Contemporary
Legacy Taipei, located in a former warehouse at Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山1914), hosts top Taiwanese pop performers and international acts. It presents a Christmas party celebrating the Mayan doomsday tonight with musicians Chu Yueh-hsin (朱約信), also known as Joy Topper (豬頭皮), Hsiao Fu-te (蕭福德) and Biung Tak-Banuaz (王宏恩), among others. Tomorrow, it is the release party of pop musician Easy’s debut album.
■ Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山1914), Center Five Hall (中五館), 1, Bade Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市八德路一段1號)
■ Shows start 8pm
■ NT$500 tonight and tomorrow. Tickets for the venue’s concerts can be purchased at ERA ticketing outlets, online through www.ticket.com.tw, www.legacy.com.tw and at 7-Eleven ibon kiosks
Japanese alternative rock band Plastic Tree is scheduled tonight at The Wall (這牆), Taipei’s most prominent venue for indie rock artists. On Sunday, Nu-metal band Wavelight (波光折返) takes the stage, with dance rock group P!SCO also playing. Post-rock/emo band Orangegrass (橙草) and garage rock outfit HiJack appear on Tuesday.
■ B1, 200, Roosevelt Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路四段200號B1), tel: (02) 2930-0162. On the Net: www.thewall.com.tw
■ Shows start 8pm
■ NT$2,100 tonight, NT$400 on Sunday and Tuesday. Tickets for all shows, with discounts on advance tickets, can be purchased online through www.thewall.com.tw and tickets.books.com.tw
Indie rockers Wild Deer (野鹿) will perform tonight at Underworld (地下社會), a small basement club and a favorite indie rock hangout in Taipei. Tomorrow’s lineup is alternative rock outfit Morphineside (嗎啡隱私) and Sonic Deadhorse (音速死馬).
■ B1, 45 Shida Rd, Taipei City (台北市師大路45號B1), tel: (02) 2369-0103. On the Net: www.underworld-taipei.blogspot.tw
■ Shows run from 9pm to 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Underworld is open daily from 9pm, closed on Sundays and Mondays
■ Entrance for music shows is NT$300 on Fridays and Saturdays, which includes one drink
Tonight Witch House (女巫店), an intimate coffeehouse-style venue in the National Taiwan University area, hosts folk musician duo Pop Dylan &ㄎㄎCobain. Pop/folk band Cozy Diary (輕日記) plays tomorrow. Two special performances by indie singer/songwriter Deserts Chang (張懸) take place on Monday and Tuesday.
■ 7, Ln 56, Xinsheng S Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市新生南路三段56巷7號), tel: (02) 2362-5494. On the Net: www.witchhouse.org
■ Shows 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
■ Entrance for music shows is NT$300, NT$600 for Chan’s gigs
Tonight’s lineup at indie rock club Revolver include Skip Skip Ben Ben, Human Beings (人), Unripe and Until Seeing Whale’s Eyes (直到看見鯨魚的眼睛). DJs James Ho, AM Stereo and Neker run the show tomorrow. The venue hosts a Christmas Eve party on Monday featuring Robi Roka, C-Type, DTR and Lai & Stoppa MC. On Wednesday, it is Tunnel of Light and Sonic Deadhorse (音速死馬), followed by BHD and Slack Tide on Thursday.
■ 1-2, Roosevelt Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路一段1-2號), tel: (02) 3393-1678
■ Shows start at 10pm tonight and tomorrow and on Monday, 9:30pm on Wednesday and Thursday
■ Entrance is NT$300 tonight and Monday, NT$250 tomorrow, NT$150 on Wednesday and Thursday. Admission includes one free drink
Mando-pop singer Jiwasi Dulan (吳亦帆) performs tonight at Riverside Live House (河岸留言西門紅樓展演館), followed by pop crooner Lan You-shi (藍又時) tomorrow. On Tuesday, it is a Christmas show by indie pop singer-songwriter Peggy Hsu (許哲珮) and her group Circus (馬戲團).
■ 177 Xining S Rd, Taipei City (台北市西寧南路177號), tel: (02) 2370-8805. On the Net: www.riverside.com.tw
■ Shows start at 8:30pm
■ NT$400 tonight, NT$500 tomorrow and on Tuesday. Tickets can purchased online through www.riverside.com.tw and tickets.books.com.tw
Riverside Cafe (河岸留言) continues its 12th anniversary concert series with veteran jazz combo J.E.G tonight, followed by indie acts Soundboss and Rock N Rap (凍頂樂團) on Sunday. Tomorrow, it is college-rock favorites Echo (回聲樂團). The venue hosts a Christmas Eve concert on Monday with a lineup of jazz musicians including guitarist Geddy Lin (林正如), bass player Ikeda Kinya and pianist Uno.
■ 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), tel: (02) 2368-7310. On the Net: www.riverside.com.tw
■ Shows start at 9:30pm tonight and on Monday, 9pm tomorrow and on Sunday
■ NT$400 tonight and tomorrow, NT$350 on Sunday and NT$500 on Monday. Tickets can purchased online through www.riverside.com.tw and tickets.books.com.tw
Jazz Quartet Afternoon Tree (午後之樹) take the stage tonight at A House, a venue dedicated to a cappella and with a focus on classical, jazz and world music. A Christmas party on Sunday features a lineup of local a cappella bands and musicians.
■ 18, Alley 5, Ln 107, Fuxing S Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市復興南路一段107巷5弄18號), tel: (02) 2778-8612. On the Net: ahouse.vocalasia.com
■ Shows start at 8pm
■ NT$400 tonight and NT$300 on Sunday. Tickets can purchased online through www.walkieticket.com. Admission includes one free drink
Local indie label 22RECORDS presents its Volume 22 series featuring Skip Skip Ben Ben, Human Beings and Hang in the Air (盪在空中) as well as DJS Kolette, Physical Chemical Brother (理化兄弟) and White Shirt tomorrow at Pipe Live Music, an up-and-coming venue for indie music and parties. Sunday’s lineup include dance/rock band Acidy Peeping Tom (微酸的偷窺狂), psychedelic folk rockers No.7 Cyan (七號青), The Eternal Flatliner and When I See the Mushroom Cloud.
■ 1, Siyuan Rd, Taipei City (台北市思源路1號), tel: (02) 2364-8198. On the Net: www.pipemusic.com.tw
■ Shows start at 2pm tomorrow and 6pm on Sunday
■ NT$1,100 tonight and NT$400 on Sunday. Tickets can purchased online through www.walkieticket.com
MaJam Jazz Band (麻將爵士樂團) perform tonight at Sappho de Base, a late-night lounge bar that hosts mostly jazz shows. Ash & Friends are scheduled tomorrow. Why Not Quartet are 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), tel: (02) 2700-5411. On the Net: www.sappho102.biz
■ 10pm tonight and tomorrow, 9:30pm on weekdays. The venue is closed on Sundays and Mondays
■ Entrance is NT$200 tonight and tomorrow, free on other nights
Acclaimed Aboriginal singer Samingad (紀曉君) performs every Thursday at EZ5 Live House, which hosts Mando-pop singers backed by a live band every night. Other highlights include Mando-pop songstress Julia Peng (彭佳慧) on Tuesdays and male crooner Shin Lung (辛龍), who performs every Saturday.
■ 211, Anhe Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市安和路二段211號), tel: (02) 2738-3995. On the Net: www.ez5.com.tw
■ Shows run from 9:45pm to 12:30am
■ Entrance fee (includes two drinks) ranges from NT$600 to NT$850, depending on the performer
On Fridays at Italian restaurant Capone’s, Taipei Swing holds dance socials with live music from electric blues band Bopomofo (ㄅㄆㄇㄈ). On Saturday, drummer Abe Nbugu Kenyatta leads a band playing music from his hometown of New Orleans. Iris sings “romantic chansons” Sunday nights and on Wednesdays, it’s Latin music from guitarist Roberto Zayas. Duo Blurrs Bros perform blues and American songbook tunes on Thursdays.
■ 312, Zhongxiao E Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市忠孝東路四段312號), tel: (02) 2773-3782
■ Live music from 9pm to 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays, 8pm to 10pm on Sundays and 8:45pm to 10:45pm on weekdays
■ On Fridays, minimum charge of one drink. On Saturdays, minimum charge is NT$300
The Wall (這牆) programs regular live rock shows at Kaohsiung’s Pier 2 Arts Center (高雄駁二藝術特區). Tonight, rock veterans The Chairman (董事長) pay tribute to the band’s late founding member He Kuan-yu (何冠宇) with a concert joined by Yan Weiling X Utopia (閻韋伶X世外桃源) and others. Orangegrass (橙草) takes the stage on Sunday, with garage rock outfit HiJack playing as an opening act.
■ 1 Dayong Rd, Yancheng Dist, Greater Kaohsiung (高雄市鹽埕區大勇路1號), tel: (07) 521-5148. On the Net: www.thewall.com.tw
■ 8pm tomorrow and 7:30pm on Sunday
■ NT$400 tomorrow and NT$300 on Sunday. Tickets for all shows, with discounts on advance tickets, can be purchased online through www.thewall.com.tw and tickets.books.com.tw
A few weeks ago I found myself at a Family Mart talking with the morning shift worker there, who has become my coffee guy. Both of us were in a funk over the “unseasonable” warm weather, a state of mind known as “solastalgia” — distress produced by environmental change. In fact, the weather was not that out of the ordinary in boiling Central Taiwan, and likely cooler than the temperatures we will experience in the near-future. According to the Taiwan Adaptation Platform, between 1957 and 2006, summer lengthened by 27.8 days, while winter shrunk by 29.7 days. Winter is not
A sultry sea mist blankets New Taipei City as I pedal from Tamsui District (淡水) up the coast. This might not be ideal beach weather but it’s fine weather for riding –– the cloud cover sheltering arms and legs from the scourge of the subtropical sun. The dedicated bikeway that connects downtown Taipei with the west coast of New Taipei City ends just past Fisherman’s Wharf (漁人碼頭) so I’m not the only cyclist jostling for space among the SUVs and scooters on National Highway No. 2. Many Lycra-clad enthusiasts are racing north on stealthy Giants and Meridas, rounding “the crown coast”
March 25 to March 31 A 56-year-old Wu Li Yu-ke (吳李玉哥) was straightening out her artist son’s piles of drawings when she inadvertently flipped one over, revealing the blank backside of the paper. Absent-mindedly, she picked up a pencil and recalled how she used to sketch embroidery designs for her clothing business. Without clients and budget or labor constraints to worry about, Wu Li drew freely whatever image came to her mind. With much more free time now that her son had found a job, she found herself missing her home village in China, where she
In recent years, Slovakia has been seen as a highly democratic and Western-oriented Central European country. This image was reinforced by the election of the country’s first female president in 2019, efforts to provide extensive assistance to Ukraine and the strengthening of relations with Taiwan, all of which strengthened Slovakia’s position within the European Union. However, the latest developments in the country suggest that the situation is changing rapidly. As such, the presidential elections to be held on March 23 will be an indicator of whether Slovakia remains in the Western sphere of influence or moves eastward, notably towards Russia and