The Voice, China, a bit of yaogun

With the successful Chinese version of Pop Idol and the massive popularity of singing competitions going back to the earliest days of China’s pop music industry, it was really only a matter of time before The Voice, that massive superstar-laden singing competition, hit China. The Voice China (中国好声音)’s first season ran from July to October of 2012; season two kicks off this summer. With the American version’s debut earlier this week, why not look back at China’s version’s first season, right? The show’s first winner, named on the eve of the nation’s Oct 1 birthday, was Liang Bo.

There is yaogun here, I swear.

Continue reading “The Voice, China, a bit of yaogun”

The Now Sound of Sichuan: Baishui in the USA

South by Southwest (SXSW), that massive music industry gathering that sees thousands of artists, industry folks and onlookers descend upon Austin, Texas, is over. Followers of this blog know that your humble narrator was along for the ride with Yibin, Sichuan native Baishui, to help bring his unique brand of prog-, goth-, experimental- and folk- (neo- and traditional) tinged rock to the Texan masses. A showcase, some parties and a fair bit of BBQ was taken in, and now, Baishui – the individual and the band he leads under his name – heads further afield. DC-, NYC- and San Francisco-based folks should take note…

Continue reading “The Now Sound of Sichuan: Baishui in the USA”