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Feel the folk at Shihmen Reservoir

Get into the groove of Okinawan folk this weekend. PHOTO COURTESY OF TCM

This summer's music festivals turn to folk with the Love in Voice Taoyuan Folk Music Festival at the Shihmen Reservoir tonight through Sunday.

Festival organizers seem keen to underscore the contributions made by Taiwan's several ethnic groups to the island's musical canon and have invited local acts that reflect its diversity. Aboriginal groups will be joined on stage by Hakka bands and Han Chinese folk musicians. Some of the local bands scheduled to appear include The Hakka Band (好客樂團), the Aboriginal outfit Flying Fish Cloud Leopard, and Taiwanese folkster Huang Hsiao-hu (黃小琥) to name a few. Local pop outfit Neon are an unlikely addition to a folk music festival, but hey, it's all about diversity.

To show that Taiwan continues to diversify musically, the festival will even host a "foreigner singing contest" in which non-natives can vie for an NT$50,000 first prize, though rules stipulate that you must sing a song from a pre-selected list of Taiwanese ballads. There is also an ongoing contest for best original folk song. Contestants will submit their material on compact disc to the festival organizers. First-place winners will receive NT$10,000. Check out the festival Web site at www.loveinmusic.com.tw for details of both contests.

Prize money aside, the highlight of the festival is sure to be the several foreign acts scheduled to perform. The Champlers from Japan will take time out of their busy schedule to make an appearance. The folk group from Okinawa have made a name for themselves in their home country in part through their soulful tunes and in part because they play them in their Tokyo-based eatery, Wakanatsu, an Urizun Okinawa Music Restaurant, which is also the title of their album on Taiwan Colors Music that was released on Wednesday. The band members pride themselves on their Okinawan culture of ichyaribacyode, or brotherhood and friendship -- a guaranteed good addition to a folk festival.

Also into the brotherhood and friendship vibe is Bobin Bajracharya -- just Bobin to you and I -- a Nepal native who explores his Buddhist philosophy through music played on traditional instruments such as the tabala, madal and bansuri. His early influences included Bob Dylan and Bob Marley, but together with his band, The Mantra, his sound might best be described as ethnic rock. If you're unfamiliar with either of these acts, you can sample their music online at www.monsoonrecord.com.

Other foreign acts filling out the bill include: Latin music outfits Los Gitanos and Sur, from Paraguay; the American jazz group Equinox; Indian music collective Bhaskar's Arts Academy, from Singapore; and Australian Atmosphere (a.k.a. Bharti & Atmo).

For those unable to make it out to the reservoir this weekend but still wanting to catch the Champlers or Bobin and the Mantra while they're in town, you'll have a second opportunity on Tuesday night at Ximending's Red House Theater (紅樓劇場). The performance, organized by Taiwan Colors Music, is being called "Okinawa Night" as the label will be selling their Champlers release, Urizun Okinawa Music Restaurant at the event. You can reserve a space through Monday by visiting the label's Web Site at www.tcmusic.com.tw. Tickets to the event cost NT$400, but NT$200 more will buy a copy of the album.

For more information on the Love in Voice Festival, including directions to Shihmen Reservoir by car or public transportation, look on the festival's Web site or call the customer service hotline at 0800 053 808.
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