Were it not for Spring Scream, in its 11th year starting today and running until Tuesday, Taiwan's music world would be a different place, indeed.
For starters, Spring Scream was the first festival of its kind to assemble scores of local underground rock bands for an outdoor music event lasting several days. And by doing so, the community of musicians has grown closer and larger each year while it has inspired events like the annual Formoz and Ho-Hai-Yan festivals.
It would also be hard to overlook the fact that because it's organized by a duo of expats, Wade Davis and Jimi Moe, and at least in its early years was predominantly attended by resident foreign English teachers, it also infused the relatively small, close-knit local scene with a measure of outside influence -- or at the very least, a different vibe.
PHOTO COURTESY OF SPRING SCREAM
"There's always some good interaction with the foreign bands. People come and listen to the ones from Japan or the States or Hong Kong and they get to hear something totally different," Davis said. "It's a small island, so it's good to have some new things coming from outside."
It would be hard to disagree. Some of the perennial favorites at the festival have been foreign bands such as Mimie-chan and Miracle Saru, who for the past eight years have raised the bar for what local punk and ska could be musically and visually; and Gallactica from San Francisco, who were post-rock before the term had properly caught on here; and even Q, the band that made country music such goofy fun for several years and seemed to disarm some of the earnestness in indie music.
Two other festivals picked up on the potential draw of foreign bands and have expanded aggressively in scope, inviting big-name international acts, adding extra days to their events almost every year and hitching up with deep-pocketed sponsors (read, local governments) to bankroll better sound systems, lights and facilities.
PHOTO: JULES QUARTLY, TAIPEI TIMES
Ho-Hai-Yan, in particular, has embarked on an ambitious plan to turn what started as a puny beachside event into a regional festival on par with Fuji Rock in Japan.
But this is where Spring Scream differs from the events it spawned, not to mention the dance parties that now take place the same weekend in Kenting and transform the town into Taiwan's version of Ibiza.
Attendance, Moe and Davis both say, leveled out about four years ago at 4,000 -- far less than Formoz and Ho-Hai-Yan -- and that's pretty much how they like it. The foreign bands, despite their popularity, don't tend to dominate the lineup or hog the spotlight. And though the degree of corporate sponsorship has fluctuated in recent years, it has never evolved into an overwhelmingly visible presence that might confuse people about the overall purpose of the event.
"We've always tried to make it clear that Spring Scream is for the bands," Moe said -- 204 bands this year, to be exact, all of whom come to play for free.
So this year, as Spring Scream moves into its second decade, it's beginning to feel a bit like a family reunion at the farm, predictable in its festiveness and incomplete until that one crazy uncle drinks too much and starts dancing naked. Last year, that role was filled by Kentaro of Dynamite Club, the punk band from New York and Japan. They'll be back this year, as will Mimie-chan to spice things up.
But this year will also see plenty of new foreign faces, with a batch of eight Japanese punk bands from the Beijing-based label People's Records, a Brit-pop duo called Transition, and two bands from New York called Dynasty and Team Sasquatch. They are all making first-time appearances at Spring Scream.
Representing the home team will be over 150 of Taiwan's indie-rock and experimental bands, including some of the better-known mid-level pop-rock acts such as Chairman, Clippers, and Backquarter. Taiwan's highest-profile rappers MC Hotdog and Dog G will be on hand, along with Shino Lin (林曉佩), the former jazz singer who cut her teeth in Japan and enjoyed a brief flirtation in 1998 with Mando-pop stardom.
Aside from the music, Spring Scream is also partly an arts festival, with a building dedicated to artwork, screenings of amateur films, and this year, an entire outside wall that will be getting a full makeover from a Taichung graffiti crew. And the skate ramp that each year has been built on site, spray painted and then ridden to death by the few brave skaters who dared drop in on it will be back again this year, Davis assured.
So with all the familiar elements in place and a few new ones added, this year's event should be the usual good time. It's one that's becoming its own venerable tradition as a classic grassroots music festival, which these days is a rarity.
Fresh to the scene:
Transition (UK)
Dynasty (US)
Team Sasquatch (US)
Bubblelove (Japan)
Goofy Style (Japan)
Buzz Dogs (Japan)
Trash Box (Japan)
Seven Star Rockers (Japan)
Anti-Elements (Japan)
Kenya (Japan)
Hakayahabusa (Japan)
Festival veterans not to miss:
Dynamite Club: New York/Japan-based punk rock with impressive theatrics
Mimie-chan: Festival favorites from Japan playing revved-up ska
Miracle Saru: More crazy ska punk
Clippers: In its new incarnation, a nakashi-inspired sing-along freakshow
Chairman: Classic guitar riffing rock 'n' roll
Backquarter: Grungy alterna-rock sweetened by catchy power chords and pin-up band members
Milk: The ultimate party band that truly brings the funk
MC Hotdog and Dog G: Taiwan's premier rappers who aren't afraid to stick it to the police, pop stars and anyone else
KbN: The three remaining members of this electronica band play spooky, late-night atmospherics
Practical information:
Tickets: NT$2,000 for a five-day pass, NT$1,000 for a single-day pass
Location: Liou-Fu Ranch, Kenting National Park
Camping: Sites are only available at the festival for multi-day pass holders.
Information on transportation from Taipei and Taichung, check www.springscream.com
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