Contemporary
Legacy Taipei, located in a former warehouse at Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山1914), hosts top Taiwanese pop performers and international acts. Hong Kong’s openly lesbian singer Denise Ho (何韻詩) plays two shows tonight and tomorrow.
■ Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山1914), Center Five Hall (中五館), 1, Bade Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市八德路一段1號)
Photo courtesy of Riverside
■ Shows start at 8pm
■ NT$1,500 in advance and NT$1,800 at the door. Tickets for the venue’s concerts can be purchased at ERA ticketing outlets, online through www.ticket.com.tw, www.legacy.com.tw and at 7-Eleven ibon kiosks
Canadian dream pop/Indie electronic musician Grimes arrives tonight at The Wall (這牆), Taipei’s most prominent venue for indie rock artists. Japanese synthpunk star Polysics makes debut concert tomorrow, with post-punk/new wave band the telephones as the opening act. It is Taiwan’s dance rock group P!SCO, Lazy Lady and pop-rockers Lumei (露魅) on Sunday.
Photo courtesy of Riverside
■ B1, 200, Roosevelt Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路四段200號B1), tel: (02) 2930-0162. On the Net: www.thewall.com.tw
■ Show starts at 8pm tonight and on Sunday, 7pm tomorrow
■ NT$1,700 tonight and tomorrow, NT$200 on Sunday. Tickets for all shows, with discounts on advance tickets, can be purchased online through www.thewall.com.tw and tickets.books.com.tw
Photo courtesy of Riverside
Indie rockers The Motions and Pilots in the Sky and on the Sea (旅人) take the stage tonight at Underworld (地下社會), a small basement club in Taipei. Five-piece rock group M.O.W.A and Pingtung-based rockers Jump play tomorrow, followed by Corner and Doherfy (盜飛) on Wednesday.
■ B1, 45 Shida Rd, Taipei City (台北市師大路45號B1), tel: (02) 2369-0103. On the Net: www.upsaid.com/underworld
■ Shows run from 9pm to 11pm. Underworld is open daily from 9pm, closed on Sundays and Mondays
■ Entrance for music shows is NT$300 on Fridays and Saturdays, which includes one drink, and NT$100 on Wednesdays
In celebration of Roxy’s 31st anniversary, Roxy Rocker, a basement hangout for indie rockers and fans in Taipei, organizes a five-day musical festival starting on Wednesday. The lineup features a troupe of Taiwan’s top indie acts including My Skin Against Your Skin (激膚樂團), alt-pop band 13 (拾參) and garage rock favorites 88 Balaz (88顆芭樂籽). The event also doubles as a Spring Scream pre-party.
■ B1, 177, Heping E Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市和平東路一段177號B1), tel: (02) 2351-8177. On the Net: roxyrocker.com
■ Shows start at 8pm. Roxy Rocker is open daily from 8pm to 4am, closed on Mondays
■ Minimum charge NT$200
Noise band She Bang A (死蚊子), post-punk rockers Macbeth (馬克白) and Roxymoron hit the stage tonight at Indie rock club Revolver. Tomorrow promises to be a night of live Gypsy music with Marko and Damier. It’s Taipei Rocket 88 Blues Band (台北火箭88) on Wednesday. Thursday’s show features alternative rock band 3.D.B (參噸半樂團) and Who Are You (隱藏人物).
■ 1-2, Roosevelt Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路一段1-2號), tel: (02) 3393-1678
■ Show starts at 10pm tonight, tomorrow and on Wednesday, 9:30pm on Thursday
■ Entrance is NT$300 tonight, NT$200 tomorrow and on Thursday, free on Wednesday. Admission includes one drink
Pop rockers Red Flower (紅花樂團) take the stage tonight at Pipe Live Music, a main venue for indie music and parties. Tomorrow’s roster is of eight indie acts from Japan and Taiwan including Inhuman Band (非人物種), Children Sucker (表兒) and Office Voids. It is Italian gothic metal band Graveworm on Sunday.
■ 1, Siyuan Rd, Taipei City (台北市思源路1號), tel: (02) 2364-8198. On the Net: www.pipemusic.com.tw
■ Show starts at 7:30pm tonight, 3pm tomorrow and 7pm on Sunday
■ NT$400 tonight, NT$600 tomorrow, NT$1,000 and NT$1,500 on Sunday, one drink included. Tickets can be purchased online through www.walkieticket.com
Pop/rock idol Bobby Chen (陳昇) and his New Treasure Island Band (新寶島康樂隊) perform tonight at Riverside Live House (河岸留言西門紅樓展演館). The venue hosts Mando-pop female crooner Ren, aka Hsia Yu-tung (夏宇童), tomorrow. Indie acts Eggplant Egg (茄子蛋) and Belabus (白蘿蔔) hit the stage on Thursday.
■ 177 Xining S Rd, Taipei City (台北市西寧南路177號), tel: (02) 2370-8805. On the Net: www.riverside.com.tw
■ Shows start at 8:30pm
■ NT$800 tonight, NT$400 tomorrow and on Thursday. Tickets can be purchased online through www.riverside.com.tw and tickets.books.com.tw
It’s fusion jazz tonight at Riverside Cafe (河岸留言), featuring Huh? (蛤樂團) and Fusion Planet (融合星球). Aboriginal folk icon Panai (巴奈) shares the stage with Indie folk singer and actress Enno Cheng (鄭宜農) tomorrow. Tuesday’s lineup is pop-rock outfit Elesha (伊蕾莎) and Nana (何佳娜) and Friends. Acoustic songstress Annie (洪安妮) appears on Wednesday, followed by Puyuma musician Sangpuy (桑布伊) and Nighteentael (十九兩樂團) on Thursday.
■ B1, 2, Ln 244, Roosevelt Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路三段244巷2號B1), next to Taipower Building (台電大樓), tel: (02) 2368-7310. On the Net: www.riverside.com.tw
■ Show starts at 9:30pm tonight, 9pm tomorrow and on Tuesday
■ NT$400 tonight and tomorrow, NT$350 on weekdays. Tickets can be purchased online through www.riverside.com.tw and tickets.books.com.tw
Yellow Funky Doggies brings an electrifying blend of folky jazz and post rock tonight at Sappho de Base, a late-night lounge bar that hosts mostly jazz shows. It is Canadian hip-hop artist LEO37 tomorrow.
■ B1, 1, Ln 102, Anhe Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市安和路一段102巷1號B1), tel: (02) 2700-5411. On the Net: www.sappho102.biz
■ Shows start at 10pm. The venue is closed on Sundays and Mondays
■ Entrance is NT$200 tonight and NT$300 tomorrow
On Fridays at Italian restaurant Capone’s, it is time for live music from electric blues band Bopomofo (ㄅㄆㄇㄈ). On Saturday, drummer Abe Nbugu Kenyatta leads a band playing music from his hometown of New Orleans. Yvonne sings classic jazz tunes Sunday nights. Mondays feature Leavy crooning light standard jazz songs, followed by jazz duo Mary Jane and Nathan on Tuesdays. On Wednesdays, it’s Latin music from guitarist Roberto Zayas. Jazz singer Angel appears on Thursdays.
■ 312, Zhongxiao E Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市忠孝東路四段312號), tel: (02) 2773-3782
■ Live music from 9pm to 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays, 8pm to 10pm on Sundays and 8:45pm to 10:45pm on weekdays
■ On Fridays, minimum charge of one drink. On Saturdays, minimum charge is NT$300
Acclaimed Aboriginal singer Samingad (紀曉君) performs every Thursday at EZ5 Live House, which hosts Mando-pop singers backed by a live band every night. Other highlights include Mando-pop songstress Julia Peng (彭佳慧) on Tuesdays and male crooner Shin Lung (辛龍), who performs every Saturday.
■ 211, Anhe Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市安和路二段211號), tel: (02) 2738-3995. On the Net: www.ez5.com.tw
■ Shows run from 9:45pm to 12:30am
■ Entrance fee (includes two drinks) ranges from NT$600 to NT$850, depending on the performer
Aboriginal group Hey! Linaw Band (嘿! 里鬧樂團) and Jelly Lee (傑利) form today’s bill at Tiehua Music Village (鐵花村), an arts village composed of a music venue, design and crafts shops and a weekend arts fair in Taitung. Amis singer-songwriter Suming (舒米恩) holds a mini concert tomorrow.
■ 26, Ln 135 Sinsheng Rd, Taitung City (台東市新生路135巷26號), tel: (089) 343-393. On the Net: http://tw.streetvoice.com/users/tiehua
■ Shows run from 8pm to 10pm. Music venue and crafts shops open 2pm to 10pm Tuesdays through Sundays. Weekend arts fair opens 6pm to 10pm every Friday, 3:30pm to 10pm every Saturday and Sunday
■ NT$250 tonight and NT$350 tomorrow. Tickets can be purchased online through tickets.books.com.tw
The Wall (這牆) programs regular live rock shows at Kaohsiung’s Pier 2 Arts Center (高雄駁二藝術特區). French composer, pianist and orchestra conductor Laurent Couson performs tonight. Tomorrow’s lineup is post-punk rockers Macbeth (馬克白) and top indie act 1976. On Sunday, award-winning soul/jazz singer Shih Ying-ying (史茵茵) croons to her The Yam Project, with Ray Lin & Band as the opening act.
■ 1 Dayong Rd, Yancheng Dist, Greater Kaohsiung (高雄市鹽埕區大勇路1號), tel: (07) 521-5148. On the Net: www.thewall.com.tw
■ Show starts at 7:30pm
■ Free admission tonight, NT$400 tomorrow and NT$350 on Sunday. Tickets can be purchased at 7-Eleven ibon kiosks, books.com.tw, and indievox.com
Dec. 16 to Dec. 22 Growing up in the 1930s, Huang Lin Yu-feng (黃林玉鳳) often used the “fragrance machine” at Ximen Market (西門市場) so that she could go shopping while smelling nice. The contraption, about the size of a photo booth, sprayed perfume for a coin or two and was one of the trendy bazaar’s cutting-edge features. Known today as the Red House (西門紅樓), the market also boasted the coldest fridges, and offered delivery service late into the night during peak summer hours. The most fashionable goods from Japan, Europe and the US were found here, and it buzzed with activity
During the Japanese colonial era, remote mountain villages were almost exclusively populated by indigenous residents. Deep in the mountains of Chiayi County, however, was a settlement of Hakka families who braved the harsh living conditions and relative isolation to eke out a living processing camphor. As the industry declined, the village’s homes and offices were abandoned one by one, leaving us with a glimpse of a lifestyle that no longer exists. Even today, it takes between four and six hours to walk in to Baisyue Village (白雪村), and the village is so far up in the Chiayi mountains that it’s actually
These days, CJ Chen (陳崇仁) can be found driving a taxi in and around Hualien. As a way to earn a living, it’s not his first choice. He’d rather be taking tourists to the region’s attractions, but after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck the region on April 3, demand for driver-guides collapsed. In the eight months since the quake, the number of overseas tourists visiting Hualien has declined by “at least 90 percent, because most of them come for Taroko Gorge, not for the east coast or the East Longitudinal Valley,” he says. Chen estimates the drop in domestic sightseers after the
US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo, speaking at the Reagan Defense Forum last week, said the US is confident it can defeat the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in the Pacific, though its advantage is shrinking. Paparo warned that the PRC might launch a “war of necessity” even if it thinks it could not win, a wise observation. As I write, the PRC is carrying out naval and air exercises off its coast that are aimed at Taiwan and other nations threatened by PRC expansionism. A local defense official said that China’s military activity on Monday formed two “walls” east
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