Huashan Arts District looks like it may be setting itself up for another ambush by the morality police by establishing a music hall that will hold an ongoing series of concerts beginning tonight.
The last time anything musical happened at Huashan, someone snooped around with a camera filming a crowd attempting to recreate the tribal feel of Goa in the run-down factory compound. There was fire, drums and, hold onto your seat grandpa, men dancing with their shirts off. The next day most media outlets, except, of course, Taipei Times, tried to outdo themselves in reporting the scenes of alleged drug-fueled decadence at Huashan.
PHOTO COURTESY OF TCM
"Foreigners make Huashan new `head-shaking' paradise" took the honors as the most off-the-wall and absurd headline from the (China Times Express). After some heated and perfectly justified indignation directed at the media and two politicians' opportunistic attacks on Huashan, the shrill accusations and denials have died down and the music, it seems, can start back up again.
This time, though, rock and jazz are on the menu, not the electronic music and tribal stuff that so often draw suspicion.
"Our event is about music, pure and simple. It's got nothing to do with that whole drum circle controversy. We're moving on from that," said Chu Chien-hui (朱劍輝), the bassist for China Blue and organizer of the concert series.
The concerts will feature some of Taiwan's best underground and not-so-underground bands performing in the newly opened space every day except on Mondays. Acclaimed folk singer Chen Ming-chang
"We want the Huashan music hall to be a new space for experienced bands and some of the many up-and-coming bands to have a chance to meet each other and perform. Other than Riverside, Underworld, Zeitgeist and Witches House, there aren't many spots in town for bands to perform. It always helps to have more performance venues," Chu said.
With the hall operating on government property, Chu said the space should set parents' minds at ease by guaranteeing a safe and healthy environment for young people to come out and enjoy live music, despite the whole uproar last month.
In an effort to give start-up bands a chance to play somewhere other than garages and practice studios, Chu said the organizers have already started accepting demo tapes from student bands for shows that will hopefully occur every Thursday starting at the end of August.
Following last month's drum circle aftermath, the concert series should restore the focus at Huashan to art. And the concerts will be held indoors, so the decibel levels that allegedly kept neighbors awake at night during the drum circle won't be a problem. Just be careful not to bang your head in front of any video camera or you just might see yourself on the news the next day.
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