“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.
The pumped-up images of Chinese rock eagerly propagated by Western media outlets (read: Time, Newsweek, The Guardian, The Economist) are fallacious at best. They call it blowback – the unintended and perhaps unforeseen consequences of one’s actions. When these part-time arbiters of truth peddle such neo-orientalist fodder to an audience craving bedazzlement, people actually begin to believe it – including the bands themselves. What we’re left with is somewhat akin to what Thompson found when the going got weird with the Hell’s Angels; a menace bearing little resemblance to its publicized identity. An image temporarily divorced from reality.
We detected similar sentiment in our analysis of a few conversations we had about Modern Sky’s Sing For China United States tour last September. The tour was successful from a variety of standpoints – Queen Sea Big Shark opened for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, some gigs were relatively well-attended, and an event was held at former VH1 president Ed Bennett’s house showcasing Chinese rock. However, the bands played in front of two people in Seattle on a Monday night, and also only sold 35 tickets for the L.A. show at Silverlake Lounge.
Then there was a problem with shouldering the demands of The Road. That is, couch surfing, hotels, long drives, and fast food. “The tour seemed to be a major shock to the system for everyone,” said Michael Lojudice, boss of Modern Sky Entertainment, USA, “long drives, constant shows, the prospect of sleeping on couches at times or cramming into hotel rooms, and American fast food were at times tough to handle for most…let’s just say that next time we need to better prepare the bands for life on the road in the U.S.”
You would have thought that the very fact these bands were on a tour of the US organised and funded by their label would have been enough to get them excited, no matter what the size and reaction of the audiences. We have seen bands from all over the world busting their proverbial balls in front of tiny, unresponsive crowds, because bands in the US, Canada and Europe know and understand how hard it is to break through, and know and understand how hard they will have to work. Alas, not for some on the Sing for China tour. Casino Demon in particular were often incredulous that they would actually be expected to play in front of a virtually empty house. Perhaps this is part of the problem with too much hype too soon.
Sing For China American tour
Things can get a little twisted for bands playing in China – venues supply the heavy equipment (amps, drums, sound) so you don’t have to, the Chinese rock touring infrastructure (venues, transportation, logistics, etc.) is such that bands seldom go out on the road and thus have very minimal touring experience, the Mainland audience is so diverse (read: atomized) that they are probably still unsure about their own tastes, let alone how your music may fit into it.
America is a different beast – a distant land where the Dead Kennedys are more than just an expired political dynasty. Rock music is an American pastime. The stuff runs in their blood; Americans practically come out of the womb with Slayer tattoos, mothers singing Sweet Child of Mine. The US market is the pearly white gates of rock, and those who wish to roll through cannot expect to do so because someone in Beijing told them they were good. It sounds like the Sing For China tour may have been a sobering experience – one that pulls the collective feet of Chinese rock musicians back down to the ground.
For others that want to go, the journey will be long and arduous, the audiences small, the drives long, the boredom of The Road excruciating, and the van will definitely reek of old Taco Bell remnants by the end of the first week – but it’s these things that have provided the creative spark for some really good music.