Carsick Cars

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Carsick Cars

Background Information
Name (English)	Car-sick Cars / Carsick Cars
Origin	Beijing
Genre	New School Rock
Years active	2005 - present
Members
Guitar/Vocals : Shou Wang (张守望) (White, Speak Chinese Or Die) Bass : Levis (李维斯) (Snapline) Drums : Zhong Qiu (李青) (Snapline)
Preview

[edit] History

[edit] Biography

[edit] Brief introduction by European Son

Car-Sick Cars were established in Beijing in March 2005 and performed for the first time at Beijing Institute of Technology in May 2005. Since then the band have played every major venue in Beijing as well as in Shanghai and Hangzhou.

Made up of guitarist and vocalist Zhang Shouwang, bassist Darkland and drummer Zhongqiu, the band began performing in bars across the city from April. Music fans began to take notice and the band now plays to a great reception in many venues. The band has developed a unique and attractive style based on their thorough understanding of music. Influences include western bands like The Velvet Underground, Sonic Youth and Yo La Tengo.

In this short time Car-sick Cars have earned their reputation at the pinnacle of Beijing's live music scene, with their gigs riotous explosions of pent-up energy. There's a certain fearlessness to Car-sick Cars music, one that is born of the confidence of the talented: they are not afraid to write perfect, instantaneously catchy songs, and they are just as unafraid of detonating them midstream amid a howling wall of guitar noise. Live, this tendency towards violated beauty knows no bounds: anyone who was at D-22 in early December will remember the eleven minutes it took for Xiao Wang (already a veteran of Glenn Branca's guitar army at only 21) to move between the final primal teenage-kick howl of "COME ON!" on I Wanna Be Your Dog, to being sat dazed and bewildered on the floor, guitar unstrapped, shards of white noise spitting from his poor abused amp, wondering - just as the delirious audience was - what the fuck had just happened. Such ecstatic flights, such abandon, is rare these days, so get in on the ground floor and catch it while you can. As the graffiti in the D-22 toilets says, I Love My Mom, I Love My Country and I LOVE Carsick Cars. And you know graffiti never lies.

Car-sick Cars released a limited edition live CD-R in December 2006, and are in the studio right now recording their debut album, which will be released later this year.

[edit] 2005

Carsick Cars in Shanghai, photo (c) Yoshito Katori

Shou Wang (Vo & G) and Darkland (B) from the band Psycho Cars were the only two members in the beginning. A drummer was unable to participate during their rehearsals in the Polytechnic University in Beijing. Then the band Snapline became good friends of them, so that on April 1st, the lineup consists of Thurston, Shou Wang (Vo & G), Darkland (B) and Thurston on drums. One guy from the band Unrule Boys was their manager and their music started out as influenced by The Velet Underground, The Stooges, Sonic Youth, Yo La Tengo, Suicide. On May 13th, they performed at the What bar. May 28th, they performed in the Nameless Highland. After that concert they changed their music style more into the experimental area. June 26th, they performed in the 13 Club during the Goodbye Lenin concert. July 8th, they performed at the What bar. July 23rd they performed at the 13 Club. July 27th, they performed at the Nameless Highland. August 5th, they performed at the 13 Club. September 9th, they performed at the 13 Club. October 5th, they performed at the 13 Club during the release party of Zhang Jing's book/CD. Further in October, the bands Snapline, Carsick Cars, The Naza and Queensea Big Shark produce the compilation record No Beijing. NO BEIJING is a collection of bands around Beijing that share a similar aesthetic with New York city's short lived No Wave. October 15th, they performed with Snapline and Queensea Big Shark in the 2 Kolegas for the No Beijing tour. October 21st they rocked Hangzhou's No. 31 bar. On the 22nd, they performed in Shanghai's Live Bar, during which the last song Zhong Nan Hai was sung by 鄭長宇. November 12th, they performed in the New Get Lucky Bar. December 3rd, they rocked in the 特鋭酒 bar. December 9th, they performed in the Namesless Highland. December 18th, they performed in the Yu Gong Yi Shan. December 25th, they performed in the Beijing Post University Student Activities Center.

[edit] 2006

On January 1st, 2006, they performed at the 13 Club. January 15th they rocked the What bar. March 11th, they performed at the 13 Club. March 18th, they performed at the 13 Club. March 24th, they performed at the What bar. March 31st they performed at the 13 Club. April 8th, they performed at the What bar. April 15th, they rocked the D-22. April 19th, they performed at the Yugong Yishan. May 13th, they performed at the 南門空間. May 19th, they performed at the D-22. May 20th, they performed at the Nameless Highland during the 向JOY DIVISION致敬 event. June 23rd, they performed at the D-22. July 14th, they performed at the 2 Kolegas. September 15th, they performed at the D-22. September 29th, they performeda t the D-22. October 13th, they performed at the D-22. December 23rd, they performed at the D-22. Further in December they released their first live demo.

[edit] 2007

On January 1st, 2007, they performed at the 酷楽唱片店. March 30th, they performed at the D-22. April 7th, they performed at the Yugong Yishan. April 14th, they performed at the D-22 joining the 以噪音的名義...... 向音速青年（SONIC YOUTH）致敬的演出 performance. The band was scheduled to open for Sonic Youth in Beijing in April, 2007^[1], but their performance was canceled on short notice.^[2] May 4th, they performed at the What bar. June 30th, they performed at the D-22. August 4th, they performed at the D-22. August 10th, they performed live at the 4 Live in Shanghai during their tour with Snapline. August 11th, they performed at the eno in Shanghai. 12th, they performed in Nanjing, 17th in Wuhan (Vox Bar) and on the 18th in Changsha. On the 25th they performed at the Archa Theatre in Prague (Czech Republic) as support gig for Sonic Youth and on the 26th they performed during the Openair at Arena in Vienna (Austria) as support for Sonic Youth.^[3] Carsick Cars released their self-titled debut album in September on Maybe Mars Records^[4] on September 8th and a 7" single of tracks taken from the album on Suyin Records in October. On October 4th, they participated in the Modern Sky Festival 2007 at the Haidian Park in Beijing. October 25th, they performed in Mao during the CD presentation party of Hang on the Box and their record No more nice girls. Further in October the magazine X-Music Magazine no. 351 included the song 中南海 of Carsick Cars. November 3rd, they performed at the D-22. November 11th, they presented their first record in the Yugong Yishan. November 23rd, they performed in Shenzhen's 根拠地酒 bar during the 第七届根拠地音楽節. November 24th, they performed in Guangzhou's 喜窩酒 bar. November 30th, they rocked the Starlive. December 21st, they performed in Nanjing's 古堡酒 bar together with US band EX MODELS and Snapline. December 22nd, they performed at Shanghai's Yuyintang together with US band EX MODELS and Shanghai's very own Torturing Nurse. December 26th, they performed at Beijing's Starlive during the 明日的栄耀摩登十年星光夜--後北京新声之夜 event. December 31st they rocked at the D-22.

[edit] 2008

Carsick Cars, 2008, Photo: Carsick Cars Douban

On January 4th, 2008, they performed live in Guangzhou's 191 Space. January 6th, they performed in Hongkong's Fringe Club. January 12th, they rocked in the Yugong Yishan. Further in January their song 広場 is included in Pocket Music 16. March 29th, they performed in the D-22. April 26th, they rocked in the 2 Kolegas. May 1st and 31st they performed in the D-22, whereas the later show was a earthquake benefit concert. July 13th 2008, Carsick Cars performed at the Yu Yin Tang in Shanghai with only one support act: two members of Muscle Snog. According to Andy Best They got stuck into tracks off their new CD and everyone nodded along, holding it in for the big single, Zhong Nan Hai. Between two tracks Shouwang managed to change guitars and tune the replacement without breaking the feedback and effects that linked the tracks. A great feat worthy of Hansel's underwear removal trick in Zoolander. The real fun was yet to come though. The Cars broke into Zhong Nan Hai sending the crowd into jumping mode and suddenly the air was full of cigarettes..^[5] August 16th, they performed at the D-22. August 23rd, they rocked the Yugong Yishan during the Beijing Bubbles movie presentation party. October 2nd, they performed during the Modern Sky Festival 2008. October 11th, they joined the release party of magazine S.D!ZINE at the Yugong Yishan. December 31st, they performed at the D-22.

[edit] 2009

Carsick Cars, Shanghai, 2009, photo: Carsick Cars Douban

Carsick Cars, USA, Hampshire College, 2009, photo: Carsick Cars Douban

In 2009, on January 17th, they perform as headliner on the second day of the JUE MUSIC ART Festival 2009 in Shanghai.^[6] February 14th, they performed at Tianjin's 13 Club. February 17th 2009, Carsick Cars are mentioned in the foreign press AFP and they clarify that their song Zhongnanhai is about the cigarettes and not about the seat of Chinese government.^[7] On February 26th, the Beijing company Plastered 8 announces the release of the sponsored and micromu-recorded song Dead Flower.^[8] April 29th 2009, Carsick Cars releases their first official music video on the web (at Vimeo). The track is Mogu Mogu (蘑菇蘑菇 “Mushroom, Mushroom”) and it was directed by David Harris.^[9] In May 2009, Li Qing is voted the no. 17 coolest rock star in Beijing by Timeout Beijing Magazine. Li Qing is one of the most important women on the Beijing music scene, and probably too cool to realise it. When you see her driving Snapline with her gloriously multi-layered synth-punk guitar melodies, it’s hard to imagine that she trades her guitar for drum sticks when she plays with Carsick Cars, one of China’s most influential and widely exported rock bands. ^[10] May 9th, they performed in Hongkong. According to New Indie Music Hongkong: What a great gig for indie music fans in Hong Kong with two of Beijing's best bands performing at The Hangout. Highlight of the show was a storming performance by headline act Carsick cars ,the Beijing band who've attracted international interest after performing with Sonic Youth,a moody ,rebellious racket that left our ears ringing.^[11] May 14th, they performed together with fellow Beijing band The Gar in Changsha. May 22nd, they rocked the Yuyintang together with The Gar. According to Andy Best: Their sound was absolutely dead on. The music style is borderline shoegaze where people are more likely to watch and applaud than jump around but tonight the packed room went off at the start.[...] Singer/guitarist Shouwang, one of the coolest people on the scene, was in a zone and everyone in the room was taken in. It was probably the most active crowd I've ever scene at a light indie gig with all kinds of people diving and crowd surfing. Mogu was a highlight of the set as was, of course, the anthem Zhong Nan Hai.^[12] Further in May, they were interviewed by Michael Pettis for the "New Youth" feature in the May issue of Esquire. Asked whether there is such a thing as new Chinese music, Zhang Shouwang replied:

Of course there is. There has always been great music made in China but until recently it was very hard for musicians to spread their music unless they produced very simple pop music or music that was very familiar and easy to swallow. But in the last four or five years it seems that underground rock musicians, folk musicians, and experimental and avant garde musicians in China have created so much great new music that finally many people are noticing it not just in China but all around the world. - Zhang Shouwang, interview with Michael Pettis^[13]

In June they restyled their website promoting their new record You Can Listen, You Can Talk.^[14] June 26th the record is released. In July 2009, the album You Can Listen, You Can Talk was awarded as one of the Top 10 albums of the summer at the Chinese Music Media Awards. ^[15] Further in July, their song Invisible Love is included in the X-Music Magazine no. 393. In September their song Invisible Love is included in the So Rock! Magazine (no. 90). November, Maybe Mars sends Carsick Cars, P.K. 14 and Xiao He on a showcase through North America.

[edit] 2010

On March 6th, 2010, they performed in the D-22 during the Beyond The Ocean show of Maybe Mars Records. According to Alex of Beijing Gig Guide: They really rocked out, making it easy for me to ignore the smashed glass around me and get into the music even out of the mosh. They have a great energy, and their songs are loud and catchy and their performance is infectious.^[16]

On May 1st, they performed at the Strawberry Music Festival 2010. According to Beijing Daze: Carsick Cars is just not working for me! I respect their status in the indie environment but they’re one of the most overrated bands i’ve gotten to see so far! Their lyrics are not all that, the music is not all that and the performance aspect not all that either! Still, I gotta admit they got one of the best drummers in the business!^[17] According to Beijing Gig Guide: (...) they absolutely rocked out. The crowd really got into it, singing and cheering them on. I managed to miss Zhong Nan Hai in transit, but what I did see was awesome.^[18] On May 4th, they performed at the Midi Music Festival 2010. In the aftermath of the festival season in May, Shouwang of Carsick Cars stated his anger about the situation at the Modern Sky Strawberry Festival: Bands are not VIP, only sponsors are. Treat us like human beings. I wanted to jump on the cars, but my guitar lead was too short^[19] On May 12th, Maybe Mars, the record label of Carsick Cars, revealed a copyright theft story on Douban^[20], as Tudou and HP had made use of one of Carsick Cars songs for an advertisement video.^[21]

[edit] Participated Festivals

Midi Music Festival 2010, May 1st-4th 2010	Zebra Music Festival 2009, May 2009	Modern Sky Festival 2008 - September/October 2008	Modern Sky Festival 2007 - October 2007
China Invasion US Tour 2010 - March/April 2010

Estrella Damm Primavera Sound '09 Festival, Barcelona, Spain - 2009, May (http://primaverasound.com/)
Bad Bonn Kilbi Festival, Bad Bonn, Switzerland - 2009, May (http://kilbi.badbonn.ch/2009/)

[edit] Photos

Carsick Cars

[edit] Appearances in Press/Books

Mentioned as one of "Beijing's hottest bands" in the Insider's Guide to Beijing 2008.
Mentioned as "Yaogun band to watch" in the Insider's Guide to Beijing 2007.