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MP3 Monday: YYT’s Two-Day Beast Bender

Once more for all the marbles. Lots of self-love in this week's MP3 Monday and a round-up of what else it on for live music in Shanghai.
2012-05-28 14:47:45


My friends, I’m about to do a very difficult thing. I’m about to abandon the hard-won journalistic integrity I’ve earned by reviewing Munchies, shitting on people’s flyers, binge drinking, and offering various Pulitzer-worthy investigative reports. For today’s MP3 Monday, I’m going to puff up a concert I’m personally involved in this weekend. I know. Terrible. Terrible. Feel free to stop reading. Feel free to leave angry comments. Feel free to never ever again read the esteemed MP3 Monday column. Alas. This is the only time I’ve ever done it, except for a few other times, and I probably won’t do it again, unless something else comes up that I personally stand to make money on. That’s my pledge to you. Just this third or fourth time and maybe a few more times in the future.

My band Boys Climbing Ropes is breaking up this weekend for good. Guitarist is pissing off back to Canada. Zaijian, quitter. So, finally, after six years, we’re busting up, but before that, we’re doing a two-day show at Yuyintang -- Friday night, starting at 8:30pm and Saturday afternoon and night, starting at 5pm -- with a whole slew of Shanghai bands we’ve played with over the years. Basically all of them. All your favorites, anyways. Like 15 or 16 bands over two days of shows. So it’s not really just about us, except it is about us, but even if your hate that BCR band and are deeply offended by these poor ethics, there’s still fun to be had with all these other legit and terrific rock ‘n’ rollers. Don’t punish THEM, dear reader. Don’t punish THEM.

I will argue this: BCR is a six-time nominated City Weekend Band of the Year. Six. I think that speaks for itself, to be so consistently heard of and almost rewarded with such a hallowed honor. Six, my friends. Six. Or maybe five.

But before we get into that, here’s a few other live rock (ish) music things on for this weekend. This is what is also going on for Friday and Saturday in Shanghai, so if you see something you’d rather do, hey, you’ve been informed of it, and we’ll call it even.

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Looking at Mao Livehouse, on Friday night, they’ve got the new album release show of popular folk singer, Zhang Weiwei. Originally from Lanzhou but based in Beijing, Zhang Weiwei used to be in the popular band Glorious Pharmacy, before striking out on his own as a solo folk artist in 2006. He’s a hugely popular performer, a festival fixture, and it’s going to be a packed out house for his Shanghai show. Maybe even sold out. Here’s his douban page if you want a listen. Here’s the details. The next night at Mao Livehouse is a heat in the annual Summer Sonic competition. Local bands competing for the prize of appearing at Japan’s Summer Sonic festival for 2012. Bunch of local acts on the bill: slick emo pop punk from Forget or Forgive, classic rock from Da Bei, pop punk from Candy Shop and more. Details here.

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Over at Live Bar, on both Friday and Saturday night is a bunch of student and new bands. I’ve not had the pleasure of seeing most of these acts and it appears most of them haven’t worked out a band page on the Doubans yet, but Live Bar is a great venue, well worth the trip, and if you want to check out something new and fresh (rather than something old, stale, and about to be put out to pasture, of course) Friday and Saturday at Live Bar look pretty good. Here’s the bill for the Friday; Here’s Saturday.

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Two nights of live music over at DClub. Friday night they host Winterhill, a Danish band touring through China. “Music -- electronic noise, great sheets of distorted guitars blended to create a unique, dreamlike and cinematic universe of sound. The Cocteau Twins mixed with the soundtrack to Twin Peaks. Ghost pop.” Check out their stuff online right here. Here are the details for that show. The next night, Saturday night, DClub hosts in two local bands, grunge band Prank and pop rock band Jungle Woods. Click on either of those links to check them out. Cover is only 10rmb to get in, and they give you a drink if you come in with a big taxi fapiao. Details.

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Okay, so without a somewhat clear conscience, here’s the details for the Boys Climbing Ropes Farewell Shows this Friday and Saturday at Yuyintang. It’s 50rmb each day or 80rmb for two-days -- those two-day passes available at the door on Friday night.

On the Saturday, things get going early at 5pm and it’s free sausages from Little Blue Cart for the first 75 guests. Yes, you read that correctly, my friends: one free sausages for the first 75 guests. And probably some free beer somehow as well. Working on it. Get there early, punk rocker. Sausage and chutney!

Here’s the line-up and schedule. Click on each of those band names to be re-directed to their
Doubanses.

Friday


Doors: 9pm

9:30 - 10: 05: Next Year’s Love

10:20 - 10:55: X is Y

11:05 – 11:45: Battle Cattle

12:00 – Whenever: Boys Climbing Ropes (earlier material)

Saturday


Doors: 5pm

5:00 – 5:45: iAmalam

5:45 – 6:00: Dinner + Show Screening + Beer Drankin'

6:05 – 6:30: BCR + Guests from The Horde and The Fever Machine (Acoustic)

6:35 – 7:00: Friend or Foe (Acoustic)

7:05 – 7:35: Stegosaurus?

7:45 - 8:20: The Macaronians

8:35 – 9:10: Moon Tyrant

9:20 – 9:55: Naohai

10: 10 – 10:45: Banana Monkey

11: 00 – 11:35: Rainbow Danger Club

11:50 – 12:25: Duck Fight Goose

12:25 – Death: Boys Climbing Ropes (later material)

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Damn, forgot an MP3. Here’s one:

Please install Flash Player

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BCR's Last Waltz is this Friday and Saturday at YYT. Details.

TELL EVERYONE