If Beijing ever had a CBGB, then D-22 was it: a rock bar that let Beijingers imagine they were in a parallel universe Brooklyn bar, replete with graffiti art and a picture of the Velvet Underground on the walls. An anchor in Beijing's underground rock scene, music-lovers and bands mourned its closure in January.

But owner Michael Pettis, had no plans to forsake his adopted city's music scene, and on March 3rd, his new venue opened its doors to the public. Pettis had said, "I want something just for musicians and music lovers," insinuating that his new project is for a clientele even more select than D-22's was.

Appropriately, the as of yet unnamed bar was the venue for Beijing's growing experimental music festival Sally Can't Dance, hosting two days of music which tested the limits of the word. At times you could see audiences scratching their heads, unsure if they were witnessing a performance or a sound check.

Encouraging numbers turned out to support this event after its 2011 hiatus. Curious audiences basked in soaring soundscapes, zenned out to sparse atonal arrangements, and bravely faced all-out audio assaults.

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