Happy Avenue
From ChaileWiki
Happy Avenue (幸福大街 Xing Fu Da Jie)
Contents |
Lineup
Vocals - Wu Hong Fei
Guitar - Geng Fan
Guitar - 李維岩
Bass - 蒋榮
Drums - Tian Kun
History
Happy Avenue (幸福大街 in Chinese; pinyin: Xìng Fú Dà Jiē or Xìngfú Dàjiē; sometimes translated as Lucky Road) is a Chinese rock band based in Beijing, China, founded in September 1999. Members include Wú Hóngfēi (吴虹飞, vocals), Gěng Fàng (耿放, electric guitar), Lǐ Wéiyán (李维岩, electric guitar), Zhōu Qí (周琦, electric bass guitar), and Tián Kūn (田坤, drum set). Wu originally also played acoustic guitar in the group before deciding early on to focus strictly on vocals. The original bass player, Shèng (胜), was replaced by Jiǎng Róng (蒋荣) in June 2000, and Jiang was eventually replaced by Zhou. All lyrics were written by Wu Hong Fei and the style can be described as Folk Rock or in some instances even as Death Folk Rock.
Wu Hongfei (surname Wu, b. 1978), Happy Avenue's vocalist and leader, is a graduate of Beijing's prestigious Qinghua University, with bachelor's degrees in environmental engineering and the editing of scientific books, and an M.A. degree in modern Chinese literature (although she primarily studied western literature).[1] Also the group's only female member, she has the distinction of being China's best known female rock singer. Originally from the southern Chinese province of Guizhou and a member of the Dong ethnic minority, Wu is also a magazine journalist and a published novelist. Her lyrics range from lighthearted, absurdist vignettes (like "The Orange Who Wished to Be an Apple") to darker and more melancholy meditations on subjects such as death, alienation, and longing. "Daughter" deals with the issues surrounding unwed motherhood. Some other songs feature literary subject matter; "The Fish Who Loved Xiaolong" tells the story of a mermaid who gives up her tail in order that she might be able to leave the sea and marry a human.[2]
The group's music is eclectic, and generally unclassifiable by genre, though occasionally somewhat reminiscent of such avant-garde groups as Talking Heads. Songs range from quirky, upbeat, and sardonic ("Daughter") to somber and brooding ("May"), the latter style leading some reviewers to describe the group's music as gothic. About the group, Wu says, "We never, ever let 'common taste' influence our music. We do what we like."[3]
The first time the band drew attention to their music was during their first performance on May 1st 2000 at the Midi Modern Music Festival.
After another performance in the 17 Liquor Bar in Beijing, the bassist leaves the band in June 2000.
In July 李維岩 joins the band playing the guitar and Wu Hong Fei decides to concentrate on the vocals.
蒋榮 joined as a bassist in August and the band consisted of 5 members now.
After their performance in the Midi Festival 2001, Zhou Qi joined as another bassist in July 2001. In September the magazine "Listen to the Art" featured the song "April" of Happy Avenue.
In December 2001 Happy Avenue signed a contract with Beijing Universal Music company and intended to record a CD within Spring 2002, but due to the TOEFL studies of Wu Hong Fei and her thesis preparation, the recording needed to be postponed.
In May, the So Rock! Magazine issue 12 included one song of Happy Avenue into their magazine CD.
In September 2002 finally the recording for Happy Avenue's record ended.
Sometime in 2004, Happy Avenue's contract with Beijing Universal Music company ended and they signed with So Rock! Records, so that their first CD could be released in April 2004.
Wu has written candidly about her experiences with Happy Avenue in her semi-autobiographical novel The Double Life of Afei.[4]
Discography
- Happy Avenue - 2005
- When the fish loves Xiaolong - 2004
Appearances in Podcasts
Discography/Compilations
- Beijing Band 2001 (VA) - 2003
Photo galleries
- Happy Avenue & SLIT @ 288 Bar - 2005/11/04 - by Brad Ferguson
External links
- Happy Avenue page from Beijing Band 2001 site
- "Happy Avenue Leads To......" by Wendy Liu, from City Weekend, December 5, 2004
- "Multi-faceted Artist Shares Story", from China Daily, December 19, 2002
- Lucky Road profile from China Daily
- Band profile from Beijing Portal
- "Queens of Beijing: The city’s female movers and shakers", from That's Beijing, March 9, 2005
- Review of Wu Hongfei's The Double Life of Afei
- Happy Avenue photos from Shanghai Streets Photoblog
- Happy Avenue photos
- Happy Avenue history (in Chinese and English)
- Wu Hongfei blog (older)
- Wu Hongfei blog (newer)
Listening
- Interview with Wu Hongfei from China Beat radio program (click yellow smiley face to listen)
- Article and audio from PBS Frontline page
- Audio samples (in Chinese; click on "headphones" icon for each track to download)
- Audio samples (in Chinese; click two links to the right of the Windows Media Player icon)
