Weekend Live Music Roundup: Brain Failure, Folksy Ballads and Rising Nirvana

Besides the imaginary Bob Dylan gig (maybe he was here and got blown away by the wind this morning) on Sunday (see our reports here and here), Kazak music also takes heavy weight in live music this weekend: Dobura extrodinare Mamer (see interview here) plays two shows on Friday (Mako Livehouse) and Sunday (Jianghu Liveshow Bar) before he flies back to Urumqi; for Saturday, it's the salsa influenced Kazak band Hummingbird perform at Ginkgo. More on the folk side, talented singer-songwriter Bai Shui hails from Sichuan with his melodic ballads at Mako Livehouse (Saturday) and Peking University Hall (Sunday), that's something you don't get everyday in Beijing, so definitely worth checking out. Then on Monday (we all get a day off, right?), Mako Livehouse brings Beijing all-star folksters together for a charity concert in the name of helping the drought affected Yunnan. Look at the line-up, you can go for the music, at least. For people who are into neo-classical and jazz, Ólafur Arnalds brings his classical-pop fusion to The Star Live on Saturday (see interview here), and Norwegian jazz band Excess Luggage return to Beijing at East Shore Live Jazz Cafe on Monday.

That doesn't mean you are stuck with a quiet weekend, because you can karaoke Elton John's "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" at Melody or Tango. Or, you can also go to Yugong Yishan on Saturday night for Brain Failure, Bigger Bang!, New Pants, Re-TROS and DH & Chinese Hellcats...you would've thought that's enough for a kiss-ass party, then you see electronic game boy Sulumi on the deck, and CMCB brotha Ozi on the mic. I particularly like Sulumi since he seems like a pretty weird fella. On the same night, Tag Team headliners Arrows Made of Desire, Kodiak Island, jrg_one and Richard Todd play at 2 Kolegas, doing experiments and rocking the drive-in cinema. On Sunday, AMoD pays tribute to Kurt Cobain with The Gray, New Perfume, Pork and Nucleus at Mao Livehouse, may his nirvana rest in peace...

What a weekend to be tangled up in blue on the desolation row after being blown with the wind like a rolling stone! No, I won't think twice, it's alright.

Check the Beijinger Directory for venue details

Friday (April 2)

Acupuncture Records Label Party
House DJs gather in the name of techno. Free. 10pm. Lantern (135 0134 8785)

Da Bi Zi
Hip-hop and acoustic jazz songs with a Chinese twist. RMB 40, RMB 30 (advance). 9pm. Tiny Salt Coffee Club (5900 0969)

Funk Fever, The Discounts
A night of funk, soul and Afrobeats. RMB 30. 10pm. 2 Kolegas (6436 8998)

Mamer, Wu Junde, Song Yuzhe, Zhou Laoer
Kazak musician Mamer collaborates with fellow folkies. RMB 50, RMB 40 (advance, students). 9pm. Mako Live House (5205 1112)

Mineral Water, Bloom In The Dark, The Truth, The Rander
Hard rock in an intimate setting. RMB 30 (includes a drink). 9.30pm. What Bar (159 0123 6743)

Neverland, Slack, Nanwu, Pork, Poshangcun, Finger Family
Pop rockers celebrate two-year anniversary of college rock night. RMB 30, RMB 20 (students). 8pm. D-22 (6265 3177)

Reading Fire
Folk rocks Dongmianhua Hutong. Free. 9pm. Jiang Hu Liveshow Bar (6401 4611)

Ruiner, Unregenerate Blood, XitneverhappenedX, Return The Truth
Hardcore rockers gather at Gulou Dongdajie. RMB 60, RMB 50 (advance). 8pm. MAO Livehouse (6402 5080)

Shackleton
Dubstep and techno combine to generate the beats. RMB 80, RMB 50 (advance). 10pm. Yugong Yishan (6404 2711)

Trio Bang
Bebop, funk-jazz, bossa nova and French musette. RMB 30. 9.30pm. VA Cafe & Bar (5844 3638)

Xia Jia Piano Trio
Jazz pianist operates on his keyboards. Free. 10pm. East Shore Live Jazz Cafe (8403 2131)

Saturday (April 3)

Arrows Made of Desire, Kodiak Island, jrg_one, Richard Todd
Tag Team Records launch a new cassette, with a classic rock and experimental session. RMB 45. 10pm. 2 Kolegas (6436 8998)

Bai Shui
Folkster Bai Shui pays the capital a rare visit with original folk songs from Sichuan. RMB 50, RMB 40 (advance, students). 9pm. Mako Live House (5205 1112)

Fuzzy Mood
Indie rock by The Forbidden City. RMB 30. 9.30pm. What Bar (159 0123 6743)

Hoochie Coochie Gentlemam
Beijing’s homegrown blues band bring on the boogie. RMB 30. 9pm. Hot Cat Club (6400 7868)

Hummingbird
Kazak music with salsa twist. RMB 30 (includes a drink), free (before 9.30pm). 10pm. Ginkgo Restaurant & Bar (6402 7532)

Kaiser Kuo, Yang Meng, Kou Zhengyu, Xia Tian
Members of metal band Spring Autumn go acoustic in the courtyard. RMB 50, RMB 40 (advance). 9pm. Jiang Hu Liveshow Bar (6401 4611)

Liu Yuan Saxophone Quartet
China’s jazz forefather keeps the Houhai shores smooth. Free. 10pm. East Shore Live Jazz Cafe (8403 2131)

No Name Trio
Django Reinhardt covers and all. RMB 30. 9.30pm. VA Cafe & Bar (5844 3638)

Ólafur Arnalds Neo-classical musician from Iceland defines his sound on keyboards and strings. RMB 100, RMB 70 (advance), RMB 50 (students), RMB 150 (VIP). 9pm. The Star Live (6425 5677)

Orange Bird
French electro bands turn on the power by the lake. RMB 30. 10pm. Obiwan (8322 1231)

Qing Tian, Lei Zi
Folk singer from Yunnan sings covers and his own material. RMB 40, RMB 30 (advance). 9pm. Tiny Salt Coffee Club (5900 0969)

Sulumi, Brain Failures, Bigger Bang!, Re-TROS, DH & Chinese Hellcats, New Pants, DJ Shen Yue, Ozi
Electronica, punk rock, disco punk, swing dance, post punk, and DJ sets … just as much as you can take on a Saturday night. RMB 120, RMB 80 (advance). 9pm. Yugong Yishan (6404 2711)

Four Five
Industrial metal soldiers release their studio debut. RMB 40, RMB 30 (students). 10pm. 13 Club (8261 9267)

Lazy Camels, Mr. Graceless, The Me Guan Me's, Today Is Autumn
Garage rock bands jam at Wudaokou. RMB 40, RMB 30 (students). 10pm. D-22 (6265 3177)

Maya Band
Pop rockers release their debut album. RMB 60, RMB 50 (advance, students). 9pm. MAO Livehouse (6402 5080)

Mr. Miss
Jazz duet with folk influences. RMB 30, RMB 20 (students). 2.30pm. Nine Theater (8599 1188)

Sunday (April 4)

Bai Shui
Sichuan folk concert in the campus. RMB 40-50. 7pm. Peking University Hall (6275 1278)

Jin Song

Folk songs from Yunan. RMB 30, RMB 20 (students). 9pm. D-22 (6265 3177)

Katun Luc, Ubuli
Berlin classical guitarist Katun Luc collaborates with Xinjiang percussionist Ubuli on his recent Beijing tour. RMB 30. 9.30pm. VA Cafe & Bar (5844 3638)

Mamer, Tato
Kazak folk in a siheyuan’r. RMB 40. 9pm. Jiang Hu Liveshow Bar (6401 4611)

Moreno Donadel Trio
Italian pianist collaborates with a few Beijingers. Free. 9.30pm. East Shore Live Jazz Cafe (8403 2131)

The Gray, New Perfume, Pork, Arrows Made of Desire, Nucleus
Beijing bands pay tribute to Kurt Cobain. RMB 50. 8.30pm. MAO Livehouse (6402 5080)

Monday (April 5)

Charity Concert for Yunnan
Xiao He, Zhou Yunpeng, Zhang Weiwei and Shanren… Beijing’s all-star folkies sing for the droughty Yunan. RMB 70, RMB 60 (advance, students). 8pm. Mako Live House (5205 1112)

Excess Luggage
Norwegian trio wraps their second China tour in Houhai. Free. 9.30pm. East Shore Live Jazz Cafe (8403 2131)

Nanwu, PB33, Mythomania, Ci Qin
Folk rock and electro pop, you gotta love Mondays. RMB 50, RMB 40 (advance, students). 8.30pm. MAO Livehouse (6402 5080)