This month in Kunming has been a good one for going out and catching live music of all kinds. This week Italian band Jennifer Gentle are playing two shows in Kunming, bringing the city one of its first looks at an international rock act. The touring band, consisting of Marco Fasolo, Liviano Mos, Francesco Candura, Andrea Garbo and Paolo Mongardi, gets its name and a good deal of inspiration from Syd Barrett and early Pink Floyd, but their blend of psych-rock is clearly heading in its own direction.

After releasing their breakthrough album Valende on Sub Pop Records in 2005, the band is preparing to support their upcoming album, The Midnight Room, which is scheduled for release in June. In the meantime, they are in Kunming to play a few shows sponsored by NGO Population Services International (PSI) and website Cinaoggi in support of HIV/AIDS awareness. The Kunming dates follow two shows in Chengdu, part of a two-city western China mini-tour that emerged from the band's involvement in a PSI commercial promoting condom use among young adults.

GoKunming sat down with Jennifer Gentle founder/singer/songwriter Marco Fasolo to find out more about this unlikely band on an unlikely tour.

GoKunming: How did the PSI commercial and the west China mini-tour come about?

Marco Fasolo: Well, [CinaOggi founder] Matteo Damiani set up the commercial to promote the use of condoms against AIDS and HIV and they put our song on the video. And then they found some gigs around China.

GK: Did you have any interest in AIDS prevention or contraception beforehand or was this more of an opportunity to seize once it came up?

Marco: Yeah, I'm not so into social issues, but it's a very noble cause. Anyway, it's an opportunity to play around the world and see what happens.

GK: What's your impression of China? How did the Chengdu shows go?

Marco: It's been very good. I mean, people seem very interested in the music and they're having fun. You can feel that it's kind of a virgin place to play, you know what I mean? People aren't overloaded by music and bands and technology. It's pretty exciting. The venue was crowded. We had a lot of fun and the people wanted to talk to us and meet us. They're excited about what we're doing.

GK: How about any other impressions of China in general?

Marco: I didn't think China was so Westernized. The Chinese seem obsessed with the West. It's a bit sad, because they're missing out on a lot of Chinese things… maybe. The historical culture of China seems a bit lost, a bit faded. But, I was impressed with the people on the street: eating and shopping. So many people, it's incredible.

GK: After this mini-tour you're heading back to Italy - do you have any other touring plans?

Marco: We'll do a bunch of gigs in Italy, but the new album will be released by the end of June, so until then we don't have a proper tour. The first week of May, we're going to the UK for a week and then we're going to play in the States obviously. As Sub Pop will put out the record, we'll start in the States in June, I think. Usually, there're a lot of shows when the record comes out.

GK: The new record, The Midnight Room, is the first one without [drummer] Alessio [Gastaledllo]. It was all written and performed and produced by yourself. How was the process of making this album by yourself rather than collaboration?

Marco: I built a brand new studio in the countryside - very isolated. Up in the hills, very far from the cities. Yeah, I worked on the production for an entire year, writing the lyrics and recording sketches. The album as it exists also exists as a demo version. Then, I recorded the proper version in the studio. I've also written by myself. But yeah, obviously it's different than before. It's hard to explain. I love to focus on my music very deeply. It was very hard and intense, but I'm really happy about the result.

GK: With this album, was there a different sound or goal you were after or was it more of a natural progression from Valende?

Marco: Both. It's a natural progression from Valendeand previous albums. This time I focused more on it being cohesive, more fluid. I worked a lot on making it a proper album. There are ten songs and I tried to make them work as an album. Valende is more of a collection: there's an acoustic song, then an instrumental, a jam, a pop song. This record is more of a record. There's a beginning and an end and through it, you can have a more cohesive experience.

GK: I was reading a description of The Midnight Room and some of the words used to describe it were "nocturnal", "personal" and "darker" than before. Are these accurate descriptions?

Marco: Yeah, yeah. It's like being in a very old house at night and you don't know what's going on behind the door, something like that. Very dark, in a way.

GK: What music are you listening to these days?

Marco: Not much music. But mostly I like 50s rock n' roll, some psychedelic rock bands, obviously Pink Floyd, 13th Floor Elevators, Captain Beefheart. I like everything that is very, you know…blood-driven. Anything that is genuine. When I listen to a rock n' roll classic like The [Johnny] Burnett Trio or Carl Perkins or Elvis, I feel so excited every time. I like this kind of vibration. And then I listen to a lot of classical music. I like so many different records. I like everything.

GK: How about any new bands?

Marco: Really, I listen to the same records I did as a child. I'm not so into today's music.

GK: And, finally, do you have any plans to take home any Chinese instruments?

Marco: Yeah, our drummer Paolo bought a gorgeous cymbal. I'd like to find some really cheap effects or something. There are some really amazing instruments from Chinese culture, but I haven't had enough time to take a look around.

Jennifer Gentle will perform tomorrow, 8pm in the Yunnan Art Institute's Performance Hall. Entrance is free of charge.

Tags: arts and entertainment, CinaOggi, HIV/AIDS, Jennifer Gentle, live music, Marco Fasolo, Population Services International

Italian rock band Jennifer Gentle will be playing Kunming on the 28th of this month, courtesy of our friends at Cinaoggi, who have organized the band's first visit to China. Jennifer Gentle has been on the influential American record label Sub Pop (Nirvana, Mudhoney, Pizzicato Five) since 2004 and is preparing to release a new album in June. More from Cinaoggi:

"Jennifer Gentle, an up-and-coming Italian band on the legendary Sub Pop record label, will give their first ever performance in Kunming on March 28. The concert is sponsored by Population Services International's YouthAIDS program and will help highlight the importance of HIV/AIDS prevention among youth. The event is also being co-sponsored by the Yunnan Art Institute, Cinaoggi and the Italian Embassy.

"Jennifer Gentle's music has already been featured in a popular PSI commercial on Kunming TV with the slogan "I love you, I protect you", encouraging safe sexual behavior among young couples as a sign of love and caring. The commercial and concert are part of a larger PSI youth program in which young peer educators use games to help improve HIV/AIDS related knowledge and attitudes among youth ages 16-24 in Kunming's entertainment areas. As part of their contribution to HIV/AIDS prevention efforts in Yunnan, Jennifer Gentle has agreed to perform at no cost, making the concert accessible to all interested youth.

" 'Attitudes of Chinese youth are critical to stemming the future spread of HIV/AIDS in China,' said PSI program manager Jennifer Christian, 'the opportunity to host such an exciting event is a unique and innovative way to raise youth awareness of this issue.' PSI peer educators will be present at the event to help distribute informational materials and talk to attendees about how they can help protect themselves and others from the consequences of unsafe sex.

"The event will be held at 8pm on March 28 in the Yunnan Art Institute's Performance Hall. Entrance is free of charge."

For more information contact:

Matteo Damiani, Founder, Cinaoggi: 131116269021

Jennifer Christian, Program Manager, Population Services International/China: (0871) 3164075, Jennifer(at)psichina.org

Tags: CinaOggi, HIV/AIDS, Jennifer Gentle, live music, Population Services International, Sub Pop