Beijing Boyce

The Bookworm is for patrons of all ages.

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The Bookworm (map) is dedicating most of this month to all things antediluvian as it holds a series of events under the theme, “Evolve: Dinosaurs, Darwin, & Discovery” from September 5 to 24. Expect seminars, a special pub quiz, and kids activities, as well as fossils on display and replicas of dinosaur skeletons hanging from the ceiling. The, uh, Bookosaurus also has a “dinosaur” menu.

The drinks include:

• The Lesothosaurus, with rum, vodka, Midori, lime and pineapple juice at RMB35. (“This little green critter was no bigger than a small dog.”)
• The Triceratops, with Amaretto, rum, blue curacao, and pineapple juice, at RMB35. (“This dino drink is bound to make you feel a little nutty.Stop drinking if you think you’ve got horns sprouting.”)
• The Stegoceras, tequila, rum, vodka, orange juice and grenadine, at RMB40. “With a large thick plated skull for butting heads with others of it’s kind. This drink might make you do the same!”

The food menu includes five “herbivore” options, including the Brontosaurus veggie patty (RMB45), with a side salad and “dino wedges”, and five “carnivore” options, including the Caveman’s Platter (RMB138), with “pork ribs, chicken wings, lamb shank, beef kebab, baked potato and side salad.”

For more details on Evolve, see this dedicated page on The Bookworm Web site.

Last week, I ran a post about Beijing’s five most promising young bands as picked by music man about town Pete Demola. As follow up, here are Demola’s picks for the city’s five best live bands.

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“Beijing rocks, but you probably knew that already. Although it’s impossible to create a “best of” anything list, the five artists below have consistently proven themselves as the city’s most dependable and invigorating live acts.

“5. Pet Conspiracy
“The international quintet’s frenetic live antics, including, but not limited to, instrument switching, conga lines, stage diving, piggyback riding, impromptu renditions of folk songs and erotic Cabaret interplay between duel vocalists Yunyun and Helen Feng (Did we mention that time when they rebuilt an entire fucking stage?) conducted over slick and tasty electro pop place this crew firmly in a league of their own. Unfortunately, that league is also packed with legions of moneyed white yuppie douchebags who are attracted to their shows like insects to a bug zapper. Hmm…

“4. Guai Li
“Regularly cited as favorites by an impressive list of their peers in this city’s art and music community, this female-fronted quintet continues to tear holes through Beijing with their visceral live performances and stellar musicianship. Their signature sound of angular guitars flecked with noise and feedback paired with off-key vocals, quirky time signatures, abrupt breakdowns and children’s toys somehow manages to sound machinelike, surreal and disorienting at the same time. A true musician’s band, and my personal favorite.

“3. Demerit
“After a tossed water bottle narrowly missed vocalist Spike Li during a performance at D-22 in May, he stopped the show and calmly punched the unapologetic culprit in the face several times in quick succession as his band slowly reignited their blistering riffage behind him. These street punks are kings of the scene: Expect loyal crowds at their shows, circle pits and sheer sonic fury. But don’t write them off as aggro-thugs: Midway through a gig last month, they switched from electric to acoustic, showcasing some serious songwriting chops—as well as their sensitive sides.

“2. Joyside
“Although the nights when band founders Bian Yuan and Liu Hao would get morbidly intoxicated before tearing through their patented brand of sloppy, punk-inflected hard rock are behind them, the eight-year-old quintet is no less dangerous. With the reentry of guitarist Yang Yang back into the fold, they’ve never sounded better. A quintessential show involves wave after wave of swaggering singalong anthems in the vein of Johnny Thunders and Stiv Bators, gallons of sweat, body heat and beer sprinkling down from D-22’s second floor balcony. Unfortunately the above is a eulogy. Although they’re following through with their scheduled commitments, it appears that the magic has run its course and the legendary band is breaking up… again. Sniff. For those who have never experienced the fivesome live, Saturday, September 12, this will be your final chance, with Muma & Third Party to support. (MAO Live House, 9:30pm, September 12, RMB60 (RMB50 for students), includes free CD.)

“1. Suffocated
“Hot, brotherly and relentless are the hallmarks of a gig by these thrash metal veterans. With a loyal fan base that they’ve been assembling since their formation in 1996, performances by this quartet are manly displays of folks united in synchronized horn throwing, head banging and that “arm-shoulder thing” unique to the Chinese metal scene. (Metalheads should know exactly what I’m talking about.) I’ve never seen fan dedication like this for any live act in China, and since the crowd always kicks as much ass as the band’s brutal and mesmerizing grooves, it not only makes for a holistic experience, but places Suffocated at the pole position as the most consistently-niu bi draw in the underground music scene.

Pete DeMola is editorial director for weliveinbeijing.com. He says he doesn’t take anything too seriously in this city, and neither should you.

See also: Pete DeMola’s top five watering holes

Regular contributor The Village Grouch writes about a weekend tour in Beijing that took him from Long Island to the Highway to Hell.

“Friday began at Schiller’s (map), still Beijing’s capital for the Long Island Iced Tea, especially during happy hour. I don’t remember what price, but after two of those things it’s time for dental surgery. The only drawback: they’re served in tall, thin Erdinger glasses, which become a real spillage hazard after the first one.

“We hit another top LIIT venue on Friday, Jazz-ya (map), still in its original location after 13 years. LIITs there are more expensive and slightly less tasty as those at Schiller’s. However, Jazz-ya does have an edge in that it has a real food menu until late.

“After that, we stumbled up the stairs to Kokomo (map). Still a great outdoor venue, but Bill, if you’re reading, you need to fix that deck – it’s about as spongy as a trampoline and feels like it’s about to give way.

“Saturday night showcased the musical/social event of the late summer/early autumn, the farewell Dirty Deeds gig at Yugong Yishan (map). The venue still isn’t all that, but it’s the best we got short of Star Live. From Highway to Hell to Hell’s Bells, a great show. Drinks at Yugong Yishan are either watered down or don’t have any booze at all. Order beer, it’s that type of venue anyway.

“The merriment/booze part of the weekend ended at Danger Doyle’s (map), which had closed its deck due to rain. Some people half-heartedly watched the England-Slovenia match while the rest of the patrons, who were mostly white, danced to Glen’s various 80s selections.

“Time for a bottle of water and a couple of aspirin. And a nap.”