LBM thought it be fun to shine a lil spotlight on this weekend\’s SPRING ROMP, being held at DDC on April 2nd, and the eclectic group of bands we\’ve invited. And really, this lineup is all over the place – not just stylistically, but geographically, with bands making the trip up from Tianjin, Baoding, and Xinxiang. We decided to ask a few quick questions to each of the bands – Pumpkins, Lonely Leary, Division Control, Qianchuan Drugstore and Briefs Dryer. Enjoy and don\’t forget to pick up your presale tickets here!
Pumpkins小南瓜
Translated by Michael Cupoli
－ Pumpkins are no strangers to Beijing – how’s does it feel to return? Anything in particular you miss about Beijing? 南瓜乐队经常来北京，回北京感觉如何？你们想北京的什么方面？
In the past 3 or 4 years, Pumpkins have probably had the chance to come to Beijing once or twice a year. It\’s neither too many times nor too few. But with passing of time, we aren\’t sure if Pumpkins has a real following in Beijing or not. The shows feel aimless. Every time we come to Beijing, we are very happy to see our friends. Talking with them is very important to us.
近三四年以来，小南瓜每年可能都有机会去北京演一两次，不多不少，但久而久之也就尴尬了——至今也不了解小南瓜在北京到底有没有固定的受众，演出很盲目。每次去北京最高兴的就是能见一些老朋友们吧，交流还是很重要的。
– You guys have been meeting quite a few of your idols in the past years – from recording in Berlin and meeting Marky Ramone, to even some acts like Mike Watt & The Missingmen swinging through Xinxiang (just last week) – how does it feel to meet more and more of rock and roll royalty? 这几年你们见过好多你们的偶像，在柏林录音了，见过Marky Ramone，以及Mike Watt & The Missingmen上周来过新乡演出，你们越来越成为摇滚大牌感觉如何？
Getting to meet some rock legends is really something to be grateful for. Getting to play on the same stage as them is amazing. It makes you feels as if you are becoming part of history, but then anxiety follows. We are growing older with them. They continue to be legendary, however, we continue to be boring.
见到一些摇滚乐的元老着实感到庆幸，甚至能和他们同台更是不可思议，会让人感觉自己活进了历史，但焦虑感也随之而来，我们正在随着他们一起变老，他们延续着传奇，我们却重复着无聊。
– Do you believe punk in cities like Beijing and Shanghai is becoming irrelevant? Does being a punk band in a smaller city like Xinxiang have more importance in the long run? 你们觉得北京和上海的朋克没有以前重要吗？觉得在一个小一些的城市，例如新乡，有一只朋克乐队的长期更重要吗？
The inclusivity of big cities should make most punk bands feel a bit embarrassed . Casting aside the market is easy. You can be in Beijing or Shanghai, but most bands don\’t have anything to show for it. Isn\’t it sad? In some small cities, take Xinxiang for example, the existence of a punk band doesn\’t actually have much meaning. We still live in the desert, but we still want to try the best we can to do the things that we want to and have later generations be able to see it.
大城市的包容性应该让身处其中的大多数朋克乐队为他们的处境感到羞愧——抛开市场仅就便利条件而言，身在北京上海，乐队却没有拿得出手的作品，不羞愧吗？在一些小城市，拿新乡来讲，朋克乐队的存在其实在当下并没有什么意义，我们依旧活在沙漠，但还是要尽心尽力的做好自己想做的事情吧，尽量做到让后人可以看得到。
– What’s on the horizon for Pumpkins?南瓜乐队有什么未来的计划？
Pumpkins has a small Taiwan tour in May. After we get back, we want to start working on our new album, which includes recording, promotion, and touring. In the future, we are interesting in looking for a label to work with. We hope we are professional enough of taking care of things related to the band.
小南瓜五月份会去台湾做一个小巡演，回来之后就要着手制作新专辑了，录音宣传巡演等。未来我们有意找找厂牌谈下合作的事情，希望能够更专业地处理一些乐队事宜。
Lonely Leary
Translated by Michael Cupoli
– How’s it feel to be apart of a major label now? Is it a constant rotation of drugs, parties, and girls? 你们签约兵马司厂牌感觉如何？你们现在每出去派对，吸毒，以及女朋友们太多了吗？
Before recording the album, almost everything is the same as before we got signed. However, we are happy to have more shows on the weekends. We are afraid of parities, don\’t use drugs, and failures with girls. We are more interested in finding the 10 yuan an hour practice room near Andingmen that Vice once wrote about.
在专辑录制之前，大部分事情相比签约前似乎还不会有特别的不同。不过更多的周末档演出安排让我们还是很开心的。作为派对恐惧者、毒品无缘者和性失败者，我们当前可能更关心Vice的文章曾提到的、安定门附近10块钱一小时的排练室到底在哪。
– There’s a frantic anxiousness to your music and stage presence that’s simply infectious? Where does that come from? 你们的音乐特别焦急，还有你们的演出会吸引很多人，你觉得这是为什么？
The anxiousness comes from life experiences. Normally, we are very quiet people, so the anxiety and hate of dealing with other people comes pouring out into the music. There is a fear of going on stage and playing. Perhaps this feeling while performing is overpowering. Now we are already different from how we were before. We finish every show within half an hour and every song is close to 200 BPM. We have to be prepared and in control. Hopefully, this comes across well.
焦急的感觉肯定是来自生活经验。我们平时都是比较安静的人，所有疲于同别人讨论的焦虑和恨意都被倾泻在了音乐中。而对登台演出这件事的胆怯，可能会让这种感觉在现场表演时被过分强化。现在我们似乎已经不会像以前那样，以每首歌接近200的速度在半小时内结束一场演出了，会有更充分的准备与控制。希望这是一种好的转变。
– You hit the studio this month to record your debut – what are your expectations going into the studio? When can we expect the release? 你们本月录音了第一张专辑，去录音棚以前都有什么期望？这张专辑什么要发行？
We have very, very little experience being in a recording studio, so we tried hard to think of everything beforehand and solve all the problems that might occur during the recording. Although the actual recording process is not as complicated as we actually thought, we hope to make very direct. We want people to listen to it and not be annoyed by it or tired with it. Also, we hope, besides people\’s previous impression of the rush of energy, quickness and roughness, there is more detailed song writing, lyrics, and a complete concept to it that will give everyone a surprise.
我们在真正的录音棚里录音的经验很少很少，所以希望在此之前尽量把自己所能想到的、正式录音时可能会出现问题都解决掉，虽然实际录音可能并没有我们认为的那样复杂。我希望这会是一张以粗砺直接的摇滚乐为主，让人听起来既不烦也不累的专辑；也希望在我们从前固有的冲、快、暴躁等印象以外，能够在更多的编曲细节、歌词乃至完整的概念等方面带给大家惊喜。
Division Control
Welcome back Division Control! I‘ve seen your name pop up a lot on bills here in Beijing – how has the reception been thus far? Any special moments you can recall? 欢迎回来Division Control! 我看到你们的名字经常出现在北京不少演出节目单上，请问反响怎样？有没有什么特别的时刻？
你们好 我们是DIVISION CONTROL,是的我们经常往北京跑，这个城市的噪音太多了让我们再来增加一些吧，首都人民都很欢迎我们就像我们喜欢北京的各种好吃的一样哈哈，特别的时刻太多了总能遇到路上特别堵、地铁特别挤、空气特别危险哈哈
How does it feel to have Beijing next door? How does it affect the music scene? 去北京周边的城市演出效果怎么样？
去北京周边演出还是挺好玩的，因为有些地方的演出活动并不多，所以每次活动总能得到更多的重视和关注
Besides all the tourist crap – what are the best spots (bars, restaurants) to hit up in Tianjin? What’s your typical weekend？除了常规旅游景点外，天津有哪些酒吧和餐厅值得去的？对于你，一个典型的周末是怎么度过的？
天津有13CLUB，JOIN YOUNG艺术空间，派现场，智慧山艺术中心这些LIVEHOUSE，五大道的THE PRESSROOM 26th是近来比较热闹的有现场爵士乐演出的酒吧，但是一般周末我们会以排练为主，偶尔会挑选一些有特色的餐厅和朋友聚会
Do you think it’s possible to ride a MoBike to Tianjin? 你觉得有可能（从北京）骑摩拜单车去天津吗？
骑车去天津真是个不错的创意，你可以像《摩托日记》里那样体验一下在路上的感觉哈哈，不过我们的建议是这个事还是不要冲动:)
Qianchuan Drugstore浅川药店
First off, what’s the meaning behind by name? 首先，你们乐队名字背后有什么含义？
乐队名字的由来是一个意外，与乐队的成员们的故有关，不过我们现在对药店的概念做了一个延伸，这种跟社会的病症和人群的精神状态有关的意象也被我们加入了音乐的内涵之中，感觉也挺贴切的～
You guys hail from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, right? How’s that going? What are you all studying there? 你们是中央美术学院的学生，在校的学习怎么样？你们学的是什么专业？
我们的在校学习生活都挺有意思的，艺术学院是一个很开放的地方，可以打开你的眼界，并激发你的各种创造力，所以感觉对我们平时创作歌曲也挺有帮助的，哈哈，乐队成员们来自造型学院的壁画系和版画系
So I picked you guys based off of your one song on the Super Street Fighter Young Guns’ Compilation – ‘Chinatown’. Pretty innocuous until midway through when the song becomes a sharp critique. Can you expand on the meaning behind the song? 我在一个乐队现场比赛中，听了你们的‘Chinatown’，开始的节奏很平和，但到了中间就开始变的尖锐和强烈。能说明一下这首歌想表达的情感吗？
Chinatown其实是一首很有意思的歌，它的创作背景比较复杂，它融入了比较魔幻跃动的曲调旋律和很现实、很隐喻的社会问题，这种矛盾调和本身正好印证了主旨的讽刺性，具体歌曲内容就留给观众自己去品味吧:）
I’m a sucker for trumpets! It really adds a whole other dimension to your music. How and when did the trumpet come into play? 我是个小号迷。小号在你们的音乐中真的起到了非常好的效果，是怎么想到要在你们的音乐中运用小号的呢？
其实我们是先有的小号手，哈哈，我们的乐队成员是先聚集齐了，然后开始思考一块儿玩些什么，之后的作曲中我便开始考虑怎样把小号加入听起来比较合适和有趣，于是才诞生了这些歌曲，过程中也是充满了各种有趣的意外性
Briefs Dryer裤衩烘干机
– How would you describe Baoding? 你们如何评价保定？
Baoding is an old city, beautiful, hometown 😀 保定是个好地方
– How does one go about starting a band in Baoding? What’s the scene like? Is there a lot of commuting to nearby cities? 你们是如何开始你们的乐队的？保定的现场音乐情况如何？是不是需要经常去其它城市演出？
We were all just students, playing bands from school, but we know each other, then about one and a half years ago we started to play together and try to make something new. Now in Baoding we have just one to two livehouses, but there are many live shows and some really good bands. We went to Shijiazhuang a couple of times, and bands from ohter cities of Hebei comes too. It\’s our first show in Beijing, so we\’re glad to receive the invitation from LiveBeijingMusic.
起初我们只在各自学校自己玩，后来觉得没意思就攒了一个新乐队，看能不能实现人生理想。
保定现在livehouse就一两个，乐队和演出还挺多的，京津冀各地的乐队有经常性的交流。这次也很开心能收到LiveBeijingMusic的邀请首次来到北京演出。
– I’m hearing a lot of influences in your demos? What did you guys grow up on? How would you describe yourself to listeners? 我听到你们的歌曲里面有很多不一样的元素？你们的音乐是受什么样的背景／影响？你们如何评论自己
Honestly we are still trying different ways to make music, you can find different emotions in our songs,and we want to tell stories from everyone\’s normal life, all based on what we know and what we can make. We don\’t know how to describe ourselves now, time will give us the answer.
我们其实一直在尝试不同的创作方式，试着找到适合的风格。内容上我们试着从平凡的生活中发掘那些让人动容的事情，尽可能地将最真实的情感融入到作品当中。现在乐队的状态还挺模糊的，几个人还都年轻，不知道以后会变成什么样。
– What are some other bands that Beijing is missing out on? 你们觉得北京缺少什么样的乐队？
Rock music is an \’improted goods\’ for Chinese, even in the capital city, we would like to see more spirit of innovation, that is also what we need.
经常去北京看演出，希望能看到越来越多有新想法的人。
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