In the US, The Daymakers, who play The Underworld tonight, would probably be described as cheesy good fun. But all I've ever heard about the band whispered between girls at their shows -- and the crowds are predominantly girls for some reason -- is that they're very ke-ai (可愛).
Is that because two thirds of the trio are identical twins from Texas with matching mutton-chop sideburns and dorky army-issue glasses? Or is it the band's penchant for awful late-70s zoot-suits and uniforms stolen from the high school marching band's closet? Or maybe it's the high-school puppy love Chinese lyrics sung with an audible foreign twang.
PHOTO: JULES QUARTLY, TAIPEI TIMES
I don't know, it all sounds a bit cheesy. But they've obviously hit on something that connects across lots of boundaries.
The three guys in the band -- JT Long, JD Long and Jason Copps -- started jamming about two years ago in Ilan County, where they work as English teachers, and built up a small repertoire of simple songs while Copps picked up the drums from scratch. It's clear, though, that the songs aren't simple by necessity, but are that way because that's the sound they're going for in a similar vein as Green Day or Offspring.
"The roots are definitely punk, but it's kinda pop punk," said JT.
Along with the jangly four-chord guitar riffs, the pop side shines through in the theatrical element to their shows, starting with the hideous outfits complemented by plenty of over-the-top hip gyrations and choreographed instrument swinging. And most recently the addition of cheerleader-dancers has drawn the band comparisons with Clippers, who also tend to have pom-pom girls flailing about on stage. But the Clippers plumbed Taiwan's nakashi music heritage for inspiration, whereas The Daymakers are clearly rooted in American punk, rockabilly, Dick Dale surf rock and even country music's dark angel, Johnny Cash.
It's the Chinese lyrics, though, that place the band in Taiwan. Like the music, they're intentionally, some might even say studiously, simple with the themes humorously recalling adolescent relationship angst.
"Some students' grades are too bad/They feel the pressure from catching flak from their teacher/Some girls get dumped/They're really sad cuz there's no one with them ..." goes the song The Daymakers on their self-released EP Here Comes Excitement (興奮來了). Or the song Love at First Sight (一見鐘情) that goes: "When I see your pretty smile/It's love at first sight I want to talk to you/When we talk I feel bored/Once you start talking I want to sleep ..."
It's probably the lyrics like these, which sound a lot better in Chinese by the way, that earn the band the description of ke-ai. There's also a healthy measure of happy insouciance in the music that comes from their foreknowledge that they'll never be the next big thing in Taiwan and can just get on with the business of having fun playing music. "We're not going to be the next Mayday (五月天) or anything." But still they have their ambitions. "We'd like to be known as the best live band in Taiwan," JT said.
Tomorrow night at the Underworld, we'll have the last chance for several months to see if they measure up before they take a break to write some new songs. The Underworld is located at B1, 45 Shida Rd, Taipei (台北市師大路45號B1). The show starts at 9:30pm and tickets cost NT$250.
Sept.16 to Sept. 22 The “anti-communist train” with then-president Chiang Kai-shek’s (蔣介石) face plastered on the engine puffed along the “sugar railway” (糖業鐵路) in May 1955, drawing enthusiastic crowds at 103 stops covering nearly 1,200km. An estimated 1.58 million spectators were treated to propaganda films, plays and received free sugar products. By this time, the state-run Taiwan Sugar Corporation (台糖, Taisugar) had managed to connect the previously separate east-west lines established by Japanese-era sugar factories, allowing the anti-communist train to travel easily from Taichung to Pingtung’s Donggang Township (東港). Last Sunday’s feature (Taiwan in Time: The sugar express) covered the inauguration of the
The corruption cases surrounding former Taipei Mayor and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) head Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) are just one item in the endless cycle of noise and fuss obscuring Taiwan’s deep and urgent structural and social problems. Even the case itself, as James Baron observed in an excellent piece at the Diplomat last week, is only one manifestation of the greater problem of deep-rooted corruption in land development. Last week the government announced a program to permit 25,000 foreign university students, primarily from the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia, to work in Taiwan after graduation for 2-4 years. That number is a
In a stark demonstration of how award-winning breakthroughs can come from the most unlikely directions, researchers have won an Ig Nobel prize for discovering that mammals can breathe through their anuses. After a series of tests on mice, rats and pigs, Japanese scientists found the animals absorb oxygen delivered through the rectum, work that underpins a clinical trial to see whether the procedure can treat respiratory failure. The team is among 10 recognized in this year’s Ig Nobel awards (see below for more), the irreverent accolades given for achievements that “first make people laugh, and then make them think.” They are not
This Qing Dynasty trail takes hikers from renowned hot springs in the East Rift Valley, up to the top of the Coastal Mountain Range, and down to the Pacific Short vacations to eastern Taiwan often require choosing between the Rift Valley with its pineapple fields, rice paddies and broader range of amenities, or the less populated coastal route for its ocean scenery. For those who can’t decide, why not try both? The Antong Traversing Trail (安通越嶺道) provides just such an opportunity. Built 149 years ago, the trail linked up these two formerly isolated parts of the island by crossing over the Coastal Mountain Range. After decades of serving as a convenient path for local Amis, Han settlers, missionaries and smugglers, the trail fell into disuse once modern roadways were built