A R O U N D T O W N 發光的城市 15 TAIPEI TIMES • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2009 BY Alita RICKards CONTRIBUTING REPORTER MUSIC New (and improved) Hong Kong Hair City few days at any Taiwan- Tristan Newman, from Wooley’s vocalist in the Taiwan expat scene, based music festival reveals a other band, Doublewide. This, and could hold her own anywhere. On disconcerting absence on the combined with Sanger’s coming into stage she can range from humble to Ascene. While there are plenty of male- her own as both a vocalist and a absolutely electrifying. fronted bands, both Taiwanese and performer, has amped up the band When the group performs, the expatriate, and a thriving Taiwanese from a funky fun time outfit to a audience’s reaction speaks for itself. girl band ethos, finding a foreign force to be reckoned with. The crowd dances and cheers along to band with a female lead is like “I cringe when I think of myself the music, irresistibly drawn to bust a finding a four-leaf clover — a rare performing back when we started.” move, while fans of the band sing along instance of luck. said Sanger. “I would shake until to the choruses of their favorite songs. When New Hong Kong Hair City my fingers couldn’t hit the right “My two favorite parts of playing appeared in 2006, lead vocalist and keys. I hated performing and being in NHKHC are writing new songs keyboardist Danielle Sanger’s raw the singer.” Though she credits her with the boys and jumping about on lyrics, powerful yet shaky vocals, and “professional improvement” over stage watching all the people in the female presence (hidden though it the years to the guys in the band, audience do the same,” said Sanger. was behind a curtain of flaming red she also shows a rare candor in “I feel like it is a dream to be able locks) were a welcome change from admitting that though she always to walk onto a stage and instead of the standard boys in bands fare. loved music and singing it took her dreading the possibility of failing, I Add to that the unexpected until recently to “really find my voice get to have a huge grin on my face appearance of a saxophone taking and a niche.” exchanged between myself and four the place of a lead guitar with “Practicing regularly has let me awesome musicians and performers.” Macgregor Wooley blowing out get to know my abilities and the rocking riffs and adding his own limits that they have,” she said, while lyrics and vocals, original bassist “performing lets me know whether or PERFORMANCE NOTES: Tom McCann, and the final original not I can do it under pressure.” member, Kyle Bajcer, pounding out She has gone from a shy, WHAT: New Hong Kong Hair City funky beats on drums, and New Hong sometimes strident singer to a WHEN: Nov. 28 at 9:30pm Kong Hair City was born. powerful, smoky vocalist with a When McCann had to leave gritty edginess to her sound that can WHERE: Roxy Roots, 90 Songren Taiwan unexpectedly, the band transform into a smooth and sexy Rd, Taipei City (台北市松仁路90號) teamed up with talented bassist growling reminiscent of a young PJ ADMISSION: Free Mike Tennant and added guitarist Harvey. She may be the best female Good hair day. PHOTO COURTESY OF TRISTAN VALENTINE EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT THE VINYL WORD BY Tom LeeminG ■ Tickets are NT$300, available through backing group, the Bad Jokes Band singers backed by a live band every NTCH ticketing or online at www. (冷笑話樂團). night. Highlights for the week include Theater and dance artsticket.com.tw Contemporary ■ 177 Xining S Rd, Taipei City (台北市西 beloved female singer Tiger Huang 寧南路177號). Tel: (02) 2370-8805. On (黃小琥), who performs two sets every Dancer/choreographer Lin Wen-chung As part of the 14th Crown Arts Festival No shows are scheduled tonight at the the Net: www.riverside.com.tw Monday, Julia Peng (彭佳慧), a major (林文中) and his WCdance troupe bring (第14屆皇冠藝術節), The Two of Us The Wall (這牆), but tomorrow is a ■ Shows start at 8pm tonight, 8:30pm draw who appears every Tuesday, and their traveling production of Small to (我們) by Comedians Workshop II (可以 triple-header of hard-hitting rockers: tomorrow, 7:30pm on Sunday, 8:30pm male crooner Huang Chung-yuan the Wenshan Branch of the Taipei 演戲劇團) sees experienced performers metal group Assassin (刺客), Gang X on Thursday (黃中原), who performs every Friday. Cultural Center this weekend. The Huang Shi-wei (黃士偉) and Hsieh Yi- (流氓樂團), and alt-rock pioneers The ■ Entrance fee is NT$500 tonight, ■ 211, Anhe Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北 former Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance ching (謝宜靜) play twins, a brother and Chairman (董事長樂團). On Sunday it’s NT$450 tomorrow, NT$250 on Sunday 市安和路二段211號). Tel: (02) 2738-3995. Company member created the piece for sister who decide to be cruelly honest Japanese group te’, a band that and NT$400 on Thursday. Tickets can On the Net: visit www.ez5.com.tw the premiere of his own company last with each other on their 40th birthday. performs rock instrumentals full of purchased online through ■ Music shows run from 9:45pm to year. Lin confines his dancers to a ■ Crown Theater (皇冠藝術中心小劇場), hardcore verve and pleasing melodies. www.riverside.com.tw/livehouse 12:30am plexiglass cube, yet creates a wide world 50, Ln 120, Dunhua N Rd, Taipei City (台 Pop singer Huang Hung-sheng (黃鴻 or tickets.books.com.tw ■ Entrance fee (includes two drinks) of possibilities within that small space. 北市敦化北路120巷50號). On the Net: 升) appears on Wednesday, and emo- ranges from NT$600 to NT$850, ■ Tonight at 7:30pm, tomorrow and www.ntat.org/14caf punks Punkhoo (胖虎) perform on Japanese punk bands Teenation, depending on the performer Sunday 22 at 2:30pm at the Children’s ■ Tonight at 7:30pm, tomorrow at Thursday. V/acation and Devcornelius appear Educational Center Theater of the Taipei 2:30pm and 7:30pm, Sunday at 2:30pm ■ B1, 200, Roosevelt Rd Sec 4, Taipei tonight at Underworld (地下社會). Three expat musicians team up Cultural Center, Wenshan Branch (台北 ■ Tickets are NT$450, available City (台北市羅斯福路四段200號B1). [See Highlight below.] Tomorrow nu- tonight at Taichung’s 89k: Andy 市社教館文山分館兒童劇場), B2, 32 through NTCH ticketing or online at Tel: (02) 2930-0162. On the Net: metal band RJ45 (石頭果醬) takes the Goode of The Doolittles, Shawn Jingwen St, Taipei City (台北市景文街 www.artsticket.com.tw www.thewall.com.tw stage. Oh!Serena and Smells Good Armstrong of The Stackers and 32號B2); Dec. 4 at 7:30pm and Dec. 5 at ■ Music shows start at 8pm tomorrow, split the bill on Wednesday. Wade Davis of Point 22 (.22). The 2:30pm and 7:30 pm at the Experimental Man Gang — The Unarmed Men 7pm on Sunday, 8pm on Wednesday ■ B1, 45 Shida Rd, Taipei City (台北市師 venue hosts ska powerhouse Theater at No. 20 Warehouse, Taichung (男人幫—霸王卸甲) is a play by Taiwan and Thursday 大路45號B1). Tel: (02) 2369-0103. On the Skaraoke tomorrow night. (台中二十號倉庫實驗劇場), 6-1, Ln 37, Drama Performance (台灣戲劇表演家) ■ Entrance fee is NT$400 tomorrow, Net: www.upsaid.com/underworld ■ 21 Daguan Rd, Nantun Dist, Taichung Fuxing Rd Sec 4, Taichung City (台中市復 that tells a story about five middle- NT$1,000 on Sunday (NT$800 in ■ Music shows run from 9:30pm to City (台中市南屯區大觀路21號) 興路四段37巷6-1號) aged men, their memories, yearnings advance), NT$300 on Wednesday and 11:30pm on Fridays and Saturdays and ■ Shows start at 10pm ■ Tickets are NT$500 for this weekend, and lost loves. NT$300 Thursday. Tickets can be 9pm to 11pm on Wednesdays. ■ Entrance is NT$300 NT$350 for the Taichung shows, ■ Chiayi Performing Arts Center (嘉義縣 purchased online by visiting www. Underworld is open daily from 9pm, available through www.artstickets.com. 表演藝術中心演藝廳), 265, Jianguo Rd thewall.com.tw or tickets.books.com.tw closed on Mondays. Happy hour on The Mercury (水星酒館), a new club tw or NTCH outlets Sec 2, Minhsiung Township, Chiayi Tuesdays and Thursdays before midnight that opened a few months ago in County (嘉義縣民雄鄉建國路二段265號) Singer-songwriter Mayonnaise (美乃 ■ Entrance is NT$500 tonight (NT$400 Kaohsiung, features Taiwanese and The legendary I Wan Jan Puppet ■ Tomorrow at 2:30pm and 7:30pm 滋) opens tonight at Witch House (女 in advance) and NT$300 tomorrow, expat indie bands. Taking to the stage Music, it’s in their genes. PHOTO COURTESY OF DOMINIK TYLISZCZAK Theater (亦宛然掌中劇團) presents one ■ Tickets are NT$250 to NT$1,200, 巫店) for pop-rockers Soundboss (騷 which includes one drink. NT$100 on tomorrow night is Bitter, a band out to of its masterpieces, 300 Years of available through ERA ticketing or 包). Golden Melody Award-winning Wednesday resurrect the “Madchester” sound of the Ching Dynasty — Keng Yao (清宮 online at www.ticket.com.tw singer-songwriter Debbie Hsiao (蕭賀 late 1980s and early 1990s. 三百年之羹堯). Premiered in 1948 under 碩) takes the stage tomorrow with her Flaneur Daguerre, a jazz quartet that ■ 46 Liwen Rd, Zuoying Dist, udging by recent and future events, talk that Luxy is the direction of late troupe founder and backing group, the Bad Jokes Band plays everything Bach to Bjork and Kaohsiung (高雄市左營區立文路46號). experiencing some growing pains may be little more puppet master Li Tien-lu (李天祿), the (冷笑話樂團). Acoustic guitarist Su-jer Ornette Coleman to the Ramones, Tel: (07) 550-8617. On the Net: than flimflam. Last Friday, A State of Sound showed show toured across the country for the Classical music (舒吉吉) and keyboardist Anie Fann performs tonight at Sappho de Base.