesting prelude. Funny, when talking with Brad, he whispered to me that actually this is an old song Jordan and Devin wrote. They recorded it on the spot.
I’m listening to the last hidden track again, at the end, either as a reminder of the past or a preview of what is coming next. It establishes a range of sounds coming from Boys Climbing Ropes. This is the one that brings the change on the sequence of the six songs, and the one that raises the question: Are they going to explore further, to expand and extend their creative potential? … I can imagine them answering “We just finished this one…” However, they created the question with this album.
tags: Albums 2010 - Boys Climbing Ropes - Except for the Darkness - Punk - Rock - Shanghai
January 28th, 2010 |
Posted in Articles, Editor's Picks by zack
I came across an interesting post about music in a blog called “The Frontal Cortex.”
…[M]usic requires surprise, the dissonance of “low-probability notes”. While most people think about music in terms of aesthetic beauty – we like pretty consonant pitches arranged in pretty patterns – that’s exactly backwards. The point of the prettiness is to set up the surprise, to frame the deviance. (That’s why the unexpected pitches triggered the most brain activity, synchronizing the activity of brain regions involved in motor movement and emotion.)
I have often thought this about music myself. I want my music (what I’m listening to and what I’m playing) to surprise me and others. Some people seem to want to hear the same songs over and over again (perhaps owing to nostalgia or erotic longing for David Lee Roth), but it’s interesting that what their brains probably actually like about the great old songs is their unpredictability (musically speaking.)
What do you want in your weekend? Do you want to see something you know should be good but maybe a bit predictable? Or do you want to take a chance and see something you’ve never come across before? There’s something here for everyone.
Thursday, January 28th
If a gig happens in the club and no one hears it; does it make a sound? Oh, wait, here’s something:
Sultans of Swing, 9 PM
Let these blues bros serenade you in their tribute to the greatest guitarists of all time, guitarists so great we can just use their last names: Page, Beck, Clapton, Hendrix. Could be a good little Thursday evening.
YuYinTang, 30 kuai
1731 Yan’an Xi Lu,
Changning
Entrance at Kaixuan Lu
延安西路1731号
入口在凯旋路
Friday, January 29th
Andrew Bird, 9 PM
I was astounded to learn that Mr. Bird was a Squirrel Nut Zipper! I haven’t thought about them for a long time. This multi-instrumentalist from The Chi has got all of Shanghai on his jock right now, but here’s what I was talking about with the unpredictability rant above: You know what’s going to happen and who’s going to be at that show (more or less). Don’t aim too low.
Zhijiang Dream Factory, 180 kuai
B4/F, 28 Yuyao Lu,
Jing An
near Xikang Lu
余姚路28号B4楼
近西康路
Lions of Puxi, 9 PM
Anything can happen when you’re dealing with these crazy lions. Who else is on the bill, you ask? How about the Violent Phlegms in their first (maybe last) show since the night before Halloween? Full disclosure: my band, Break for Borneo, will kick things off a bit after 9 PM, but that has nothing to do with this pick. Nothing at all.
MAO Livehouse, 60 kuai (What a bargain!)
570 Huaihai Xi Lu
near Hongqiao Lu
淮海西路570号
近红桥路
Jasmine Chen w/ Bai Tian, Mike Brownell, and Feng Hao, 7:30
Holy conflict of interest, Batman! Look at good ole’ Mike Brownell moving on out to Moganshan Lu for a high-profile gig at the Two Cities Gallery. This group will be performing jazz interpretations of Chinese folk songs and the proceeds go to charity. Way to go, Big Duck!
Two Cities Gallery, suggested donation 50 kuai
50 Moganshan Lu, Bldg. 0, 2nd Fl.
Saturday, January 30th
Boys Climbing Ropes EP Release, 9 PM
Could anything else garner the coveted Pick of the Weekend Award this week? I say no. And it’s my pick so just shut the hell up, Bird! This show is to celebrate the release of their new EP, “Except for the Darkness” in case you’ve been in Xinjiang Province and couldn’t get on the Internet to find out. Here are two other great reasons to go: a free copy of the CD (after admission) and the music of Duck Fight Goose. If you are looking for bands that are as cool as the ones from Beijing we just saw last week, here are your top two contenders. Extremo is just not doing it for me right now. Or ever, for that matter.
Peppermoon, 9PM
One other possibility (if you were either French or related to one of these band members) would be to check out this French Pop/Lounge band at the Dream Factory. Break for Borneo to open. What can I say? The French like us.
Zhijiang Dream Factory, 100 kuai
B4/F, 28 Yuyao Lu,
Jing An
near Xikang Lu
余姚路28号B4楼
近西康路
Sunday, January 31st
Dude, read a book or something. There is nothing going on. OK, I lied. I can think of one thing you could check out.
New Faces Underground, 9 PM
Come to YuYinTang to look for the proverbial diamond in the rough. Candidates include Paradox and Candy Wine. Wish I could tell you something more about these stalwarts, but that’s why they play the games, as they say.
YuYinTang, Free
1731 Yan’an Xi Lu,
Changning
Entrance at Kaixuan Lu
延安西路1731号
入口在凯旋路
So there you go. Now it’s time for that special time of the Picks where I dig up the best detritus of the Internet. “Time-wasters” doesn’t cover this batch of links. You would be an idiot not to check these out so let’s call them “Net Essentials.”
I damn near peed (Should that have three e’s? Peeed. Still doesn’t look right.) I damn near pissed myself checking out the deliciousness that is this list. I offer it in honor of Morgan Short’s (SmartShanghai and Boys Climbing Ropes) annual Worst Flyers of the Year Awards.
Lady Gaga inspires baked goods homages. And then gets burned by the immortal Carles.
Anybody else read “A People’s History of the United States” (amongst lots of other stuff)? Yeah, that dude’s dead now. RIP Howard Zinn.
There have been a lot of outrageous Time-Wasters, Net Essentials, or whatever you want to call them (“Hats of Meat”, anyone?) but this one absolutely takes the cake. Well, until the next one. You gotta love the Internet.
tags: Andrew Bird - Bai Tian - Boys Climbing Ropes - Break for Borneo - Candy Wine - Except for the Darkness Duck Fight Goose - Feng Hao - Jasmine Chen - Lions of Puxi - Mao Livehouse - Mike Brownell - Paradox - Peppermoon - Sultans of Swing - Violent Phlegms - YuYinTang - Zhijiang Dream Factory
January 14th, 2010 |
Posted in Articles, Editor's Picks by zack
The U.S. is a very boring place. Why? I believe suburbs have become so sprawled out that we have literally lost contact with each other on a physical, interpersonal level. That’s why we Americans invented reality TV: To enter into codependent, voyeuristic relationships with attention whores who would otherwise be insignificant. One supposedly “cool” way to experience this interaction is to participate “ironically”; that is, to delude oneself into believing that this participation is based on some sort of cultural, sociological curiosity, rather than mere titillation and boredom. There’s that way and there’s also the way of believing that what you are seeing is actually reality and that the people are not just acting out their roles (poorly). Can you imagine how contrived every interaction would be if you were being followed around by a camera crew? That’s what no one thinks about. What a farce. One of my favorite pastimes while in the U.S. is to try to figure out which path of distraction is more pathetic (and I have participated in both.) I think right now I have settled on the idea that it’s a tie.
What I’m trying to say is: I might need these Editor’s Picks more than you do. I’m glad to be back and ready to make a splash. Let’s get on with the (reality) show.
Thursday, January 14th
History of DJ Krush Documentary
I’m not necessarily going to recommend that you go to see a movie about DJ Krush inside the sinister lair that is The Shelter. All I’m going to do is relay a quote I have come across from his back-story.
Early into his career as a yakuza underling, Ishi discovered a severed finger wrapped in paper on his desk. Later, after discovering that it had belonged to his best friend, he decided to leave the yakuza and cut ties with the criminal underworld.
A Japanese gangster who decides to leave the life, watches the movie Wild Style, and decides to become an internationally famous DJ. Is that a story you might be interested in?
The Shelter, 10:30
5 Yongfu Lu,
near Fuxing Xi Lu
Free
Boom Boom Tschack ft. Mau Mau and Ben Thriller
How many electro nights can this city sponsor? A google? I think we’re going to find out soon. DJ Mau Mau seemingly has a DJ night every night. This kid’s fingerprints must have fallen off from spinning so much. O, Heatwolves!, where art thou? I think Boom Boom Tschack might be replacing Indie Heart Attack as my favorite recommendation for ruining your Friday morning.
C’s, 9-late
685 Dingxi Lu, near Yanan Xi Lu
Free w/ cheap drinks
Friday, January 15th
Good Jive ft. Duck Fight Goose, Boys Climbing Ropes, et al.
“An organization to promote interesting, fresh, awesome music in Shanghai”? Hmm. Would you be interested in an original overture written for skin flutes? No? Just checking.
YuYinTang, 9 or 10ish, I would guess
1731 Yanan Xi Lu,
near Kaixuan Lu (entry on Kaixuan Lu, behind the Metro Station)
40 RMB
Quality Control pres. DJ Krush
I dare someone to put a wrapped-up pinky on the turntables before the man comes on. I triple-dog-dare you! Just kidding. That would be cruel. Besides, where are you going to get a pinky? They’re not putting times on these gigs anymore. Just show up as late as you possibly can. You’ll still be early and then you can check out the Lab Crew.
The Shelter
5 Yongfu Lu,
near Fuxing Xi Lu
80 RMB
Saturday, January 16th
RockSH.cn pres. Shanghai New Sound
Double Control Where are one of the better new bands I have seen around. They sport precise and energetic post-rock sounds. They also have a lot of hair. Not sure if that sways you in either direction, but just thought I’d add it in. I’m making like the old school Adam West Batman and still have not caught the Joker (another new Shanghai artist on the bill). Wow. That joke was putrid.
After this show, please, support the Shanghai electro dance scene. It’s hurting and needs your help. Whether it’s a dance party based on a concept for a shitty sci-fi movie (Dada), the country France (Bar Rouge), or the word for “terrible” in Mandarin (LOgO), you must get to one and help save this endangered species. You’re our only hope.
Dada
115 Xingfu Lu,
near Fahuazhen Lu
Free
Bar Rouge
7/F, Bund 18,
18 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu,
near Nanjing Dong Lu
Free before 12:30, 100 RMB after
LOgO
13 Xingfu Lu,
near Fahuazhen Lu
Sunday, January 17th
Free
Sunday, January 17th
ZheJiang Bands Showcase
Don’t tell me this clip doesn’t get your motor revved. I don’t know. It’s rough, but it does it for me. I feel like this could be a good, if subdued little show. If you don’t go to this, make sure you stay home and do this.
Items of Interest:
tags: Bar Rouge - Ben Thriller - Boom Boom Tschack - Boys Climbing Ropes - C's Bar - Dada - DJ Krush - DJ Mau Mau - Double Control Where - Duck Fight Goose - Good Jive - Heatwolves! - Jersey Shore - Joker - LOgO - Quality Control - RockSH.cn - The Lab Crew - The Shelter - Wild Style
Hanggai
