Looking on the Sunny Side with Mr. Graceless

Mr. Graceless - My Channel

Like the Pied Piper of indie rock, Mr. Graceless draw throngs of fans. That audience cheerily sings along to the Beijing-based trio’s seemingly upbeat choruses. But they may be shocked to know find bassist/vocalist Yuan Shuai, guitarist/vocalist Zhang Qiushuang, and drummer Zhao Jiulong are actually leading them down a musical and lyrical path that’s more mischievous and melancholy than it initially sounds.

Below, Yuan and Zhang tell us about striking that strange balance at gigs like their upcoming XP date, slated for May 31.

Your last gig at XP was being filmed for a documentary. You seemed to be really in the zone, until a guest showed up onstage.
Yuan Shuai: Yeah, Ding Wu, he’s the singer from an older Chinese band called Tang Dynasty. They were huge when we were kids. He was complimenting us for the documentary footage.
Zhang Qiushuang: He came up in the middle of our show and interrupted it. That annoyed me, so I didn’t say anything. But I should have smiled and thanked him. I responded in a graceless way. So I guess our band’s name really came true then!

You have other musician friends, like The Gar. Have they ever pushed you to act gracelessly?
YS: No, they’re like our brothers. We got to know them when we first started playing at D-22, and they took us on tour across China in 2010. They gave us a lot of advice, told us to never give up, and said, “You’re young, don’t worry about anything. You have plenty of time.”

But the most talented musician you’ve ever befriended might have been Chen Yuli — who coordinated the music for the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, and also produced your 2012 album The Tree Evergreen.
ZQ: We had so much respect for him. And it was really heartbreaking when I heard he died in that car accident last fall. I had no warning, saw it first on the news. It really shocked me.
YS: I miss him. He was a very nice guy. Always smiling.

You’ve been quoted as saying Chen Yuli helped you “clarify” several song ideas in the studio. What specifically did he do to help?
ZQ: He helped us write and sing harmonies. If he was still there, he’d help us do it better. But maybe he taught us enough that we’ll be OK.

So Chen was the secret behind your harmonizing on songs like “Mr. Li?” That’s a huge fan favorite. What inspired its lyrics?
YS: Mr. Li was a classmate from university. He was easy to laugh at, kind of stupid. He’d always play computer games and watch TV, even when he had an exam the next day. He inspired the lyric about watching “porn stars” in that song.

So what does Mr. Li think of the song?
YS: He’s happy that someone wrote a song for him!
ZQ: He’s proud of the song, but I’m guessing it’s because he doesn’t understand the lyrics.

Mr. Graceless will play at XP on May 31. For more information, click here.