Weekend Update (05/12-07/12)

Hear that – that\’s the sound of my testicles retracting into my stomach. That\’s Beijing winter for ya. Only solution to my Cronenbergian nightmares – dance my ass off to some music courtesy of these metal heads, electronics freaks, west china imports, hip hop enthusiasts and more. Brave for the worst and rock to the best – it\’s the weekend. And as always hit up the newly updated calendar for more.

Friday December 5th

Hey, remember that band Low Bow featuring Irish test tube twins Richard Doran and Michael Cupoli who rock their way through Beijing with their highly abrasive, stripped down brand of garage rock blues? Well they\’re back for a reunion tour that kicks off and ends at Jianghu Bar (of all places) this evening. They will also be handing out their 7\’\’ vinyl off of Genjing Records.  And they\’re be joined by math rocky post rocking non-egg bearing Mammals and a super secret band that is most certainly the most wonderful indie rock quartet Birdstriking. Oops, cat\’s out of the bag. Need more psychedelic stoner rock doom metal in your life? Well School\’s got the solution. Never Before, voted China\’s \’Best New Hard Rock\’ band by the Sound Stage, bring their charged performance to the tiny stage alongside two new names. Scare the Children, who wear super creepy doll masks whilst playing, so there\’s that. And Omerta, who, well got nothing on them. Expect hard hitting, Black Sabbath invoking anthems to bang your head to. East meets West fusion conjurer Djang San brings their wicked chops to DDC while over at Temple the always dependable indie rock champions Residence A join up with Disaster Chat for a spanking good time. \’New sound conqueror\’ Pelle Carlsberg out of Sweden brings his glorious voice and low key appeal to XP. Meanwhile, American kings of death trash metal, Revocation hit up Yugong Yishan for a little mayhem. Finally, Mao Livehouse hosts a meag Beatles bash to celebrate John Lennon’s life with a massive set list from the one and only Beijing Beatles.

 Saturday December 6^th

Everyone I\’ve talked to about this show has got a story to tell about the Baltimore raised electronic artist Dan Deacon. Whether piggy backing him after a Manchester boat stag, or having him read gospel whilst police raided an abandoned warehouse venue in Rhode Island, the idea of seeing Dan Deacon almost feels like a rite of passage at this point. Forget that he makes some really swell music. I want to have my pupils burst out of their retinas and finally find Mao Livehouse’s booty behind their secret backdoor. Support from white+, who are transforming into their own dance machine. Grab your drugs kids. The last concert of the Douban ‘Behind The Billboard’ series comes this Saturday at XP where they’ll be hosting Xi’an post punk live wires The Fuzz, one of my favorite finds of last year. Joining them will be Jump Goat, another post punk conundrum out of Xi’an who on first listen sounds all types of awesome. Really dancey, spazztastic Manchester rock and roll  (check out Mr. Feola\’s writeup over at SmartBeijing for more) that\’s manages to bring on the good vibes. Color me curious. DDC\’s getting jiggy with it as they host some of the scenes most promising rap and hip hop artists, including itsogoo and j-fever, whose off the cuff jazz-riffing rap improv skills have shaken up the hip hop community here. And for good reason – it’s manages to pay respect to the form and attitude of hip hop without succumbing to it entirely. And probably is one of the few times I can proudly consider a rapper here to have ‘flow’. Get in on the fun at DDC as itsogoo release their latest album. Over at Temple, knee-slapping prog rock psychedelic mammoths The Harridans let it all out (and then some). Big punk and metal sounds coming out of School – the Riot! series brings another dosage of free mayhem with Demerit, Bastards of Imperialism, and Bad Mamasan. For you metal heads out there, there’s a new name in town and they go by the name Mega Soul – formed two years ago by Wang Zhengwei and bassist Wang Le (of Yaksa fame), the band releases their self-titled debut tonight at Yugong Yishan. Get the blues alive and well with folk rock staple Liu Donghong & Sand at Jianghu Bar. Finally, swing by Mako Livehouse during the afternoon hours for a mini festival of music, flicks, and more with performances from The Diders, HoTLine, Paper Memory, and Shochu Legion. Oh and celebrate one year of 8-Bit video game holiness with drone ambient soundscape artist Noise Arcade.

Sunday December 7^th

Xinxiang post punk outfit The Fallacy kick off a nation-wide tour to support their sophomore release Debris. It\’s pretty rad – menacing, off putting and chock full of rage. Post punk bands are a dime a dozen these days, but boy it\’s hard not to get riled up to these hungry rock n rollers. Check them tear it up over at Yugong Yishan with support from Maybe Mars delights Snapline and Mr. Graceless, two bands with a slew of new songs itching to be heard. Indie pop, jazz, and hard bop from Cowboyhat, DaJaNaSa, and Knight at 69 Café, Jianghu Bar, and DDC. Blues rock outfit Wei perform at Mao Livehouse and finally, celebrate 25 years of Chingis Khaan at Mako Livehouse.