A-mei’s (張惠妹) ground-breaking A-mit (阿密特) album made Aboriginal music chic, but indie sensation Suming (舒米恩) is bringing it into the modern era.
The multi-instrumentalist and member of indie-rock band Totem (圖騰) plays tomorrow at The Wall (這牆) before traveling to Canada to perform in Toronto on Aug. 29 and in Vancouver on Sept. 4 to conclude his Suming World Tour
(舒米恩世界巡迴演唱會).
“I want to express the feeling of living in the moment,” said Suming, a member of the Amis tribe (阿美族) from Taitung. “People tend to focus on the traditional aspect of Aboriginal culture. I want to show the changes that have taken place.”
Released in May to critical acclaim, Suming’s Debut Original Album (舒米恩首張創作專輯) features a spell-binding mix of Aboriginal music and modern electronica, endearing itself to a much wider audience than more traditional music typically does.
Suming is not just a flash in the pan. His band Totem (圖騰) has released two albums, I Sing (我在那邊唱) in 2006 and The Boy Who Cried Wolf (放羊的孩子) in 2009 and regularly draws packed crowds for performances at venues like The Wall and Riverside Cafe (河岸留言) with its ingenious blend of chanting, reggae, bossa nova, hip-hop, metal and folk tunes. Totem has been nominated for best band at the Golden Melody Awards twice and has been the subject of no less than nine documentary films, most notably Ocean Fever (海洋熱) in 2004 and Who Is Singing There (誰在那邊唱) in 2009.
In 2008, Suming won the Best Newcomer Award at the Golden Horse Awards for the indie short film Hopscotch (跳格子) by director
Chiang Hsiu-chiung (姜秀瓊) in which he portrays a tow truck driver who falls in love with a schoolteacher.
“I overslept, rushed there and just stumbled through the recorded audition. But that silliness was what they wanted,” he recalled. “I learned a lot about performing in front of the camera from this project.”
Suming is also a respected songwriter for other performers and has penned songs for Mando-pop stars such as Landy Wen (溫嵐) and Chi Chin (齊秦).
“I bring a guitar everywhere I go,” said Suming. “When I get inspired, I will go to a quiet corner and write down the song.
“If money is not an issue, I want to perform on a bigger stage such as Taipei Arena for our fans,” said Suming. “Music is the thing that connects us after all.”
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