Not to get Nietzschean on everyone, but life is a series of senseless motions, random happenstances and chance encounters, requiring someone special to parse into moments that matter and those that don’t. That’s the artist’s gift to us. Attending Julie Doiron’s songwriting workshop this Friday (March 19) won’t necessarily give you this power overnight, but it certainly won’t hurt.

"My brother Andrew lives in Beijing and I am excited to visit him again!"
- Brandon Curtis

Before conducting this interview with The Secret Machines (www.myspace.com/secretmachines), I went through all their albums – days later, the psychedelic thunderstorm of “First Wave Intact” and the innocent love story in “Alone, Jealous & Stoned” are still living in my head. As the band prepares to tour Beijing (Mar 19) and Shanghai (Mar 20), we talked to Brandon Curtis, vocalist/keyboardist/bassist, about the music that brought them to this point.

Following our breaking of the news that Beijing’s Show of Peace had been postponed last week, the Global Times managed to obtain some additional comment from organizer Rick Garson, published in today’s paper.

Back in January we reported on the Show of Peace, announced with much fanfare (with the support of rock legend Jimmy Page), and supposedly scheduled for April 17 this year.  Aside from a “clarification” issued by the organizers when theBeijinger.com and China Music Radar reported that one of the “confirmed” acts was actually playing in Japan the night of the concert, the promoters have been suspiciously quiet in recent weeks. So it was no surprise when we received a notice today stating the Show of Peace has been postponed until October.

The snow on Monday, I don’t know what’s that all about, it’s March already. Don't know how it's been affecting the festival season (which is spring, in case you haven't seen it's coming), but the Beijing leg of JUE Festival is well under its way. Presented by Split Works, the festival consists of art, cinema and music events across Beijing and Shanghai (see our interview with the organizers here and full event schedule here). On Friday night, JUE sees the appearances of American indie singer/instrumentalist St. Vincent at Yugong Yishan and Danish rockabilly group Dead Elvis & His One Man Grave at D-22. On the local side, things get more hardcore at Mao Livehouse, where TOOKOO, Bigger Bang! and The Reason rock on the northern end of Nanluogu Xiang - maybe you can hear them in YGYS, since St. Vincent's music is relatively quiet, maybe.

An Edinburgh Fringe in China? Sounds ambitious for a whole lot of reasons, but that’s what Split Work are hoping to do with the JUE Festival, an extended lineup of artists, performances, screenings and exhibitions in Beijing and Shanghai.

"I hate optimism out of insensitivity."
- Zuoxiao Zuzhou

For the past five years, this guy has been making headlines for pricing his albums from 30 kuai to 500 kuai. He’s also known for being a contemporary artist/poet/soundtrack composer working with Ai Weiwei and film director Jia Zhangke. Born in 1970, alternative rock singer-songwriter Zuoxiao Zuzhou (literally means “left-little-curse of the ancestors”) founded Beijing East Village with many avant-garde artists in early 90s, and their controversial artwork Adding a Meter to the Nameless Mountain (为无名山增高一米. See photo, below) shocked the Chinese art world in 1995. Meanwhile, ZXZZ's rock band "NO" released Trip to Temple Fair (庙会之旅) and The Missing Master (走失的主人). Both albums are filled with spacious guitar chords, tribal drum beats, sound experiments and volatile vocals, which scared many people for sure, but also gained him a loyal fan base.

The Belcea Quartet burst onto the musical scene in 1999 after winning first prize at two international string quartet competitions in Osaka and Bordeaux. They are set to give their first-ever concert in China this Sunday (March 6). On the program are three favorites of musicians and listeners alike: Beethoven’s String Quartet Op. 18, No. 6; Bartók’s String Quartet No. 3; and Schubert’s Death and Maiden.

This week we've got some visitors: AV Okubo (www.douban.com/artist/avokubo) are in town on Saturday (Mar 6) at Yugong Yishan. Coming with their debut album The Greed of Man (大时代), these disco punk heads from Wuhan will share the stage with P.K.14, Carsick Cars, Xiao He and White. After that, the gang of hipsters are leaving Beijing for South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas, followed by another Maybe Mars US tour. Look at them (pictured above), they are obviously ready for the cold weather and street noise in Beijing.

Multicursal mastermind Leon Lee, previously of jazz-spot OT Lounge, has opened a new bar, Apothecary, in Sanlitun’s Nali Patio. His partners in the venture comprise a dedicated team of fellow Beijing food and drink impresarios (Max E. Levy – Chef du cuisine at The Opposite House’s Bei, and the duo behind Er whiskey bar: Motonari Uchiyama and Daisuke Onishi). Together, this brain trust has created a contemporary cocktail bar infused with the buzz and vigor of a vintage New Orleans joint, boasting a vast selection of fine beers, liquor and Creole food. Agenda sat down with Leon to discuss cocktail crafting, the inspiration behind Apothecary and jazz in Beijing.