Shit, that was fast. With MIDI and Strawberry out of the way, let’s ease into the weekend with some more good sounds and good vibes. Oh, and check out the updated for May calendar – it’s looking like a jam-packed month.

FRIDAY

Mayday Jamboree with pangbianr and friends over at School Bar – dystopian noise makers Alpine Decline play their last show for quite some time, Nanjing ruckus makers Plastic Heads pay a visit, new psychedelic jammers Xin Ma You Jiang look to establish their name, and maybe, maybe not a special guest. Not a bad start to the weekend. However, if you’ll looking for some that’s pure, ethereal, and culturally satisfying I’d wager for you all to head to Mako Livehouse where Yunggiema will give a captivating performance, a showcase of a lot of new stuff, along with a slew of guests and friends. Mao Livehouse gets back to what it does best – metal, and lots of it, with Tengger Cavalry, Tarot Saint, Logic Control, Soma, and Nower and taking turns cranking up the heat. Ningxia folk favs Li Dong are about to dip out for a while, just as I was missing their dusty melodies, tonight catch them at the intimate Jianghu Bar. The CD Blues Festival kicks off this evening with Hoochie Coochie Gentlemen and Bluesman and the Blues Power Trio bringing the blues in full force. Some young faces out of Japan and Taiwan will be giving it their all at XP, including I Hate Me Dirty, Spacefly, and AAW. A trio of bands perform over at Wudaoying\’s VA Bar including Christmas, Time Capsule, and Pacalolo while hard rock reigns at Dos Kolegas with Redundant Sounds. Lastly, there’s always the Hot Club of Beijing at Temple, and The Groove Collective at Blue Stream Bar.

SATURDAY

Mao Livehouse isn’t slacking one bit these days as they host a slew of hard rocking, smile-inducing bands that include Residence A, Pacalolo, Steely Heart, Platanus, and Caffe-in. The livetronica psych rockers Not There have finally gotten back in the saddle and they’re bringing a taste of their new material to Temple for a twirl. The CD Blues Festival continues with the ever energetic ACID Live taking the stage alongside The Nathaniel Gao Band. Under the radar post punk kids Me Too are thankfully showing up on the map again, with a gig at XP along with the folk pop flavorings of Elenore. The Taiwan and Japan trio of bands AAW, I Hate Me Dirty, and Space Fly will be hitting up School. Speaking of which, one of Taiwan’s highly praised indie bands, 929, are kicking off their first tour of the Mainland at Yugong Yishan – see if they still got it. Or if they ever did. You can always ride the wave that is Dos Kolegas’s monthly Reggae Party with One Drop, and Ultimate Band Crew. Finally, you can swing by VA Bar for The Ah-Q Jazz Orchestra, Jianghu Bar for The Intrepid Adventurers, or to the Old What? Bar for Sunny Song.

SUNDAY

Fuck all that’s what. Well, actually, if you feel inclined to stop by Mao Livehouse for their mix bag of bands cause it’s an freebie.