Since their opening in fall of last year, Drifters Pizza Pub on Waiao Beach has been a gastronomical hub for surfers, musicians and artists. Located right by Waiao Train Station, the whiff of fresh handmade pizza is highly discernible upon disembarking the train. As enticing as the pizzas are, the main attraction on Saturdays are the live music nights. Tomorrow, Drifters will be featuring folk rocker Cliff (克里夫, real name Huang Ke-wei 黃科維).
Drifters owner and long-time expat Garrett Ball met Cliff at Revolver in Taipei and was immediately drawn to his upbeat, acoustic set and original songs. He thought that Cliff’s style would fit with the vibe of the pizza pub, which Ball describes as being “laidback but not sleepy.”
As a surfer, entrepreneur and aspiring musician, it’s been a dream of Ball’s to run his own business, while bringing music into it.
Photo courtesy of Drifters Pizza Pub
“There are a lot of aspiring musicians with not so many venues to play at around Taiwan,” he tells the Taipei Times.
As such, Ball hopes that the live music nights will help young musicians get noticed. He’s also involved in the planning of bigger music festivals in the sleepy surf town, such as the Waiso Spring Beach Jam on April 9 and the Waiao Beach Blues and Brews on April 23, which will include some of Taiwan’s niftiest classic rock and blues bands, with Californian rock band the Rubberneck Lions headlining.
In addition to the folksy tunes at the pizza pub, revelers also turn up for the food, as Ball makes a killer Margherita pizza, a skill passed down to him by his Italian-American grandparents in California — his grandfather owned a traditional Italian pizzeria in Los Angeles. As for best picks at Drifters, besides the classic Margherita, the French pizza with blue cheese, mushrooms and freshly grated parmesan is another customers’ favorite. Like the pizza, the simplest drinks are also the most popular ones. The cocktails, especially the Margarita, is a crowd favorite, probably since it’s refreshing after a day at the beach.
Photo courtesy of Drifters Pizza Pub
“There’s usually a mix of local surfers, travelers and people looking to make new friends,” Ball says of live music nights. “Overall it’s a friendly place and a lot of fun.”
Having made Waiao Beach his home for years, and starting his own businesses from the Rising Sun Surf Inn to Drifters Pizza Pub, Ball has high hopes for developing the artistic community in Waiao.
“I would like in the future to have some artists come out,” he adds.
IF YOU GO
GETTING THERE
To get to Waiao Train Station (外澳火車站) from Taipei, take the bus from Taipei City Hall Bus Station (市府轉運站) to Jiaosi (礁溪) for NT$90, then the train three stops northbound to Waiao for NT$15
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