The CIR

One of China's finest rock groups, The CIR are here to spread their music and work as goodwill embassadors for Greenpeace.

A big AMP welcome to you, The CIR! Please introduce yourselves (name/instrument):
Hi!  we are:
Xiao Wei (vocal) 
Liu Le(guitar)
Da Le(bass)
Su Yang(drums)

Lovely to meet you.  So tell us how you guys got together?
Xiao Wei and Su Yang had their own rock band in different colleges. When we met in 1994, a new band was born named the CIR (The Catcher in the Rye) with new members Liu En(guitar) and Da Le(bass). In 1999 Liu Le(guitar)  joined the CIR instead of Liu En after our debut album(The CIR,1998) released.

Where does your name come from?  Were you concerned about using such a well known and established novel title?
We don’t like reading at all. But we do love this novel not because it’s well known. Actually the novel was not well known in China in 1994.

The name is great! “The Rye” means color and “the catcher” means action. These words conjure images even if you don’t know about this book. The other reason is we wanted our band’s name to start with a “the”, just like The Clash, The Cure… because we thought that having “the ***” represented a punk band, and a good one at that time.

How would you describe your sound?
Not too hard, not too sweet. We hope it’s strong and fluid enough, with delicate emotions.

Who are your influences?
U2, the Cure, the Beatles…. most come from the UK.

You guys have been playing together for over a decade now.  What changes have you noticed during that period, and how has your sound evolved?
Lots! During different periods we have done different things.  Album by album this is who i'd describe our evolution:
<the CIR> is a green apple with an immature taste(1998)
<Save as…> is a cup of apple juice with a more thick taste (2000)
<Our World> is a red apple and smells strong
And then, the next? Will be…  I don’t know, maybe a seed, maybe a tree.

With so much material released, what would you recommend new listeners to pick up (album or single) to get to know your sound best?
Ha! The new one <All that you want (Best of 1997-2007 CD&DVD)> . It’s a collection of past material with 3 new songs as well.

<Our World> is probably the best album we've released so far we think, but I would say  the next one in the near future will be much better!

Tell us about why you’re in Hong Kong?  What’s your involvement with Greenpeace?
We've come to join the "Go green" concert of Greenpeace HK.
I'm a volunteer of Greenpeace, and have joined the “Save the paradise forest” global action initiative in the rainforest of Papua New Guinea.

I have written a song about green issues because I think music may produce stronger influences than any forest date report. Music can sow a seed of love in every listener’s heart, so when it grows, people can change themselves to do something for this beautiful yet fragile world. I believe the rock n’ roll can change the world.

Tell us about the trip to Papua New Guinea:
It is a fact that some moments may change one’s whole life. For me, the trip to Papua New Guinea is a valuable gift. During those times there was too much conflict and moving for me and I was deeply touched by the nature and aborigine’s life. It’s hard for me to express my feeling in a few words. If you can read Chinese, you can visit my blog: http://blog.cir.com.cn. There is a special part dedicated to the “Paradise Forest” http://www.cir.com.cn/green

What is your view on China’s progress in the environmental sense?
It's getting better and better, but there's a long way to go. Most people work hard to change their life and have no time to spare energy to concern themselves with the environment. Some people think “It’s none of my business! People all do harm. Why me?” 

You can see so many things marked “Made in China” - Yes, we have got more progress in economics but at the expense of nature and our natural resources. I think how to protect the environment is one of the most important problems for the Chinese government  to pay close attention to in the future. I think Olympic 2008 is a PUSH!

How did your own headline show in HK at the M1 Bar come about?  What can fans expect from this show?
The headline is called "All that you want" just like our new album’s name.
We will sing around 20 songs lastnig about 2 hours.  Including 'Green' and a cover of the Beatles’ 'Across universe' and Huang Yao Ming’s '四季歌' in Cantonese especially for our HK fans.

And we will help GreenPeace to sell the 'Green Go green' EP for charity.

Tell us about the music scene in Beijing at the moment:
Most People there don’t need music at all I think. They can live well without music. Ha-ha. To most of them music is only just a mobile ring tone for fun or a TV drama’s song.
The Music CD market is dead, even the Pirated editions.

The alternative music is active underground. Many live shows happen every week, but they are not noticed by the public. Many Indie record labels have disappeared. But I think Beijing is better than other cities because plenty of foreigners there can give more living space to different kinds of music, and more young musicians come to the capital to live out their music dream.

It's all good and bad here, with all different sets of ears. I believe the spring will come, but for now, please enjoy the winter!

Apart from music, what else do you guys like to do during your free time?
Xiao wei (vocal)  : Design CD’s cover (all band’s album and some friend’s album cover),  and play soccer.
Liu Le(guitar)  : Watch the NBA
Da Le(bass)  : Watch DVD's
Su Yang(drums): Racing - He is the manager of a racing team.

If you could share the stage with any band in the world – who would it be and why?
Oh! So many! If we can share the stage with U2 for Green and Peace, It’s great!

What’s coming up next for you guys after these shows.  Tell us about your plans:
Some music festivals and our domestic cruise show. We'll cruise around more than 20 cities. During this time we will prepare our new songs and will be back to the studio in Dec.

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Check out AMP's Events page to see The CIR's upcoming show listings, and get to know The CIR on AMP.

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Posted by AMP Ed on August 21, 2007 2:59:23 PM HKT #