By Ilze human

She was sitting alone on stage, strumming away on her brand new Taylor guitar and the calm acoustic melody was somehow blending perfectly with the warm Spring evening breeze sweeping past Salut. The small crowd that gathered outside was eating, drinking and merrily discussing the past week’s events and hardly listening to the music, but I was. And I have been listening for the past eighteen years.

My sister, Chantel, got handed a guitar at fourteen and fell in love. The rest, as they say, is history. She taught herself how to play out of dusty, yellowed library books and eventually started composing and writing her own songs. She loved to play and the constant buzz coming from that beat up old guitar could very well be the soundtrack to my teenaged years.

Chantel never had any aspirations for fame and fortune, nor to really do anything with her own music. They were very much like diary entries. Something for her to enjoy by herself.  That is, not until we arrived here on this tiny little island and became part of a community somewhere in the middle city. A city that had no shortage of poets, music lovers, writers and artists.

It’s a fact that everybody loves music and I bet some of you reading this have put on a grammy-worthy performance within the confines of your own shower. We all have different styles and tastes, of course, and even the Beliebers out there could be considered music lovers (maybe). But here in Taichung, and like many other expat communities around the world, there lives a special kind of music lover. The kind that not only needs music, but the kind that needs to actively make and produce it for no other reason than personal enjoyment and for the enjoyment of the others who make up this multi cultural group of expats, foreigners, locals, travelers and misfits.

These people literally dance to the beat of their own drums and are the backbone of every book fair, food festival, spring scream and live music event. Not only here, in our fair Taichung, but everywhere around the island and everywhere around the world where they grace people with their presence.

Peaks is a name well known to the majority of people living in and outside of Taichung. A Rock band that puts on a stellar show everywhere they go and after my own brief glimpse of what exactly goes into recording and putting out an album, I can say that these guys take immense pride in their work. The band consists of the legendary Mr. Andy Goode, Sherriff Moustafa and Mr. Timothy (I wish I could marry my drumset ) Tucker.

大METⒶ4 is also a well rounded group of guys that touches on all genres. From Rock, Reggae and Blues all the way to Hip hop and even morphing the words of one of my favorite poets, Robert Frost, with Punk Rock. Something that I didn’t think was possible.

Dread Rider is band that can get anyone anywhere on their feet in seconds. If  you ever have a chance to go see these guys live, do it. Do it twice. Russ Rodgers, Cyrille Briegel, Jubba Van Wyk  and the very energetic and always entertaining lead singer Mr. Sherwyne Pereira never disappoint with their Reggae and Soca roots music and off stage, are the nicest people you’re ever going to meet.

The Ever So Friendlies! A collection of lads from England and Canada that are hilarious off stage, great musicians on stage, fun to have around at all times and if ever you are in need of a good story and a laugh, ask Shaun about the van tattoo on his arm. And if ever you find yourself at a festival and these guys are on, grab a beer (or several ) park your derrière on the grass and get ready to be thoroughly entertained.

Joshua Dylan S, who I swear to God is Bob Dylan incarnate, Dave Stanley whose acoustic hue reminds me of a better time, Mojo and the guys from Vicious Cabaret who , between them, play a wide array of instruments and whose beautiful voices and musical skills blend perfectly to make Sunday drinks at Nell’s place doubly exciting. And then my sister, Chantel. Whose coming into her own as a musician and after years of me being the only one in her cheering squad is finally letting other people be part of her music.

These guys, and others like them, all provide us with a soundtrack to the times and the places that we share here in Taiwan. And although fame and fortune would be an added bonus to the hobby that they have come to love and enjoy sharing with the rest of us, who are not so musically inclined, it is not the end game. It’s all about the music, man, so hand over that guitar.

And without guys like Andy, Tim, Raven, Shaun, Chantel, Dave, Josh, Mojo, Sherwyne and so many more musicians like them, our lives on this tiny island, somewhere in the middle city, would certainly be a lot less colorful. 

Published in Guan Xi Magazine- Summer 2015 issue