Home>News Center>Life
         
 

Underground rock band - self gratifying in toughness
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2004-08-10 09:06

Glaring lights, shaking speakers and earsplitting screams from fans greeted every rock band performing in the "Glorious Path of China Rock'n roll" festival at the foot of Helan Mountains of northwestern Ningxia Hui autonomous region. The bands seemed to revel in the crowning gratification and glory that their music had brought them.


Cui Jian, godfather of Chinese rock&roll music, perfporms a song at the August 8 festival. [sina]
For many of their peers, however, this dream remains unfulfilled, as they shuttle from bar to bar each night performing for living. These bands call themselves the "underground" rock bands.

The well-known rock singer Su Yang, who performed at the festival, remembers his "underground" days very well.


Fans wear masks during performances. [sina]
"That life is beyond the ken of ordinary people," he said.

"The term does not lie in whether the band has been signed or not, but whether it is successful," said 35-year-old Su. "If they become successful and even sign contracts with music companies, then we say they 'float aground.'"

Starting his rock'n roll life at the age of 17, Su has set up or joined four rock bands, and has performed all over China.

Performing as the prelude of the festival, Su's band currently enjoys a high reputation in Yinchuan, capital of Ningxia. This came from years of waiting and endurance, he acknowledged.

"The stress from our hardest time still saddens me when I look back on the underground days," he said.

"The music air in Yinchuan was much thinner than in Beijing," Su said. "We could only perform once every two weeks, and it was hard to make the ends meet. Once we were on the road and had spent all our money, we had just one meal in three days," he said.

"Although we finally made it back to Yinchuan, we still lived on the cheapest food, six yuan (about 70 cents) for four people every day."

"We are no longer an underground band now, thanks to our

assiduous work and also good luck," he said.

Another local rock band, C5, has not been so lucky.

"We are still living the underground life," said C5's Zhang Qian with a sigh and just a hint of pride.

"In Beijing a member of a famed rock band can earn around 500 yuan (some US$60) a night," Zhang said. "In Yinchuan, however, dozens of rock bands are struggling in a tiny market. Our life is very difficult."

He said his band spent almost all its savings on musical instruments and recording equipment.

"The electric drums cost more than 10,000 yuan (about US$1,200) and we spent another 10,000 yuan to build our own recording studio."

"Sometimes we are dejected and depressed," Zhang said. "But when we hold our beloved guitars in hands, drunkenly singing our own songs, we're back. Music gives us the courage to go on, and music makes us feel alive."

As China's rock'n roll "Godfather" Cui Jian once said, underground life was the richest nurturing soil of rock music, because compared with success and fortune, the hard life brings more inspiration.

Dong Hongjun, founder of Beijing rock band Sleepy, agrees.

In Yinchuan for "China's greatest rock music event," Dong took pride as an underground rock musician.

"Rock music prefers to reflect on reality, even some negative aspects of society. We must live under straitened circumstances to write something truly resonant."

"Of course we yearn to say good-bye to the underground life," noted Dong. "But we still belong to a marginal group today, and it is hard to be accepted by society."

"Many people consider rock music dirty and connect us with drugs and sex," he said. "But in fact we sing about the common life."

The year 2004 is a crucial one for rock music -- it is not only the 50th birthday of the genre, but also the 20th anniversary of its entry into China.

"Unless we give our life up, rock music will make itself a mainstream in China," Dong said.



The Chinese Star Soccer Team played charity match
Miss Teen USA emerged
The 59th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing
  Today's Top News     Top Life News
 

Lawmakers draw up 1st bill for farmers

 

   
 

Consensus on border reached with Viet Nam

 

   
 

FIFA chief: China a good World Cup host

 

   
 

Japan nuke plant leakage kills 4 people

 

   
 

Yao Ming to carry China flag at Olympics

 

   
 

Heatwave deaths prompt shield of workers

 

   
  Underground rock band - self gratifying in toughness
   
  Shanghai sizzles again with jazz
   
  It's just kids' stuff
   
  Few people well informed about AIDS: survey
   
  Nude beach closed amid controversy
   
  Born in the 1990s
   
 
  Go to Another Section  
 
 
  Story Tools  
   
  Feature  
  Author unhappy with actress for lead role  
Advertisement
         
主站蜘蛛池模板: 国产乱理伦片在线观看| 奶大灬舒服灬太大了一进一出 | 免费大片av手机看片| 色综合久久久久久久久久| 国产手机在线αⅴ片无码观看| 91精品国产网曝事件门| 好吊妞免费视频| 中国陆超帅精瘦ktv直男少爷| 日本大片免a费观看视频| 乱yin合集3| 欧美变态口味重另类在线视频| 亚洲精品无码久久久久久久| 福利一区福利二区| 口工里番h全彩动态图| 色妞www精品视频观看软件| 国产在视频线精品视频| xxxxwww日本在线| 国产精品视_精品国产免费| 99久久精品国产一区二区三区| 女女互揉吃奶揉到高潮视频| 上课公然调教h| 把英语课代表按在地上c网站| 久久人人爽人人人人爽av| 春暖花开亚洲性无区一区二区| 亚洲人成毛片线播放| 欧美性猛交xxxx免费看手交 | 亚洲欧美4444kkkk| 热热色原原网站 | 99在线视频免费| 天天爽夜夜爽人人爽一区二区| 一本久久a久久精品vr综合| 成人白浆超碰人人人人| 久99久热只有精品国产男同| 日本娇小videos精品| 久久无码无码久久综合综合| 日韩视频在线观看中字| 亚洲av无码第一区二区三区| 欧美成人在线视频| 亚洲成a人v欧美综合天堂麻豆| 欧美激情一区二区三区成人| 亚洲欧洲无码一区二区三区|