Event
Attention storytellers. The second installment of Story Slam Taipei is slated to take place at the Wooloomoolo restaurant on Xinyi Road (信義路) on Thursday. For those who missed the first one, the storytelling competition has few ground rules: stories must be original and true, and they should be delivered spontaneously, not read, within the seven-minute time limit. The theme for the upcoming edition is Coming Home. The competition is open to all who wish to join. Those who want to attend as featured slammers can e-mail a one-paragraph pitch to taipeiplayers@gmail.com.
■ The event will start at 8pm at Woolloomooloo Xinyi, located at 379, Xinyi Road Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市信義路四段379號).
Photo courtesy of Riverside
■ Admission is NT$200. Food and drinks priced specially for the event will be on offer. More information can be obtained at the Facebook event created by the organizers under the name of Story Slam Taipei II.
Contemporary
Legacy Taipei, located in a former warehouse at Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山1914), hosts top Taiwanese pop performers and international acts. Tonight’s spotlight is on Mando-pop singer Afu (阿福). Tomorrow, One Million Star alumnus Queen (魏如昀) holds a birthday party with indie rockers 30 Years Of Pain (三十萬年老虎鉗), Coconuts (椰子) and power pop/punk group Mister Mouth (嘴哥樂團).
Photo courtesy of The Wall
■ Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山1914), Center Five Hall (中五館), 1, Bade Rd Sec 1, Taipei (台北市八德路一段1號)
■ Show starts at 8pm tonight and 7:30pm on Wednesday
■ Admission is NT$1,200 tonight and NT$700 on Wednesday. Tickets for the venue’s concerts can be purchased online through www.indievox.com and at 7-Eleven ibon kiosks
Alt-pop band 13 (拾參), solo rocker Easy and guitarist and lead singer Hung Sheng-hao (洪申豪) from Touming Magazine get together tonight at The Wall (這牆), Taipei’s most prominent venue for indie rock artists. Young crooner Chuang Chuan-ying (莊鵑瑛) makes it to the stage tomorrow. Post-rock band Caspian from the US arrives on Sunday, with local post-rock heroes Aphasia (阿飛西雅) as the opening act. On Wednesday, alternative metal group XIII Goat, indie rockers Pink Haze (平克孩子) and emo rock band ChicKNUP (奇克拿樂團) share the stage, followed by Japanese alternative group SOUR on Thursday.
■ 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 at 8pm except for tomorrow which begins at 7:30pm
■ Admission is NT$500 tonight, NT$850 tomorrow, NT$1,400 on Sunday, NT$200 on Wednesday, NT$1,100 on Thursday. Tickets for all shows, with discounts on advance tickets, can be purchased online through www.thewall.com.tw and tickets.books.com.tw
Mike McLaughlin, Gary Byrne, Corrado Corosi and Mandy Roveda are among the troop of musicians revisiting the very best of British rock history at Pipe Live Music, a main venue for indie music and parties, tonight.
■ 1 Siyuan Rd, Taipei City (台北市思源路1號), tel: (02) 2364-8198. On the Net: www.pipemusic.com.tw
■ Show starts at 8pm
■ Admission is NT$350 in advance and NT$400 at door, one drink included. Tickets can be purchased online through www.walkieticket.com and at 7-Eleven ibon kiosks and FamilyMart (全家) FamiPort kiosks
Tonight’s lineup at Indie rock club Revolver is formed by electronic post-rock act Formosa Romance, Duda Deportiva and dub/reggae/stoner rock group Taimaica Soundsystem (台買加環繞音效). High-energy rock band The Deadly Vibes plays tomorrow, with electro rockers My Skin Against Your Skin (激膚樂團) as the special guest. It is emo rock band ChicKNUP (奇克拿樂團), funk/pop rockers Reunion (團圓樂團) and Dirty Fiction (髒小說) on Sunday. On Wednesday, trumpet player and new media musician Yannick Barman from Switzerland performs with Taiwan’s experimental electronica act Shishukong (屍術控) and ambient/electronic dance group Utopia (世外桃源). Thursday’s roster include Translation, which swings between dub-techno, bass, ambient, and experimental electronica, and Idls, that mixes electronic music and organic sounds.
■ 1-2, Roosevelt Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路一段1-2號), tel: (02) 3393-1678
■ Show starts at 11pm tonight, 9:30pm tomorrow, 8pm on Sunday, 9pm on Wednesday, 10pm on Thursday
■ Entrance is NT$300 tonight and tomorrow, NT$200 on Sunday and on Thursday, NT$250 on Wednesday
Canada’s balladeer Scott Cook teams up with fellow Canadian songwriter Scotty Dunbar tonight at Bobwundaye (無問題), a small pub on Heping East Road (和平東路) in Taipei. Tomorrow, Soul to Soul plays everything from rock and blues to original jazz fusion material.
■ 77, Heping E Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市和平東路三段77號), tel: (02) 2377-1772
■ Shows start at 10pm
■ Admission is NT$200 for both shows
Acoustic group Rainy Berries (莓雨樂團) play with pop rocker Misi Ke (柯泯薰) tonight at Witch House (女巫店), an intimate coffeehouse-style venue in the National Taiwan University area. Tomorrow, fingerstyle guitarist Wuge (五哥) shares the stage with Allen from Chicken Rice (雞腿飯). Yannick Barman arrives on Thursday, accompanied by Sonic Deadhorse.
■ 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$350
Solo rockers Katripulr Cowboy (部落牛仔) and Mighty Rock (搖滾大酷呆) are scheduled tonight at Riverside Live House (河岸留言西門紅樓展演館), followed by veteran rockers Starry Eyes (幻眼樂隊) tomorrow. Award-winning Timeless Fusion Party (無限融合樂團) performs on Wednesday, while it is pop rockers Mr. on Thursday.
■ 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 8pm tonight and tomorrow, 8:30pm on weekdays
■ Entrance is NT$500 tonight and on Wednesday, NT$600 tomorrow, NT$400 on Thursday. Tickets can be purchased online through www.riverside.com.tw and tickets.books.com.tw
Tonight’s performers at Riverside Cafe (河岸留言) are jazz fusion combo Huh? (蛤樂團) and Sea Journey Jazz Quartet. Folk/pop rock band Great Adventure (大冒險樂團) and Mr. Unknown (小人物樂團) each plays a set tomorrow. On Sunday, trip-hop artist Mate Lin (林瑪黛) shares the stage with The Unspoken Rules (潛規則樂團), followed by Pumpkin Pie (南瓜餡餅) and Pisces (派西絲) on Tuesday. Wednesday’s show is by long-running indie rock band La Petit Nurse (小護士) and pop rock outfit Huoyaodays (火曜日).
■ 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 9pm except for tonight which begins at 9:30pm
■ NT$400 on weekends, NT$350 on Sunday and weekdays. Tickets can be purchased online through www.riverside.com.tw and tickets.books.com.tw
Garage rock favorites 88 Balaz (88顆芭樂籽) take the stage tomorrow at Kafka on the Shore (海邊的卡夫卡), a coffee house-cum-music and arts venue in the National Taiwan University area. Indie rockers Pink Haze (平克孩子) appear on Sunday.
■ 2F, 2, Ln 244, Roosevelt Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路三段244巷2號2樓). On the Net: www.kafkabythe.blogspot.tw
■ Shows start at 8pm. Cafe/bookstore opens noon to midnight Sundays through Thursdays, noon to 2am Fridays and Saturdays
■ Admission is NT$400 tomorrow, free admission on Sunday
Featuring saxophone player Terry Hsieh (謝明諺), Freefall Jazz Trio (自由落體爵士三重奏) perform tonight at Sappho de Base, a late-night lounge bar that hosts mostly jazz shows, and it is electric blues band Bopomofo (ㄅㄆㄇㄈ) tomorrow. Adam James Sorensen Quartet pay a tribute to Blue Note recording artists Hank Mobley and Dexter Gordon on Wednesday. On Thursday, it’s a night of indie/folk with four performances from Adam James Sorensen, Tricolor Tree Leaf, DC Rapier and Daz Booker.
■ 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
■ Shows start at 9:30pm except for Thursday which begins at 9pm
■ Entrance is NT$350 tonight and tomorrow, NT$200 on Wednesday, NT$300 on Thursday
Activist musicians The Village Armed Youth (農村武裝青年) and Aboriginal folk icon Panai (巴奈) take the stage tonight at Tiehua Music Village (鐵花村), an arts village composed of a music venue, design and crafts shops and a weekend arts fair in Taitung City. Aboriginal group The Voice of Life (原味醞釀) and No Name are scheduled tomorrow.
■ 26, Ln 135, Sinsheng Rd, Taitung City (台東市新生路135巷26號), tel: (089) 343-393. On the Net: www.tw.streetvoice.com/users/tiehua
■ Shows start at 8pm. Music venue and crafts shops are open 2pm to 10pm Tuesdays through Sundays. Weekend arts fair opens 6pm to 10pm every Friday, 3:30pm to 10pm every Saturday and Sunday
■ Admission is NT$300 tonight, NT$250 tomorrow. Tickets can be purchased online through tickets.books.com.tw
The Wall (這牆) programs regular live rock shows at Greater Kaohsiung’s Pier 2 Arts Center (高雄駁二藝術特區). Post-hardcore/screamo band Noise Effect (噪音效應) celebrates its debut EP tomorrow.
■ 1 Dayong Rd, Greater Kaohsiung (高雄市大勇路1號), tel: (07) 521-5148. On the Net: www.thewall.com.tw
■ Show starts at 7pm
■ Admission is NT$300. Tickets can be purchased at 7-Eleven ibon kiosks, www.books.com.tw and www.indievox.com
Last week Joseph Nye, the well-known China scholar, wrote on the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s website about how war over Taiwan might be averted. He noted that years ago he was on a team that met with then-president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), “whose previous ‘unofficial’ visit to the US had caused a crisis in which China fired missiles into the sea and the US deployed carriers off the coast of Taiwan.” Yes, that’s right, mighty Chen caused that crisis all by himself. Neither the US nor the People’s Republic of China (PRC) exercised any agency. Nye then nostalgically invoked the comical specter
April 15 to April 21 Yang Kui (楊逵) was horrified as he drove past trucks, oxcarts and trolleys loaded with coffins on his way to Tuntzechiao (屯子腳), which he heard had been completely destroyed. The friend he came to check on was safe, but most residents were suffering in the town hit the hardest by the 7.1-magnitude Hsinchu-Taichung Earthquake on April 21, 1935. It remains the deadliest in Taiwan’s recorded history, claiming around 3,300 lives and injuring nearly 12,000. The disaster completely flattened roughly 18,000 houses and damaged countless more. The social activist and
Over the course of former President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) 11-day trip to China that included a meeting with Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping (習近平) a surprising number of people commented that the former president was now “irrelevant.” Upon reflection, it became apparent that these comments were coming from pro-Taiwan, pan-green supporters and they were expressing what they hoped was the case, rather than the reality. Ma’s ideology is so pro-China (read: deep blue) and controversial that many in his own Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) hope he retires quickly, or at least refrains from speaking on some subjects. Regardless
Approaching her mid-30s, Xiong Yidan reckons that most of her friends are on to their second or even third babies. But Xiong has more than a dozen. There is Lucky, the street dog from Bangkok who jumped into a taxi with her and never left. There is Sophie and Ben, sibling geese, who honk from morning to night. Boop and Pan, both goats, are romantically involved. Dumpling the hedgehog enjoys a belly rub from time to time. The list goes on. Xiong nurtures her brood from her 8,000 square meter farm in Chiang Dao, a mountainous district in northern Thailand’s