China’s Wild West sound comes to New Zealand
Born out of China’s Wild West frontier, Xinjiang, rock band sensation Askar Grey Wolf is the voice of The Silk Road. They come from the land of the Uighur people, an ancient race with a rich past, whose musical and poetic heritage stretches back to the 6th century AD.
With an aim to give more people around the world an insight into their music and culture, Askar Grey Wolf combine traditional Uighur instruments with electric guitars and keyboards to create an exciting blend of Uighur, world music and modern rock.Now based in Beijing, Askar Grey Wolf were formed through a passion for music in their hearts, says member Hu Bei, and have been renowned in the Chinese music scene since the late 90s. Lead singer Askar Mamat fuses modern rock with a mix of Han Chinese and Xinjiang elements, singing in both Mandarin and his own mother tongue. The band is a mix of ethnic minority Uighurs and majority Han Chinese. “Every song is written by Askar that combines multiple musical cultures, including Han, Latin, and rock music of Western,” says Hu Bei.
It is the band’s first outing to New Zealand, following a passionate invitation from the Asia New Zealand Foundation. They are looking forward to performing in such a beautiful country, says Hu Bei, and seeing the response from an overseas audience.“Chinese audiences put more emphasis on reputation rather than the essence of music. However, the fans from overseas are fascinated by the soul of music.”
New Zealand audiences will get a taste of Askar Grey Wolf’s new, fifth album which they have finished recording recently. They will be performing at the Auckland and Christchurch Lantern Festivals and will be performing a special one-off gig at San Francisco Bath House in Wellington on Wednesday 23 February (8pm) with local acts, Orchestra of Spheres and Taikoza.
Watch Askar Grey Wolf on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch'v=ILwKO4r6fvgJreqaGVQE&feature=related
Check them out on MySpace: www.myspace.com/askargreywolf
For more information, or if you’d like to organise an interview with a band member, contact Priyanka Bhonsule (priyanka.bhonsule@gmail.com / (04) 589 7625 / 021 973 476)
Tickets cost $15 +bf www.1-night.co.nz, Real Groovy and Samurai Store.
Door sales $18
