For the past 18 years, Rose Tomb (玫瑰墓), an independent band started by an emergency room doctor, has created a unique style of rock music based on real-life stories and struggles.
In response to teenagers struggling with mental health, they performed more than 400 musical lectures in schools in the past four years to positively influence students, and were last year granted the Social Education Contribution Award by the Ministry of Education.
“A ticket to [Taiwanese pop singer] Jay Chou’s (周杰倫) concert can cost NT$6,800 for one night, but the influence of a Rose Tomb performance can last a lifetime,” an audience member said, while another said it was their first time attending a concert where they felt emotional from the first to last song, as the narration and music moved them to tears.
Photo courtesy of Rose Tomb
Other testimonies from audience members include a student who said they overcame a gaming addiction, another who decided not to attempt suicide, and a girl who changed her behavior and sought help from the school counselor.
“The positive and sincere feedback from listeners is what keeps the band going,” said Su Shih-yang (蘇世揚), the band’s lead singer and head of Tainan Municipal Hospital’s emergency department.
Su founded the band more than 18 years ago with five others, combining a diverse set of instruments including acoustic guitars, violins, African drums, piano and more.
Their art combines short stories with music, creating “literary acoustic rock,” Su said, adding that six years ago, the band also published a book that combines prose, poetry and music.
Each of Rose Tomb’s 140 songs is based on a true story, covering real-life topics like aging, illness, child abuse, social issues and anti-drug messaging, he said.
In addition to Su, the band features bassist and vocalist Chou Yi-fan (周逸凡), drummer and vocalist Chao Chia-lin (趙家麟), pianist and violinist Chen Pei-wen (陳沛?), cellist Chuang Chia-yin (莊佳音), guitarist Wang Wei-heng (王偉恒) and guitarist and backing vocalist Chen Hong-dao (陳竑道).
Over the past few years, the performances have expanded to some of Taiwan’s most remote rural areas, all without government funding or official support.
Su said he and his bandmates believe that music is meant to be more than just entertainment, and they hope music can keep hope alive for those who are struggling.
The band’s name is also meaningful.
It is a play on words, with “tomb” in Mandarin Chinese having the same pronunciation as “wood,” so “rosewood tomb” refers to the rosewood used to make the band’s acoustic instruments, Su said.
Second, by using the word “tomb,” the band invokes roses’ short-lived beauty, acknowledging that death is a part of life, he said.
As much of their music addresses topics related to life and death, the band hopes its music encourages people to accept the reality of death and face it without fear, Su said.
In traditional Chinese culture, words related to death can often be taboo to use or say, Su said.
It is necessary to encourage people to look at death’s inevitability with dignity and peace, and to cherish a life lived without regrets, he added.
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
The eastern extension of the Taipei MRT Red Line could begin operations as early as late June, the Taipei Department of Rapid Transit Systems said yesterday. Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said it is considering offering one month of free rides on the new section to mark its opening. Construction progress on the 1.4km extension, which is to run from the current terminal Xiangshan Station to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, was 90.6 percent complete by the end of last month, the department said in a report to the Taipei City Council's Transportation Committee. While construction began in October 2016 with an
NON-RED SUPPLY: Boosting the nation’s drone industry is becoming increasingly urgent as China’s UAV dominance could become an issue in a crisis, an analyst said Taiwan’s drone exports to Europe grew 41.7-fold from 2024 to last year, with demand from Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression the most likely driver of growth, a study showed. The Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology (DSET) in a statement on Wednesday said it found that many of Taiwan’s uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) sales were from Poland and the Czech Republic. These countries likely transferred the drones to Ukraine to aid it in its fight against the Russian invasion that started in 2022, it said. Despite the gains, Taiwan is not the dominant drone exporter to these markets, ranking second and fourth
The New Taipei City Art Museum this weekend plans to celebrate its first anniversary with a two-day extravaganza featuring live concerts and a large-scale synchronized fireworks and drone display, the New Taipei City Cultural Affairs Department said. The two-day celebrations are to take place in the museum’s outdoor park, with markets and live performances by singers including Ann Bai (白安), Bii (畢書盡) and the Cosmos People (宇宙人), the department said. The highlight on both evenings would be the "Echoes of Light" show, an aerial spectacle combining fireworks and drone performances designed around the concept of "dual stages in the sky," it
RSS