 Acoustic duo Hao-en and Jia-jia, who play tomorrow night at Witch House, make music that has a laid-back island feel. PHOTO COURTESY OF TAIWAN COLORS MUSIC |
| Highlight Guitarist Hao-en (昊恩) and vocalist Jia-jia (家家) perform a fusion of blues, jazz and their native Puyuma music tomorrow night at Witch House. Their acoustic sound also has a laid-back island feel, sometimes reminiscent of Polynesian folk music and Hawaiian slack key. The pair have been a longstanding fixture in Taiwan’s contemporary Aboriginal music scene with the AM Band, which also features Golden Melody award-winners Pau-dull (陳建年) and Jia-jia’s older sister, singer Samingad (紀曉君). Hao-en and Jia-jia have played on stages all over Asia, and are also regular performers in Taiwan’s small-pub scene. The two are currently working on a new album, slated for release in August. ▲Hao-en and Jia-jia’s live acoustic performance at Witch House, 7, Ln 56, Xinsheng S Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (女巫店．台北市新生南路三段56巷7號) ▲Tomorrow night at 9:30pm. Call (02) 2362-5494 or visit www.witchhouse.org for more information ▲Admission is NT$300 at the door |
 Walk On byNHKHC.PHOTO COURTESY OF NHKHC |
| Highlight New Hong Kong Hair City is celebrating the release of its new CD Walk On tomorrow at APA Lounge 808 (阿帕808) in Ximending (西門町). NHKHC has gained attention for its unusual composition: instead of the usual guitarist/vocalist frontman, this band has saxophone player/vocalist Macgregor Wooley. Kyle Bajcer is more than competent on drums, and is the backbone that supports the band, while Danielle Sanger belts out raw vocals and provides keyboards, and Tom McCann keeps it cool on bass. The group will be joined by Black Faith With Sonic Pace, Divebomb, a killer punk bank from Tainan, and endearing indie rockers The Dolittles from Taichung. The Big Brass Balls Band will show up after midnight to cap what’s sure to be a great night of music. ▲Tomorrow from 9pm ▲APA Lounge 808, 6F, 152, Zhonghua Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市中華路一段152號6樓), near Ximen (西門) MRT station exit No. 6. Call (02) 2381-5378 for more information. On the Net: www.myspace.com/newhongkonghaircitytw ▲Entrance is NT$300 |
The Wall (這牆) hosts indie-rock outfit Pen Sauce (筆醬) tonight. Tomorrow night, Taiwan’s indie-pop darlings Tizzy Bac take to the stage, for a show that’s already sold-out. On Sunday, it’s punk bands Random (隨性) and Fire Ex (滅火器). Wednesday features Taiwanese songstress Jasmine (庭竹), Pink Guitar (粉紅吉他托比兔), and Finn. Singer Xiao Yu (小宇) is on tour to promote his R ’n’ B/hip-hop album Classmate Xiao Yu (小宇同學就是我), and makes an appearance on Thursday.
▲B1, 200, Roosevelt Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路四段200號B1). Call (02) 2930-0162 visit www.the-wall.com.tw for more information
Tonight and tomorrow at midnight; Sunday at 3pm
NT$400 tonight; tomorrow is sold-out; NT$300 on Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Admission includes one drink
It’s a weekend of Golden Melody award-winners at Witch House (女巫店). Folk singer Huang Chien-wei (黃建為) plays tonight. Popular pub Puyuma duo, guitarist Hao-en (昊恩) and singer Jia-jia (家家) perform tomorrow night [see Highlight].
Amis folk-rock musician Chalaw and his band Passiwali (巴西瓦里) play on Thursday.
▲7, Ln 56, Xinsheng S Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市新生南路三段56巷7號). For more information, call (02) 2362-5494 or visit www.witchhouse.org
▲Performances start at 9:30pm. Restaurant/bar with queer/feminist bookstore and large collection of board games open 11am to midnight Sundays through Wednesdays; 11am to 1am Thursdays through Saturdays
▲NT$300 entrance includes one drink
Tonight at Riverside Cafe (河岸留言) there’s funk, rock, and jazz with Yellow Funky Stuff, featuring Japanese guitarist Eiji Kadota and drummer Toshi Fujii. Pretty boy pop-rock group Rock Oriental Express (搖滾東方) plays a “mini-concert” tomorrow night, and Aboriginal folk singer Panai (巴奈) brings her soulful acoustic music to the venue on Sunday.
▲B1, 2, Ln 244, Roosevelt Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路三段244巷2號B1), next to Taipower Building (台電大樓). For more information, call (02) 2368-7310 or visit www.riverside.com.tw
▲Shows start at 9:30pm
▲NT$400 tonight and tomorrow; NT$350 Sunday. Admission includes one free drink. There is a one-drink minimum on Monday
Every Wednesday night at the Cosmopolitan Grill there’s a blues open mic, held by the Blues Society on Taiwan and hosted by Torch Pratt. All are welcome to bring their instruments and sit in on guitar, bass or drums.
▲1F, 218 Changchun Rd, Taipei City (台北市長春路218號1樓). Call 2508-0304 or visit www.cosmo.com.tw for more information
▲8pm to 11pm every Wednesday
▲Free admission
Tonight at 89K in Taichung, the Big Brass Balls Band [see story on Page 14 of today’s Taipei Times] celebrates the release of its new CD, and tomorrow is a triple bill: garage rock band The Deadly Vibes, Japanese rockabilly band 130 Dollars, and one-man hip-hop act, Dr Reniculous Lipz (白悟空).
▲25 Daguan Rd, Taichung City (台中市大觀路25號). Call (04) 2381-8240 for more information
▲10:30pm until late
▲NT$300 entrance includes one drink
Exhibition
How to Start Your Own Country (「微」觀 — 經典微國家暨西提王國特展). Taking Benedict Anderson’s notion of imagined communities to a new level, the exhibition features documents about 10 micro-nations as well as the history of Kingdom of Citynoland, a micro-nation founded in cyber space. On the Net: citynoland.net.
▲Sugar Cube Gallery (白方糖畫廊) at Islanders Studio (島民工作室), 95 Chaozhou St, Taipei City (台北市潮州街95號). Open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10am to 7:30pm. Call (02) 2396-9208 for more information
▲Until Tuesday
“CO-Q” Young Taiwan Artists From Nobody Collection. The joint exhibition features works by 14 local young artists, who say the show is their response to barren landscapes and systematic boredom.
▲Taipei National University of Arts — Guandu Museum of Arts (台北藝術大學關渡美術館), 1 Hsuenyuan Rd, Beitou Dist, Taipei City (台北市北投區學園路1號). Open Tuesdays through Sundays from 10am to 5pm. Call (02) 2896-1000 X2432 for more information
▲Until June 29
Nothing But Daily — Ku Yung-wen Solo Exhibition (只不過是生活嘛 — 辜詠文個展). The artist creates a series of abstract paintings using a kaleidoscope of colors. For Ku, the act of painting emulates the act of living life.
▲Safulak Art Village (沙湖壢藝術村), 423 Sinhu Rd, Shanhu Village, Paoshan Township, Hsinchu County (新竹縣寶山鄉山湖村新湖路423號). Open Wednesdays through Sundays from 11am to 5pm. Call (03) 576-0108 for more information
▲Until June 29
Charles A Csuri: Beyond Boundaries, 1963 to Present (超越疆界: 美國動畫先驅查爾斯瑟瑞). Born in 1922, Charles Csuri is a pioneering figure in the field of computer animation and digital fine art. The touring exhibition introduces local audiences to Csuri’s achievements in digital art and features and 70 of his most groundbreaking computer art dated from 1963 to 2006.
▲Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts (高雄市立美術館), 20 Meishuguan Rd, Gushan Dist, Kaohsiung City (高雄市鼓山區美術館路20號). Open Tuesdays through Sundays from 9am to 5pm. Call (07) 555-0331 for more information
▲Until Aug. 31
Theater
Two carpenters use commonly found objects to create a doll puppet and dog puppet in The Puppet’s Adventure (小木偶的大冒險), a children’s production by Puppet Beings Theater Company (偶偶偶劇團). After the puppets are constructed they go on an adventure together.
Taipei Cultural Center, Wenshan Branch (社教館文山分館), B2, 32 Jingwen St, Taipei City (台北市景文街32號B2)
Tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm
Tickets are NT$200, available through NTCH ticketing
One Hundred Nights’ Dream
(百夜之夢) is an image-based performance by Riverbed Theatre (河床劇團). The experimental performance challenges audiences with its non-linear plot in a show that is both visually and intellectually stimulating.
National Experimental Theater, Taipei City
Today and tomorrow at 7:30pm; tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm
Tickets are NT$400, available through NTCH ticketing
On Fire (賣番仔火的小女孩) by Taiyuan Puppet Theater Company (台原偶戲團), tells the story of a greedy grandmother who forces her granddaughter to work in a factory that makes matches. The girl befriends a little boy and together they discover that the matches are alive. One night, a disaster threatens the lives of both children and their match friends.
Nadou Theater (納豆劇場), 79 Xining N Rd, Taipei City (台北市西寧北路79號)
Tomorrow at 3pm
Tickets are NT$200, available through NTCH ticketing
An early Hakka and Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese) musical, April Rain (四月望雨) returns to the stage tomorrow. The multilingual performance — Hoklo, Hakka, Mandarin and Japanese — is based on the life of Teng Yu-sian (鄧雨賢), a Japanese-colonial era composer who has been hailed as the father of Taiwanese folk music. Teng is portrayed as an artist caught between different cultures and torn between idealism and reality.
Taichung Chungshan Hall (台中市中山堂), 98 Hsuehshi Rd, Taichung City (台中市學士路98號)
Tomorrow at 7:30pm and Sunday
at 2:30pm
Tickets are NT$300 to NT$2,500, available through NTCH ticketing
Taiwan’s raucous legislature and zany television shows are some of the fodder for Mad in Taiwan (瘋狂年代), the latest work by Ping-Fong Acting Troupe (屏風表演班). The play within a play tells the story of a theater group that attempts to produce a musical that captures the spirit of Taiwan. The trope they eventually hit on is betel nut beauties.
Hsinchu County Cultural Affairs Bureau (新竹縣文化局), 146, Xianzheng 9th Rd, Chubei City, Hsinchu County (新竹縣竹北市縣政九路146號)
Tomorrow at 7:30m; Sunday at 2:30pm
Tickets are NT$500 to NT$2,500, available through NTCH ticketing
Classical music
Master and NSO Series — Midori, the Pearl on Strings (名家與NSO的對話 — 東方珍珠Midori) sees the renowned violinist Midori Goto give her unique interpretation of Haydn’s Symphony No. 94 in G Major, “Surprise”, Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 1 in D Major and Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D Major Op. 35. The National Symphony Orchestra will be conducted by Chien Wen-pin (簡文彬). A pre-concert lecture by Peng Kuang-lin (彭廣林) will be held in the lobby of the National Concert Hall beginning at 7pm.
Today at 7:30pm
National Concert Hall, Taipei City
Tickets are NT$500 to NT$2,500, available through NTCH ticketing
NCO Legend Series — The Woman’s Romance (NCO傳奇系列 — 她們的美麗與哀愁) is a concert highlighting heroines of Chinese theater and literature. The program was created by the National Chinese Orchestra (臺灣國家國樂團) in conjunction with well-known Chinese opera actresses including Tang Mei-yun (唐美雲), Hsu Hsiu-nian (�?~) and Wei Hai-min (魏海敏).
Tomorrow at 7:30pm
National Concert Hall, Taipei City
Tickets are NT$400 to NT$1,000, available through NTCH ticketing
Falling in Love with Nodame Cantabile “Orchestral Favorites” (愛上交響情人夢 — 管絃樂篇) features Chen Kuan-yu (陳冠宇) on piano and Chen Yi-ting (陳怡婷) on flute, and soprano Liao Ying-chun (廖英君) and tenor Chou Ming-yu (周明宇) performing with the Evergreen Symphony Orchestra (長榮交響樂團). The program includes popular classics such as Verdi’s La Donna e Mobile, from “Rigoletto,” Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and Rimskij-Korsakoff’s The Flight of the Bumble-Bee.
Wednesday at 7:30pm
National Concert Hall, Taipei City
Tickets are NT$250 to NT$2,500, available through ERA ticketing
2008: A Tribute to Contemporary Choral Music (2008世界之窗系列 — 當代狂潮) sees the Taipei Chamber Singers (台北室內合唱團) perform a mixed program of Western and Chinese pieces, including the world premiere of Per Skriver’s Duet. The choir will be conducted by Chen Yun-hung (陳雲紅).
Tomorrow at 7:30pm (Taichung County) and Sunday at 2:30pm (Taichung City)
NSO Recital Hall in Taichung (國立台灣交響樂團演奏廳), 738-2 Chungshan Rd, Wufeng Township, Taichung County (台中縣霧峰鄉中正路738-2號); Chunghsing Concert Hall, Taichung (台中中興堂), 291-3 Chingwu Rd, Taichung City (台中市精武路291之3號)
Tickets are NT$300 for Taichung County and NT$300 and NT$500 for Taichung City, available from NTCH ticketing
Contemporary
Jazz Quintessence appears tonight at Sappho de Base, the favorite late-night hangout for Taipei’s jazz musicians. Tomorrow it’s New Orleans funk and blues outfit, the Kenyatta Quintet. On Tuesday night, there’s a set by the Grace Jazz Trio with an open jam afterwards. On Wednesday, it’s acoustic guitar and piano duo, Mos and Li-hui (理惠). Rattlebrains visits on Thursday.
B1, 1, Ln 102, Anhe Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市安和路一段102巷1號B1). Call (02) 2700-5411 (after 9pm) or visit www.sappho102.biz for more information
Performances begin at 10:30pm
No entrance fee
Tonight at Italian restaurant Capone’s, it’s Taipei’s most authentic funk and blues band, the Kenyatta Quintet, led by drummer Abe Nbugu Kenyatta, a New Orleans native. The group also plays next Friday, June 27.
312, Zhongxiao E Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市忠孝東路四段312號). Call (02) 2773-3782 for more information
Tonight from 9pm to 11pm
No entrance fee, dinner seating
Indie-rock bands Rowen (再生草) and Tanapo (坦娜普) take to the stage at Underworld (地下社會) tonight. Tomorrow evening, it’s more indie-rock with Braces (牙套), which has just released an EP, Miss Miss. Also playing is Jacuzzi (賈庫西). On Tuesday, DJ Abay (鄭焙隆) spins until 2am, and on Wednesday, it’s one-man electro-rocker Sonic Deadhorse, indie-pop punk musician Dirt Star and garage-rockers White Eyes (白目).
B1, 45 Shida Rd, Taipei City (台北市師大路45號B1). Call (02) 2369-0103 or visit www.upsaid.com/underworld for more information
Live shows go from 9:30pm to 11:30pm. The bar is open from 8pm daily, closed Mondays
Entrance on Fridays and Saturdays is NT$300 and includes one drink. Entrance on Wednesdays is NT$100. Before midnight on Tuesdays and Thursdays, drinks are buy-one-get -one-free
Blood Orange plays punk instrumentals tonight at Bliss, followed later by Auto de Fe. Tomorrow, the Big Brass Balls Band makes a return appearance with a new CD [see story above], followed by a new band, Gold Seal, which plays hard rock.
148, Xinyi Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市信義路四段148號), one block east of Dunhua South Road (敦化南路). Call Bliss at (02) 2702-1855 or log on at www.bliss-taipei.com. For more information on live performances at Bliss, visit
www.myspace.com/blisslivehouse
Tonight and tomorrow at 10pm. Bar/kitchen open from 7pm daily. Ladies night Fridays; women get one free cocktail of their choice
Entrance to the bar is free. NT$200 cover for music shows
As Donald Trump’s executive order in March led to the shuttering of Voice of America (VOA) — the global broadcaster whose roots date back to the fight against Nazi propaganda — he quickly attracted support from figures not used to aligning themselves with any US administration. Trump had ordered the US Agency for Global Media, the federal agency that funds VOA and other groups promoting independent journalism overseas, to be “eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.” The decision suddenly halted programming in 49 languages to more than 425 million people. In Moscow, Margarita Simonyan, the hardline editor-in-chief of the
Six weeks before I embarked on a research mission in Kyoto, I was sitting alone at a bar counter in Melbourne. Next to me, a woman was bragging loudly to a friend: She, too, was heading to Kyoto, I quickly discerned. Except her trip was in four months. And she’d just pulled an all-nighter booking restaurant reservations. As I snooped on the conversation, I broke out in a sweat, panicking because I’d yet to secure a single table. Then I remembered: Eating well in Japan is absolutely not something to lose sleep over. It’s true that the best-known institutions book up faster
The latest Formosa poll released at the end of last month shows confidence in President William Lai (賴清德) plunged 8.1 percent, while satisfaction with the Lai administration fared worse with a drop of 8.5 percent. Those lacking confidence in Lai jumped by 6 percent and dissatisfaction in his administration spiked up 6.7 percent. Confidence in Lai is still strong at 48.6 percent, compared to 43 percent lacking confidence — but this is his worst result overall since he took office. For the first time, dissatisfaction with his administration surpassed satisfaction, 47.3 to 47.1 percent. Though statistically a tie, for most
Though the total area of Penghu isn’t that large, exploring all of it — including its numerous outlying islands — could easily take a couple of weeks. The most remote township accessible by road from Magong City (馬公市) is Siyu (西嶼鄉), and this place alone deserves at least two days to fully appreciate. Whether it’s beaches, architecture, museums, snacks, sunrises or sunsets that attract you, Siyu has something for everyone. Though only 5km from Magong by sea, no ferry service currently exists and it must be reached by a long circuitous route around the main island of Penghu, with the
RSS