Posted by chris@gfm.fm
Chris B asked Liang Long, frontman for Second Hand Rose, some questions after their recent tour of the US. Second Hand Rose are a Chinese rock band who exploded onto the Beijing band scene in 2000. Their unique combination of Chinese and Western sounds and their hyperbolic visual spectacles have earned them a reputation as one of the best live bands in mainland China.
You guys have just been on your first tour of the States, can you share with us any highlights of this tour?
The success of the tour is within our expectation. But it also exceeded our expectations. We never doubt our music. We had a vision at the very beginning that our music style is aimed at international stages. It was really motivating to see audiences in the States enjoying our gigs so much. What came beyond our expectation is that ethnic Chinese show much more interest about local contemporary culture than ever before. Of course it is mostly due to the mass media coverage.
What did you learn about your bandmates that you didn't know before?
There’s still long way to go to keep the band professional. Some members didn’t prepare well enough for oversea touring. We need to have better problem solving skills to act quickly for unexpected situations. But of course we mean what goes on backstage. I think we did quite well on the stage, even more relaxed than many of our gigs in mainland China.
Are there any musicians or bands that you guys would like to collaborate with?
Yes, we prefer musician that’s more challenging. We are preparing for that.
What did you learn about the US?
We found the possibility of interaction through cultural differences.
I think it’s the same reaction during gigs. They all enjoyed our music. The slightly differences with Americans probably being attracted by the uniqueness of sound and visual effect on stage; whereas Chinese audiences feel proud of the familiar sounds and reminded them of their hometown.
You guys have been a band for over 14 years. When it comes to songwriting, how do you guys work? Does someone bring in a melody? Or do you Liang, write the lyrics first? How do you guys work together to create your songs?
I wrote all the lyrics and melodies before 2008, and we did the arrangements together. Our creation process shifted to group creation gradually. Although lyrics are still written by me, we stepped out of the traditional structure and experimented on new melodies. Our band members have been more creative on the song arrangements. Now we work as a team to create our songs, so we are all part of the creation team.
Chris B asked Liang Long, frontman for Second Hand Rose, some questions after their recent tour of the US. Second Hand Rose are a Chinese rock band who exploded onto the Beijing band scene in 2000. Their unique combination of Chinese and Western sounds and their hyperbolic visual spectacles have earned them a reputation as one of the best live bands in mainland China.
You guys have just been on your first tour of the States, can you share with us any highlights of this tour?
The success of the tour is within our expectation. But it also exceeded our expectations. We never doubt our music. We had a vision at the very beginning that our music style is aimed at international stages. It was really motivating to see audiences in the States enjoying our gigs so much. What came beyond our expectation is that ethnic Chinese show much more interest about local contemporary culture than ever before. Of course it is mostly due to the mass media coverage.
What did you learn about your bandmates that you didn't know before?
There’s still long way to go to keep the band professional. Some members didn’t prepare well enough for oversea touring. We need to have better problem solving skills to act quickly for unexpected situations. But of course we mean what goes on backstage. I think we did quite well on the stage, even more relaxed than many of our gigs in mainland China.
Are there any musicians or bands that you guys would like to collaborate with?
Yes, we prefer musician that’s more challenging. We are preparing for that.
What did you learn about the US?
We found the possibility of interaction through cultural differences.
I think it’s the same reaction during gigs. They all enjoyed our music. The slightly differences with Americans probably being attracted by the uniqueness of sound and visual effect on stage; whereas Chinese audiences feel proud of the familiar sounds and reminded them of their hometown.
You guys have been a band for over 14 years. When it comes to songwriting, how do you guys work? Does someone bring in a melody? Or do you Liang, write the lyrics first? How do you guys work together to create your songs?
I wrote all the lyrics and melodies before 2008, and we did the arrangements together. Our creation process shifted to group creation gradually. Although lyrics are still written by me, we stepped out of the traditional structure and experimented on new melodies. Our band members have been more creative on the song arrangements. Now we work as a team to create our songs, so we are all part of the creation team.
