Contemporary
Legacy Taipei, located in a former warehouse at Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山1914), hosts top Taiwanese pop performers and international acts. Young pop rockers Fun 4 (Fun 4樂團) and Yan Weiling X Utopia (閻韋伶X世外桃源) take the stage tomorrow evening. On Sunday, it is alternative rock outfit Frande (法蘭黛樂團) with Insecteens (昆蟲白) as the opening act. Indie rockers IGU Band (那我懂你意思了) and garage rock favorite 88 Balaz (88顆芭樂籽) are scheduled on Wednesday.
■ 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)
■ Show starts 8pm tomorrow and on Sunday, 8:30pm on Wednesday
■ NT$500 tomorrow, on Sunday and Wednesday. 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
The Wall (這牆), Taipei’s most prominent venue for indie rock artists, hosts a troupe of hardcore groups tonight including Rise of The Northstar from France, Strength Approach of Italy and Taiwan’s Human Brutality and Dying Chelsea (垂死喬絲). Currently on its nation-wide tour, Indie rock band Bearbabes (熊寶貝) makes its Taipei stop at The Wall tomorrow. Meanwhile, Tight Tight Crotch (緊褲襠) starts a national tour promoting its latest EP here on Sunday with Manic Sheep and Slack Tide (Slaㄎk Tiㄉe) as opening acts. Visual rock outfit Naraku (奈落), Spade 14 and Murder Soul (弒魂煞) play on Wednesday. Japandroids a rock duo from Vancouver, Canada, appear on Thursday.
■ 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
■ Shows start on 8pm
■ NT$1,000 tonight, NT$600 tomorrow, NT$200 on Sunday and Wednesday, NT$1,200 on Thursday. Tickets for all shows, with discounts on advance tickets, can be purchased online through www.thewall.com.tw and tickets.books.com.tw
Post-punk band Manic Sheep and Formosa Romance are scheduled tonight at Underworld (地下社會), a small basement club and a favorite indie rock hangout in Taipei. Garage rock outfit HiJack hit the stage tomorrow, and it is Indie pop rockers Passionate Winkers (激情睫毛) and Billy on Wednesday.
■ 1, 45 Shida Rd, Taipei City (台北市師大路45號B1), tel: (02) 2369-0103. On the Net: www.underworld-taipei.blogspot.tw
■ 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 Friday and Saturday, which includes one drink, and NT$100 on Wednesday
Tonight, it’s live music from pop punk and modern rock outfit Go Go Rise, Sugar Lady and psychedelic folk rockers No.7 Cyan (七號青) at indie rock club Revolver The venues presents a night of techno sound from Japan, featuring DJs A-Dao DataBass, Hideo, Nobi and Yoshi tomorrow. Noisy experimental rock group The Sign of Human (記號士) and BHD perform on Wednesday, and it is post hardcore/emo band Daybreak Scream (破曉之聲) and Slam on Thursday.
■ 1-2, Roosevelt Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路一段1-2號), tel: (02) 3393-1678
■ Shows start at 10pm tonight and tomorrow, 9:30pm on Wednesday and Thursday
■ Entrance is NT$300 tonight and tomorrow, NT$150 on Wednesday and Thursday Admission includes a free drink.
Hip-hop band Lazy Habits from London perform at Pipe Live Music, a main venue for indie music and parties, along with Taiwan’s veteran hip-hopsters and activists Kou Chou Ching (拷秋勤) and ambient electronica artist Empty Space on a Chessboard (棋盤上的空格). Tomorrow promises to be a crossover night featuring electronica-world music combination DJ Island X Ten Realms (十界集樂坊), Salamander (沙羅曼蛇) and pop rockers Soundboss (騷包).
■ 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 on 8pm tonight and 7pm tomorrow
■ NT$400 tonight and tomorrow, one drink included. Tickets can purchased online through www.walkieticket.com
Indie-pop group 23 Half (23號半) is having a comeback concert tonight at Witch House (女巫店), an intimate coffeehouse-style venue in the National Taiwan University area. Solo act Cheshire Cat (柴郡貓) and folk musician Marine play tomorrow. It is acoustic act Little Lamb Sisters (小羊妹妹) on Thursday.
■ 7, Ln 56, Xinsheng S Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市新生南路三段56巷7號), tel: (02) 2362-5494. On the Net: www.witchhouse.org
■ Shows start at 9:30pm. Restaurant/bar open 11am to midnight Sundays through Wednesdays, 11am to 1am Thursdays through Saturdays
■ Entrance for music shows is NT$300
Pop singer Eric Lin (林健輝) croons tonight at Riverside Live House (河岸留言西門紅樓展演館). Hakka singer-songwriter Lo Sirong (羅思容) performs with Gomoteu (孤毛頭) tomorrow. On Thursday, it is hip-hop act Soul J (手斤口樂團) and Brit pop/grunge group Trash.
■ 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 on 8:30pm
■ NT$400 tonight, tomorrow and on Thursday. Tickets can purchased online through www.riverside.com.tw and tickets.books.com.tw
Riverside founder and guitarist Geddy Lin(林正如) holds a guitar party tonight at Riverside Cafe (河岸留言), along with drummer Eric Sung (宋輔仁) and bass player Chiang Li-ping (江力平). Puyuma Aboriginal singer Leo Chen (陳永龍) and Amis musician Ado Kaliting Pacidal take the stage tomorrow. Atayal singer Rachel Lu (呂薔) performs with Shi Er (詩兒樂團) on Sunday. On Tuesday, it is acoustic group Rainy Berries (莓雨樂團) and Semi-UKE (蝦米烏克), followed by three-piece boy group Fun Sing Song (日光放送) on Wednesday. Thursday’s lineup is Mando-pop female crooner Ren, aka Hsia Yu-tung (夏宇童) and GooDDD (好端端樂團).
■ 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 on 9:30pm tonight, 9pm tomorrow, on Sunday and weekdays
* NT$400 tonight and tomorrow, NT$350 on Sunday and weekdays. Tickets can purchased online through www.riverside.com.tw and tickets.books.com.tw
Folk duo Light Engine (光引擎) play folk jazz tunes tonight along with pop singer Finn at Kafka on the Shore (海邊的卡夫卡), a coffee house-cum-music and arts venue in the National Taiwan University area.
■ 2F, 2, Ln 244, Roosevelt Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路三段244巷2號2樓). On the Net: kafkabythe.blogspot.tw
■ Show starts on 8pm. Café/bookstore opens noon to midnight Sundays through Thursdays, noon to 2am Fridays and Saturdays
■ NT$400 at the door
Minyen Hsieh Quartet brings the compositions of Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock tonight at Sappho de Base, a late-night lounge bar that hosts mostly jazz shows. Soy La Ley presents Latin jazz tomorrow. It is ADJ Trio and No Bullshit, Just Swing! on Wednesday and Thursday respectively.
■ 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
■ Show starts on 10:30pm tonight and tomorrow, 9:30pm on weekends. The venue is closed on Sundays and Mondays
■ Entrance is NT$200 tonight, NT$300 tomorrow, free on other nights
Female rocker AGG turns acoustic tonight at A House, a venue dedicated to a cappella and with a focus on classical, jazz and world music. Tomorrow, it is Miss Chamber (迷香柏樂團) made up of flute player Asha, violinist Lucy and cellist Amanda playing jazz, tango and country music.
■ 18, Alley 5, Ln 107, Fuxing S Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市復興南路一段107巷5弄18號), tel: (02) 2778-8612. On the Net: ahouse.vocalasia.com
■ Shows start at 8pm
■ NT$350 tonight and tomorrow. Tickets can purchased online through www.walkieticket.com. Admission includes one free drink
Pianist Lafayette Harris Jr from New York City plays with drummer Lin Wei-chung (林偉中) and bass player Hou Chin (后進) tomorrow at The TAV Cafe (村落餐廳), a bar and cafe located at the Taipei Artist Village (台北國際藝術村). The venue hosts tango night every Tuesday.
■ 7 Beiping E Rd, Taipei City (台北市北平東路7號), tel: (02) 3393-7377, ext 207. On the Net: tavcafe.com
■ Show starts at 9pm tomorrow and 8pm on Tuesday
■ NT$400 tomorrow and NT$250 on Tuesday. Admission includes one drink
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
On Fridays at Italian restaurant Capone’s, it is live music from electric blues band Bopomofo (ㄅㄆㄇㄈ). On Saturdays, drummer Abe Nbugu Kenyatta leads a band playing music from his hometown of New Orleans. Sunday nights feature Ariel & Michael playing disco oldies. Leavy croons light standard jazz songs on Mondays, followed by jazz duo Mary Jane and Nathan on Tuesdays. On Wednesdays it’s Latin music from guitarist Roberto Zayas. Yvonne sings classic jazz tunes 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. On the net: www.capones.com.tw
■ 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
Treellage (樹樂集), a cafe with live music, hosts alternative rockers Triple Deer and Islanders (島嶼) tonight. Blue Box (藍色盒子), Reid and Lele (夏矢樂) appear tomorrow. Ring Ring Music fuses chamber music with tango on Wednesday.
■ 33 Minzu W Rd, Taipei City (台北市民族西路33號), tel: (02) 2599-1599. On the net: www.treellage.com
■ Shows run from 8pm every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Treellage is open noon to 9pm Mondays through Fridays, 11am to 9pm Saturdays and Sundays
■ NT$250 tonight, NT$300 tomorrow and on Wednesday, one drink included. Tickets can purchased online through www.walkieticket.com and FamilyMart (全家) FamiPort kiosks
The Wall (這牆) programs regular live rock shows at Kaohsiung’s Pier 2 Arts Center (高雄駁二藝術特區). Tonight’s roster is ambient/indie-electronica act Heartones (心電樂) and post-rock outfit Sorrow of Youth (少年維持的煩惱). Award-winning Aboriginal A Cappella group O-Kai Singers (歐開合唱團) perform tomorrow, followed by Kaohsiung-based Rivertree (角落) on Sunday.
■ 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
■ NT$300 tonight and on Sunday, NT$450 tomorrow. Tickets for all shows, with discounts on advance tickets, can be purchased onlinethrough www.thewall.com.tw and tickets.books.com.tw
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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