The indie rock/rockabilly showdown
Banana Monkey (the indie rockers) and Rolling Bowling (the rockers-abilly) played a double bill at Yuyintang. First up: Banana Monkey. I actually feel like maybe I talk about [...]
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Daniel Hart at YYT (again?!)
I’ve seen Daniel Hart in Shanghai before. Maybe at Yuyintang? Maybe somewhere else. Maybe on the street just hanging out. I can’t immediate place it because it [...]
Girls Like Mystery and albums that never get opened
I get psyched for album releases. Like, really excited, because I love to get an actual, physical copy of an album. It’s the best souvenir I can get in Shanghai because [...]
Delicious Shanghai swine water
Yeah, Shanghai’s got a dead-pigs-in-water problem. What of it? People are so picky these days about what’s floating down their rivers. Anyway, it’s produced [...]
What the fox say?
I’ve watched this video about five times now, and it’s raised a lot of questions, mostly “What am I doing with my life in that I have the time and desire to [...]
Review: The euphonious sounds of urban folk
I decided that I was going to listen to more Chinese music (gasp! While living in China and actively writing about music. Crazy, right?). I actually hear loads of local indie [...]
Nicki Minaj to bring her special brand of crazy to Shanghai
There’s a rumor that Nicki Minaj will perform in Shanghai as part of an electronic music festival planned for November. I don’t know if this is true or not, but [...]
Review: Do Japandroids dream of electric sheep?
The big show of the weekend was obviously Japandroids, put on and well-promoted by Split Works. HIMDONG opened the show. It’s been a few months since I’ve seen [...]
Guard Your Loins – Japandroids coming to town
I’m psyched about this weekend’s Japandroids show at Yuyingtang. I spent, like, an hour (or a good five minutes) trying to think up clever android-esque puns for [...]
Neutral Milk Hotel, breaking my heart one tour date at a time
Huge list of new dates/places for Neutral Milk Hotel‘s tour here. And Shanghai’s not there, because life is black and pointless and sad. If you don’t want [...]
You Can Go Home Now: Mumford & Sons just made the greatest video ever
It’s always reassuring to see a band poking a bit of fun at themselves and their image. Not bad, gentlemen. Not bad. Also, how awesome would it be if Mumford & Sons [...]
Cool DJs are cool
I know quite a few DJs here and there, and mostly, they’re pretty cool. Some are awful, obviously, but most are cool. But the DJ does have a very special talent of [...]
Coming to a Shanghai near you
It’s hot as balls in Shanghai right now, unbearably so, and there may or may not be stuff going on in the city; I wouldn’t know. Not a whole lot past a [...]
Shanghai music videos (still better than MTV)
We have bands in Shanghai! Also, sometimes they make music videos, because that’s what bands do, right? I mean, if they’re good-looking enough and all. [...]
Review: A ripper of a show from YYT
The “Goodbye Shanghai” show at Yuyintang was a good one: an all-day love affair with Shanghai music and the people who make it (and those who will be missed). [...]
Review: Dead Elvis vs. Dead Elvis
I’m not usually one for a gimmick, but if it’s some dude who dresses up like dead Elvis (just to be clear, he doesn’t dress up like Elvis, who happens to be [...]
Every band in Shanghai, ever
Hey, have you never seen a Shanghai band? First of all, shame. Second of all, you can easily make up for it this weekend by seeing every band in Shanghai. Yes. Every band in [...]
New band or delicious snack? You be the judge.
So I was out and about last night, minding my own business, and happened to catch a street performance by either a possible new band in Shanghai or a delicious new imported [...]
Review: Blah blah blah, More Rainbow Danger Club stuff
I go on and on about Rainbow Danger Club, but that will soon be coming to an end. They released their second (and last) LP Saturday night at Yuyintang. Best show I’ve [...]
Review: Scandinavian music is…Scandinavian
You gotta have a gimmick! And last Friday at 390 Livehouse that was “Scandinavia.” But you know, I’d never been to a Scandinavian showcase before so it got [...]
Shanghai’s best bands — see ’em while you can
I don’t usually write about upcoming events, because I am a lazy person and don’t like to “plan” stuff or “think” about things. So [...]
The Led Zeppelin runion, Part 2: President Clinton edition
So apparently former US President Clinton can negotiate with North Korea to get hostages released, but even he can’t convince Led Zeppelin to get back together for a [...]
Neutral Milk Hotel reunion, Asian dates, hyperventilation
There have been rumors abounding that Neutral Milk Hotel would be reuniting for a some shows for a while now, but now it’s officially, no bullshit, honest-to-god [...]
Review: Acoustic copulation
390 Panyu Lu hosted a stellar acoustic show Friday night that saw two local bands — Rainbow Danger Club and The Horde — pairing up and performing. First of all, [...]
Sometimes it’s pretty cool to write about music
I both love and hate music festivals. Like everyone. This should sum it up. And when you’re working at a music festival, it’s a mixed bag. On one hand, you [...]
Review: Post-rock is better than Jesus, at least when it comes to Godspeed
Though really, that’s kind of ambiguous. I guess my opinion of post-rock really depends on your opinion of Jesus. A couple of weeks back, Godspeed You! Black Emperor [...]
Some bands are so hip they don’t even exist yet.
Jimmy Kimmel Live went to the Coachella Festival to ask some super hip cool kids about the hottest new bands. Except, of course, that all the bands the correspondent asked [...]
Review: Rock ‘n’ roll at Yuyintang with lots of white guys
Sometimes it’s nice just to go somewhere and hear some music. You know, nothing fancy. Just some good ol’ slightly messy, very loud, strangely enthusiastic music. [...]
Yesterday, I bought some records and the whole world celebrated!
Yesterday was all miserable and cold and shit but also Record Store Day. So, you know, records. I like records and I have a lot of records, despite the fact that I am neither [...]
Beach Boys + bird flu (related??)
Hahaaa, nooo, The Beach Boys didn’t bring the bird flu to China. OR DID THEY??! No, they didn’t. Really. Though it is quite the coincidence that the Beach Boys [...]
Smack Madness 