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.

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.

It’s fascinating how time flows. Exactly this time a year ago, there was a rumor that folk bar Jiangjinjiu, near the Drum Tower, was getting torn down; folk rockers Buyi thought they'd be playing their beloved bar for the last time. No one can guarantee that the bar will be there forever, but it's definitely still standing. You can catch Buyi there this Friday night.

Six years ago, D-22 was opened to give young bands more opportunities to play. Somehow it became a paradise for punk heads and indie kids. Then Beijing's "noisiest" youngsters also claimed it as their base, conducting their musical experiments there. Most people don't actually go to D-22 very often because of its location, but the club's existence is indubitably symbolic. It's a place where a gig can be delayed for over two hours because the sound system is acting up ... yet no one gets mad or anxious. Facing the end of a year and the end of an era, I don't know which one's harder to believe: that 2011 is done or that D-22 is closing.

Somehow Christmas in China has become as ear-torturing as it is in the West – all the malls, restaurants and markets play only Christmas music around this time, and the only Christmas song they know is "Jingle Bells." One day, over a single meal, I heard at least 20 different versions of "Jingle Bells." How creative! Finally, the actual holiday is at the door. Besides the feast you are giving your stomachs, your ears deserve a treat too.

These past two years have been a booming time for folk music in Beijing. Maybe it’s because more and more people started to find out how easy it is to just pick up an acoustic guitar and sing a song of sorrow with face full of bitterness. The good part is that the really good bands have actually stood out even more. Take Hanggai and Shanren, these are two quite different yet similar bands, one fuses Mongolian folk tunes with the power of rock, the other mixes folk rock with reggae beats. Both are fun, energetic, interactive and exotic. If you plan it well, you might be able to catch both of them tomorrow night.

Are the music maniacs really becoming more and more active in Beijing? Is it just their reaction to a cold winter? It was only midweek, but celebrations started yesterday. Australian metal-core band Parkway Drive and British electro newbie Chad Valley went to Gulou Dongdajie, rocking MAO Livehouse and Temple bar real good. We hope you still have energy left because there’s no time to rest, not even for one night.

It's another diverse weekend in Beijing’s music scene to keep the city heated and, as usual, we've a rich list of choices: rock, folk, jazz, electro, indie, and musical experimentalists are on the menu.

Those punks from Subs haven’t played a lot recently, but front woman Kangmao’s folk group Bye-bye Thanks For Your Fish has been on almost every weekend. They'll be jamming alongside some other interesting characters, like electro-folk Zhang Si’an, at 2 Kolegas tomorrow night.

The will.i.am concert finally set its date a few days ago. Today, the event's Beijing press conference took place at the JW Marriott. Chinese American singer Shunzi and grammy nominated World music siren Sa Dingding took part in the press conference. They will both be performing at the Booey Lehoo Concert (the event's official name) alongside will.i.am, apl.de.ap and John Legend to support "greater cultural and educational exchange between the two countries." will.i.am, the Mayor of Los Angeles and some Chinese artists who couldn't make it to the press conference sent their support via video.

One good wish gathers all of these people together: "To benefit and raise awareness for the 100,000 Strong Initiative - an effort with significant support from both the U.S. and Chinese governments, to drastically increase the number of American students coming to China over four years." The concert will take place at the National Indoor Stadium on December 17, tickets can be booked now. Right, now onto the weekend.

Among all the “underground” rock bands in Beijing, New Pants is probably the closest to the “mainstream,” even though they might not like that fact so much. They actually haven’t been very active in the live music scene lately but spent their time on short movies and stage plays. Finally they are having a big show at a big venue – where they can put their crazy nerdy ideas onto the stage. Catch up with them tomorrow night at the Beijing Exhibition Theater. I hope you won some free tickets from us, because tickets are not cheap.