Over the weekend, Shanghai-made expat band Moon Tyrant released their debut album Future Superhuman with a party at Yuyintang. Consisting of four musicians from Panama, Tasmania, New York and New Jersey, they play old school rock n' roll with a jazzy metal twist. Shanghaiist's Bo Hershey caught up with one of their members, bassist JC Heinbockel, who chatted with us about their new CD, the local music scene and what's next for the band. In case you didn't get the CD at the release party, you can check them out on their Bandcamp page Douban page, and soon on iTunes! more ›

JUE Festival has finally arrived! Don't know what that is? Check out a video of last year's highlights for a taste, or read their own explanation here. We're in for two whole weeks of non-stop music and art events (check them out on our calendar, or see the full JUE program here), so get your eyes and ears out on the town and enjoy it! Tonight everything gets going over at Yuyintang, where the A GOOD DAY Records Showcase brings us folk and indie pop straight from Taiwan. more ›

You may remember them from our Thanksgiving Rocksgiving charity concert: Rainbow Danger Club. The local indie band is now hosting a competition to design the cover for their next album, and they're willing to offer you 1200 RMB if they choose your design! more ›

They were one of the four bands who were sweet enough to play at our Rocksgiving charity rock show bash, and they're well worth a listen if you didn't get to hear them there. Luckily, Duck Fight Goose has put some of their newest tracks up on NeochaEDGE. From their upcoming first EP Flow, these songs epitomize some of the awesome weirdness capable of coming out of the Shanghai scene. Take that Beijing! more ›

Nothing against Carsick Cars mind you, but it's kind of annoying that they (and the Beijing scene) always seem to hog the stage in international media. Finally, finally, a report on Shanghai's thriving indie rock scene has been spotted... on The Miami Herald. The Mushrooms and Top Floor Circus are mentioned and the piece goes in detail about the worries the local scene has about the Expo. Worth a read! more ›

One of the best live shows to hit Shanghai last year was Canadian indie band Handsome Furs' energy packed set at Yuyintang (we're not just saying that, it was top on our list of Best Music of 2009), so it's awesome to learn that they're coming to China yet again at the end of summer. more ›

Now in its third year, transmitCHINA is coming to Shanghai with a new lineup of up-and-comers in the Canadian independent music scene. And to commemorate this, organizer SplitWorks is giving you Shanghaiist readers a chance to win two tickets for each night in Shanghai. That's a pair of tickets for June 3 (Thursday) and another pair for June 4 (Friday). How can you win them? Read below. more ›

Looks like we can't go a month here without running into another indie sensation these days. Lucky for us! Portland, Oregon-based poppy punky act The Thermals, who've been lauded by NPR, Pitchfork and The Onion's AV Club, are heading to Yuyintang on March 15. Yeah, which means you need to get to the venue early if you want a chance of watching them without being drenched in the sweat of a hundred other bodies. At least in March the garden won't be chilly? Listen to them here. more ›

So those free Maybe Mars tickets we told you we'd give away earlier this week - good job to Sean Dickinson and Stephanie Liu for being the quickest on the draw, sending us emails so quick the contest was over almost as soon as it began. For the rest of you, even if you have to pay that 80RMB at the door, it's totally worth it. Not only will you get to see Chinese rock gods P.K. 14, girl rock powerhouses Ourself Beside Me, dancey anthem wailers 24 Hours and fun pop punk newcomers Rustic will be hitting the stage as well. Plus, drinks at Mao Livehouse (570 Huaihai Xi Lu near Hongqiao Lu 淮海西路570号 近红桥路) always fall on the cheap side! more ›

Photos by Jeremy Breningstall. more ›

We know, we know. We live in a digital era so it makes sense for us to just download everything. But sometimes, there's something nice about looking through cover art and popping in a CD. No, not a vinyl. We're not THAT music snobbish. In any case, there's now a place in Shanghai to get all your Chinese indie rock music in shiny jewel cases: Shanghai Tattoo, located at the Cool Docks in Huangpu. They're selling CDs from rock labels Maybe Mars, Pilot Music & Modern Sky (which means you can get bands like Convenience Store, PK14, Carsick Cas and Hedgehog) for from 20RMB to 70RMB. If you're ever in the neighborhood, pop over and give this oldfangled media a listen. more ›

Oh happy day! After the Handsome Furs came and left, we didn't think we'd be hit by another act we'd look forward to so gleefully so soon. But now our sources at Split! have told us that - barring any weird visa issues/sudden changes in show regulations - ANDREW BIRD will be heading here in late January 2010. YES! more ›

A massive, frantic crowd attended Yuyintang on Saturday night, catapulting Handsome Furs to Shanghai rock folklore. The Handsome Furs, composed of Dan Boeckner and his wife Alexei, make a neat Canadian Sid and Nancy. Their onstage charisma helped steam the room and fans, both old and new, went genuinely nuts. The music was fast, danceable, and loud, 70's punk ethos mixed with electronic loops and beats. more ›

Lucky for us, Montreal based indie rock duo Handsome Furs is coming to Shanghai! Currently touring Asia, the band will be making a stop at everyone's favorite live music venue, Yuyintang, on Saturday, September 5. more ›

These Are Powers, an American collaboration between ex-Liars bassist Pat Noecker, singer Anna Barie and drummer/producer Bill Salas will be hitting Zhijiang Dream Factory as part of a Maybe Mars lineup with P.K.14 and Carsick Cars on Saturday. more ›

So we always get pretty excited about the bands Split Works brings over, but this has got us literally jumping up and down in our rooms in glee. The Handsome Furs, the indie rock duo project of Wolf Parade's Dan Boeckner and his wife Alexei Perry, are going to hit up Yu Yin Tang on September 5th. Tickets will be 80RMB at the door, and 70RMB if you book it early through Taobao or by email. Opening acts are yet to be decided, but heck - we don't care who's up on stage with them... the Handsome Furs are coming. THE HANDSOME FURS ARE COMING! more ›

Philadelphia's Brian Seymour (MySpace) will once again be performing an acoustic set of his original music on Tuesday, June 23 at Cotton's on Xinhua Lu during the Shanghaiist Happy Hour, which runs from 6 to 10 p.m. Seymour is in town doing a series of shows at the House of Blues & Jazz — it's called "The Piano Has Been Drinking" and he's playing, naturally, the piano and singing the music of Tom Waits. For us, he'll be playing guitar and performing songs from his albums. more ›

Hope to see you all tonight at Cotton's on Xinhua Lu for the Shanghaiist Happy Hour featuring a live performance from Philadelphia based musician Brian Seymour (MySpace), who is town doing a series of shows at the House of Blues & Jazz (he's playing piano and singing the music of Tom Waits). For us, he'll be playing guitar and performing an exclusive acoustic set of his originals. Based on what's happening outside our window right now, it looks like Brian will be playing indoors at Cotton's, which is fine by us (the speakers are better inside). more ›

It's been close to three years since Philadelphia based musician Brian Seymour (MySpace) last visited us, but he's back. And he's playing an exclusive acoustic set of his originals Tuesday night at the Shanghaiist Happy Hour at Cotton's on Xinhua Lu. As usual, the Happy Hour runs from 6 to 10 p.m. and features free entry and 2-for-1 specials on selected drinks. Brian's set will kick off at around 7:30 p.m. more ›

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. more ›

So,the Mountain Goats have a new album out and on it is a song called "Tianchi Lake." It's about the the crater lake at Changbai Shan, in Jilin Province, on the North Korean border. (More photos from our 2004 trip to Tianchi here.) more ›

By W.E.B Lowery more ›

Yeahhhhh, boyyyyyyy! more ›

When it comes to live music, Shanghai's long had an inferiority complex when comparing ourselves to Beijing, and often drowned out that lack of music with plenty of beer. But after taking a glimpse of what is happening in June, we're starting to feel a real glimmer of hope. This week kicks it all off with a number of talented bands taking the stage. more ›

Recently, Shanghai has had its fill of hip hop, indie rock, and classic rock artists come to perform for the expats locals. We'll now get a bit of the pop and R&B vocal genres with the recent announcement of Christina Aguilera's Asian tour dates, which includes a stop in Shanghai. It will be her only concert in China ... sorry, Beijing. The tour is part of Christina's Back to Basics tour, featuring songs from her... more ›

There are a lot of tempting events coming up this weekend. But please don't invite us, we're saving up for Kenny G. more ›

Seattle indie rock band Pretty Girls Make Graves are touring China before returning to the US for a few shows in May—their last, together, as a band. They are doing Beijing and Hong Kong before wrapping up their China tour in Shanghai, at 4Live on April 28, though the venue's event calendar doesn't extend beyond mid-March as of now. more ›

Shanghaiist read about The Den in the English mags and websites, and from the description it seemed decent -- a chill place which is a bar, lounge and massage parlor combined. What's more, Brad Prichard plays indie rock on Tuesday nights -- so we headed out there to see what it was all about. It's hard to be picky about the location, which although is by no means far away, but seems a bit out of the way in that there is nothing else around there, save a Bi Feng Tang and the like. more ›

What was this about relaxing on the last weekend of a holiday? Nonsense, that’s what it was. We’ve been busy -- actually Brad’s been busy and we tried to help him (more on that in a few), but we still managed to get the show out … albeit, a few days late. Sorry. more ›

Phillyist keeps it fresh by getting a new motto, learning to prioritize, and taking in an experimental indie rock show. more ›