With the Miniless showcase coming up this month it's time to check out some the bands. Lava/Ox/Sea have just uploaded a new track to their Neocha page called Catty Cat and it rules.
Also playing that show are Shanghai's Boojii who have just been up in Beijing recording for Modern Sky. Was speaking to Brad Ferguson lately, he was up there for the sessions. Advance word is that the tracks are going to be great.
Meanwhile, over at CW, Dan Shapiro writes about ex-pat/mixed/foreign legion acts on the scene. Actually there a lot of overspill going on between the two worlds lately. I don't mean foreign vs Chinese either. Let's clear something up for people who are not really immersed, so to speak.
A band like Rogue Transmission have all foreign members but they formed here, play true rock venues, practice at 0093 and make original rock music. They are a Shanghai band and part of the local scene 100%. The true dividing lines are between cover acts/light music playing bars for cabaret entertainment and people on the underground/indie scene who are making new music and taking part in that culture. Anyway back to the cross over.
On Sunday we have two local rock bands playing by Jing An Temple for the That's Shanghai Magazine's Best of Shanghai weekend. Yes. That's Shanghai, the magazine whose tongue is so far up luxury brand and yuppie arse that their response to the global financial crisis -
- where thieving bankers near crashed the economy, putting millions out of work or onto the streets, created whole ghost towns around China and who robbed billions of public money to keep doing it ... causing riots and demos around the globe -
- takes breath -
- was to run a front page jokey feature about downsize work, supersize lunch, go eat a 100 RMB gourmet burger.
So anyway, Candy Shop and Monroe Stahr are both playing on the Sunday. Also Monroe Stahr and Black Luna will play a Music Matters show. That's not the internationally known Asia music conference in Hong Kong but the Shanghai pub night run by Tony Caw. He's now branching out into larger events putting on a Longest Day show at Red Town for the night of the eclipse. Don't want to sound shallow but there'll be a bouncy castle that will stay up for adults later into the night.
Hey, I'd be at the DF should I have known about the concert - I could not find any info at Neocha... What about Sunday's concert - where exactly is it going to take place and when? TIA for the info!
The DF show was just advertised over Douban.com in the rock groups.
The That's Shanghai thing is along the pedestrian street next to Jingan Temple all day long. The music shows start at 4.30 on Sunday.
Saturday is a Jazz showcase put on by JZ school/club.
Thanks!
Nice work Andy. And thanks for the recommendation.
In my opinion, of course a "scene" need several right bands,like certain bands rehearsal in 0093; and right venue, like YYT. BUT it also need media, both individual media like blog and mass media like magazines or even TV programs, to describe and to PUSH the concept of SCENE. I think your articles are doing sth with great and positive after-effect, at least to the diversity of the local scene.
See you soon at YYT.
Thanks
I just went past 250 posts on the blog.
Rock and Indie music are not yet in the mainstream in China and there's no real industry ... so we just keep doing what we love and spread the word ourselves.