When Taichung-based acoustic trio Black Lung Inner City Choir heard about a Taiwanese festival in Toronto that was to take place while they were back in Canada on tour, the band jumped at the chance to participate.
“We felt that a band of Canadians that has been playing in Taiwan for five years, returning to their native soil to perform at a Taiwanese festival was just an amazingly interesting cultural and musical exchange,” says vocalist and guitarist Nick Fothergill.
Apparently the organizers of TaiwanFest agreed, and Black Lung’s application was accepted. The festival, which runs through Sept. 21 at Harbourfront Center, has turned into a large cultural event in Toronto. Fothergill says they were “absolutely thrilled to be chosen” and that it was an “amazing opportunity for us both as a band and as residents of Taiwan.” Bandmate Pat Reid agreed, saying that it was, “a beautiful place to play, a great show and a great response from the audience.”
This down-to-earth gratitude and sincere appreciation for their audience and the opportunity to spread their sound is refreshing. While many bands give lip service to their fans, one senses that the Black Lung boys really mean it. Perhaps this has something to do with the simple acoustic music they play, and the delightful harmonies they engage in.
It’s also rare to find a band that doesn’t have an obvious frontman. All three sing. Both Fothergill and Reid play guitar, while drummer Brad Whitmore provides percussion and is “the glue that holds the band together,” says Fothergill. One will bring in a song and sing the main part, while the other two develop harmonies to go along with it. It’s not always easy to have such an egalitarian system, but, says Fothergill, “humans do things in teams; [we] end up better for the contributions of the other band members.”
Something about the acoustic sound and melding of three voices does make this group refreshingly human and accessible.
“My lyrics are like a page out of my diary,” says Fothergill. “Although the names and places are different from yours, I think all the thoughts and themes in people’s personal lives are always going to be similar.” He says he sings to relate that we all share the same “fears, joys, sorrows and triumphs.” A line from his song Heather illustrates this: “If you find you’re second-guessing and wondering what’s right/ Remember we’ve all felt that way sometime in our lives.”
Something that definitely did seem “right” was their participation in TaiwanFest. “After years of learning to speak Chinese in Taiwan, it was a cool thing to be able to address a crowd in our home country in Mandarin,” says Fothergill.
The response from the crowd was great, and the band felt welcomed by other performers, including an Aboriginal choir.
Fothergill says Taiwan’s small size makes it easier for potential bandmates to meet each and connect here than in Canada, and he thinks musicians should take advantage of the rapidly expanding scene in Taiwan and the “nurturing environment” it provides. “A much-needed coming together of expat and local Taiwanese artists is beginning to take place,” says Fothergill. “Once we come together as artists, some very interesting new things can happen. Perhaps even a new world music.”
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