Rustic
From Music-China Wiki
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Contents |
History
Introduction
The Chinese answer (not to say copy) to The Toy Dolls. ;)
take from their myspace page:
We are three impoverished brethren from East Earth. In march, 2006, two friends of mine and I determined while at the train station in the city of ShiJiaZhuang to form a band called Rustic. I am 20 years old, my name is Li Yan (Lucifer) and I am the lead guitarist and the vocal. I am university freshman even i do not care about it! Drummer Li Fan is 19 years old and has already dropped out of school. He always keeps finding new jobs every day, because he has no money for his future. Bassist Ricky sixx is 20 years old and he is a incredible boy who just made everything rock and roll, and he is crazy about all the 80s hair metal bands! Our old bassist got in trouble and is in jail for four years. When he comes out we will meet him then get him drunk!!! Because we grew up in a very small town and are like farmers we called the band Rustic. In high school I used to be the top student but when I was fifteen I became a very bad student. I always feeling lonely and unhappy with my school and with the kinds of jobs my classmates want, and I think if I do not play music I will lose all of my joy. I cannot live like others are told to live. I think I was born like this. Rustic is my first band and my first try to live the life I want.
We have very little money to buy instruments and audiences cannot pay a lot to see a band or buy drinks in a bar, so sometimes we have to steal our equipment from the shops for the rich people. Also many people and businesses think very bad of rock musicians so they don’t like to help us. They look at us like thieves. But in some ways it is also easy. My foreign friends tell me that in the West there are many false people who are in the rock and roll scene, but in China no one wants to be like us so only people who really love music want to be part of it. Everyone in the scene is friends and we all help each other.
Despite our being inexperienced in rehearsal and performance as a band and our lack of instruments, we were rendered reckless by our exposure to Punk music. Soon thereafter, upon attending Shijiazhuang's fourth rock festival, we lay down musically the difference between quality Punk and imitation.
We couldn't organize ourselves for regular practice for some time, but enjoyed some popularity through casual Sunday performance at a bar called "The Velvet Underground" in Shijiazhuang. We found unifying inspiration upon discovering The Toy Dolls and found through study of their style a flavor we could call our own, as well as a means to advance our instrumentation.
Now, we are life in Beijing now, Beijing is the center of the Chinese music scene. The story continues...... Will it ever end?
Their music is their life attitude: chaos and self-recreation. All they have are nothing but poverty. They wear fake leather shoes that worth 15 RMB and yellow socks that 2 pairs charge 4 RMB. They wear the beautiful worker T-shirts from their mothers and shorts that are almost worn out. And these are really what they are always dreaming of——leading a life of the poor. If they have the chance to play in some bars or music festivals, they’d like to show you the exciting music that come from the poor.
2007
On February 14th, they performed in Shijiazhuang's 地下絲絨 bar. on February 27th, they rocked Shijiazhuang's D12 bar. On March 11th, they performed at Shijiazhuang's 地下絲絨 bar as support act to Xiaomin is a Robot. April 1st, they rocked the 地下絲絨 bar in Shijiazhuang. May 5th, they performed at the 地下絲絨 bar as opening act for Blue Fog Color. May 13th, they rocked the 地下絲絨 bar as opening act for the band Dangaozhadan. May 19th, they performed at the Zhongshan Square. June1st, they rocked Baoding's 楽庫 bar. June 7th and 8th, they performed at Shijiazhuang's 裕西 Park during the 嘉年華遊楽場. June 16th, they performed at the 地下絲絨 bar, opening for Brainfailure. Further in June they signed with a record company. On July 21st, they performed at the 地下絲絨 bar. On July 28th, they rocked the 地下絲絨 as opening act for Camel. August 25th, they performed at the 地下絲絨 bar. October 5th, they rocked Beijing's Get Lucky Bar. October 25th, they performed at Beijing's D-22 as opening act for French band ANTI-CLOCKWISE. October 27th, they performed at Beijing's 合炫音楽工廠. December 30th, they performed at Beijing's Mao Livehouse.
2008
On June 15th, 2008, they rocked the 太平洋 Sqaure in Shijiazhuang dueing the 6th Shijiazhuang rock music festival (石家庄第六届揺滾音楽節). June 20th, they performed in Beijing's What bar. August 9th, they rocked Beijing's D-22.
2009
In April, 2009, they had been interviewed for German Ox-Fanzine, issue no. 83. Rustic had recently relocated to Beijing and they described the city as following:
For many years ..Beijing.. was the main city but there were many other good cities, but when D22 opened in 2006 ..Beijing.. became so important and now every band wants to be in ....Beijing...., so it has become very crazy here. When we came also that was the place we really wanted to play and from the first show they really liked us and supported us. For us and most of the young musicians it is like the home where we can have drinks, sleep, meet our friends, and see shows for free. There are lot of great punk bands in ....Beijing.... now, for example Demerit and Joyside are my two favorite, and they are in D22 all the time, so it is exciting for us to meet our heroes. So we play there a lot, and when a band is helped by D22 many other clubs in ....Beijing.... also give us shows. There are also many other clubs in ....Beijing..... There is also many other kinds of new bands. Carsick Cars and Ourself Besides Me are very great post-punk bands, and MaFeiSan is some crazy boys who smash everything and make noise. Snapline is industrial and very famous in ....America..... They all see our shows and we see theirs and everybody likes to do many different things.[1]
On September 20th, 2009, Rustic won the Global Battle of the Bands (GBOB) for Beijing, as per the band: Gibson China President, Mark Klingspon was on hand to present Rustic with a spanking new Gibson S.G. guitar. Lucifer, vocalist of Rustic, proceeded to wrap his arms around Mr. Klingspon in his delight, the whole band waved the guitar around in the air and the band’s joy was clear to see.[2] On September 25th, they performed at the D-22. On October 2nd, they rocked the D-22. On October 3rd, they ventured on for a concert to the 2 Kolegas. On November 7th, they won the GBOB China challenge, taking place in Hongkong. According to the band: The flamboyant rock/punk band, for whom the trip to the final was their first experience of flying, impressed the judges with their exuberant and entertaining performance. Rustic’s lead singer Li Yan(Lucifer) delighted the audience after the results were announced by jumping on stage to declare, “I was born on a farm. I moved to Beijing and chose rock ‘n’ roll because I don’t want to be a farm boy all my life.”. Chris B, GBOB China National Director said:
“Beijing has a thriving live music scene and with a Beijing band representing China at the World Final, the whole world will see what China has to offer. After months of heats & city finals, tonight’s China final was really exciting for fans of live music in China. The bands were all top quality with styles of music ranging from ethnic to rock ‘n’ roll.”[3]
November 21st, they rocked the D-22. November 28th, they performed at the 2 Kolegas. December 5th, they performed at the D-22. December 27th, they rocked the Yugong Yishan. Deember 31st, they rocked the D-22.
2010
On January 16th, 2010, they performed at the D-22. On January 22nd, they performed at the Mao Livehouse Shanghai. According to Andy Best: The audience seemed baffled by Rustic at first and the hall was still filling up but they ended with a flourish. With two more tracks to go, Rikki Sixx spat his beer up into the light stream creating a mist fountain, the guitars were pointed into the crowd and a dance broke out for the first time of the night.[4] On January 23rd, they performed at Hangzhou's Joy Luck Club. February 1st, they rocked the D-22. In the February 2010 issue of TimeOut Beijing, the Team Time Out named them as one of the top acts in 2010.[5] On March 4th, they rocked the Yugong Yishan. On March 12th, they performed at the D-22. On March 13th, they performed at the Obiwan. According to Beijing Daze: They wasted no time opening things up with a few screams and F-bombs before launching into a blistering set of punk rock. At some point, Lucifer (vox/guitar) just dropped his instrument on stage and walked away to grab a beer. At the same time. Rikki knelt next to said guitar using his tongue to play it while playing his Bass with his hands. To be fair, their music was more greeday-ish that 80’s but their attitude was a direct product of Motley Crue; when your bass player is named "ikki Sixx", you kinda expect it! This is not music that will change the world, far from it… but going to a Rustic show is guaranteed fun![6] On April 9th, they rocked the 2 Kolegas. On April 27th, Rustic won the Global Battle of the Bands (GBOB) 2009 Finals in London.[7] According to the official news release:
But after an entertaining evening of truly fantastic performances it’s a shame that only one band could take the title – and that honour fell to flamboyant punk rockers Rustic from Beijing in China (pictured). They were the unanimous first place choice of the judges just ahead of two Nordic contenders in the shape of Endless Dark from Iceland in second place and Explicit Licks from Norway in third. In fourth, fifth and sixth place respectively were Cousin Avi from England, Umlala from Israel and E.Quals from Nepal.[8]
On August 28th, they performed at the Hot Cat Club, Beijing, during the Hang on the Box relaunching/reforming event. According to Pangbianr: Unfortunately they didn’t play their Bad Brains cover, but they closed with the hilariously self-aware “Rock & Roll for Money and Sex”, which despite some technical troubles on Hot Cat’s side ended the set on a very high note.[9]
2011
On January 1st 2011, they performed at the 2 Kolegas. According to Beijing Daze: Rustic came on next and proceeded to do what Rustic does best: Bring out the fun in Rock n Roll! Their previous gig at 2 Kolegas was less than thrilling i remember.. not this time! They were on freaking fire! Their songs are better and starting to stick in my head after a few shows. They also premiered their version of Paranoid much to the audience’s delight![10]
On April 22nd, their debut record City of Heartbreak'n Horror is released on Maybe Mars Records. In an interview with Time Out Beijing, Luzifer pointed out[11]:
‘When we play live, we want people to enjoy themselves and feel happier. You should be fun on stage, be stupid,’ he begins by way of response. ‘But, with the album, we’re trying to say something about how we see the world. ‘It’s about the city we are living in. Walking down the street, I see different people from different levels of society, and they have very sad faces. People are stressed, nervous, sad – struggling with their lives. Everyone has problems. Everyone suffers. And so that’s the reason why. We are living in a city that has darkness, but, on the other side, the music isn’t dark – it’s about ambition and energy. We want to tell people not to worry about the bad things; there can be pleasure in the fight.’
On May 20th, they performed at Chengdu's Little Bar. According to Chengdumusic.com: Rustic were brilliant. They covered “Anarchy in the UK” and “Paranoid”, but they rocked the most when they were giving a live show of their own. “Rock ‘n Roll for Sex ‘n Money” is great on the album, but it was even better live, as the trio expanded its punk glam paegentry by more than a minute. That’s the thing: the album City of Heartbreak ‘n Horror is really good, simply put. The show was dynOmite. The crowd didn’t need to big, Rustic was. I’m not even sure I needed the saki.[12]
June 10th, they performed at the Yugong Yishan, releasing their latest record. According to Beijing Gig Guide[13]:
Rustic is one hell of a show. It almost doesn’t matter if you like their music, because they’re just that much fun to watch. They’re true entertainers, in a city of bands that are more likely to sing at the floor than at the audience. And this show, the finale of a nationwide tour, a triumphant return to the city after having been shut out the first time around, was no different. In fact, it was even more packed with jumping around, crowd surfing, hilarious English introductions, and everything else that comes with a rockin’ night out to see Rustic.(...)
They’re known for the way they jump around on stage, of course, and their constant interaction, but particular highlights are: lead singer Lucifer crowd surfing on a fairly thin crowd — I think the same group of twenty people managed to carry him to the back of the mosh — and jumping down into the pit during Wild Women to grab the closest woman and sing right next to her.(...)
And of course, the outfits. They took a break halfway through their set, and Lucifer came back in a black and white spotted shirt that was thankfully long enough to hide anything indecent. But then, Ricky was wearing pants that seemed to be only pretending to be held together by a piece of string. And though you couldn’t see it until the bow at the end of the show, the drummer was wearing a pair of tight, leopard-print short shorts.
On July 5th 2011, they performed in the Yugong Yishan. According to Beijing Daze[14]:
Ricky had broken his ankle, so the signature high kicks were out. Instead he was wheeled on stage by his sunglass wearing ‘doctor’ who spent the set wheeling him around while he played. The sparse crowd really got into the tunes, even a rare appearance of ‘Poison Ivy’ a song they don’t play often. Halfway through the set Ricky jumped out of his wheelchair and sat on the edge of the stage to play and Lucifer quickly joined him. The crowd assisted by holding their microphones and the show took a more intimate, but none less wild turn. Someone in the audience was giving Ricky a hard time, until he finally told them to “bi zui’ and Li Fan came out from behind the drums to defend him. I don’t know I it’s possible but this may have been more entertaining than a usual Rustic set!
Discography
Major Releases
City of Heartbreak'n Horror (Rustic) - 2011, April 22nd
Compilations
Generation 6 (VA) - 2011, January
Generation 6 Showcase (VA) - 2010, September
Further Information
Official pages
Articles & Interviews
- Interview by Ben Bauböck in Ox-Fanzine (Issue #83 - April/May 2009)
- Interview by We Live In Beijing
- Rustic wins Beijing Global Battle of the Bands 2009!, by Business Wire China, September 2009
- Rustic在2009全球乐队争霸赛北京区决赛中胜出！, by Business Wire China, September 2009
- Guitar heroes: Rustic, The local band just won the Global Battle of the Bands in London. Hear what they had to say when Adrian Sandiford caught up with them last October. Portrait by Matthew Niederhauser
- Rock champs dream of girls, excess, by Global Times, September 2009
- Rustic at Sina, July 2009
- Rough diamonds, Interview by China Daily with Li Yan after their GBOB victory, May 2010
Other pages
Videos
- Rustic's show at the GBOB competition gig in Beijing 2009
- China Final at the Cavern
- Beijing Final at Yugongyishan
- GBOB World Final video moment of winning
References
- ↑ Interview with Oc-Fanzine issue no. 83, which can be read online at their MySpace Blog Post
- ↑ Rustic (2009-09-24). "Rustic Wins Beijing Global Battle Of The Bands 2009!". Retrieved on 2010-04-25.
- ↑ Taken from the band's MySpace Page Blog Post
- ↑ Andy Best (2010-01-23). "Maybe Mars Showcase @ Mao". Retrieved on 2010-01-24.
- ↑ TimeOut Beijing, Music - Eye of the tiger, Page 61, February 2010, issue no. 64
- ↑ Beijing Daze (2010-03-22). "what’s the story? Rustic Glory!". Retrieved on 2010-04-25.
- ↑ Beijing Daze (2010-04-28). "Hell Yeah: Beijing’s RUSTIC unanimously wins GBOB 2009". Retrieved on 2010-04-28.
- ↑ News release by GBOB
- ↑ Josh (Pangbianr) (August 2010). "Rustic, Hang On The Box, and The Dancers @ Hot Cat, 28 August 2010". Retrieved on 2010-09-02.
- ↑ Beijing Daze (2011-01-04). "1/1/11 at 2 Kolegas: Aces all around as Buyi, Nucleus, Rustic and SUBS Start the New Year with a Bang". Retrieved on 2011-01-05.
- ↑ Adrian Sandiford (Time Out Beijing) (May 2011). "You know them as the audacious kings of good-time punk, but Rustic's riffs hide a deeper side". Retrieved on 2011-06-12.
- ↑ Chengdumusic.com (2011 (May/June)). "“That’s where we wanna be” a review in prose of the Rustic show @ Little Bar, May 20th 2011". Retrieved on 2011-06-12.
- ↑ Beijing Gig Guide (2011-06-14). "Gig Review: Rustic ‘City of Heartbreak & Horror’ Album Launch @ Yugong Yishan, 2011.06.10". Retrieved on 2011-07-03.
- ↑ Beijing Daze (2011-07-06). "Bedstars crash & burn, Rustic shine and Proximity Butterfly soar". Retrieved on 2011-07-06.
