14 發光的城市 A R O U N D T O W N FRIDAY, JANUARY 16, 2009 • TAIPEI TIMES ho is rigging the music W charts and mocking those who play fair and square? The story so far: Shiny Shoes Children’s Theater rings in the New Year with its Pop idol Alan Luo (羅 entertaining take on a Chinese legend. 志祥 ), also known as PHOTO COURTESY OF SHINY SHOES CHILDRen’s THEATER Little Pig (小豬), beats ABT heartthrob Wang Lee-hom (王力 宏) and secures the top spot in G-music’s Beware the Year Monster sales charts. Wang’s An ancient Chinese legend holds that a human- label, Sony BMG, eating beast called the Year Monster (年獸) strikes back and emerges from the sea to wreak havoc on villages accuses Luo’s label, every Lunar New Year’s Eve. Deathly afraid of Gold Typhoon (金牌 the beast — which in the popular imagination 大風), of cheating on the sales appears with a long head topped with a figures. To maximize the news ferocious-looking horn — villagers would flee value of its barb, Sony held a their homes to the safety of the mountains. press conference calling for Shiny Shoes Children’s Theater (鞋子兒童實驗劇 an “honesty movement” to 團) revives the Chinese tale with its version The eradicate corrupt practices Year Monster Has Arrived (年獸來了). The family from the music chart industry. performance begins tomorrow at Taipei Cultural What intrigues gossip Center’s Wenshan Branch. journos more, however, is As the tale goes, one year an old man appears Sons of Homer lead vocalist Brandon Thompson, whose band plays two shows this weekend in Taipei. PHOTO: ALITA RICKARDS Wang’s conspicuous absence in a village requesting shelter for the night. He from the event that was held claims to possess powers that can scare the under his name. According to frightening beast away. dirt dug up by Next magazine, But no one believes him and the villagers Sony is far from the innocent continue their yearly custom of fleeing to the bystander it claims to be. Sons of who? mountains. The man, however, stays behind and Facing the prospect of losing hangs lanterns and red banners throughout the Wang’s contract should his rreverent, tongue-in-cheek lyrics can be so distracting village. When the beast arrives, it is met with album not triumph, the label’s and amusing that the actual talent of a band is PERFORMANCE NOTES: firecrackers that the old man sets off. alleged attempt at buying off I dismissed. With more exposure to the music, The lanterns’ bright lights and the loud banging record retailers failed, and the however, some bands stand out and stick in your mind. noises scare the Year Monster and cause it to flee. sore loser put on a show of You realize that the irreverence can be, in itself, a talent, WHAT: Sons of Homer with Stokey Pokey (tonight) and The When the townsfolk return the following day, bravado in a desperate move. a skill, and often a path to honesty. Originals (tomorrow) they find their village intact and their livestock Wang’s no-show at the press Wang Lee-hom, top, and Alan Luo’s When I first heard Sons of Homer, I assumed that still alive. conference was interpreted as record labels are duking it out for their name was a reference to Homer Simpson, or even WHERE AND WHEN: 10pm tonight at Bliss, 148, Xinyi Rd From then on, every Lunar New Year’s Eve, a refusal to get involved in the Mando-pop chart supremacy. a joking aside to Homer the Greek poet. In fact the Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市信義路四段148號); 10pm tomorrow at villagers hang red banners, set off firecrackers and “war of words.” PHOTOS: TaIPEI TIMES name is an homage to their friend Homer Pastore. “He Underworld (地下社會), B1, 45 Shida Rd, Taipei City (台北市師 light lamps the whole night through, thus ensuring Those who did attend was a Filipino worker here. We were in a Taiwanese 大路45號B1) that the Year Monster stays away. couldn’t be blamed if they felt Niu is said to have had his cover band with him,” said vocalist Brandon Thompson. Shiny Shoes Children’s Theater has gained 周 eyes on Chang for a long time, used, especially Jay Chou ( “Man he’s an amazing guitar player, guy is like a juke TICKETS: NT$200 admission for Bliss; NT$300 for admission a following among parents and children by 杰倫 and decided to make his move ). The Mando-pop king box, could play anything, and if he didn’t know it you and one drink at Underworld incorporating contemporary acting techniques was the center of the attention when the void left by A-Ben could give him the MP3 and he’d go home and learn and music into age-old tales. opened up. at the confab. A couple of it. His contract ran out and he had to go back to the ON THE NET: www.myspace.com/sonsofhomer The Year Monster Has Arrived will be years ago he implied that Another celebrity who has Philippines. Me, Andrew, and Stew were all in the performed tomorrow at 7:30pm and on Sunday 孫 Chen Tse-shan (陳澤杉), the a void to fill is Jack Sun ( cover band with him, and after he left his son died, and at 2:30pm at Taipei Cultural Center, Wenshan 道存), the former chairman celebrated music impresario, he never came back [to Taiwan]. We decided to call — we’ll play anything to make people happy.” Branch (社教館文山分館), B2, 32 Jingwen St, Taipei of Pacific Electric Wire had knowingly manipulated ourselves Sons of Homer, and then we went there [to the “New songs we’re going to debut, a song called City (台北市景文街32號B2). NT$200 tickets are the charts for his clients who and Cable. The practiced Philippines] to visit him and we brought him the CD, as Outside — reggae with a bit of ska, been listening to a lot available through NTCH ticketing or online at include Jolin Tsai (蔡依林). Casanova got beaten at his a memorial to his son.” of Alton Ellis who died last October and Prince Buster www.artsticket.com.tw. Sunday’s performance is In other star-studded news, own game by Chiu I-lin (邱羿 Guitarist Andrew Davis, bass player Stew Coonce and who has good dirty songs …” said Thompson. “My beef already sold out. — NOAH BUCHan actress Jessie Chang (張本 霖). Previously a young model Thompson have been together since 2007. “You lose a lot with reggae is that they’re always talking about making 渝) is proving to be highly of little import, Chiu rose to of momentum because you have the vagabond musicians, love but never say what they truly want, but Prince sought-after in the singles the dizzy heights of the tabloid people always going home,” said Thompson. Now the Buster does it, talks about having sex openly, market following her split front pages after she was band includes a second guitarist, Jesse Helton, and overtly, and this was in the ’60s!” with B-list star Ben Pai (白吉 romantically linked with the drummer Greg Russell. Now focusing more on originals, there are “at 勝), also known as A-Ben (阿 gray-haired tycoon who is old “It’s good that we are all friends because it gives about 16 completed original songs and another TOP FIVE Ben). Having recovered from enough to be her father. us the carte blanche to say whatever we want. We can 20 that aren’t ready yet,” Thompson said. an aliment that last month As fame and job offers say, ‘I don’t like this, let’s change this,’ without hurt The Sons of Homer repertoire ranges from MANDARIN ALBUMS prompted two concerned males came her way, the fair maiden feelings, no walls up, can take the piss — the greatest 1970s cock rock and surf punk in songs like to offer their TLC services, the wasted no time in ditching her part is we’ll all get behind whatever someone brings Missile to beat-poetry songs that tell a story like JAN. 2 TO JAN. 8 belle was spotted having lunch sugar daddy, saying she has in,” said Thompson. “The two guitarists, Jesse and Peyote Coyote, which is about a man lost in the with top-drawer bachelor Niu no feelings for Sun. Andrew, they wrote a song about making love to my desert who sucks a cactus in desperation. Then Fahrenheit (飛輪海) and Love You More and More (越來越愛) Chien-chiao (牛建喬). Will she return the mother that my brother hates. It’s possible they wrote there are their ballads, blues and pop tunes, and 1 with 28 percent of sales Born to an affluent family NT$200,000 Cartier watch it as a compliment to me.” to top it off the multilingual Night Market Blues Sun gave her as a gift? “I that made its fortune in the The band is scattered across the country, with in English, Mandarin and Taiwanese. Alan Luo (羅志祥) and Trendy Man (潮男正傳) with 14.87% textile industry, the 46- wanted to, but was afraid that members in Tainan, Ilan and Taipei. “Andrew starts They were one of the best expat bands of 2 he might feel hurt if I did,” year-old businessman and recording down south, sends an MP3 and Stew will add last year. “We’ve been really impressed with Mayday (五月天) and Poetry of the Day After (後青春期的詩) Chiu was quoted as saying designer is, apparently, a big bass, we send the music back and forth and add to it, the crowds,” said Thompson.