Notes from the Underground: Weekend in review

We are beginning to tire of starting off posts with what seems to be an ongoing Chinese soap opera (sans “Da Shan” scandal) with Tanghui -- but it seems to be something every weekend. Just in case you left before the end of the Second Hand Rose show, word on the streets says you missed "the man” coming in and taking away the drum set (or part of it, at least) from the controversial rockers (yes, the cops came in and took the band's drums ... or at least that is what we have heard ... from reliable-although-likely-slightly-intoxicated sources). Always impressive when any band draws more heat than Top Floor Circus (Saturday’s opening band known for showing their, erm, openings).

Now, while we’re still on the fence with the whole East Coast/West Coast representation thing (good weather or better health care -- how to choose?), it didn’t stop us from rolling up one pajama leg and attending the Back to the Roots party at Blue Ice. Admittedly, a lot of it was over our head, but we did see MC Mojo disregard the annoying factor of the broken turntables and (brilliantly) do it all himself (beat box/MC/make-that-cool-record-scratching-sound-with-his-mouth). Best turnout yet, we hear. Hell, yuh.

Lesson of the weekend? If you’re going to trust someone to make your band's CDs, you might ask for a quick demo, less you suffer the fate of The Believer’s, who, after filling up Yuyintang with their record-breaking sound, sold 200+ CDs with less on them then the final approved China edit of Mission: Impossible 3 (meaning the CDs were blank).

Should all of this hullabaloo find you back in that Moleskine you promised yourself you’d keep up with after moving here, you would have benefited by learning how to put it all into a ditty last night at Melting Pot by Brian Seymour. Although we arrived too late to catch him (chased girlfriend's stalker three blocks while wearing Crocs, broke toe -- you know, that old chestnut), good things were said all around. Now, we don't consider ourselves gay (at least on Monday's), but the Spainish musician who got up at the open mic afterwards, saying he wanted to find more places he could "touch a guitar" did make us consider it for uno momento ... those large 19 kuai beers helped.

Speaking of feelings, we like to keep ours all bottled up and compressed into a tiny black ball, but simply can’t shrug off the departure of Jackson Black -- who’s headed back to the States to work on his new album an d… other things. If you were never lucky enough to catch him, you’ll be one of the few who doesn’t end up saying, “I actually saw him back in Shanghai”.

So, hey ... Jackson … just wanted ... uhhh ... to say: You … will …. (ahem) …. ummmmm …. (whew) …be … misse … aw, fuck it.

See ya.