Rockbites: Xiu Xiu, tracks in the can, shop for label

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January 2001 • Rockbites Alternative Daily

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Xiu Xiu, tracks in the can, shop for label
29 January 2001

San José, California experimental quintet Xiu Xiu (they took their name from Joan Chen’s 1998 film Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl) played Saturday night at the Sunnyvale La Boulangerie bakery/restaurant supporting Creeper Lagoon—see our story today. Founded and led by singer/ songwriter/ multi-instrumentalist Jamie Stewart aka Pony Girl, Xiu Xiu grew out of Stewart’s previous bands, the critically acclaimed Ibopa and Ten In The Swear Jar.
    The new lineup played their first gig this past September at Portland, Oregon’s NXNW festival, joined by keyboards player/percussionist Brandon Jay aka Quazar (of LA’s Quazar And The Bamboozled). Xiu Xiu now includes former TITSJ members Don Dias aka Don Diasco and Cory McCulloch aka Puff Mommy, along with new members Lauren Andrews aka Dr. Troll and Yvonne Chen aka Turd Burgler.
    Xiu Xiu trade off who plays what, with the varying instrumentation including guitars, keyboards, upright bass, accordian, banjo, trumpet, and percussion. Playing live they use a backing track to help flesh out the strangeness. The overall effect is dreamy but high energy and danceable, constantly amusing, and endlessly interesting.
    New member Yvonne Chen, who also happens to run California’s Zum Records and the Zum zine as well as work for NASA as a software engineer in her spare time, told Rockbites that Xiu Xiu have about an hour’s worth of material in the can and are shopping around for a record label. For now you can find their track Sad Girl on issue #13 (Feb 2001) of Cool Beans magazine, available online from Mordam Records.
    If you’re in the SF area this Friday you can catch them at Palo Alto’s Cubberly Community Center (4000 Middlefield Rd), playing a benefit along with five other bands to help a local high school class take a trip to Cuba. Admission will be $5. | Xiu Xiu article on Copper Press zine | | Ibopa | | Cool Beans | | Cool Beans on Mordam Records | | top of page |

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