Rock in China interviewed Shanghai rock band MOON TYRANT about their previous touring, WE ARE SHANGHAI and a couple of other things. Azchael for Rock in China, “I:” for Ivan, JC for JC, “M:” for Murray and “J:” for Jaret, otherwise Moon Tyrant for Moon Tyrant.

Azchael: Can you briefly introduce yourself and the band?
Moon Tyrant: Moon Tyrant is Cincinatti chili. Jaret’s the chili, Murray’s the spaghetti, JC’s the beans, and Ivan’s the cheese.
M: layer upon layer of delicious, heartwarming flavor, and vicious to the asshole come morning.
Azchael: What kind of instruments are you using? Which brand?
JC: Jaret plays whatever we have at the venue, plus Ivan’s cymbals and his snare.
I: Zildjian and Paiste cymbals
JC: I play an Epiphone bass. It’s the signature model of one of my favorite bassists, Allen Woody, although it sounds nothing like what he played. I bought it in haste when my original bass had a forced retiring the week before Mongolia. There’s no bridge pick-up, so it’s all low end, which feels great live, but I’ll likely try and borrow a bass from someone to record.
M: Hamer USA Standard Custom. Also bought in haste after the unexpected demise of its predecessor. A decision well made though. It’s divine.

Azchael: Moon Tyrant was included in the recent “We Are Shanghai” compilation record. How did you get on the compilation?
Moon Tyrant: We cheated. Well, it was Ivan’s idea. And I was one of the other key organizers. Does that count as cheating? All of us put our own bands on the comp, but I don’t know if it was out of place. We’ve all been very active bands within the scene, and all of our recordings were done DIY. Those were two of the big themes for the compilation.

Azchael: Titled “We Are Shanghai”, what does that sentence mean for you?
Moon Tyrant: Someone once tried to frame a question to us under the guise of Moon Tyrant being a diverse band and I ended up treating the rest of the interview as a bit of a joke. Murray might come from Tasmania, but I never there was anything especially diverse about us.
We’ve all been here a few years now. In a lot ways, I don’t think of us a foreign band; I think of us as a Shanghai band.
M: Our individual tastes and styles differ so broadly that if it wasn’t for our meeting in Shanghai, Moon Tyrant surely wouldn’t have happened.

JC: All the promotion we do is bi-lingual, and we try to play every show with at least one band from outside our laowai circle. That kind of internationalism is really special to our city. Also, we look down on people from the countryside.
M: And believe without exception that true love comes from the heart, if the heart is full of cash.

Azchael: When you play in other Chinese cities, e.g. Wuhan or Suzhou, do you try to represent the Shanghai scene or do you try to establish yourself as an artist independent of Shanghai?
Moon Tyrant: We always have “Shanghai” on the poster if we have a say. We went to Beijing last week and brought out more “We Are Shanghai” CDs than Moon Tyrant ones. There are a few people here who promote themselves as a foreign act, but that’s ridiculous. You can’t call yourself a foreign band if you’ve never played a show outside China.

Azchael: How many other cities have you played in and what do you think is the major difference to Shanghai?
Moon Tyrant: Four within China, plus two in Mongolia. I’d like us to get out more this year. Our schedules have been one factor, and we haven’t really made as big an effort as we should have. Playing at home is great, but you get tired of having the same people pat you on the back after every show. There is definitely a different energy to crowds outside of Shanghai, where four clowns rocking out in silver face paint is considered a novelty. We’ve played in Hangzhou twice, Wuhan twice, Suzhou, Beijing, and best of all, Hefei. Ask Super Sophia about that one sometime.

Azchael: Which one of your songs gets you the best feedback at shows?
Moon Tyrant: Our newest song we’ve been playing live, “Patterns”  has been getting good feedback. I certainly don’t ask people what they think. Actually, the song that got the best reaction, both recorded and live, is one we don’t ever play any more. It’s our “Rosalita”. Maybe after we break up and get back together in 20 years, we’ll make it the encore for shows at New New Giants Stadium. It was the only of our songs that I ever started to dislike playing, and I wrote it. We tried playing it in practice a month or two back when we wanted to mix up our set a bit, but we didn’t make it past half-way through.

Azchael: Do you think you are underground? What is “underground” for you?
Moon Tyrant: Yeah, we are. At least in Shanghai, there isn’t really “over-ground”, unless you count Sonnet gigging at the Apple Store or some of that nonsense. Plus, we’re the heaviest band in the laowai circuit, and the metal scene is really local. We don’t really fit in with either, even though we play within both. To me, underground isn’t an aesthetic or an ideal. It’s a status. I would love it if mainstream Chinese media accepted us and we weren’t this hidden part of local culture. I get especially annoyed when I hear locals refer to Yuyintang as a laowai bar. When my parents listen to cooler current music than teenagers here do, that says a lot about the state of a place’s rock scene.

Azchael: Being a four-foreigner band you have received a fair share of media coverage in English-language blogs and webzines. How much attention do you get in Chinese-language newspapers, magazines or blogs?
Moon Tyrant: What Chinese-language press? We’ve gotten some Weibo love, but a dismaying amount is “This foreigner speaks great Chinese!”. Woozy just taped a video interview with Bren (from Stegosaurus?) and I about the compilation CD. Maybe it’s just Shanghai, but what Chinese-language rock media is there really? If you’ve got any contacts, I’d be glad to reach out.

Azchael: Touring in China is time-intensive and depending on distance can cost quite some money. How do you cope financially? Do all your gigs pay you off for what you invest?
Moon Tyrant: It’s an expensive hobby. I have no idea how much we’ve spent over the past two years. Both Murray and I had to buy new instruments after tragic transportation incidents, and Jaret’s bought new gear, too. Plus, I’ve invested in a bunch of recording gear. And practice. I think only two of our road gigs have earned us anything. Our Shanghai gigs pay for a month or so of practice. Actually, everything we earn goes into a drawer in my room and gets funneled pretty much directly to Wujun, who owns the practice space. We’re totally not-for-profit.

Azchael: Do you have merchandize available? E.g. T-Shirts or other stuff? If yes, where can I get it?
Moon Tyrant: We are going to have t-shirts soon as part of the Twin Horizon project. Our friend Clem did the drawing for it, since Ivan didn’t want to draw his own band’s shirt. We’ve got older shirts that will probably ruin your laundry, even though I promise we washed them four times before we gave them out to people. Those are free. Just ask. They’re only in one size, though. They fit my girlfriend quite nicely.
Stickers are free. Our CD is usually free, too, if you want it. It’s on Bandcamp perhaps you’ll refer to your earlier question when you make the decision to download it. And we’re not hard to get in touch with (Facebook, Douban, Weibo). Just ask, man. Better yet, come to a show!

Azchael: What is your plan for 2012? What is your next big step?
Moon Tyrant: We’re writing. We take forever to write stuff, but we really want to record something new for the summer. Our sound has changed so much since the first record, and we want to really show that off. We’ve got three new tracks that are done, and Murray’s sitting beside me with a guitar working on another. Then we’ll break them down and hone special arrangements for recording. And as I said before, I’d like to get out of town a bit more often.

Azchael: Thanks for the interview.
Moon Tyrant: Any time. Moon Tyrant is not known for shyness, or for an unwillingness to offend fellow scenesters.

The CORE IN CHINA compilation project is a non-commercial promotional compilation record scheduled for release in May 2012. Artists and bands of the genres screamo, deathcore, nintendocore, metalcore, post hardcore and various other ‘core-styles are being approached from January to March 2012.

Up to 20 bands from Mainland China, Hongkong and Macau are being show casted as the fresh and dynamic heavy underground from China. For each band, Chinese and English biography and song lyrics are being included in the booklet to enable international accessibility of the music.

If you are interested in the project, either to participate or to hear more about the compilation contact Rock in China:

• AZCHAEL@ROCKINCHINA.COM
• YANG@ROCKINCHINA.COM

Read more on the project and what is done.

Arcane Saints, an Australian hard rock / metal band went on a 6-city tour through China in October 2011. Rock in China interviewed them on their experience. Azchael for Rock in China and Jim for Arcane Saints.

Azchael: Can you briefly introduce yourself and Arcane Saints?
Jim (Arcane Saints): My name is Jim, bass player, back up vocalist and nocturnal activities advisor. We are the Arcane Saints, dirty rock/metal hedonists that go hard on stage and off!

Azchael: How did you get the idea of coming to China in the first place?
Jim (Arcane Saints): We talked to a fellow Melbourne band that made the trip and decided we had to do it.

Azchael: How did you get in contact with Tom of This Town Touring?
Jim (Arcane Saints): We contacted him through This Town Touring’s website.

Azchael: Can you describe your experience in one sentence?
Jim (Arcane Saints): Best time of our lives!

Azchael: If you have a chance to visit any city again of your tour, which one would it be?
Jim (Arcane Saints): 2 cities: Wuhan, because we let them down after we missed a train, and Shanghai, because we have a love affair with the BM club, and unfinished business with the Prison Break tattoo parlour.

Azchael: Have you had a chance to see any Chinese bands playing and if yes, which one would you think is fit for playing in your home town?
Jim (Arcane Saints): All the bands we played with on our tour would do the business in Australia, we were backed up by consistently strong bands!

Azchael: How did you overcome the financial constraints of the tour?
Jim (Arcane Saints): The same way we overcome all our financial constraints: We work our asses off, save up whatever we need to stay alive, and hit the road! Plus we had a very good friend kick in some cash to help with airfares.

Azchael: What your plans for 2012? Will you come to China again?
Jim (Arcane Saints): We are embarking on an Australian tour over 2 months and then, in late April, we are coming to Canada and China for more international touring madness! We may even throw in some recording in March.

Azchael: How can I buy / get your music in China?
Jim (Arcane Saints): At the moment it can be done following links on our facebook and myspace pages to buy online.

Azchael: Do you have China Tour T-Shirts?
Jim (Arcane Saints): Working on it. By the time we hit China I’m pretty sure we will be sorted.

Azchael: Thanks for the interview.
Jim (Arcane Saints): Thankyou.

Reblogged from 2b:

Finding Music: When it comes to Chinese music, it’s hard for a foreigner who has hardly any prior exposure to Asian music to discover new bands to add to their repertoire of music. The point of this post is to hopefully help people who have a general interest in Chinese music that has no connection to the Mandopop and Cantopop movements. It’s not that I find these genres of music to be terrible, I’m just ready to broaden my horizons when it comes to Chinese music in general, and think its time for the rock …

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A nice summary for American rock fans on how to find and purchase Chinese Rock Music, especially if one cannot read Chinese and thus cannot use Douban.

Li Ziwei formed the band Nuclear Fusion-G in July 2004. Since then they have composed 18 songs, all written by Li Ziwei, including music, lyrics and sampling. One of China’s leading electronic music acts, the band take science as one of its major themes, and by combining many different element such as the heavy rhythm of dance music, samples, the human voice and DJing, they create music that has the power a nuclear bomb detonating. In 2005, with their ambition redoubled and focus on more international exposure, Nuclear Reaction-G is finding its own way in a brand new sector of China’s still blossoming music industry.

Four Five, two words lined up together does not express any defined meaning to give you enough space of imagination, so is the music of the band Four Five. Due to different opinions on music by all band members, everything still go together as one, the appearance as metal and hard core combining multiple new elements. Strong metal riffing on progressive combi-beats, sometimes cut sharp, sometimes grooving, the sound waves are beating the ears and hearts of listeners like a heavy hammer. Complicated verses yet in clear shaps do not lack on power and strength, acting in chord with guitars and bass, bursting druming here and there, plus expressive vocals, all that marks out Four Five’s music. Each band member all have at least over five years of musician experience, arm in arm they go together for the main goal in their hearts.

With guys like the ones above (Monkey King) hitting the stages of China, the metal scene has seen an invasion of ‘CORE related music in recent years.

Started in 2006-2008 with the likes of Ego Fall, re-born Yaksa, Hollow and Nuclear Fusion-G, the scene has moved forward and produced a number of quality bands screaming and thrashing their way into the hearts of the young generation.

With genres even as remote to traditional metal as Nintendocore - which was first introduced to China by leading artist HORSE THE BAND in 2008 – the wave of emo bands and hardcore bands that were pushed by HotPot Music certainly paved the way for Screamo to take its place among the hot and powerful. The 2007 compilation record King-Size China 2 already featured a range of bands that left the old school nu-metal and emo paths to divert into the heavier and more extreme genres.

Nowadays one has to open Douban to see the sprouts shooting up in every city with the likes of From Sad To Dead with their electronic influence and Tribute to Attack Attack! to emocore made in Wuhan, Romeo Bleed to die(喋血罗密欧), and Beijing’s Tun Shu (豚鼠乐队) deathcore advances.

For those interested in these core-related sounds, I can highly recommend to check out the following Douban groups and their links to bands and songs:

• CORE
• Nintendocore
• Screamo
• 中国金属核合众组[UNITED CN METALCORERS]
• Core in Wuhan

Also check out the never-ending list of Chinese metal artists that Rock in China has compiled so far and is extending, with its various subgenres.

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Beijing Screamo band ANY MORE has uploaded (finally) another three songs and enabled them for download:

• 希望2010
• 折翼鸟 （new) – Download from RiC
• 狂想夜demo

Changsha metalcore band Monkey King and their song “Until you come 2010″ (Download).

Monkey King – Until you come 2010

Beijing metal band Dagon Power / Red Robe and their song Delusion.

Download the song

Return of the Truth is a Hardcore Metal Rock band from Beijing. They have a few different musical instruments and play hardcore. Their spirit and hardcore music has the true Hardcore charm, all is not that the breach of your truest thoughts.

For a better quality sound, please visit their Douban page and give their 6 songs a listen. Unfortunately also these songs are not downloadable and hence I can’t make a good youtube video for you.

Found by the wonderful Douban, Ashtemato is a Chengdu based metalcore band, around since 2010 with a couple of songs on Douban for listening.

As with most of the bands I find these days, none of their songs is downloadable, so I can’t give you a youtube link for it, but I can only recommend to check out their page and give it a listen.

On January 18th 2012, Azchael of Rock in China and Nichols of Zang Nan Recordings exchanged an email interview about the record label, the Shanghai music scene and their compilation “We Are Shanghai“.

Henan post hardcore / metalcore band WHY LAZY and their song Dying in the dream. Formed in 2007 they recently got featured on the Resurrection of the Gods 7 compilation record of Mort Productions. Cool song!

Shanghai grunge band ANDROSACE is heading for a China tour this February. Check out the schedule and watch their promo video.

Fall Insects and their song NIGHTWISH from their 2011 record 黑乐章.

A new way to discover Chinese Music has been implemented at the Rock in China blog: Genre Categories with which we are tagging every (nearly every) post at this blog to make it easier for you to search for specific music genres.

Definitely also check out our Metal, Rock, Punk, Hip Hop and Jazz/Blues Portals at the Rock in China wiki.

Beijing not only features metal bands but also the more extreme and modern style called Nintendocore and in this variant electronic-core / screamo with a band called GOODBYE SUNSET. Above the band is shown with American deathcore band SUICIDE SILENCE!

Listen to their song “Shadow of Sadness” on Douban.

Photo: Douban

Talking about new songs, here is another heavier song from the band SAVING MOLLY called “Beijing at the top of the world” (on Douban). Not going into the old discussion Shanghai vs. Beijing, this song does leave a little smile on my lips. Give it a listen!

Photo: Douban

Screamo band THE REASON have uploaded a new demo song on their Douban entitled “Suffering is never END”. Aggressive music!

Photo: Douban