Shouting Nerd was founded in 2011 as an independent rock band in Beijing. All of the members were born after ’93, with the youngest member born in 1997. In 2013, the band took a pause when some members went abroad to study. However, by fall of 2017, all of the members returned to China to officially start their band career.
In 2019, the band's first studio album "Airplane Mode Make Me High" was released. In 2020, the "Airplane Mode" album tour began nationwide in China.
Just like their name, Shouting Nerd’s music strives to represent the emotions and society of the younger generation. Shouting Nerd also hopes to express their music with calm lyrics, passionate melodies, and elaborate instrumentals – using combinations of these to symbolize youth culture.
Behind the Music is a Q & A series that follows mainly new bands in efforts to show the lives
behind the music-making. This issue of Behind the Music features Shouting Nerd to talk
about some fan-favorite questions. Click here to check out the full video of their interview!
当人们闭口沉默 只有大叫能划破外在的压抑
当媚俗横行霸道 只有创造才能描绘内心的不屑
When people keep silent,
only shouting can cut through the external depression
When kitsch is rampant,
only creation can depict inner disdain
Meet The Band
Liu Xinghan《刘星汉》Lead Vocals
Wan Zi《丸子》 Guitar
Da Meng《大萌》 Bass
Da Bo《大波》 Drums
Qiu Shi《秋实》 Keyboard
Q&A
If you had to choose a song to introduce your own band to a first-time listener, which one would you choose and why?
Liu Xinghan: This is probably one of the hardest questions in history... it’s like asking a spider to choose its favorite leg. So, any of our songs are good!
Wan Zi: I would choose "Oh My", because I think this song represents us the best.
Da Meng: I chose "Two Minutes of Hate"《两分钟的仇恨》. This song is full of rhythms and melody which creates a more powerful listening experience.
Da Bo: If we had to choose a song to introduce ourselves, I think any song from our “Airplane Mode” album can be used to represent our band.
Overall, because everyone has a different personality and different opinions, an album made by a group of people will allow you to feel the difference between each song! I really think that our album "Airplane Mode" reflects that and represents our band.
What is your least favorite thing or struggles with the band?
Wan Zi: The thing I don’t like the most is that modern technology hasn’t made our equipment lighter. I have to carry all of our stuff on the subway and I’m afraid of dropping it all. I don’t even have four or five pounds of muscle in my arms… I’m very tired.
Da Meng: Why are there so many things to pay for when you’re in a band? We have to start making money to pay all of them off.
Da Bo: Because I love music, there aren’t any struggles -- enjoying music is enough.
What’s your creative/music-making process like? (Inspiration, instrumental, recording, etc.)
Liu Xinghan: Our process is, of course, finding our inspiration, then vocals, and finally the instrumental.
We first hope that we can have a riff that we can play with, and then add vocals and lyrics to make this song have a voice of itself. We will keep the arrangement that is adjust and readjusted until the song can meet all of our expectations.
Wan Zi: Creative structure... I think it’s not so much of as structure, but rather each song has its own idea, motivation, or song lyric and it isn’t formulaic.
Da Meng: Learning from others is our foundation. I cannot say that I am really good enough to create music without any external advice. Studying good music of good musicians is the foundation of composition.
Afterwards, we jam to find the meaning of our song or even a melody may and gradually develop into a song from this meaning.
Da Bo: I think we are trying to find a process where everyone can have their inputs and create a process that expresses what Shouting Nerd wants to express.
How has your living environment or university affected your music?
Liu Xinghan: Our drummer and I studied in California and lived there for over four years. If we were influenced by anything, I think we became wilder. In fact, I don’t know how to describe the meaning of this "wild" specifically ... First of all, there are many opportunities to watch these amazing performances in LA, and furthermore, there are many crazy musicians and artists who we can communicate and learn from. From our conversations, I wanted to become “wilder” with our music.
Of course, Beijing has always had a great influence on our music. Regardless of whether I was a child or after returning to China, I always thought that Beijing was a very serious place, which contradicts the wildness from earlier but can still be heard throughout our music.
Wan Zi: From school to work, my life has also changed a lot. I slowly realized that many of my friends who also do music in Beijing continue to connect with each other and learn to move forward together, no one is alone.
Da Meng: My living conditions from high school to college have really changed a lot. From feeling suppressed by schoolwork to being free, I suddenly feel a little uncomfortable by the shift. However, in my hours of free time, I now have the opportunity to do a lot of music and try to meet a lot of interesting people.
Da Bo: When it comes to my influences, I studied music in Los Angeles for college and I think that seeing musicians and professionals from all over the world provided a lot of inspiration for music. Creating music is about practicing and accumulating more and more skills and techniques and sounds, making it into a complete song so that we can use music to express what we really want to express.
From this experience, I realized that by being a good human being and just living my life is the best way to express what we want to express from our hearts.
What do you do backstage while waiting for a show to start?
Liu Xinghan: If there is a foosball table, I would play a few games, and also find a hidden place to listen to the band playing before us.
Wan Zi: I like to wander around to see the band before us or play games on my phone.
Da Meng: I'm not very good at talking with people, so find a place to play the piano to warm-up my hands.
Da Bo: I would find a quiet place to listen to music and practice the bass to warm-up before the show.
What would be one interesting memory you have with the band?
Liu Xinghan: The #1 fun story was that there was a lighter in our drummer ’s pocket when we were on stage and lighter blew up.
Wan Zi: I like to wander around to see the band before us or play games on my phone. Since I heard the lead singer and the bassist say that the drummer’s lighter exploded in his pocket, I'd say that’s pretty interesting.
Da Bo: A lighter exploded in our drummer’s pocket, but he insisted on playing for the rest of the performance!
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