China2Valley Post Re: Not There

Check out this article on the China2Valley blog about freemium vs. paid concerts.

Thanks for a Great Night @ Hot Cat

Thanks to everyone who came out last Saturday night. There were a lot of you, the biggest crowd ever at Hot Cat according to their mgmt. We’ve got a busy couple of months on the way and we’ll be letting y’all know about our plans for Halloween in the next few days. Let’s just say it involves moving mountains, willy wonka and all kinds of Christmas cheer…

Live @ Hot Cat on Saturday Night

We’re playing a 2 set show at Hot Cat this Saturday night. Doors are at 830 and our friend Evan Voshell is opening. We should be on stage around 10pm, and we’re busting out a bunch of new material. Hot Cat is very close to El Nido in Fang Jia Hutong. The closest subway stop is at the Lama Temple. For directions click here

Not There Live @ Club 13

We recorded our gig at 13 Club in May. Click here to download the show. Hope you guys enjoy it. And yes that’s Alex from the Ugly Dumplings hitting on the girl who wants to eat Chuanr.

Blog Post by Me on Beijing Gig Guide

I wrote this for the Beijing Gig Guide today. Enjoy, but warning it’s for adults only (sort of).

Finding the cracks between swing and straight

Most of the music I like is very syncopated, but I’m not really that into music that overtly swings. What makes me perk up and listen is when someone can play something like a 4/4 rock beat but throw a little swing into it, giving it a kind of syrupy groove. Levon Helm comes to mind immediately. His work with the Band isn’t what you would call “swing” but everything he plays has a lilt, almost like he’s drumming with a laconic Southern drawl.

Great rhythm section playing, for me anyway, is all about finding the cracks between swinging and playing it straight.

The Concept of the Band Needs to Go

The band was a great idea. A bunch of guys would get together and play some music, they’d write songs and other people, smarter “adults” would take care of things for them. Do all the grunt work like sign record deals, promote shows, maybe work corporate angles if the artist was into it.

Funny thing is, the people you hired were getting rich of your money. Most bands were too high or lazy to do things themselves and they got burned in the long run.

Well the “Music Industry” is dead and you no longer have the luxury of being “a band.” You need to think of yourself as a small business that’s selling content to other people. That content can take several forms: Digital Downloads, Music for films, tv & games and corporate deals with advertisers. The catch is, your shows and your merch, you don’t give that up for anything, you don’t sell those rights to anyone, don’t do a 360 deal. If you can play live, you can play forever and you’ll always have a career. Live music is one thing that will never die. Case in point: go watch a DJ in a half full room and there’s no atmosphere. Go watch a band and they can make the place jump.

Good Music in Beijing

It’s no secret that I’m a tough critic and that I don’t like a lot of music. One band I like a lot is Lonely China Day. They’re interesting musically and they have something to say. That’s always the main test for me, do you have something to say.