New on the scene is singer/songwriter Nathan Javens’ latest band, Blind Acid Date, which plays tonight at Revolver. The psych rock quartet is formed from half of the bones of former post-rock group Collider — drummer Jon Snowdon and bassist Thomas Squires, with Alexander Ives of Ween tribute band Skycruiser and High Tide on guitar. The latter two musicians also provide backup vocals.
Javens, formerly a guitarist and vocalist in Public Radio was front man for the unfortunately named experimental rock band Homo Jews, until the group “ran its course,” according to Javens.
Though he is a talented solo performer, being the frontman for a band revs Javens’ engine and cranks him up in a way the guy-with-a-guitar scene doesn’t.
Photo: Alita Rickards
At a recent show at Bobwundaye, the musicians seemed more focused on getting the new songs right than on rock star antics. Hopefully with the music sorted, these boys will let their hair down, take their shirts off, and let their rock demons out to play.
Blind Acid Date will be joined by another new band, Kid Millionaire, featuring Macgregor Wooley on lead vocals and keyboard, Tristan Newman on backup vocals, guitar and samples, Mike Tennant on bass and backup vocals, and Kyle Bajcer on drums.
“After the breakup of New Hong Kong Hair City, we knew we wanted to continue playing music together,” said Newman. “But we wanted to try and create something totally new, and try to push beyond the boundaries of the standard four-piece rock band.”
Photo: Alita Rickards
They formed ideas and loaded samples, sound effects, and sound bites onto laptops and shared them during rehearsals. Aiming for the versatility of a DJ, songs range from 90bpm (beats per minute) to 180bpm and cross a variety of genres. “We intend to continue to diversify ourselves in the endless sea of opportunity that is the digital age,” said Newman. “Nowadays, music can be written at home, sent through e-mail to the rest of the band, and thrown into iTunes. This is tremendously helpful as each member has more time to explore his section of the music and develop it more thoroughly.”
■ 10pm today at Revolver, 1-2, Roosevelt Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路一段1-2號). Admission is NT$250
Roxymoron is releasing a new EP this Sunday during a show with My Skin Against Your Skin and Coconuts (椰子) at The Wall (這牆). The EP, titled Popular Wasteland is composed of four tracks: Cats, with vocals by Pia Hsieh (謝詩平), is a melancholic, poignant love song, Crawl, which shows a darker side, the catchy Didn’t Mean, and Shapes, which kicks in a harder sound. The lyrics are mature, dealing with heartbreak, love, longing and angst. Traces of The Bravery and The Killers are tempered by the band’s originality.
“There’s no real unifying theme to the EP, but all the songs were written in the months leading up to recording, so they show what we were feeling at that time,” band member Ben Smith said. “It’s a pretty bitter-sweet record, with upbeat, dancey beats mixed in with more broody elements.”
■ 8pm Sunday at The Wall (這牆), B1, 200, Roosevelt Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路四段200號B1). Admission is NT$400 in advance, including the EP, and NT$300 without (contact Smith on 0987-636-477), and NT$400 at the door
Taiwan continues to make a name for itself in the international music scene, where (unlike many sporting events) it does not have to be referred to as Chinese Taipei. Jack Hsu of The Hsu-nami, a coordinator of the Passport to Taiwan festival in New York City, which takes place Sunday, just finished a tour in Taiwan this spring and is boomeranging the favor by having two Taiwanese bands play: The Chairman (董事長樂團) and pop/rock group Red Flower (紅花樂團).
Now in its 12th year, May Jam is this weekend, primarily attracting bands and fans from south and central Taiwan to Tainan to kick back and enjoy live acts and DJs. While it might not have the cachet of Spring Scream, it doesn’t entail the same costs or red tape of the larger festivals. The Web site (www.mayjam.com) states clearly that the organizers have “no intentions to change the simplistic style of the event.“
Expect more than 20 bands (including a couple of international acts, such as Goober Gun) to play everything from rock and funk to blues and jazz. There is a free shuttle bus from Tin Pan Alley (叮盤巷花園餐廳), which will also host a festival after-party tomorrow night (walking distance from the train station). Today is a drop-in sound check party, free of charge; bands and DJs play tomorrow from 1:30pm to 11:30pm, and from noon until 10:30pm Sunday.
■ From 1:30pm tomorrow to 10:30pm on Sunday, at Water Bird Living Room Restaurant (四草水鳥客廳), 38, Ln 69, Beishanwei 1st Rd, Annan Dist, Greater Tainan (台南市安南區北汕尾一路69巷38號). Admission is NT$300 for a one-day pass and NT$550 for the weekend; the after-party is tomorrow from 9pm at Tin Pan Alley (叮盤巷花園餐廳), 28, Beimen Rd Sec 2, Greater Tainan (台南市北門路二段28號). Admission is free for May Jammers, otherwise it’s NT$150
Bobwundaye is rocking on its Wednesday open stage nights, which end up going until after 2am. A regular crooner at jam nights around the city, Arman Torus has managed to bring a diverse group of talented musicians together to form a dance-licious, funkamatic band that had patrons pushing tables aside at Bobwundaye on Saturday night to make more room to dance.
The combination of Torus’ lighthearted vocals and DC Rapier’s blues-style saxophone and harmonica and Nicolas Chenuet jazzing up the trumpet, Nick Brown on guitar, Jim Lehman on bass, and the ever-present Greg Russell on drums, had the crowd hopping.
■ Bobwundaye, 77, Heping E Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市和平東路三段77號). Admission is free for Wednesday jam night; other shows may have a cover charge
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