Weekend Update (17.10-19.10)

And like that the skies have cleared, and the chill breeze has come to announce the end of fall once and for all – I say, embrace it. Time to put away the Teva’s, and wipe out that chubby scarf you’ve been saving all this time. And while you\’re at it – check out some of these gigs going down this red, orange, and yellow weekend. And as always, check out the calendar for more.

Friday October 17th

Round two for the new series at School entitled Pyongyang Stars, which showcases some of Beijing more electronically inclined rockers – this is one rich lineup including the double whammy of post rock outfit Glow Curve and trance electro rockers WHAI who have BIG sounds that have School gasping for air. They\’re joined by metal-tinted instrumental outfit Nakoma, who have been popping up on more and more people\’s radars, and quirky electro rock duo We Are Not Invited who I haven\’t checked out since Temple first opened. The 2014 Beijing Electronic Music Encounter is gonna reign supreme next week, but the kids behind the festival are giving a little preview of what to expect with this freebie down at Mako Livehouse that\’ll include New Delhi artist Hashback Hashish (who organizer Feola has been raving about since his sabbatical late last year) and dystopian producer Dead J, one of the few electronic artists I\’m happy to go out of my way to catch. The organizers themselves (MMS and Charm) will be turning knobs as well just to assure us they got this festival thing covered. Perfect excuse to avoid the succubus that is Dada.  Post rock titans Mono, out of Japan, swing through Yugong Yishan for the utmost time, this time to promote their latest two releases, which yes, and as every bit epic as one could imagine – \’music of the gods\’ indeed. Up and comer indie poppers Irreversible look to make a splash with their debut at Mao Livehouse with help from Mr. Kr and WHAI. Meanwhile, Chicago jazz quartet Roy McGarth gets their hands dirty over at Temple while over at XP British indie pop duo The Candle Thieves brings their unique song to the masses. Down the street at DDC get some old timey blues courtesy of Zhanren. The owners of Hot Cat continue to stumble for shows – this time they\’ve managed to round up Daniel Taylor (of the Harridans and Luv Plastik) as well as Zhang Qianqian and The Paramecia.

Saturday October 18th

Two of my favorite bands getting down at XP – the unsung heroes of Maybe Mars skewed brand of indie rock, and just all around swell folks – not much I can add to Josh\’s rave over at SmartBeijing – which reveals that Birdstriking has added another guitar to deafen our ears some more, and Alpine Decline has brought back some sort of flux capacitor to make everyone in the audiences evacuate their bowels. Bring TP. Ask any metal head who their top acts are and eventually the name Frosty Eve will pop. And yeah, they\’re not the flashiest group out they metal-wise, don\’t don epic dreadlocks, tattoos, or use traditional Chinese instruments. But in terms of high-octane, good ol fashion shredding, these cats are it – they celebrate ten years of tearing it up at Mao Livehouse, and while I\’m almost certain they\’ll be joined by other thrashers onstage – it\’s great to have any band, yet alone a metal band set aside the whole night to themselves. Now that\’s confidence. Check out their latest release here and see if it gets those metal pains in your gut. Split Works brings one of the most exciting and innovative pianists playing world stages today to the newly opened Yue Fu – which lays all cozy in the upper reaches of the MOMA building, with yup, a sky view – making it already probably the best looking venue in town. Even thugs dig sunsets you know. Ukraine-born Lubomyr Melnyk brings his trademark style – the continuous piano technique – which follows  the principle of maintaining a continuous, unbroken stream of sound. Which essentially means he\’s beaten the devil at his own game and can play simultaneous melodies all the whilst looking like a badass outback woodsmen. Expect faces to melt at sunset. Xi\’an electro rock outfit TBOR, the latest band to get showered upon by the hip brands kick off a nationwide tour at School alongside Heat Mark. The latest Inner Mongolian rage, Horse Radio bring their grassland sound to DDC where funk and soul are top priority at Temple where Tvery Lean & The Solid Gold Machine perform. Down in Shuangjing, an assortment of diverse bands take stage at Mako Livehouse including Scary Honey, Kirk Kennedy, Windsor Forest, Dadushi, Magellanic, and VegCar.  If you\’re in a giving mood or you simply just can\’t turn down MILF-rock, then head on over to The Garage in Shunyi where The Bastards of Imperialism, End of the World, and Chinese Vacation join the Mad Dogs motorcycle club and raise money for the Sheperd\’s Field Foundation. Finally, head over to Yugong Yishan where you check out the Hamburg indie rock outfit Tocotronic for free.

Sunday October 19th

The 10th Annual Jazz Festival kicks off today at Yugong Yishan with a bang – catch Jojo Mayer & Nerve as they inject jazz improvisation into the digital age with their genre bending set. Hardcore outfit out of Guangzhou, Desert, gets loud at Mako Livehouse. It\’s folk night at School with Old Cat and over at Temple with French artist Charlie Tango. Finally, breeze into the next week with tenor saxophonist driven Roy McGarth Jazz Quartet at DDC.