It's finally arrived, the holiday we’ve all been waiting for, the reason most of us worked last Saturday: the Lunar New Year. Just as Taiwanese have embraced Western holidays such as Christmas and New Year’s Eve, many expatriates have embraced this massive holiday that is celebrated across East Asia.p
It’s especially heart-warming to be welcomed to local events, and you can’t get much more local than the Aboriginal community, members of which are having an Aboriginal Invitational party down south in Pingtung County on Monday and Tuesday. Paiwan organizer Xiao Feng (周秀鳳) teamed up with American Graham Dart, who does promotions in Kaohsiung, to bring together foreigners and Taiwanese.
“The English translation of the event is roughly ‘Boars and Wolves,’” Dart says. “The basic idea is to bring some popular Aboriginal acts like Matzka & DeHot together with some foreign bands [and] DJs. The Chinese name for the event is the ‘Boar and Wolf Party’ (山豬與狼共舞). The boar represents the Aboriginal bit and the wolf is the foreigners.”
Matzka & DeHot (排灣/卑南/漢族), previously known as the Song CD-Farmers (宋唯農), are an Aboriginal act that’s been making waves recently. As the Song CD-Farmers, they played at the East Coast Music Festival (東海岸音樂季), also known as the Island 2 Island Taitung Music Festival, in August of last year. They recently won an award for the indigenous musical category at the fifth annual Taiwan Original Music Awards. Their sound is a blend of reggae and rock with Taiwanese flavors. Videos from their live performances can be found on the event’s Web site (www.sanbaparty.com). They perform on Monday.
Also performing are Paiwan group The Attractions (吸引力樂團) and Golden Melody Award-winning Puyuma acts Halei-Ludamagan (哈雷樂團/路達瑪幹) and Jiajia (家家).
Foreign acts include DJ Marcus Aurelius, Ryan & Simon, JIA and the MA Collective.
The Invitational will be held at Feng’s restaurant, DreamPaiwan (夢幻部落), the walls of which are painted with images of irreverent, stylized pictures of cavorting figures by her husband, Michael Chiou (邱文雄). The Aboriginal-themed restaurant has an open area in the back where a stage will be set up.
Although the Boar and Wolf Party lasts two nights, organizers are not encouraging people to stay overnight. “There are no hotels or facilities outside of bathrooms,” Dart says. “There are [however] plenty of places where camping is possible … and at least a few people will do so.”
His promotion company is called Sanba Productions, as in sanba (三 八), which he explains is “Chinese for stupid.” “We don’t take ourselves too seriously down here,” he says.
Dart is worried that anyone coming from Taipei might have trouble finding the party, so he’s allowing his personal phone number (0930-518-044) to be printed in case anyone gets lost on the way from the nearest train station in Chaojhou Township (潮州).
There is limited space on a bus from Kaohsiung to the event and back on the first night, but no transportation is provided in between or for the second night. Call Dart’s cell phone to reserve a space on the bus.
To get partygoers started on the right foot, the NT$400 (for one day) or NT$500 (for both days) cover charge includes a pitcher of beer “in your hand at the door,” Dart says.
Rice wine, an Aboriginal specialty, will also be available, along with a “full selection of liquor.” Food will be sold at the restaurant.
“I want to stress that this is two nights in a row of 10pm to 5am music and dancing as opposed to daytime festivities that are fun for the whole family,” Dart says. “Basically it’s two nights in a row of pretty crazy partying — there will be quite a lot of alcohol.”
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