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Highlight
Tomorrow night, three expat rock bands play on Yangmingshan (陽明山) to raise funds for several Taiwanese orphanages. The bands are Public Radio, a current favorite in the expat rock and party scene, Neon, an indie-rock group that sings mostly in Mandarin and enjoys a loyal following in Taipei, and Johnny Fatstacks, which plays alt-country and rock. The venue is the Dong Tian Restaurant (洞天花園餐廳), which is located on the mountainside and offers scenic views of Taipei.
All proceeds from door ticket sales will go to three orphanages: St Shepherd’s Grace Halfway House (基督徒救世會牧恩中途之家) and Cathwel Service (天主教福利會泰山仁慈家園) in Taipei, and St Lucy’s Center (善牧基金會聖露晰服務中心) in Tainan. Tickets at the door are NT$700, which keeps your glass full throughout the entire evening. There is a dress code for the evening: wear all white.
▲ For more information or to make a donation, contact Kate Huang at junekate@gmail.com
▲ Fundraiser Party for Three Taiwanese Orphanages with Public Radio, Neon, and Johnny Fatstacks at the Dong Tian Restaurant (洞天花園餐廳), 2, Ln 2, Yangde Blvd Sec 2, Shihlin Dist, Taipei City, (台北市士林區仰德大道二段2巷2號). Call (02) 2880-5680 for more information
▲ Tomorrow night, from 9pm to 3am
▲ NT$700 entrance fee, all-you-can-drink; dress code is white
Theater
{} ASAP is a stage production adapted from 4.48 Psychosis, a play written by the late British playwright Sarah Kane that one critic described as a 75-minute suicide note. The work explores what it means to suffer from severe depression.
▲ Guling Street Theater (牯嶺街小劇場), 2, Ln 5, Guling St, Taipei City (台北市牯嶺街5巷2號)
▲ Today and tomorrow at 7:30pm and 2:30pm and Sunday at 2pm and 7pm
▲ Tickets are NT$400, available through National Theater Concert Hall (NTCH) ticket outlets or online at
www.artsticket.com.tw
Happiness Part 1 & 2 (浮浪貢開花 Part 1 & 2) is a light and carefree Taiwanese musical by Golden Bough Theater (金枝演社) that tells the story of a young bohemian searching for happiness and the interesting places where it is found.
▲ Taipei Zhongshan Hall (台北市中山堂), 98 Yenping S Rd, Taipei City (台北市延平南路98號)
▲ Part 2 plays tonight, tomorrow and Sunday night at 7:30pm; Part 1 plays tomorrow and Sunday at 3pm
▲ Tickets are NT$400 to NT$1,600, available through NTCH ticketing
If Kids Theater (如果兒童劇團) has teamed up with Municipal Chinese Classical Orchestra (台北市立國樂團) and The Taipei Folk Dance Company (台北民族舞團) to bring audiences The Unforgettable Legend (東方夜譚). The family production is based on a story written by popular Taiwanese folk author Sih-ma Jhong-yuan (司馬中原) and tells the story of a snake that teaches martial arts to a woodcutter and the consequent struggles he faces with his newfound fighting skills.
▲ Jhongli Arts Center (中壢藝術館), 16 Jhungmei Rd, Jhongli City (中壢市中美路16號)
▲ Tomorrow at 7:30pm
▲ Tickets are NT$300 to NT$800, available through NTCH ticketing
Heart of Ocean (海洋之心) is a diabolo dance production by Diabolo Dance Theater (舞鈴劇場) that portrays life underwater.
▲ Ilan Performing Arts Center (宜蘭縣文化局演藝廳), 482, Chongshan Rd Sec 2, Ilan City (宜蘭市中山路二段482號)
▲ Sunday at 2:30pm
▲ Tickets are NT$200 to NT$900, available through NTCH ticketing
Classical music
2008 Taipei City Music Festival — Ryu Goto with the Taipei Symphony Orchestra (2008臺北市音樂季開幕音樂會 — 五山鳥龍與北市交) opens this week with a concert by Japanese violinist Ryu Goto, who will perform with the TSO under conductor Wang Jin (王進). The program will include Rossini’s “Barbiere di Siviglia” Overture, Paganini’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major, Op.6, and Fontane di Roma and Feste Romane by Respighi.
▲ Tomorrow at 7:30pm
▲ National Concert Hall, Taipei City
▲ Tickets are NT$100 to NT$1,000, available from NTCH ticketing
2008 Hsinyi Arts — Liao Pei-wen Solo Violin Concert (2008 新逸藝術 — 廖姵玟小提琴獨奏會) has the young artist performing a program that includes Brahms’ Scherzo in C Minor and Violin Sonata No. 3 in D Minor, Paganini’s Caprice No. 24, and Prokofiev’s Sonata for 2 Violins, Op. 55.
▲ Sunday at 2:30pm
▲ National Concert Hall, Taipei City
▲ Tickets are NT$300, available through ERA ticketing
Ling-yi Ou Yang & Melody Lin Cello Concert (歐陽伶宜•林冠吟 — 師生聯合音樂會) has the two cellists, student and teacher performing a program that includes Brahms’ Cello Sonata No. 1, Beethoven’s 7 Variations Op. 46, Tchaikovsky’s Pezzo Capriccioso Op. 62 and Bach’s Solo Cello Suite, No. 3.
▲ Tomorrow at 7:30pm
▲ Taichung’s Shinmin Senior High School Art Center (新民高中藝術中心), 289, Sanmin Rd Sec 3, Taichung City (台中市三民路三段289號)
▲ Tickets are NT$300 and NT$500, available through NTCH ticketing
Stars of the KCCO Recital Series — A Night of Strings (高市國之星系列— 彈撥樂之夜) is an evening in which performers from the Kaohsiung City Chinese Orchestra (高雄市國樂團) get together to present their own compositions and arrangements of traditional pieces.
▲ Tomorrow at 7:30pm
▲ Kaohsiung City Concert Hall (高雄市音樂館演奏廳), at 99 Hehsi Rd, Kaohsiung City (高雄市河西路99號)
▲ Tickets are NT$200, available through NTCH ticket outlets
Contemporary
Tomorrow night at Cosmopolitan Grill, the Bopomofo Blues Band (ㄅㄆㄇㄈ) takes to the stage, followed by the David Foster Syndicate. Every Wednesday night 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 (02) 2508-0304 or visit www.cosmo.com.tw for more information
▲ 9pm to 11pm tomorrow night;
8pm to 11pm every Wednesday
▲ Minimum charge of NT$250 tomorrow; free admission
Pop punk band Abandoned Machines and garage rockers Auto da Fe play tonight and tomorrow at VU Live House. On Wednesday it’s DJs D.Soto, VDUB, and Scotty Baller.
▲ B1, 77 Wuchang St, Taipei City
(台北市武昌街二段77號B1). Call (02) 2314-1868 for more information
▲ Starts at 10pm
▲ NT$300 entrance fee includes one drink. Wednesday night is ladies’ night, with free admission and one drink for women; cover for guys is NT$200 and includes one drink
Appearing tomorrow night at Center Stage (formerly the Living Room, now under new management) is Soma, a Taipei cover band that plays popular contemporary rock as well as popular songs from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. No shows are scheduled for tomorrow. On Sunday it’s indie punk bands Pissionaite Winkers and Pa Pun (怕胖團).
▲ 3F, 8, Nanjing E Rd Sec 5, Taipei City (台北市南京東路五段8號3樓). Call (02) 8787-4154 or visit www.myspace.com/taipeicenterstage for more information
▲ Shows start at 10pm
▲ Tonight is free. Entrance tomorrow is NT$200
Gross Fugue appears at Sappho de Base tomorrow with an electronic rock and visual show (see story above). On Tuesday night the Grace Jazz Trio plays a set, with an open jam afterwards. Jazz trio Tall Boy appears on Wednesday, and on Thursday it’s DJ Zulu spinning what he calls “timeless and positive black sounds.”
▲ 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
▲ Performances begin at 10:30pm
▲ No entrance fee
Taiwanese alt-rock pioneers Backquarter (四分衛) perform at The Wall (這牆) tonight. Hitting the venue Wednesday night is the Los Angeles-based DJ duo Guns N Bombs, whose fresh electro-rock and dance mixes have earned them a mention in the alt-music rag Pitchfork. Joining them are DJ Kay and local favorites Tomadachi a DJ duo that spins everything but hip-hop. The party is being held by party crew Back 2 the Future (B2TF, 回到未來).
▲ B1, 200, Roosevelt Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路四段200號B1).
Call (02) 2930-0162 or log on at www.the-wall.com.tw for more information
▲ 8pm tonight, tomorrow, and Sunday
▲ NT$450 tonight; Wednesday’s show is NT$500 in advance, NT$700 at the door
Indie-pop band 13 (拾參) appears tonight at the Underworld (地下室), along with Taiwanese alt-rockers 88 Balaz (八十八顆芭樂籽). Tomorrow it’s death metal bands Hekate and Infernal Chaos.
▲ 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 tonight is NT$400 and NT$300 tomorrow and includes one drink; NT$100 on Wednesdays
Tonight Witch House (女巫店) hosts Natural Q (自然捲), a pop-folk band whose instrumentation features vocals, guitar, violin, bass and hand drums. Get to the venue early tomorrow night to catch Rebel rocker-turned-mainstream-folk idol Chen Ming-chang and the Tamsui River Band (陳明章與淡水走唱團).
▲ 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
Yellow Funky Stuff plays a fusion of jazz, funk and rock tonight at Riverside Cafe (河岸留言). Tomorrow night is a Taiwanese alt-rock extravaganza with 88 Balaz (八十八顆芭樂籽) and revered anarchist indie rockers LTK (濁水溪公社).
▲ 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). Call (02) 2368-7310 or visit www.riverside.com.tw for more information
▲ Shows start at 9:30pm
▲ NT$400 tonight and tomorrow, NT$350 on Sunday. Admission includes one free drink
Tonight at Tone 56 Live Bar, a new restaurant on the corner of Fuxing North and Minquan East roads, is Rubber Band, which plays rock, pop and dance music. The group plays every Friday. Tomorrow it’s house band Loaded, which plays everything from “rock classics to today’s hits.” Sundays feature a regular rotation of bands, with the New Orleans funk outfit Kenyatta Trio playing this week. [See story above.]
▲ 1F, 56, Minquan E Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市民權東路三段56號1樓), near the corner of Fuxing North Road (復興北路) and Minquan East Road (民權東路).
Call (02) 2517-3869 for more information
▲ Music shows go from 9:30pm to 12:30pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and 7:30pm to 9:30pm on Sundays
▲ No entrance fee
The Diner’s (樂子) new branch on Dunhua South Road hosts The Diner Jam, an open mic every Thursday.
▲ 6, Ln 103, Dunhua S Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市敦化南路二段103巷6號), just off Anhe Road (安和路), in the lane behind Carnegie’s. Call (02) 2700-1680 or visit www.thediner.com.tw for more information
▲ 9:30pm to midnight every Thursday
▲ Free admission
Exhibition
The Red House — A Century of Stories and Blessings (西門紅樓百年特展). Celebrating the centennial anniversary of the Red House’s historical architecture, this special exhibition puts together roughly 100 images and films grouped under themes such as Japanese Colonial Rule and the Golden Age of Cinema.
▲ Red House (西門紅樓), 10 Chengdu Rd, Taipei City (台北市成都路10號). Open Sundays through Thursdays from 11am to 9:30pm; Fridays and Saturdays from 11am to 10pm. Closed on Mondays. Call (02) 2311-9380 for more information
▲ Until Dec. 31
The Neglected Existence — Solo Exhibition by Hsu Pang-chieh (被遺忘的存在:徐邦傑個展). The exhibition features a series of paintings by the expatriate artist, who lives in the US. The works are still lifes of interiors illuminated with natural light, portraying objects and spaces that are often neglected such as a windowsill glittering in the sunlight, an unmade bed and an old sink.
▲ Taipei Fine Arts Museum (台北市立美術館), 181, Zhongshan N Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市中山北路三段181號). Open Tuesdays through Sundays from 9:30am to 5:30pm; Saturdays until 8:30pm. Call (02) 2595-7656 for more information
▲ Until Sept. 14
Mr Red Solo Exhibition (再生的再生—紅膠囊個展). The exhibition features some 30 original illustrations by the picture book writer Red Capsule (紅膠囊), who is known for his dreamlike compositions full of imagination and whimsy.
▲ Capital Art Center (首都藝術中心), 2F, 343, Renai Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市仁愛路四段343號2樓). Open Tuesdays through Sundays from 10am to 7pm. Call (02) 2775-5268 for more information
▲ Until Sept. 2
Drawing with Light — Kuo Hui-chan Solo Exhibition 2008 (郭慧禪2008年個展—光線寫作).
Kuo combines painting and photography in surreal images and three-dimensional works tinged with melancholy. The artist takes the idea of photography, which means “drawing with light” in ancient Greek, and views it as an art form that records people’s mental states and reflects the disorder and anxiety of urban living.
▲ AKI Gallery (也趣), 141, Minzu W Rd, Taipei City (台北市民族西路141號). Open Tuesdays through Sundays from 12pm to 6:30pm.
Call (02) 2599-1171 for more information
▲ Until Aug. 17
Hear the History (聲音印記).
▲ The exhibition introduces to the public the oral and intangible heritage of the ancient tunes of the Atayal tribe and Chinese sonnets with the aim of showing how sounds and music are the bearers of culture and history.
▲ Shihsanhang Museum of
Archaeology (十三行博物館), 200 Museum Rd, Bali Township, Taipei County (台北縣八里鄉博物館路200號). Open Tuesdays through Fridays from 9:30am to 6pm; Saturdays and Sundays from 9:30am to 7pm. Call (02) 2619-1313 for more information
▲ Until Oct. 19
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