*** May 2015 MRR cover with a rare China nod, to Wuhan's SMZB This week, I pay homage to one of my biggest "journalistic" influences, a publication that, consciously or not, set me on the path to the very point on which I virtually stand today, spouting my biased opinions on underground music and culture to my dedicated audience of around fifteen people who like a healthy dose of curse words with their Monday afternoon updates. (Also, my mom.) MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL, that gloriously black & white punk mag that inspired countless kids just like me (predominately white suburban male ones) to get into obscure hardcore punk bands from around the world and in so doing distinguish themselves from their less enlightened classmates, local authority figures, and their stupid older brothers, approaching a Platonic cultural form I have since come to identify as the Nevin Domer singularity. MRR was big for me growing up in the Texas hill country, attending a public high school with more curriculum oriented toward livestock than "the arts". Indeed, my career today essentially amounts to one long, continuous Scene Report. In MRR's indelible, DIY spirit, this week I'll highlight three gigs being put on by new (or new-ish) independent promoters on Beijing's underground punk & rock scenes (mostly), including a show being organized this weekend explicitly to honor the global reach of the esteemed punk-snot-rag itself. Max rock: *** First up, this Thursday: pbr x Live Beijing Music continue their unholy alliance at Dada/Temple for Gulou Double Decker #4. Upstairs at Temple, LBM presents a docket of "new dangerous sounds" featuring live sets from doom/sludge unit Never Before, grunge quartet Sleep Paralysis, and new electronic duo Fratricide, who are preparing a one-off guitar + drums set for the occasion. Spinning the wheel at random here, and we land on... Sleep Paralysis. Honestly a band I know nothing about. Let's discover them together: Hey, not bad! Pretty mixed bill, that one. Similarly eclectic vibe downstairs at Dada courtesy of pbr. Guest of honor is Danish producer HVAD, who shattered more than a few brains at his back-to-back gigs at School and Dada last March. HVAD — aka Hari Kishore — caught the China bug big-time, returning to Beijing posthaste at the invitation of Danish producer Jonas Soendberg to lay down some world-class audio mastering work, compose a 24-hour film score with local musicians, and, of course, blast some dystopic subcontinental soundscapes at Dada: HVAD's joined by A/V electronic noise wrangler/BrainWave Communication CEO Hong Qile, modular synth-builder/wizard Meng Qi, and more fringe figures on the BJ electro scene. Free entry to both Temple and Dada, 10pm start. More info here. *** Boomeranging back around to the local scene: on Friday at School, DIY booker Dr. Smartass hosts Beijing duo Luv Plastik for the release of their debut EP. Electric Fantastic is a five-song summation of the band's singular blend of groovy bass-lines, instrumental psych walkabouts, and falsetto-screech vocal tracks sounding like they've been run through about 40 years of delay. The EP kicks off with a studio version of the song we debuted in our chunjie mix, proceeding to burn through four more "distorted, explosive and synthetic" tracks of retro rock worship. Feel the funk: On a more zoomed-out, industry level, Electric Fantastic is notable as the first official release by Ran Music, yet another player to emerge in the semi-pro production/label/distributor game in Beijing. As I reported in last week's column, social network Douban.com quietly launched their new label arm, D Force Records, at Mako this past Saturday. VICE China also put out its inaugural release, Sulumi's Unconsciousness, over the May 1 holiday, with comparable discretion. Look for both D Force and Vice China Records to formally launch and unveil their longer-term plans over the Summer. While Ran doesn't appear to have the heavy capitalization of Douban or VICE, it does seem to want to distinguish itself from the dime-a-dozen homegrown DIY labels that have sprung up over the last few years, with a service package including "live recording, quality audio mixing and mastering, sound design and music arrangement" and a stated focus on "producing and releasing music by fresh emerging talent within the domestic industry and abroad." Anyway: Luv Plastik, School Bar, Friday night. Dr. Smartass has put together a killer support card as well, "an eclectic mix of hard-and-heavy outsiders" including Diseased Fruit, Chinese Modern Guys, and Bastards of Imperialism. Old-school Chinese and international punk on the turntables afterwards, courtesy DJ Chairman Wow. No entry fee, 9pm start. *** Last up, the eponymous gig: Maximum Rocknroll on Saturday, May 16, also at School. Where else? To extend its reach abroad, MRR is loosely sponsoring, via grassroots, word-of-mouth, and punk-to-punk networks, "a day of punk and hardcore gigs worldwide." The Beijing portion has been organized by none other than the aforementioned Nevin Domer, founder of local vinyl label Genjing Records, whose business card reads, "Dude did I tell you I just started another label? This one focuses on [insert obscure punk genre] from [insert area of the developing world]. It's called [insert two words portending doom]!" Nevin's put together quite the ticket, feturing live sets from Tongzhou hardcore stalwarts Demerit, School Bar house bands/house burners Dr. Liu & the Human Centipede and Zankou, Beijing D-beat standard bearers D-Crash, and up-and-coming hardcore band LaiSee. I only made it out to day one of this year's (really fuckin' good) Punk-It-Spring, but I saw all the bands, and for me, LaiSee stole the show. They sound like a metalcore band accidentally playing hardcore: all breakneck speed, but not at the expense of serious chops. Check it: So that's Saturday, May 16 at School Bar. "No sexist/ racist/ nationalist/ homophobic bullshit!", the organizer adds. *** RECAP: Gulou Double Decker #4 = THU May 14 @ Dada/Temple Luvplastik EP Release = FRI May 15 @ School Maximum Rocknroll Showcase = SAT May 16 @ School