Weekend Update: Chinese New Year Edition

Slim pickings folks – but what do ya expect,  it\’s Chinese New Year – enjoy some mayhem tonight as the streets turn into what I am can only imagine what Baghdad was like when some uncanny sons of bitches thought it\’d be wise to invade the joint. Yeah, it gets wild. Hence why I\’m sitting on my ass in Hong Kong – keeping my distance this year. Lucky enough, there are a few who will be holding down the fort.

Temple stands strong – nothing gets in a way of a good time and the Gulou hangout is holding to that kicking off the Chinese New Year tonight with everyones favorite dopplegangers, The Beijing Beatles. Later in the week they\’ll be showcasing the folk rock of Ismat finally getting some action from psychedelic blues rock intertwined with traditional Uyghur folk from Jurat next Saturday. Expect good business throughout the week.

Zajia Lab has stepped up their game during the week of festivities with a slew of events going on including film screenings, drama shows, as well as music events of course. And free – hard to say no here. On the music front, there will be a swing party this Saturday, experimental music with Fenni and friends on Tuesday, and some modern jazz with TH3 the next Saturday. SmartBeijing has the complete list here.

Other than that Tulegur (Gangzi) will be performing for free at the Jianghu Bar this Thursday along with Xinjiang band, The Departed – ethnic flavored music for Velntine\’s Day – pretty sexy right. And finally, the XinHun Music Festival, basiclly a festival which gathers a bunch of young bands (like really young, high school even) including \’new on the block\’ P-318 and 95 Factories to perform at Mao Livehouse – Brain Failure and Recycle will be on hand to throw down some lessons in rocking socks off. And as usual, The Hot Club of Beijing will be on hand at Modernista this Wednesday for some gypsy jazzing fun.

That\’s it Beijingers – enjoy the cold and shield your eyes from the elderly who just love getting their kicks lighting fireworks as you walk down. Oh gramps, you kill me.