The four men of DIY Band (小刀樂團) are not young kids playing hard rock
with heavy make-up. Unlike many local bands, they don't do trendy things
like Lo-Fi rock or electronica. On the contrary, the band's music is
quite mainstream; lyrical and folk rock. But it is the ordinary which
allows the band to easily touch the heart of the audience every time
they perform at the Witch House or Underworld.
Clear acoustic or electric guitar, harmonizing voices, and just the
right mix of drums and bass, have become the band's trademark. Hsiao-tao
(小刀) who leads the band and has taught guitar for 10 years, writes
most of the band's songs. He has also been involved in the record
industry for many years, working as everything from a copywriter to
producer of some hits on the Chinese pop music charts. His background is
perhaps what makes it so hard to find anything rough or outrageous in
DIY's music.
The band says its purpose is to bring more fun and liveliness to rock 'n' roll. They have such satiric numbers as Give Me a Nuclear Plant, to
protest the construction of Taiwan's Fourth Nuclear Plant, and Finding a
Job, a rallying tune for the workers of Taiwan. The rest of the band
members have day jobs; one produces TV shows, one is an art designer and
another owns a cafe. Their name, they say, sums up the spirit of the
band; during the day they do their work for other people, but at night
they do it for themselves.
DIY Band has just released an EP with two new rock 'n' roll love songs;
Black Sea and Shadows. Both will be performed at the Witch House
tomorrow night. The Witch House is located at 7, Ln. 56, Hsinsheng S.
Rd. Sec. 3, Taipei (台北市新生南路三段56巷7號).
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Located down a sideroad in old Wanhua District (萬華區), Waley Art (水谷藝術) has an established reputation for curating some of the more provocative indie art exhibitions in Taipei. And this month is no exception. Beyond the innocuous facade of a shophouse, the full three stories of the gallery space (including the basement) have been taken over by photographs, installation videos and abstract images courtesy of two creatives who hail from the opposite ends of the earth, Taiwan’s Hsu Yi-ting (許懿婷) and Germany’s Benjamin Janzen. “In 2019, I had an art residency in Europe,” Hsu says. “I met Benjamin in the lobby
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