CRI听力：Miserable Faith and "The Music Won't Be Stopped"

Hello and welcome to another edition of  China Beat here on "China Radio International". This is Zhong Qiu. 痛仰, or 'Miserable Faith', is a well-known name to Chinese underground rock music fans. Founded in 1999, the band is considered to be one of the pioneers of China's hardcore rock music scene. Like many rock artists, they are influenced by the ideas expressed by Jack Kerouac in his influential novel "On the Road", a defining work for the 'Beat Generation'. The band has put the novel's name into practice several times with long distant tours across China. They performed live along the way and turned their feelings about different cities into lyrics and music. Next Saturday 'Miserable Faith' will perform live again in Beijing and debut their latest album, 'The Music Won't Be Stopped'. On today's  China Beat , we'll meet the band's vocalist Gao Hu, talk about their experiences 'on the road' and listen to their new album 'The Music Won't Be Stopped'.

(Song track The Music Won't Be Stopped)

The album's title track, 'The Music Won't Be Stopped' declares the band's persistence in pursuing their music. In this lively track, Gao Hu sings that although all around them may crumble, the music won't be stopped. Gao says that this song was written in response to some of their performances being cancelled, but rather than feeling anger we can sense a tolerant attitude through the band's performance and lyrics.

"In our previous music, we preferred to express our attitude in a direct and furious way. However now we think that sometimes we should see the world with an open and forgiving heart. We try to express a kind of love that can touch the listeners warmly and is more powerful than just using anger alone."

(Sound track 'The Music Won't Be Stopped')

With their passion for music, the band began to tour live and arrived at their first destination - An Yang city in Henan province. Deeply impressed by the local rock music lovers, the band composed the song 'An Yang'.

"The local fans were very sincere. And we had a great time after our show; everyone had drunk a lot and seemed very happy. So we wrote this song to express our regrets about having to leave them."

(Song track 'An Yang')

Bidding farewell to An Yang city, the band continued their tour down south. The journey was full of expectations and adventures, which inspired the band to compose the track, 'The Road Song'.

"On our first tour, we rented a car and drove all the way down south. Although we didn't have any sponsor to financially support our tour, we were still very happy to realize our dream of travelling around the country and sharing our music. One day night, we stayed outdoors, intoxicated by the starry sky looking down upon us and wrote down this song."

(Song track 'The Road Song')

Along with exceeded expectations the band also experienced some disappointments along the way. For example, when they arrived in Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province, and saw what they considered to be the blatant commercialization of the famous 'West Lake'.

"We had such high expectations before seeing the West Lake. However when we arrived there, we felt some sadness because the lake has become so exploited that, in our minds, it lost some of its heavenly mystique."

Gao Hu expressed their feelings in the song 'The West Lake'. What's special about this song is that they also tried to incorporate some Chinese folk elements into the music, such as imitating the sound of traditional Chinese instruments with guitar. The smooth playing and lucid sound successfully reminds listeners of the fresh breeze and rippled water along the bank of the West Lake.

(Song track 'The West Lake')

After travelling through several cities, the band concluded their tour with many unforgettable memories. However they are sure that it's not their last tour. As a way of paying homage to his favourite writer, Jack Kerouac, Gao Hu composed the song 'Goodbye Jack'.

"The title really has two meanings; one is to farewell our last tour and the other is to welcome a new start. I think the idea of 'On the Road' shouldn't just be a slogan; we will do our best to continue touring and promote our music along the way. "

(Song track 'Goodbye Jack')

(Song track 'The For-You Song')

The song you are listening now is 'The For-You Song'. This ballad is an unconventional love song, which talks about treasuring one's beloved. Based on his personal experiences, Gao Hu gives a heartfelt and emotional delivery.

(Song track The For-You Song)

With this expressive song, we come to the end of this edition of  China Beat on 'China Radio International'. If you wish to experience the live performance of 'Miserable Faith', you can check them out at the 'Star Live' venue in northeast Beijing on next Saturday night. This is Zhong Qiu. Bye for now.