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Johnny Hi-Fi to plug in and play

Johnny Hi-Fi will be your alt-rock treat this week. PHOTO COURTESY OF ARTISTS

Fans of indie-rock might not instantly recognize the name Johnny Hi-Fi, but those with an ear for tight, well-executed guitar driven alt-rock are in for a treat next week when the New York based four-piece stops off in Taipei to play gigs at The Wall and The Riverside Cafe.

Formed in Austin, Texas in the mid-1990s and fronted by Taiwan born Kevin Hsu -- one of the few Asian faces to have successfully made inroads into the US alt-rock scene -- Johnny Hi-Fi started out as artsy post-rock band with alt-rock attitude.

The four-piece got its big break after it relocated to New York in 1999. Shortly after the band's arrival in the Big Apple the moody blues/rock oriented single Passive Killer hit the number three spot in local alt-rock charts.

While the band's early material saw it blending the folksy simplicity of the Throwing Muses with gnarly off-center and Weezer-like alt-pop, the band has since morphed into a hybrid combo that combines the moody downbeat of Coldplay and melodic alt-rock hooks and riffs of post-Bleed America Jimmy Eat World.

Following the release of its Scam Artist EP in August 2004, Johnny Hi-Fi toured with Taiwan's potty-mouthed rocker Chang Chen-yue (張震嶽) during his House of Blues tour in the US. Although only a support act for Chang, the combo received extensive coverage in the US music press and found itself propelled to a minor league status alt-rock act on the pages of various publications ranging from Coyote Music to Asia Pacific Arts.

In April of this year the band released what many consider to be its most musically challenging album, Sad Stories. Packed with an interesting mix of tunes ranging from the up-beat alt-rock I Can't Reach You, the downbeat yet gritty Man Overboard and the simplistic moody Britpop-like When You Walk Out the album is the band's strongest musical statement to date.

Although next week's tour is set to coincide with the Asian release of the band's album, Johnny Hi-Fi will, no doubt, be performing a selection of tunes from its extensive and contrasting play-list. If Taipei fans really get lucky then Johnny might even grace us with its fantastic cover version of the Pet Shop Boys' Suburbia.

What: Johnny Hi-Fi Live in Taipei
Where: The Wall (這牆) B1, 200, Sec 4, Roosevelt Rd, Taipei (台北市羅斯福路四段200號B1). The Riverside Cafe (河岸留言) B1, 2, Ln. 244, Roosevelt Rd, Sec 3, Taipei (台北市羅斯福路三段244巷2號B1).
When: Thursday, Oct. 13 (The Wall) and Friday Oct. 14 (The Riverside Cafe)
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