"Yeah, that would be great," said Irish singer-songwriter Brian Colhoun. "But it's enough to be given an opportunity to perform in a place that isn't a bar, in a concert setting. The Dream Community is a great outdoor space."
Nobels and the several people helping him organize the Circle of Dreams are also exploring other ways of making sure the festival becomes an annual event.
"Right now the idea that's in the ether is to put together a compilation disc of all the really talented groups on the island, he said. "Then they'll each play at the festival next year and the audience could choose which of the young bands or musicians gets to go into the studio."
The idea behind the festival is great, but it needs room to grow and take care of itself. Maybe next year it won't be so grassroots.
The Circle of Dreams Music Festival begins tomorrow at 2pm at Dream Community, located at the intersection of Chungshing Rd and Huchien St. in Hsichi (汐止中興路湖前街口). Admission to the festival is free. Andre Nobels and the Visionaries will play an acoustic dinner set on Sunday for which tickets cost NT$500. There will also be workshops in dance, hand drumming, crafts, tai chi, yoga and more to be held on Sunday. For more information, including a map to Dream Community, check out http://www.dreamcommunity.com.tw
Rice as a metaphor for cultural growth
Ten years ago, Dream Community was a rice paddy. That was before its founder, Gordon Tsai (
"My goal is to enrich Taiwan's cultural scene," Tsai said. "You always hear Chinese talk about their 5,000 years of history, but I think it's more important to talk about what's going on now and what the future will be about."
He founded Dream Community with his own dream that it would become an international arts and culture exchange center. In the years since, it has hosted artists, musicians and craftsmen from around the world who've come both to imbue Taiwan with their talents take something of the island back home with them.
These artists-in-residence have also helped put together a wide array of festivals, including an Indian Culture Festival this past March and the community's biggest annual festival, the Dream Carnival, held every October. This weekend, the community will host what it hopes will become an annual outdoor music festival, the Circle of Dreams, which has been organized to launch a six-track EP by Dream Community artist-in-residence Andre Nobles.
The money raised at the festival and from the sale of Nobels' CD, Soul Fever, will be used to help another musician or band record their work next year. Dream Community itself is supported through private donations and government subsidies as well as by the profits from a cafe and restaurant located on the community grounds.
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