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Carsick Cars Interview: SXSW 2010

carsick carsAfter pushing through a childhood filled with Chinese pop music and state-sponsored patriotic pabulum, Carsick Cars frontman Shou Wang started an indie rock movement in Beijing. Along with drummer Li Qing and bassist Li Weisi, the band has opened shows throughout Europe for Sonic Youth and learned to love Michael Jackson, although not necessarily in that order. Spinner caught up with Carsick Cars ahead of their impending SXSW appearance.

How did your band form?

Our band started in 2005, when I was a freshman at the Beijing Institute of Technology. That is where I met two older students, Li Qing and Li Weisi who were in a band called Snapline (who became well-known later and had a CD produced by Martin Atkins). Li Qing was the leader of Snapline and she became the drummer for my band. She is writing an opera now. Li Weisi played bass in Snapline and he became the bassist for Carsick Cars. We started playing in a very small bar, called What Bar, when no one else would book us. We had some other friends in bands who also couldn't get shows, so I started a group called No Beijing, including Snapline. In 2006, a new club opened in Beijing called D22,and they started giving us and many other new bands a lot of shows. That started a new music scene in China.

Describe your sound in your own words.

I spend much time on writing the song and once it's done, we like to experiment with harmonics and noise. If you live in Beijing you must like noise and breaking things.

How did you come up with your band name?

I just liked the sound because it is repetitive and people said it was easy to remember.

What's in your festival survival kit?

Many Velvet Underground CDs and my guitar.

Who is your musical hero?

Outside China, I think Lou Reed and Velvet Underground are the most important for me; also Sonic Youth, Laurie Anderson and Steve Reich. Inside China, the writer Lu Xun is very important, as well as my friend, Yang Haisong, who is in PK14 and has taught me many things about how to be a Chinese musician.

What kind of bands were you exposed to growing up?

When I was young, I mainly heard very bad Chinese and foreign pop music, or patriotic songs on TV. I did not like music very much because it seemed boring; only a few were good like Michael Jackson. But when I was 17, a foreign friend gave me Velvet Underground and after the first time I heard it, I became in love with it. At that time, the Internet started in China and it was possible to hear a lot of new foreign music.

What's your musical guilty pleasure?

Michael Jackson.

What's the craziest thing you've seen or experienced while on tour?

Touring is a lot of work and we are often too tired to do crazy things, but once in Guizhou, the police closed the club before the show and when we arrived, the people there told us to play outside near a factory. They had to steal the electricity and of course, the sound was terrible. But it was one of the wildest shows we ever played and the audience was small but crazy. It was really cool.


Jesse Costello is a contributor from Seed.com. Learn how you can contribute here.

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tanygeo01

Li Weisi played bass in Snapline and he became the bassist for Carsick Cars. We started playing in a very small bar, called What Bar, when no one else would book us. We had some other friends in bands who also couldn't get shows, so I started a group called No Beijing, including Snapline. In 2006, a new club opened in Beijing called D22,and they started giving us and many other new bands a lot of shows. That started a new music scene in China. This is a wonderful opinion. The things mentioned are unanimous and needs to be appreciated by everyone. I appreciate the concern which is been rose. The things need to be sorted out because it is about the individual but it can be with everyone.
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Smart Car Care

July 01 2010 at 1:56 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
tanygeo01

Li Weisi played bass in Snapline and he became the bassist for Carsick Cars. We started playing in a very small bar, called What Bar, when no one else would book us. We had some other friends in bands who also couldn't get shows, so I started a group called No Beijing, including Snapline. In 2006, a new club opened in Beijing called D22,and they started giving us and many other new bands a lot of shows. That started a new music scene in China. This is a wonderful opinion. The things mentioned are unanimous and needs to be appreciated by everyone. I appreciate the concern which is been rose. The things need to be sorted out because it is about the individual but it can be with everyone.
=====================================
Smart Car Care

July 01 2010 at 1:56 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply