I've added new photos from the International Festival to the Photo Gallery. 
Got any local music related news? email me and I'll add it to the list.
Thanks to everyone who came out to help me celebrate last month! I'll put some photos up soon. This month there's a lot going on with Chinese New Year, Valentine's Day and also Mardi Gras. The Big Easy are hosting this year's Mardi Gras party on Tuesday 24th. ("Fat Tuesday"). They're arranging prizes, drinks promotions, exotic dancers and, of course, some great music.
Also, this month Tom Stryker & Michael T. will be playing a series of three jazz gigs at the Big Easy. We don't often get a chance to hear jazz playing on chromatic harmonicas here so take the opportunity to get out and check them out.
February may be the shortest month, but it seems to have the most going on! Check out the gig guide for more details.
Happy New Year! Also: Happy Birthday to me! That's right - it's my birthday this month so get down to the Big Easy on Friday 9th Jan and help me party in style!
Merry Christmas! I'll be out for most of December but the Big Easy will keep on rockin' through the new year with Sugar Mama & the Rhythm Dogs. Have a great festive season!
Thanks to everyone who turned out for the Halloween bash at the Big Easy last month. What a great night!
This month, the Big Easy will be hosting an annual Jazz Festival on Saturday the 15th. I'll be there with Sugar Mama and the Rhythm Dogs as well as three other bands: The Moreno Trio, Silk, and the Big Easy Jazz Band. See you there!
Thanks to all those who came out for the farewell gig for Paul last month. I'll be putting up some photos in the gallery section soon. Also, thanks a lot to John Jarman(JJ), manager of the Secret Garden in Koh Samui, Thailand. I had a great time jamming there at the start of the month with Chip from Belgium and Peepin' Tom Condes . I'll be putting up some photos in the Gallery section soon. Don't forget Halloween is at the end of this month and the Big Easy is planning to host the best Halloween party in Beijing this year.
This month sees a farewell to Paul Clementson, B.B.C. guitarist and bluesman par excellence! We'll be having a farewell jam for Paul at the Big Easy on Monday 8th September.
I'm back in Beijing! Thankfully SARS has disappeared and the bars are back in business! I'm doing my regular Friday night gigs at the Big Easy again. Also this month sees the Rhythm Dogs on the road as we travel down to Guangzhou for the Huiling Charity Ball at the end of this month. Check the gig guide for more details.
On holiday! Back in August...
Everything has been a bit messed up this month due to the SARS epidemic in Beijing. Venues have closed and gigs have been cancelled. The Big Easy will close this month for three weeks. Check the Gig Guide for reopening dates.
Also, I'm leaving at the end of the month for Thailand & South Africa. I'll be back in Beijing at the start of August, so look out for more gigs then.
Have a great summer!
Cheers,
Mike
OK, so the Rolling Stones concert got cancelled / postponed due to the SARS outbreak, but there is some good news: This month sees the return of saxophonist, Ray Blue, to the Big Easy. Ray will be performing in Beijing starting on Monday 14th.
Ray was last in Beijing a year ago and we had some great gigs! Catch some fantastic music at the Big Easy this month!
Mardi Gras is here! The Big Easy will be holding a week of Mardi Gras festivities starting on the 3rd March and culminating with the Big Mardi Gras party on Saturday, the 8th. Prizes, dancers, drinks, etc.
Also this month I'll be celebrating St Patrick's Day at the Hidden Tree. I'll be performing Irish / Cetic / Acoustic music with Paul Clementson (Guitar) and Dave Rynerson (Mandolin). We plan to start in the afternoon and keep going through to the evening! Check the gig guide for more details.
Gong Xi Fa Cai! Happy New Year!
Thanks to all those who came out on a very cold and snowy Monday night for the Blues Memorial concert last month. This month I'll be at the Big Easy on Fridays and should be starting back at the CD Jazz Cafe on Thursday nights with the Beijing Blues Collective (BBC). Check the gig guide for more details.
Happy New Year! I'm back from my holiday and will be celebrating my birthday at the Big Easy on Friday 10th January with the Rhythm Dogs. This month, the Big Easy is also hosting the annual Blues Memorial gig to the late owner and founder of the Big Easy, Douglas Monitto who passed away two years ago. Doug was a great lover of live music and by opening the Big Easy, gave Jazz & Blues a home in Beijing. I'll be MC'ing the gig on Monday 20th January and playing along with the Rhythm Dogs and other local musicians who've played at the Big Easy over the years. Music starts at 9:30pm.
The Beijing Blues Collective (BBC) will be taking a break this month and we should be back at the CD Jazz Cafe in February. Check the gig guide for more details.
This month sees the return of Jacqui "Sugar Mama" Staton. Jacqui has been performing in Taipei for the past few months and will be back at the Big Easy for the Blues Memorial and will start her regular gigs that week.
The Big Easy wil also be hosting a Chinese New Year's Party on 31st January to see in the year of the Goat. I'll be there with Jacqui and the Rhythm Dogs. Look forward to seeing you there!
Last month was great! Some brilliant gigs at the Big Easy and the CD Jazz Cafe. Also, it was great meeting so many people from around the world who were in town and caught us at the various venues. A special "Hello" to Janet & Martin from Manchester who were at the Big Easy and helped us have a great night out! Check out the new photos in the photo gallery.
This month sees the "Jazz Week" happening at the CD Jazz Cafe from the 9th to the 14th December. The CD Cafe manager, Liu Yuan, has organised a mini festival to take the place of the cancelled Beijing Jazz festival. We'll be playing on Thursday 12th with a line up of three bands that night.
I'm off to South Africa for three weeks this month and will be back at the Big Easy on the 10th January. Have a merry Christmas and a very happy New Year!
Cheers, Mike
I had a great trip to Shanghai last month courtesy of Warwick Basses. Thanks to the crowd at the Ark who made the evening rally special, and a special thanks to Greg at the Cotton Club for having us jam on stage and letting us tear the house down !
At the Big Easy this month, Angela Fabian continues to rock the house with her modern bluesy, soul singing! I'll be playing with her all this month until she leaves for the US at the end of the month. Check out the new photos in the photo gallery.
The regular Thursday blues night with the B.B.C. at the CD Jazz Cafe continues to draw a good crowd - thanks!
Something different this month! I'll be travelling to Shanghai with the Beijing Blues Collective (B.B.C.) to take part in the Annual Music Expo. We're being sponsored by Warwick Basses and Equipment as part of their 25th anniversary. (Zhang Ling actually endorses their bass equipment). We'll be playing at the Ark in Xintiandi, but look out for for a suprise jam at the Cotton Club with our Shanghai based blues buddies, Danny Woody, Matt Cooper, and Greg Smith.
Also, at the Big Easy, this month sees Jacqui "Sugar Mama" Staton leaving for Taipei for the next three months. Her replacement, Angela Fabian, promises to be very special so make sure to catch a live performance while she's here!
A busy month coming up! The gig at the new CD Jazz Cafe is really taking off! Thanks to all of you who came out to support us! (A special thanks to Cui Jian for dropping by and thanks to visiting musicians Mike(USA) & Francois(France) for jamming). We're planning to keep the Thursday night gig and with a bit of help, we can maintain it as Beijing's premier blues night!
Apart from the regular gigs at the Big Easy, I'll also be playing at the new CD Jazz Cafe with the B.B.C.
Back in Beijing and things are already kicking off this month. I'm back at the Big Easy on Friday nights with Jacqui "Sugar Mama" Staton and the Rhythm Dogs. Also, this month I'll be playing at the newly opened jazz & blues bar, "the CD Cafe 2". I'll be there starting Thursday 22nd at 9:30pm with the Rhythm Dogs. For the location of the new CD cafe, check out the venue listing in the Nightlife Guide.
I'll be back in Beijing at the end of July. Meantime, thanks a lot to Jeff and the Soi Dog Blues Band for having me on stage at Warblers in Bangkok, Thailand. The Soi Dog Blues Band have got to be the bluesiest band in SE Asia! If you're in Bangkok check them out!
Things are getting really busy with the World Cup on at the moment. Viva Football! Big Easy 3rd birthday party on the 8th! Also, the Volkswagen launch at the Beijing Motor Show.
I'll be leaving Beijing later this month for Thailand, Malaysia & Europe. More news when I get back at the end of July...
More gigs at the Big Easy with Ray Blue this month - plus a great show with Ray & Lionel at Poachers on May 11th. Also the 007 SPY NIGHT at the Big Easy on the 25th was a great success! Photos from the Poachers gig and also the Spy Night in the Photo Gallery.
A busy month at the Big Easy! Visits by guest musicians Ray Blue (USA) and Lionel Haas (Germany) have really spiced things up. Ray and Lionel are performing throughout April & May at the Big Easy and will also be performing at this year's festival at the Midi School in northern Beijing. For more details about Ray Blue click here. Another hot, sweaty gig at Poachers with the B.B.C.!
Things are a bit calmer this month after a really busy time in February. The gig at Poachers
last month was great fun! Packed, hot and sweaty... Just what you need to play the blues! Thanks to all who came along. I've posted some photos from the gig at Poachers in the Photo Gallery. Next gig at Poachers on Saturday 23rd March!
Fast Eddie, Zhang Ling & Bei Bei are leaving for South Korea and the US this month for a tour with Cui Jian, so I'll mainly be playing at the Big Easy on Fridays while they're away. Check the Gig Guide for more details.
Happy Chinese New Year!
I've added new photos from the International Festival to the Photo Gallery.
February promises to be packed at the Big Easy with Chinese New Year, Valentine's Day and Mardi Gras all happening in the same week. (Feb 10th - 17th)
Click here to find out more about what the Big Easy has planned.
Also this month, Chaoyang Park (the park next to Schillers 3, Big Easy, etc) is hosting an International Carnival. I'll be there on Tuesday, Wednesday & Saturday afternoons (11:30 - 1pm) with the Rhythm Dogs.
I'll be back with the Bejing Blues Collective at Poachers Inn on Saturday 9th & 23rd February. We're hoping to be playing there every second week. Last time we played there we had a great time! There's nothing better than playing for a really good crowd. :) Thanks a lot! Hope to see you all back at Poachers Inn on the 9th & 23rd.
Happy New Year!
I haven't updated the website for a while as I've been pretty busy.
Click here to find out why... (Hint: Christmas Day brought something *really* special!)
After a lot of gigging in December over the festive period, things are getting back to normal. Some great gigs at the Big Easy on Christmas and New Year's Eve - thanks to all those who came along and made each gig such a great night.
On Saturday 12th I'll be the M.C. at the Big Easy for the annual "Douglas Monitto Memorial Blues Tribute". Douglas, who sadly passed away in January last year, was the founder and owner of the Big Easy. A great friend to musicians and supporter of local music, Douglas is deeply missed by us all. Local musicians will be turning out in force on Saturday night to play the blues in memory of "the Big Boss Man".
Other upcoming events include the Big Easy every Friday and the Jam House on Saturdays. On Sat 19th January, I'll be playing at Poachers in Sanlitun with the "Beijing Blues Collective" (Fast Eddie, Paul C., Zhang Ling & Bei Bei).
New Year's Eve Special! Jacqui Staton, Humble Mike & the Rhythm Dogs at the Big Easy. Prizes, drinks specials and more...
The Big Easy will be hosting a Christmas Eve special featuring Jacqui Staton, the Big Easy Band and me. Lots of door prizes and maybe even a visit by the fat, bearded one himself. (Santa - not me...)
The "BBC" to play Jam House - Saturday 22nd December 10pm
The "BBC" to play Jam House - Sat 8th December The Beijing Blues Collective will be on at the Jam House pretty much every Saturday (outside commitments permitting). Relaxed atmosphere, reasonable drinks, down and dirty blues - what more you want?
November 2001
Halloween Pictures from the Big Easy
The Big Easy to hold their first singles night on Sat 24th Nov. What's your sign, baby?...... ;)
Big Easy Thanksgiving dinner - Thursday 22nd. Turkey, anyone?
"Poachers" reopens in Sanlitun.
Remember "Poachers in the park" and then Poachers on the North Bar street? Well, Poachers has reopened in Sanlitun, just off the Bar street, next to the "You Yi Youth Hostel". After the first two weeks, it's definitely a success. With drinks at 10RMB you can't go wrong! (Unless, of course, they jack up the drink price, stick a load of Techno on and drive the regulars out....)
The BBC (Beijing Blues Collective) to play the Jam House
Starting on the 3rd Nov, a scaled down version of the Rhythm Dogs is set to play the Jam House every second Saturday night. Featuring Zhang Ling on bass & vocals, Fast Eddie on guitar, Bei Bei on drums, Paul Clementson on guitar, and me, Humble Mike, on vocals, blues harp, & guitar. The band will be playing a bluesy, guitar based set. Show starts at 10pm.
October 2001:
Halloween @ the Big Easy!
The Big Easy is holding a Halloween party on Fri 3rd Nov. (I know it's the wrong date, but Halloween is on a wednesday this week, so they're having it on Friday instead!) I'll be playing with Sugar Mama and the Rhythm Dogs.
September 2001
Jacqui Staton "Sugar Mama" is back in town! Jacqui will be performing on Wed, Thurs, Fri & Sat evenings at the Big Easy. On Fridays, Jacqui and I will be on stage with the "Rhythm Dogs". The rest of the week, Jacqui will be performing a quieter, jazz set.