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Where: Live Bar, 721 Kunming Lu, near Tongbei Lu (昆明路721号). LOgo, 13 Xingfu Lu, near Fahuazhen Lu (幸福路13号)
Starts: Saturday, April 11, 9.30PM at Live Bar, 11.30PM at LOgO
Cover: 40rmb at each location
Ever heard of Ghost rock? We hadn't either until Berlin-based outfit Mio Myo stepped into town. The four person group, consisting of Uwe Eger, Thomas Authenried, Benni Pollach, and Michael Angerer, first formed in mid-2005, and have been making their mix of electro, guitar-based indie and pop sounds ever since.
Mio Myo released their first EP, GHOST FADES, to accolades in Germany, winning “Act of the Week” on Bavarian Open Radio” and “Act of the Month” on Berlin's pop monitor. Now to celebrate their new CD, they've embarked on a world tour - and a rocking live performance. In Shanghai, they'll be playing two venues in one night. First they'll light up Live Bar before heading over to rock the house at LOgO. Catch them if you can!
Mio Myo took the time to talk to us about stepping into China, playing multiple instruments and what Ghost Rock really is.
Welcome to Shanghai, is this your first time here?
Yes, this is definitely our first time not only to Shanghai, but to China. It is really an exciting experience for all of us. But in some ways, to be honest it is way less strange than we would have expected. Global cities like Beijing and Shanghai in some ways look pretty similar to the other metropolises of this planet.
How did you decide to come on over to China?
One of our motivations was out of spirit of adventure. When the first hints came up that a China tour might be a feasible option it definitely turned into a serious fascination. The rest of it is an incredible job that Tag Team records did, which we do really appreciate.
So who does Mio Myo consist of? And what does each one of you in the band do?
It is a four piece band with a frontman who is singing and playing guitar, a bassist, a pianist and synth/player and a pretty crazy drummer.
Where does the name come from? What does it mean?
To be quite honest, it was the last name that remained after a huge discussion that would almost have ended in the split-up of the band. Myo is the English term for a muscle. The biggest muscle in the human body is of course the heart. Mio might stand for a million. So we are actually struggling to reach out for a million of hearts. This is our mission.
We've heard you guys described as ghost rock - what exactly is ghost rock supposed to be?
GR is what happens when we play together. It is some kind of strange energy that you start to feel when you play in you rehearsal room or on stage. In a way it is just a sudden change of energy that you do feel from one instance to another. Once we were able to reproduce that feeling we decided that from that point onwards we would call it Ghost Rock. Actually we are sorry, but there is no better way to describe it.
Who do you count amongst your musical influences?
Black Sabbath, Nirvana, Johnny Cash, Nina Hagen, Sigur Ros and Trio.
You guys are from Berlin originally, what's the music scene like there?
The music scene in Berlin is in many ways really exceptional. It is a vibrant city and especially the electronic scene is international standard.
Do you think the city you're from has influenced your sound any?
The local context to which you belong always influences the way you experience the music you are listening to and the songs you write yourself.
You use a whole range of instruments in your work, were you traditionally trained in any of them?
We are always searching for new timbres to enrich our spectrum. For instance, it is an incredible experience to play together with a cello.
What do you hope people will take away from your shows here?
An incredible multitude of impressions that will stay with us for a long time.
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