Playlist: Jonathan Alpart, Host of The Sound Stage

Paul Ryding | Dec 15, 2013 1:00 pm | Add a comment | 1159 reads

Playlist is a regular column in which we ask Beijing personalities about their musical tastes and recommendations.

Can you play any instruments? If so, what?
I can play drums, guitar, bass, and a bit of keyboards. I can sing, too.

If you could sing like one person, who would you choose?
I'd like to sing like Little Richard, but I'll settle with Bradley Nowell!

What’s your favorite Chinese song, and why?
It's hard to choose one, but probably “Eden” by P.K.14 off their album, White Paper. It's a perfect creation of tension and release, and I imagine it matches the feeling of many urban Chinese, though few experience the release part.

What do you think is the saddest song, and why?
I cry every time I listen to “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd. It's about a young boy being told by his mother to stay true to himself and live honestly and simply, but the song is in a minor key and is ironic because it is sung by a rock star who's been strung out on fame and drugs.

Which singer would you bring back from the dead?
James Brown. The first time I visited China, in 2006, my (now ex-) girlfriend promised she'd get us two tickets to his upcoming show in Austin, TX, for when I got back. She didn't, and then he died.

If an alien came to Earth, which song would you recommend them to listen to?
Probably “Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground” by Blind Willie Johnson, if only because it was chosen by NASA to be included on the Voyager Golden Record that was sent into space for this very reason. Another one of the 27 artists on that record is Guan Pinghu, a guqin player from Suzhou.

JONATHAN'S FIVE-SONG PLAYLIST

“Hey Boy” by Residence A
If any Chinese band crosses the pond, I hope it is this one. They sing in Chinese, and their music is both original and trendy. It's catchy, danceable, exciting and inspiring.

“When A Song Starts Your Memory” by The Twenties
Another contender for “Most Likely Pond-crosser” is The Twenties. They sing and write (fantastically) in English, and their pop-punk songwriting is some of the best I've ever heard (and I was graduating high school in '03.)

“Wild Dogs” by Never Before
When I filmed this band, after their performance I was so shaken I had trouble shutting off the camera. Powerful, cathartic stoner rock.

“Mind Binoculars” by Doc Talk Shock
I just recently heard of this band through my friend, Nevin Domer. They are from Dalian. I had no idea there was a scene there, and I wish I'd known about two months ago when I went there for a weekend.

“What Love Is” by The Diders
I just recently interviewed this punk three-piece, and they had the balls to cover Dead Boys. I dare say that their cover is even better than the original.

Check out The Sound Stage here.