XDao
Los Angeles, California, United States | SELF
Music
Press
"...XDao is like a darker cousin of the Kooks, but it works. This music is tall, dark, and handsome, and is going to buy you a drink and you'll probably go back to his place and he'll be gone before you wake up the next morning. If this is not what you want, don't worry, there's plenty of "great indie rock hooks" to keep a more serious listener interested. XDao is not anything special, but is certainly refreshing in an indie rock scene that recently has seemed scared of being scary. Saucy's Picks: "Grace Period Over" is a good opener, "Birthday Lost" is a little too emo for me, but "Silenced by Rhyme" is catchy as hell." - WCWM Loud Rock
"Great Indie Rock Hooks!" - Radio & Retail
"The music is phenomenal!" - Green Expo Music Producer
Discography
XDao Knows No Dao
Photos
Bio
XDao (Ex-Dow)– Biography
With close to 100 U.S. radio adds (college & commercial), catchy music and a unique identity, XDao is poised to bring a refreshing East-meets-West modern rock sound to music lovers on both sides of the Pacific and beyond. Blending American indie rock hooks with ancient Chinese Daoist philosophy, XDao's music is appealing and marketable in the two biggest economies in the world. Book XDao now to add an international flavor to your line-up!
It’s not often with today’s diverse array of independent music that something totally unique, something aberrant, with an actual concept and philosophy behind it comes along; that is, until now.
XDao (Ex-Dao) is a Daoist rock band which originated in China. The group is led by the extraordinary writer, guitarist, vocalist, and programmer, Hu Xiao (who shall). The unique modern rock sound of XDao is both powerful and melodic at the same time and combines Chinese Daoist Philosophy with musical elements in a transcendental way that is both appealing and enchanting to the Western audience.
So what is Dao? Dao, or Tao in Chinese, means “The Way”. Daoism, or Taoism, is China’s only native religion/philosophy. Religions and philosophies have believers by establishing themselves as the ultimate truth, the righteous, the only way to salvation, Heaven or a better next life. Other religions or schools of thoughts are therefore misguidance or even dangerous heresies.
Yet the first line of Daoist bible -- Dao De Jing, says: “The truth that can be spoken can't be lasting/universal truth” It's like saying: “You can read on, but the Way of life is beyond words.” “What I’m saying is not the truth.” “I couldn't tell you what the ultimate truth is even if there was one.” “Don't take my words for it. You'll find your own Way”
XDao (Ex-Dao), a new identity for this act, is comprised of 2 Chinese musicians and 2 Americans. Although Hu Xiao (guitar, vocals, and programs) is the undisputed leader of this organization, he is joined on stage by Wang Yuchen (keyboards, vocals, and programs), Jessie, on bass, and Kevin on drums; all providing the powerfully driving rhythm section to Hu Xiao’s esoteric vocals and vivacious guitar work.
Hu Xiao and Wang Yuchen were born and raised in different regions of China and came together when they met in the city of Shenzhen, a boom-town style metropolis bordering Hong Kong. The two came to the United States where they teamed up with Kevin and Jessie to form XDao. The band is now based out of Los Angeles California.
This group’s opulent songs are probably one of the most distinctive traits about them. All of the songwriting is done by Hu Xiao, the band’s leader. The music and lyrics are mysterious and seem to come from within while his introspective compositions are obviously a reflection of what he observes in the world around him. When asked his songwriting process he states, “When I begin to write a song, almost always the music comes first. Sometimes I wait until the music production is around 80% complete before I add lyrics that I believe are fitting for the overall feel. Other times lyrics come pouring out when I barely have a song structure together. And that can lead the music into a totally different direction.”
Hesitant to cite any particular or specific musical influences due to the extreme uniqueness of this act, the bands leader Hu Xiao states “I really can’t pinpoint exactly which bands we sound like. We’ve been compared to all kinds of groups from Smashing Pumpkins to the Allman Brothers, believe it or not. A lot of times our sound is a certain flavor because of our limitations. Yuchen’s keys also heavily affect the overall sound. She is deep down a very mysterious creature and brings a very unique identity to the sound.” When you ask Hu Xiao what kind of music he listens to his reply might be, “I listen to whatever music the radio stations play. I switch among rock, pop, jazz, classic stations.”
The band is now in the final stages of completing and releasing their debut EP under the new identity XDao. Both digital and physical versions of the EP, titled “XDao Knows No Dao” are now available on iTunes, CDBaby and Amazon.com.
Ultimately it is the intention of Hu Xiao and the band to mirror the ancient Chinese philosophy of Daoism in its music, sound, and presentation. Though it's one of the first philosophies to introduce ideas like "Man should live in tune with Nature", "govern by inaction", "what all consider good becomes bad", the very first thing Daoism did 2 millennia ago is Xing itself out as Truth, Guidance or Wisdom. It believes in everybody reaching his OWN truth through his own experiences. By not establishing itself, Daoism's existence is in its self-negation. “Identify with me if you will, but don't just follow what I say.” And that's the kind of anti-establishment in which XDao's music exists.
By embracing the X factor of the Dao, XDao is still saying things in their music, b
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