Beijing In San Diego Tonite! Queen Sea Big Shark, Hedgehog to play Che Cafe

Come out tonite and catch a very rare show--San Diego's Che Cafe hosts some of Beijing's most talented bands!

Queen Sea Big Shark, Hedgehog, and Casino Demon will be playing at 8pm at The Che Cafe on the campus of UC San Diego in La Jolla.

I was fortunate enough to catch Queen Sea Big Shark in Beijing last summer and they are an incredibly high energy, fun band. You will certainly enjoy. In fact, I wrote a little blog about them a few entries down. Check it out.

Plus, tonite's show is also a benefit for AIDS prevention. So come out and support, purposefully:

Here's tonite's line-up:

Sunday, September 6th

China AIDS Orphan Benefit:
Hedgehog (Beijing),
http://cn.profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=1300348224
Queen Sea Big Shark,
http://www.myspace.cn/queenseabigshark
Casino Demon (Beijing)
http://www.myspace.cn/thecasinodemon
$5- 8PM

9/23/09 update with photos from the above-mentioned show:



The above images are of the band Queen Sea Big Shark. The following image is Hedgehog:

CNSRD

I recently received news that this blog is now cnsrd in China...

To be honest, my first reaction was disappointment. I'm disappointed and also bummed that readers and my friends in China can no longer read about my adventures in their fascinating capital.

After my first blog was censored, I actually made a concerted effort to write this 2nd blog in a way that would not set off red flags (no pun intended) which Chinese internet cnsrrs would feel the need to act upon.

This blog simply observes Beijing social life. The content of this blog does not explicitly advocate any specific type of action, lifestyle, or political thought that subverts the status-quo of the Chinese political establishment. That's why I'm surprised that Beijing Dispatches has been censored.

This blog was accessible from a variety of computers in China last summer. So, I know that at one point it was not cnsrd and freely accessible.

Perhaps, the cnsrrs caught on to my misspellings. Maybe the photo taken in Chengde and featured in ‘A Snapshot of the Future?’ post was deemed controversial. I may never know. The truth is uncertain; as is the future of frdm of spch in China.

Clearly, something about the subject matter irked a cnsrr somewhere.

Cheers?

Thank You to The Che Cafe and Art Show Attendees!

Thank you to everyone who came out to the art show at The Che Cafe!

Though the art show was two months ago--thus, making this the most belated "thank you" ever--I would still like to extend a "thank you" to everyone you came out and to everyone involved w/ putting on The Che Cafe's "Over & Under Exposed" Photo Art Show on Saturday June 13, 2009.

Thank you to photographers Alex Kacha, Alex Miranda, Robbie Butler, Shannon Partrick, and Cari V for showing your awesome work.

Thanks to Greg for organizing the event. And thanks to Javi and Amanda, as well.

Huge THX to The Che Cafe @ UC San Diego and all the volunteers who help to make such an important space available to an all ages community.

The show was a blast! My section featured pictures from the streets of Mexico City to the streets (and freeways?) of San Diego w/ a special focus on the streets of Beijing, during the 2008 Olympic Games. A couple photos from my section appear below:

Death Pedal: Free Premiere Tonite, in San Diego, CA

DEATH PEDAL IS HERE! FREE PREMIERE/PARTY TONITE!

(Art by San Diego's SWAMPDONKEY)


Killa Kareem Shehab’s fixie trick film is complete and premiering for free tonite!
Super stoked for Kareem and everybody associated w/ this film. SD keeps getting up on the map. And this film takes it to the next level, for sure.
Featuring SD’s sickest fix geared riders, plus world class riders from Seattle, Phoenix, Singapore, & Beijing!

I’ve got a soft spot for this film cuz’ Kareem and I were out in Beijing last summer going to shows, mashing, getting into Olympic games, and filming the Beijing element of Death Pedal!

Kareem has put together one of the raddest fixed gear films out there; certainly the most global, perspective-wise. The film is super fun to watch plus I think it’s pretty hilarious too. Kareem has an ill sense of humor and it shows.

You can catch the World Premiere tonite, at The Rat Tail warehouse for free, while sipping on free keg juice, too.

Plus, I'm DJing for my first time in a year!
Before the free screening I’ll be spinning the finest thugpunk; Playing jamz I physically brought back from China w/ me; including gutter punk, riot grrrl, & shoegaze all from Beijing! Also, (U.S.) gangsta jams, crunk jams, and whatever else I feel like, too.

I'll be DJing under my handle-name which I used for my first Beijing blog. I believe the Marcksist-connotation (intentionally mispelled) of that blog name (also my DJ name) was the reason why that blogged got blocked in China.

You are currently reading my 2nd blog, which as far as I know, remains uncensrd (sp) in China.

Enjoy!

(Photo of Ines Brunn, one of the world class riders featured in Death Pedal. Here, she demonstrates her acrobatic ability and incredible bike maneuverability before us, near a Blade Runner-esque construction site in Beijing).

Beijing: A Snapshot of the Future?

*This blog entry chapter, which i haven't finished writing yet, is still underdevelopment. I will be updating it soon. In the meantime, you can find some photos for this entry below:

(A high speed lane; I believe this is the Second Ring Road, as it's called).


(I wish our urban futures looked more like this. Real and effective bike infrastructure that really gets people onto bikes and creates a safe/easy yet extremely fun bicycling environment).


(In Beijing, many buildings, often called "hutongs," which have generally housed working-class families for the last 700 years, are being destroyed and replaced by more 'modern' and denser new buildings).

(The above image of a monitor which depicts (live) several different intersections being filmed for whatever purposes is actually located in Chengde, not in Beijing. Chengde is a few hours from Beijing, by bus. Do the monitors prevent crime? I guess that would depend on how you define 'crime,' right?).
*