January continues being low-key which I can’t beef about – its nice to not see the usual names popping up – gives one a chance to  try something new. Perhaps one of these gigs below will be your bag. Check it – and be sure to view the calendar for more goodness gracious.

FRIDAY

Enough already – the time is now – as we know Djang San, aka Zhang Si’an, aka Jean Sebastian is a talented motherfucker. And if he’s hasn’t made that clear to you then tonight at Temple, he surely will. He’ll pull double duty detail – performing first solo as his electro folk moniker, a trip in its own right – and later, he’ll be joined by his newly formed band, a fascinating mix of east meets west. Over at Yugong Yishan, local wise-cracking satirists Slap who make lyric-driven folk rock that dips its toes into a number of different genres perform. The cozy little French bar La Bas continues to distinguish itself from the rest with some exciting lineups – tonight folk musicians Hugejiletu and Moxi, of Ajinai, take the stage for some mountain-eqsue tunes. If the cold turns your heart to black, then head over to Mao Livehouse to catch metallers Ice Moon, Ego Fall, Sick Pipa, and more. Badass psychedelic blues shredders Wu & The Side Effects hit up Jianghu Bar for a special performance. Meanwhile, The Diders joon Cherry Bomb, Pace of Time, and Noise Jelly for some good ol fashion rock n roll.

SATURDAY

Over at School, The Diders, who have been popping up on everyone ‘best of 2013’ lists join emo rock sensations Twinkle Star, doo wop party rockers Candy Monster, and chick rockers Miss Mix – for an eclectic night of fun. Acclaimed German avant-grade free jazz saxophonist Klaus Bru, one of the few saxophonists performing exclusively on the rare C-melody and the C-soprano sax (woodwind oddities which had their heyday in the 1920’s), stops by XP for a night of saxophone shenanigans along with our own free jazz saxomaniac Li Tieqiao. Drone whores Cloud Choir have slowly been worming their way into my head with their spacey, pedaling electronic sets (check out their extensive catalogue here) and tonight they join minimalist oscillator pushers Soviet Pop, who make tweaky lo-fi electronica that recalls a telephone operator\’s switchboard over at The Other Place. Give your looking to have your heart melted, check out boyish Beatle-esque indie pop group Super VC at Yugong Yishan, who recently released an album. It’s a rap party over at Mao Livehouse, where a slew of rap and hip hop artist join forces including 1043, c02, Campus Army, Jiaojin, Old Chen and more. Finally, one can catch Liu Donghong & Sand at 69 Café, and psychedelic garage rock duo Luv Plastic at the Hot Cat Club.

SUNDAY

On with the free jazz!!! Legendary Japanese free improv drummer Sabu Toyozumi lets loose in School for a night of deranged drumming skills that’ll surely leave your jaw hanging. Dude’s got quite the credentials. Heck, just check him wailing just yesterday. He’s joined by experimental freaks Li Jianhong, Li Zenghui, and Deng Chenglong – this is looking to be a loud one. Just look at their poster! One can also treat themselves to Inner Mongolian tunes courtesy of Narnal at Jianghu Bar, Xinjiang flamenco music with Tursun at 69 Café, and pop punk with Hangover, Stone Lions and Black Mint at Mao Livehouse.

Stay tuned next week for LBM\’s \’Best of 2013\’ – better late than never!