The Hutong Yellow Weasels () are a
Beijing
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Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
-based traditional American
string band, notable for being the first band to tour throughout China introducing
square dance
A square dance is a dance for four couples, or eight dancers in total, arranged in a square, with one couple on each side, facing the middle of the square. Square dances contain elements from numerous traditional dances and were first documente ...
music to the Chinese public.
Founded in Beijing in 2011 by Chris Hawke (vocals, double bass, guitar, banjo) and Kirk Kenney (fiddle, guitar, vocals), the band incorporates a rotating cast of expat musicians to increase their numbers during live shows, and plays traditional American pre-war Appalachian folk music. Chinese square dancing clubs, using recorded music and catering to elderly Chinese, have existed in Beijing for at least a decade.
However, the first time members of these clubs heard live square dancing music was in November 2012 when the Weasels and visiting old time fiddler Michael Ismerio toured through universities, nightclubs and festivals throughout China. The tour took the band through Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Dali, Xinsheng, Xian, and Guizhou.
As of 2015, the band was touring and holding square dances around the country, exposing many Chinese people to traditional instruments like the banjo and mandolin, and traditional Appalachian music for the first time.
The band has been written up in the English versions of two of China's largest state-run media organizations,
Xinhua News Agency
Xinhua News Agency (English pronunciation: )J. C. Wells: Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, 3rd ed., for both British and American English, or New China News Agency, is the official state news agency of the People's Republic of China. Xinhua ...
and the
Global Times
The ''Global Times'' () is a daily tabloid newspaper under the auspices of the Chinese Communist Party's flagship newspaper, the ''People's Daily'', commenting on international issues from a Chinese ultra-nationalistic perspective. The publi ...
. They frequently play to Chinese audiences, with Hawke calling the dances in Chinese—the first foreign caller to do so. Typically, most people in the audience have never seen a banjo or mandolin, nor heard a violin played in a non-classical or pop-music context.
Discography
"Hutong Yellow Weasels" (2013)
"Nihowdy" (2014)
References
Further reading
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hutong Yellow Weasels
Square dance
Old-time music
Chinese bluegrass music groups
Chinese rock music groups
Chinese alternative country groups
Musical groups from Beijing
Chinese folk music groups
Appalachian culture
Old-time bands