Posts Tagged ‘China’
Canon Commercial
Oh, I forgot to mention..
While last in Shanghai (June 2010 – December 2010), we were featured in a commercial for (what was then) the new Canon IXUS cameras. Obviously, that’s not our music, but that is the House of Blues and Jazz, and that is Mike Null & The Soulcasters.
That’s Chris Sublette on bass, Gabriel Guerrero on piano, Max Zemanovic on drums and Dana Shellmire on vocals.
The Soulcasters are going to Beijing!
I’m very excited to announce that Mike Null & The Soulcasters are headed to Beijing this fall and winter!
We’ll be playing 6 nights a week, Monday through Saturday, for four months (October 3 – February 3) at club Centro, housed within the Kerry Center Shangri-La Hotel.
This is not only our first time in Beijing, but our first time playing at and staying in a 5 star hotel. Apparently the decor you see in the above pic will not be there, as they are just finishing renovations and will be reopening with a bang (a new decor, and a new all American band)!
It is my honor to announce that we will have the great pleasure of supporting New Orleans based vocalist, the lovely Sasha Masakowski.
Sasha is an incredibly versatile and skillful vocalist and we are very much looking forward to building a show around her.
The lineup for this run will be:
Steve Belleville on bass (from the original Mike Null Blues Band lineup). Steve is a sharp dresser with a sharp tongue, a lady killer, and a consummate multi-instrumentalist and musician.
Todd Marston (from the Soulcasters Shanghai lineup) on piano and keyboard. Todd is a master yogi, a meditator, a fine chef, a comedian, a tasteful musician and an all around centered and great guy.
Max Zemanovic (also from the Soulcasters Shanghai lineup) on drums. Max is a thinker, a non-drinker, and a modern day gypsy with a personality as solid as his groove.
So much to do! Visas, contracts, rehearsals .. oh my. I’m very excited for this run, as I think it will be musically challenging and rewarding. The presence of Sasha changes the focus of the repertoire, which is usually anchored in heavy blues. Sasha comes from more of a jazz background, so we will be experimenting with applying our Soulcasters sound and arrangement skills to a different feel and approach. I welcome the chance to explore the new sounds and adventures this trip will bring.
Know any great sights to see in Beijing? Please leave us a comment and tell us where to go, whom to meet and what to see!
First DVD Track is Finished!
I’m very excited to announce that the first video from the “Mike Null & The Soulcasters – Live in Shanghai” DVD is finished being edited! Check it out!
This is (another) video of “Hideaway” , a guitar instrumental originally by the late great Freddie King, filmed LIVE at the Legendary House of Blues and Jazz in Shanghai, China.
More to come! Stay tuned! Special thanks goes out to Fella Film Studios, Shanghai for doing such a great job.
Bootleg Youku Vids
Our Chinese friend and fan, Benson, posted some Bootleg vids on Youku.com! This was towards the end of our 6 month contract. Please note that the band shown in these videos is actually The Soulcasters. That’s Max Zemonavic on drums, Chris Sublette on bass, Todd Marston on Piano, Dana Shellmire on vocals and yours truly on guitar and vocals.
Excerpt from “Old Love” by Eric Clapton
Excerpt from our arrangement of “You Don’t Love Me” by Buddy Guy
Excerpt from “Mojo Workin” by Muddy Waters
Benson is also a guitarist. We used to see him at our jams in Shanghai at the House of Blues and Jazz. You can see some of his videos HERE!
Vids!
Ludwig Fella, of Fella Film Studios, was kind enough to film our week backing the mighty Carlton J. Smith!
Check ‘em out and spread ‘em around! Click below.
Carlton J. Smith backed by Mike Null & The Soulcasters
Guest Star Number 3
Greg Luttrell flies in today!
These past few weeks with Carlton and Sam have been amazing. After focusing on and playing our own show for over 4 months, it is such a breath of fresh air to have these guest stars come in to perform with us.
This week, Greg Luttrell graces us with his soulful presence. It will be so great to see Greg.. as he and I know each other from the Boston scene. In fact, Greg is the guy who got me the gig at the House of Blues and Jazz to begin with, and it is a great honor to share the stage with him for the club’s 15th Anniversary!
Tonight’s jam is the only night that will have all 3 guest stars in the same house at the same time! Don’t miss it!
Greg will be here until November 21.
Guest stars in the House
Hey all,
Sorry I haven’t been keeping you up to date, but I’ve been so busy learning songs and rehearsing for the House of Blues and Jazz’s 15th Anniversary month that I haven’t had much time!
Last week we had the mighty Carlton J. Smith perform with us and it was an absolute BLAST! Carlton is a FORCE. The man has an inextinguishable fire burning in his belly that kept us going to extra lengths to keep up. Each show was jam packed with uptempo grooves and energy that did not quit until the very last note!
This week, we are backing the veteran blues man, Sam Hooper. Sam has been performing at the House of Blues and Jazz since 2004. If last night was any testament, this week is going to be a scorcher!
Celebrating 15 Years of Shanghai’s Best Blues and Jazz
Dana Shellmire – Vocalist for Mike Null & The Soulcasters
Most venues in this city don’t make it past their first birthday, let alone into their second decade. But the House of Blues and Jazz has proven itself to be one of the few exceptions to the rule as it turns 15 this November.
Since 1995, it’s been a second living room for those who are hungry for quality live music and a home for blues and jazz musicians from all over the world. It was the first blues and jazz bar in “new” Shanghai, opening initially on Sinan Lu, in a space that’s now a furniture shop, before moving to the Cypress Hotel in Hongqiao, then to Maoming Lu during the street’s glory days before upscaling to its Bund-side digs in 2008.
This month, anniversary celebrations see a host of artists returning to the venue. First up are the Cangelosi Cards, a small, soulful unit that combines the best aspects of old-time swing, hot jazz and acoustic roots and blues. Hailing from New York, the quintet features the inimitable singing talent of Tamar Korn, who takes her cues from old New Orleans jazz.
After that, there’s a week of shows by Shanghai stalwart Carlton J. Smith, who played his first Shanghai gig at the House of Blues and Jazz back in 2005. There follow shows by blues outfit the Sam Hooper Group and high-octane soul vocalist Greg Luttrell, all of them backed up by the HOBJ’s house band, Mike Null & The Soulcasters.
Music at the House of Blues and Jazz feels up-close and personal, which is exactly what jazz and blues needs to be. The management has always supported those who come to Shanghai and try to make a living out of their music, and it’s cited again and again as a favorite place to perform by the city’s jazz professionals.
DETAILS
What: The House of Blues and Jazz Birthday Celebrations
When: The Cangelosi Cards play Mon. Nov. 1 | 9:30PM
Carlton J. Smith plays Nov. 2-7 | 9:30PM
Sam Hooper plays Nov. 9-14 | 9:30PM
Greg Luttrell plays Nov. 16-21 | 9:30PM
Where: 60 Fuzhou Lu
Tel: 6323-2779
How much: RMB50 on weekends
Lessons in Performance
From The Killing Floor:
Mike Null
Special to The Killing FloorAs I’ve said in previous blog posts, there is life before Shanghai, life in Shanghai, and life after Shanghai.
Before I came to China I was in Boston plugging along as a side guy, playing with whoever would have me. In the nine years I’ve been there I’ve experienced a lot by playing with cover bands, Berklee faculty, blues outfits and singer-songwriters alike. Some bands were good, some were mediocre, and some were just bad.
One thing I’ve noticed through all of this is that in being successful it often doesn’t matter how good the band is (this is especially true with cover bands). For instance, any cover band can play the first few lines of “Brown Eyed Girl” and people will say, “Whooo! I love this song!” Similarly, anybody can sing the first few lines of “I Will Survive” and a gang of women will get up and rush the dance floor.
This doesn’t happen because the band is good (though it may be), but because the band is tapping into people’s associations of artist, genre and recording. Even bad cover bands do well because they play the right songs.
I may offend some people by saying this, but a blues band in its essence is a cover band. Many will want to say, “But wait…No, what we’re doing is keeping a tradition alive and…” Nope. Unless you’re writing original music, you’re a cover band.
It may be a hard truth for a lot of blues bands to accept, but just because you take solos doesn’t mean you’re not a cover band. You are still tapping into people’s associations of artist, genre and recording. You are still playing the right songs.
By tapping in bands are becoming successful by finding their place in the huge music machine we have in the United States. This machine has been around for a long time and it’s extremely powerful.
When a band gets signed and they produce a “hit”, that hit is played to the point of saturation all over media. It’s on TV, on the radio, at McDonald’s, on your buddy’s ipod; it’s everywhere. Even if you don’t like a song you’ve heard, chances are you could say who made it famous and could probably sing some of the super repetitive chorus. The machine is that good.
In China, people don’t have these built in associations for a lot of the music we play. There is definitely a music industry here, but the average person probably has no idea who Muddy Waters was or what blues music is at all. Therefore, we can’t rely on anything other than our own performances to get people into the blues. They are literally hearing new music in the moment and if they aren’t affected by what they hear they move on.
In my opinion, the goal of any serious band is to affect people. I’m not trying to say that my band is better than others. I’m just trying to say that is what we are aspiring to do. I want people to leave our show remembering our name, remembering how we made them feel, leaving the show so into the band that they actually tell other people about us or even decide to support us financially by buying a CD or tickets to other shows.
Some things China has taught me about performance:
1. I have to feel it first. If I’m not liking what I’m hearing, or if I’m coming from a place of insecurity, the audience will pick up on that and not get into what we’re doing. I try to make sure I set up the situation (i.e. sound, make sure we’re all fed, etc.) for us to not only play well, but to actually feel it. In short, I have to take care of myself and do my homework so that when I walk up on stage the only things I have to worry about are listening, feeling and reading the room.
2. I have to look good. There is a common misconception that people that dress up are making up for the fact that they are lacking in some other area. That may be true for some bands, but I think this is a cop out. I want people to be able to make the immediate distinction of who is in the band and who is not the second we walk through the door just based on how we look.
3. I have to move. Part of looking good is being a band that is visually dynamic. Musicians are a different breed of people when it comes to checking out a live show. Most non-musicians go out to see and feel live music, not just hear it. In addition to being dressed up, I have to move. I try to get drunk on the music. I find I get the best results when I show people how I feel on the inside when I am doing what I love. If I am feeling it first, this comes easily.
I love the Blues. I feel it deeply, I’ve dedicated my life to it and I want it to survive. I feel that the global blues community is suffering in part because people don’t take it seriously. I believe it is a deep art form that should be respected on the level of any other genre of music, if not more so because it is often the root of most other genres. I can’t expect any audience members or listeners to take it seriously if I don’t first. In short, to really affect people I’ve found that I have to actually perform. Not just talk about performing, or talk about people who do, but actually perform myself.
Reading the Room
My latest contribution to “The Killing Floor – Notes from the Editor of the Boston Blues Society”
Mike Null
Special to The Killing FloorAs I cruise along to the end of my fourth week here at The House of Blues and Jazz, I find myself grateful, excited and challenged.
The challenges change from day to day. I am always trying to think of steps I can take to get the band tighter, improve the stage show and make sure everyone is having a great time. The first few weeks are all about preparation, but now that the band is looking sharp and sounding great, what’s the next step?
As the bandleader, it’s my job to prepare set lists and call tunes as the night goes on. Let me just say that I never really understood the art of reading the room until I came to China. In Boston, I was more often a side guy and didn’t have to carry the responsibility. Now that I have to think about it in addition to my own playing and singing, I’ve begun to realize how important it really is.
I think set lists are a bad idea. I know a lot of people would protest, but hear me out. Sticking to a set list robs me of the ability to read the room. Instead of a set list, I prefer a song list broken down by song type: danceable tunes, slow tunes, epic musicianship tunes, etc. As I engage the crowd and try to get a show moving, I get a sense of how people are feeling. I’ve found that there a few types of crowds, and a crowd can vary from set to set.
The shy room—This is typically common at the beginning of every night, especially on weeknights. Folks get off work, go out to unwind a bit and probably have dinner or a drink. They’ve just spent all day playing by the rules and are very reserved. Early well-meaning stage banter is received by a tentative response or at worst, dead silence. Some bands never get past this initial contact. Don’t let it get to you! These people are the same people that might be swinging from the rafters later on. I just give them a wink and a knowing smile and loosen up the band, knowing that I have to go there myself first before they will come with me.
The dancing room—This is when the energy is high, often on weekends or later in the night after people have a few drinks. My job changes as a bandleader. I have to suck it up and realize the gig is no longer about the music. A dancing room wants pure enabling energy that will be the blues-powered engine for their party. The room will get loud. People will talk and dance and my job is to call tunes that will keep the party spirit alive. Though I enjoy the dancing room, I must say that I do not consider dancing a sign of success. When people are dancing I haven’t lost, but I haven’t totally won yet either. I did not come all the way to China to become a human juke box. I want people to actually dig what they hear.
The listening room—This is my favorite. This is when I’ve “got ‘em.” The listening room is a room full of patrons that plant themselves in their seats, glue their eyes on the stage and don’t move except maybe to go to the bathroom. The vibe is a self-policing silence, respectful and appreciative of what’s happening. I call different tunes for rooms like this. I call tunes that are more musically intelligent, in many ways more satisfying to both play and to listen to, and in such a nurturing environment, the band often stretches out and reaches unprecedented levels of ensemble playing. I know I’ve read the room well when I can turn a rowdy Saturday dance crowd into a room of energetic and engaged listeners.
My friend Aaron Shadwell said it best: “Don’t ever blame the crowd for how well the band performs that night. If Michael Jackson were here, we’d all be having a great time.”
