Hardcore Hohak fans in musical heaven

Popular contemporary Hakka five-piece, the Hohak Band (好客樂隊) will be wrapping up its nationwide Hohak Carnival (好客戲) tour this weekend with a gig at Taipei's Red House Theater (紅樓劇場).

Formed by ex-members of long-serving protest combo Labor Exchange (交工樂隊), which played a pivotal role in the revival of Hakka music in 2000 after walking away from the Golden Melody Awards with two gold statuettes for its debut album Let Us sing the Mountain Songs, the Hohak Band is a Hakka combo with a difference.

Since Labor Exchange's success five years ago, singer-songwriter and Hohak frontman, Chen Guan-yu (陳冠宇) has veered away from his protest movement roots. By blending traditional Taiwanese folk music with modern rock, jazz, folk, West African blues and even rap he has moved into previously uncharted musical territory.

"Our music is very different from that of Labor Exchange. Unlike [Labor Exchange], where we merged music with political messages, the Hohak Band makes happy, easy-going music that shouldn't be taken too seriously," Chen said. "For us the melody is more important than what chord or what key the song is performed in."

While such an odd and eclectic concoction might sound like a recipe for musical disaster, it has in fact enabled the band to appeal to audiences whenever it performs.

The band's July appearances in Taipei were packed out, as were its numerous performances at smaller venues in sou-thern Taiwan, where audiences consisted of both the young and old alike. At last week's Formoz Festival (野台開唱) the combo wowed the predominantly teenage crowd with its non-mainstream contemporary take on traditional Hakka and Taiwanese music.

The Hohak Band's knack of attracting such diverse audiences is based around its ability to perform sets packed with happy-go-lucky tunes. And even though the band waxes lyrical in the Hakka dialect, it has successfully managed to cut through linguistic barriers. The combo appeals to both native Hakka speakers as well as those with zero understanding of the Southern Chinese dialect.

"You don't need to understand the lyrics to enjoy our music. I mean people in Taiwan like Western music, and not everybody understands English," Chen said. "People can understand that the message we are trying to put across is `be happy' simply from the music itself."

"The mix makes it very special. If you listen to the album then its easy to hear how spiritual our sound is, especially on the tunes which incorporate West African influences," Chen said. "Hakka music has traditionally been spiritual, but by combining the old with the new we've taken the sense of spirituality to new levels."

Released by local indie label Taiwan Colors Music in late June, Hohak Carnival has already drawn praise from many in both the alternative and mainstream music industries. And, while still a full year away, it has already been touted as a sure-fire nominee for next year's Golden Melody Awards.

There are slow acoustic and folksy reworkings of traditional tunes like the pleasing Playing and Singing (彈唱) as well as less mainstream adaptations such as the jerky post-rock Seven Day Song (七朝歌) and the retro The Flowering of the Peach Blossoms (桃花開). Tradition is never far away, however, and the trumpet-like suona, duel stringed violin-like erhu and powerful self-styled drumming of Chung Cheng-da (鍾成達) all play a major role on the album.