The Beijinger Blog - Live Music

Win Tickets To See Karl Jenkins In Concert!

thebeijinger — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0800

The International Schools Choral Music Society (ISCMS) music festival is coming to Beijing and we've got two pairs of VIP tickets to give away to the Gala Concert on February 18. This year's star guest is Welsh music luminary Karl Jenkins, the most widely performed living composer in the world. If you want to see him and the cream of the world's young musical talent perform at the Forbidden City Concert Hall, just read on and answer one simple question. You should know that this performance will include the world premiere of Qing Zhu ("Celebration"), composed especially for ISCMS and conducted by Jenkins himself.

The Axe Men Cometh: Catch Swedish Metal Legends Opeth Live

thebeijinger — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:00:00 +0800

Swedish heavy metal band Opeth will be taking the stage Saturday, February 11 at Tango. If you are in any doubt as to their metal credentials, consider that their drummer is named Axe. Gosh. They will be exposing Beijingers to their unique sound, which blends metal with softer elements such as folk, blues and jazz. Before that happens, we got guitarist Fredrik Akesson to offer some insight on the band's influences, fake blood and loud fans.

Hot Tuna: Alan Paul Interviews Jefferson Airplane Co-Founder Jorma Kaukonen

thebeijinger — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0800

Jorma Kaukonen, who will make his China debut on February 11 at Yugong Yishan, was a founding member of two legendary rock bands: Jefferson Airplane and the still-touring Hot Tuna. When the former debuted in 1965, they were the first San Francisco psychedelic band to make an impact, a few years before their friends in the Grateful Dead. They were also the only band to play at the three major '60s rock festivals: Monterey, Woodstock, and Altamont.

Eventually, the band split into two: the pop-rock Jefferson Airplane and the rootsy, blues-based Hot Tuna, featuring Kaukonen and bassist Jack Casady. The pair still tour in both electric and acoustic settings, while the guitarist also enjoys a thriving solo acoustic career. He is also a popular instructor at the Fur Peace Ranch, a guitar camp he founded 15 years ago on his Ohio property.

Writer Alan Paul caught up with Jorma on the phone as he prepared for his short Asian tour of Japan and China.

Gentle But Not Softcore: Youngsters Sculpting Soundscapes

thebeijinger — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:00:00 +0800

Gothenburg may be known as the cradle of melodic death metal, but it also nurtured the much gentler indie sound of post-rockers Immanu El, whose atmospheric pluckings have been compared to Sigur Rós and Mogwai. In less than four years, the quintet has played almost 200 shows in over 25 countries. Before finally landing in China, frontman Claes Strängberg had some thoughts to share with us.

Weekend Live Music Reviews: Chiren, Sunny Song

thebeijinger — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 12:00:00 +0800

Chiren

While many of you spent Friday headbanging at crowded gigs like D-22’s final show, or the charity concert for retired soldiers at Yugong Yishan, one of that latter show’s most nuanced bands performed best for a smaller (but no less captive) audience at Jiang Hu Liveshow Bar on Saturday night.

Spring Festival Live Music Roundup: Who's Open And Closed, Albums of the Year

thebeijinger — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:00:00 +0800

Maybe when tons of fireworks make the streets sound like a war zone, live music isn’t needed so much. Like it or not, there’s not much going on in Beijing around Chinese New Year. In the Gulou area, while most of the bars and restaurants will take a break, Jiangjinjiu and Temple will stay open. Too bad that the former one doesn’t have any shows scheduled and will be shut down forever soon after the Spring Festival. They said that last year too.

Goodbye D-22: Inside The Last Nights

thebeijinger — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 12:00:00 +0800

About one kilometer east from Wudaokou subway station, on the south side of Chengfu Lu, there’s a dark sign with an odd name on it – D-22. If you’ve never been inside, you could have easily missed it when you walked by. Now it will be forever missed. After supporting Beijing’s young music talents for almost six years, the tiny club has closed its doors for the last time. Lots of goodbyes were said at its last two shows: Zoomin’ Night last Tuesday and Mongolian punk band Mohanik’s gig on Friday.

Last Zoomin’ Night

This was not the last night that the bar stayed open, but to the those who made it their second home, this was the real last night.

Death Cab For Cutie, Sum 41, Avril Lavigne, Westlife To Play In Beijing

thebeijinger — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:00:00 +0800

JUE Festival has brought us lots of joy and good acts over the past three years. Next month, it's back with Death Cab For Cutie - probably the biggest indie pop band in the world. They will play the opening weekend of the Festival: first in Shanghai on March 9, then in Beijing at Tango 3F on March 10. Ticket information remains unrevealed (like the rest of lineup) but we'll have both for you as soon as we get them.

Aside from the JUE Festival, there are more exciting acts to looking forward to in coming months:

Weekend Live Music Roundup: Mamer, Longshendao, D-22's Last Night, Death Cab For Cutie

thebeijinger — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 18:00:00 +0800

Breaking news. Death Cab For Cutie will play in Beijing this March. More details to follow.

The biggest annual migration on the planet officially started last weekend. Some of Beijing’s musicians have already left town. This weekend is likely your last chance to appreciate the loud and noisy music scene before it vanishes along with all the cars in the streets and people on the subways during the Spring Festival break. Interestingly, all the big acts still in town are setting the stage for some historical performances.

Brussels Sprouts: Sid Gulinck takes us to Belgium

thebeijinger — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:00:00 +0800

Haze welcomes DJs Attar! and Mickey for “Take Me to Belgium” this month, the first in a series aimed at putting visiting Belgian artists on Beijing’s electronic music map. Why would anyone want to do that? We asked promoter Sid Gulinck that very question.