Sing for China: some reflections

“For nearly a year I had lived in a world that seemed, at first, like something original. It was obvious from the beginning that the menace bore little resemblance to its publicized image, but there was a certain pleasure in sharing the Angels’ amusement at the stir they’d created. Later, as they attracted more and more attention, the mystique was stretched so thin that it finally became transparent”
– Hunter S. Thompson, from Hell’s Angels

In September 2009, indie Beijing label Modern Sky put into action something that had been in planning phases for over 2 years. Sing for China was a hugely ambitious undertaking: 15 cities across the USA featuring 3 Beijing based bands – Queen Sea Big Shark, Hedgehog and Casino Demon. This is what we, after much thought, conclude from this laudable incursion.

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Carsick Cars, PK14 and Xiao He creating waves in NYC

In case you hadn’t heard, Maybe Mars are showcasing their bands at the moment in New York City.  More HERE.

In advance of a report by friend of the Radar Zachary Mexico (thanks pal), our attention has been drawn to several reviews already up online

the Village Voice: A dive bar tucked into the edge of the East River, Glasslands has a cramped funkiness to match Beijing’s premier indie venues D-22 and 2Kolegas, so that even eleven thousand kilometers from home, the bands might feel right at home, even if the air isn’t dense with cigarette smoke inside and factory exhaust outside.

Douban user: AND in the middle of the xiao he set, all of his sound cut out (pk14 had a lot of speaker problems too) and he was sort of left with nothing to do because they didn’t even have someone on the soundboard — so he jumped up and said OKAY NOW, CHINESE DANCE! and grabbed some poor middle aged looking bearded guy in a nice coat out of the audience and started trying to dance with him onstage and play with his red scarf. i really hope that was alex ross from the new yorker!!!!!

Sweet. Big up the Mars for pulling this off!

The publicity machine begins

As readers of this site will now know, Maybe Mars are taking 3 of their bands to the USA.

You can read about that HERE and interviews with Matthew Niederhauser HERE and HERE.

Now the American press are picking up on it – albeit by commissioning Shanghai resident Dan Shapiro of the Rogue Transmission to write it up.  You can read all about it in Timeout New York HERE.