All for a good cause

Will you be Hoping for Hoping in a Taoyuan herb garden this weekend? If not you will miss 25 of the nation's most in-demand bands, children's entertainers, new- media documentaries, art camps and a peace circle of healing hands.

Spawned by local anti-Iraq-war marches two years ago, the first peace fest in the mountain setting of the Kunlun Herb Gardens, near Shihmen Dam, starred Aboriginal singer Kimbo (胡德天), accompanying himself on piano. There was no microphone but his voice soared magnificently and filled the starlit sky.

The veteran protest singer will be returning for this year's event and is expected to showcase songs from his debut album, In a Flash. And if the stars are shining once more, it's unlikely that you will find a better time or place to experience the big man's vocal prowess and his spiritual approach to music.

Also hitting the stage running will be Chicken Rice (雞腿飯), said to be one of the "most exciting acts to hit the local alternative music since Sticky Rice in 1997," by a reviewer of the band's latest CD, yesterday in the Taipei Times.

Other standout performers over the two days of the festival include Milk, The Anglers, David Chen and the Muddy Basin, Orenda, Sputnik Tango Rebellion (造反衛星), Rocket Girl and The Smoking Cones (冒煙玉米). Basically, there's something for everyone, with a roll call that reads like the Who's Who of bands on the island.

To help make the two-day event more family-friendly, it is free for kids and well-known TV entertainer Brian Funshine will unveil his childlike talents.

Food and drink stands will cater to the hungry masses, and Aboriginal activists and storytellers have been invited to regale them.

The volunteers who have formed a collective to organize the event have also arranged body painting, massage, food, films, drumdowns, fire dances and hand healing.

And in case you're in need of spiritual repair, The Way of Grace organization will be on hand, literally, to lead you on the path to enlightenment. The Indian sect claims to have 25 million adherents in 120 countries and practices "powerful energy transfers" known as deeksha.

But if awakenings are not your bag, don't despair, there will be hard-nosed and tongue-in-cheek discussions about news and film organizations at the numedia stall, which Christian Kohli, a teacher in Zhongli and a Web designer, will be manning.

"There will be documentaries and DVDs for free -- basically I will be `burning for charity.' We've got a lot of stuff about alternative media, environmental issues and a variety of conspiracy theories."

One of the main organizers of the original peace fest in 2003, Dave "Peace" Nichols, of the band Wise Manoevers, said a CD of studio material by the bands appearing on Saturday was being made for the festival. He said there would also be a CD made of the live performances that would be released through Dream

Community.

"This festival is also to remind everyone that the talk about peace spreading in Iraq and the Middle East is just that, talk, and it's not what's happening. It's not getting better. Violence begets violence."

One of the organizers of the marches for peace two years ago, teacher Sean Kaiteri said, "Ten million people around the world marched for peace to prevent the Iraq war, but that didn't stop it. [Those with an agenda for war] are so much stronger than us; but we must do something, so this festival is a platform for peace, where people from different backgrounds will gather to make something better than they can do individually."