It’s nearly August, which means teachers have bailed to Southeast Asia, families have fled back home and those of us who remain behind are bitter, sweat-soaked and mired in the brutal realities of the Chinese work calendar. Rather than sulking in my cubicle and plotting the day’s every move based on the quality of the air conditioning, I’m checking out the “disturbed folk music” of Australian wacko blues freak Jeff Lang who’s coming to Yuyintang on August 1.

“A friend of a friend’s former dog trainer’s lawn-mower-on-weekends knew a guy that had an ‘in’ with a union dude,” Lang tells me, explaining how the gig came about.

While Lang is fairly obscure on a global level, he’s famous in guitar and blues circles for his howling slide licks on both the six string and lap steel guitars, and also for his lulling, shamanistic tenor. Easy to dump in the folk vacuum, Lang opts for a more unconventional approach, fusing roots, country and blues, with an experimental, jammy, world music twist that basically makes him some alternative / bluegrass Frank Zappa type.

“The emotional content is what people respond to with music ultimately, so the language of the lyrics doesn’t matter as much as the feeling of the delivery,” Lang adds. “In my view, the blues came from Africa, which is the cradle of humanity, so all music is there for anyone and everyone.”

Of course we all know the blues come from America and that China is the cradle of humanity, but aside from these minute details, Lang is aces on every other front. His distinct style has earned him top critical honors, fancy plaques and numerous statues.

Lang will leave his backing band at home, opting to woo Chinese audiences as a solo act. He matter-of-factly offers a no-frills approach to his Shanghai set, saying his current ethos is “just get on with what you do for those who wanna come for a ride.”

Although it’s a bit difficult to imagine one man making the noise and delivering the energy of a full band, there’s little doubt that Lang’s virtuosic skills and cutting voice are really all he needs to win audiences over with his “mongrel music.”

Dan Shapiro