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.

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.

They had to cancel concerts in Beijing and Shanghai last August due to their lead singer’s throat problem, but only five months later, they are fulfilling their promise to return. In the years since Simple Plan formed in 1999, many pop-punk bands have boomed, ruled, fallen and quit. How has this quintet stayed strong with the same lineup for 12 years? Let’s find out.

"We know it's wrong. But it feels so right. And we can't stop it." So goes the motto of The Underground Rebel Bingo Club, a loosely affiliated network of party organizers who hold "Rebel Bingo" nights in cities around the UK, US, Portugal, Spain and – as of January 7 – Beijing (at Yugong Yishan). For details on the Rebel Bingo craze and information on how to win tickets to the first Rebel Bingo night to be held in Asia, read on.

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.

For years, banjo girl Abigail Washburn, singer/songwriter Kai Welch and Chinese singer/guzheng master Wu Fei thought about collaborating on something together. When Wu Fei was in the US, the three started combining American country tunes, traditional Chinese influences and their wild ideas. They called themselves Wu-Force, and presented their work in Beijing in the summer of last year. Washburn is currently on her "Silk Road" tour, but she'll be making a stop in Beijing this weekend, where we’ll get a chance to witness the newest creations from Wu-Force. We recently asked Wu Fei to give us a hint of what to expect.

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.

Remember the last minute cancellation of Simple Plan's show in August? Even though the Canadian pop punk group has been in China three times before, the singer's throat was still defeated by the Chinese air. They had to change the concerts into fan meetings, and now the band is fulfilling their promise of coming back. They are scheduled to play at Yugong Yishan on Jan 6 and here's a short video of them saying hello.