New Year's Eve 2012 at Taipei Artist Village

Most holidays, the Ramblers celebrate on their own. This year, we're inviting you to join our party.


We'll be back at one of our favorite venues, the Taipei Artist Village. By now, you know the place from earlier posts, so it hardly seems necessary to remind you that it's at No. 7 Beiping Road. near the Shantao Temple MRT Station.

This event is being billed as a black-tie affair, and yes, the Ramblers will be turned out in their finest, but we always are. This black and white party will be a chance for the audience to dress to impress us, instead of the other way around.

The show kicks off at 10 and will go until the wee hours. I expect there will be a countdown to midnight.

We've invited a few guest artists to join us if they can, but you'll have to show up at the gig to find out who they are. If you've got a reasonable excuse for seeing in the New Year somewhere other than at TAV, well then I suppose you could check back here for the post-party wrap up in a few days.

We'd much rather you came down and celebrated the New Year with us. 2012 has received some bad press in the past, but the latest forecast is no doomsday for at least a couple more years.

We didn't get around to making a poster for this affair, but here's a photo of the Ramblers getting ready for our show last year at the Flower Expo.

That's the state of mind we're in right now. Getting ready for a big show. Looking forward to seeing you at TAV on Saturday, December 31, at 10 PM.

Blues Bash Blues Party 8

The Muddy Basin Ramblers will be playing at the Blues Bash Blues Party 8 this Saturday at Dream Girls, Core Pacific Mall (Living Mall) 京華城購物中心. For those unfamiliar with the (Death Star) Living Mall, it's at 138 Bade Rd. Sec. 4. Dream Girls is located on the 12th floor.

We'd like to invite all fans of the Blues to come join this annual event. It's hard to believe this will be the 8th one, but the number is there on the ad for the show, so it must me true.


DC Rapier, organizer of BBBP8, released this schedule of the acts that will be performing.


17:00   DOORS OPEN
17:10   FUNSONG BAND
17:35   TAIPEI ROCKETS 88
18:00   KENYATTA FUNK STERS
18:25   BB COOKY & STEVIE
19:00   BLUES VIBRATIONS
19:40   DAVID CHEN & MUDDY BASIN RAMBLERS
20:20   MARIMBA , CELLO & DRUM SESSION by Cadeson Musical
20:45   BOPOMOFO WITH SHUN KIKUTA
21:35   NACOMI BAND
22:15   JAM SESSION
22:30   Go to Bobwundaye's for more Blues and more fun!

As you can see from the last item in the schedule, the party will be traveling to Bobwundaye for the Blues Bash Blues Party's after-Blues Bash Blues Party.

The Blues Bash is one of our favorite events of the year. It's a great chance to see friends and listen to great music,  

We hope you make it out. We'll have CDs for sale, so if you feel like taking us home, you can.

To whet your appetite, here''s a video of us at last year's show.

Muddy Basin Octoberfest

No, we didn't play a gig to celebrate Octoberfest, but we did put on a show to welcome David's family at Bobwundaye.

Coincidentally, it was also October 10th, the 100th anniversary of the the founding of the Republic of China.I don't think any of the Ramblers made it down to the spectacle in the square in front of the Presidential building, however.

Instead, the highlight of our day was performing for David's relatives, including his father, who had never seen his son perform on guitar before.We played two sets featuring many of our favorite songs, and certainly some that will end up on our next CD.

This show was different than our last one at Daniel Pearl Day for two reasons. First, Sandy had returned from Scotland, so we had our usual sax sound. Much thanks to Louis Goldford for filling in for Sandy while he was away. Louis has now left Taiwan for the States, and we look forward to his return.

Another difference was the lack of percussion. The washboard man was recovering from surgery on his right hand and arm and was unable to accompany the band as he is accustomed to. Instead, he grabbed his one-button video camera and filmed two songs while on stage with the band. If you've ever wondered what it's like to stand amongst the Ramblers while they play, this video puts you in that very position. Hear how loud the sax and bone sound when you get in the way, and the roar that comes out of Dave's steel guitar.

The next public performance for the Ramblers will likely be at Blues Bash Party 8, being held at Dream Girls at the Core Pacific Mall on Nov. 5. According to the event's founder/organizer DC Rapier, tickets will be on sale at the door. The event will take place from 5 PM to 11 PM. Expect to see local favorites from Taiwan's blues scene as well as international acts here especially for the show. Check the above website for more information as the day approaches.

Daniel Pearl Day of Music

Harmony for Humanity

Daniel Pearl World Music Days is an international network of concerts that use the power of music to reaffirm our commitment to tolerance and humanity.

 

Taipei will be honoring the Daniel Pearl Day of Music this Sunday, September 11, 2011. More than a dozen bands will be performing on two stages at Huashan Grassland Park. The first act to perform will be our old friends Two Acres Plowed on the Roots Stage at 1 PM. The last show will be Jam w/Butter at 9 PM. See the full stage schedule at the bottom of this post.

David Chen and the Muddy Basin Ramblers will be performing at 7 PM on the Roots Stage. Dark Eyes will be on before us at 6, and Blues Vibration will follow us at 8.

 

We’ve become something of a fixture at Taipei’s Daniel Pearl Day, having performed at the 2004 show at Taipei Artist Village and many others since then. We have great memories of Daniel Pearl Days gone by, some high voltage, and others high octane.

David will never forget shorting out the sound system at the 2004 show by plugging a 110-volt PA into a 220-volt socket, while TC undoubtedly enjoyed a memorable pitcher of mojitos at the 2007 show held at 44 South Village. 

The Daniel Pearl Day show at Huashan in 2009 was unforgettable as it featured FODfest, a band that included Daniel Pearl’s friend and fellow musician Todd Mack. Here's a short video of the Ramblers jamming with FODfest member Chris Merenda.

The next evening, there was another jam bringing together the Ramblers and FODfest at Taipei Artist Village. 

Todd will be making the return journey to Taipei to perform at Daniel Pearl Day this year. He’ll be jamming with Blues Vibration, featuring the Ramblers’ Conor Prunty on harp.

In fact, Todd will perform several times in Taipei in the coming days. He’ll take the stage with Blues Vibration at Bobwundaye at 9 PM on Thursday, September 8, and he’ll also be at TEDx Taipei on Saturday, September 10.

We hope to see you at Daniel Pearl Day 2011. Bring the family.

時間 | TIME: 9/11（日/Sun）13:00-22:00 中秋節
地點｜PLACE: Huashan Grassland @ Beiping E. Rd + Linsen N. Rd
捷運｜ MRT: 善導寺 Shandao Temple Stn
入場｜ ticket: 免費！ FREE ENTRY!

  

Roots Stage
1pm     2 Acres Plowed
130pm Opening Ceremony
2pm     BoPoMoFo -ㄅㄆㄇㄈ
3pm     Funky Brothers 放客兄弟
4pm     Passiwali 巴西瓦里
5pm     Les Enveloppes Rouges 紅包
6pm     Dark Eyes 夜暮之眼
7pm     David Chen and the Muddy Basin Ramblers
8pm     Todd Mack w/ Blues Vibration
9pm     Jam w/ butter

Rock n Reggae Stage
130pm  Mary Bites Kerry 瑪莉咬凱利
230pm  Skycruiser
330pm  The HJ’s
430pm  Taimaica Sound System 台買加音效組織
530pm  High Tide
630pm  Pan Africana
730pm  Skerrit Bwoy
8pm     Kou Chou Ching 拷秋勤
9pm     Hang in the Air 盪在空中

Bobwundaye is Back

Last evening was the soft, soft opening of the new, bigger Bobwundaye. The joint was hopping as friends old and new showed up to check out the new digs. Kat and River were behind the bar, while Conor and Paul mingled with the crowd.

The Ramblers were represented by David, Sandy, Tim, and Conor. Wee Sandy, our honorary roadie, was back o' the bar, jumping on barstools, scaring up petrified cicadas out front, and gettin his finger caught in cupboard doors.

Since it was a soft opening, the interior wasn't finished yet, but the all important bar was up and running. It is the same one from the old Bob's, so a familiar air is lent to the new establishment. The back wall mural is there, too, as are the chessboard top tables.

Conor, Lanny, Darren, and Sandy provided musical entertainment. New Bob's is quite a bit larger than its predecessor, so there is ample room for a band in the back. It remains to be seen how the interior decor will be finished, but the trial gig last night proved the space is amenable to performance.

There was talk of a jam at Bobwundaye on September 8 when Todd Mack will be in town for Daniel Pearl Day. Stay tuned to find out more about that.

The Ramblers are ramping up for our show at Taipei Artist Village on August 27. We're all looking forward to getting together for some musical high jinx. Hope to see you there.

Hot August Night

 

In some parts of the northern hemisphere, summer is winding down, but not here in Taipei. In the Muddy Basin, it’s as hot and sticky as ever. To celebrate the heat, the Ramblers will be performing at the Village Café at Taipei Artist Village on Saturday, August 27, 2011.

We played there last month with the dancers from Taipei Swing, and we had such a great time, we can’t stay away. If you missed the last show, here’s a video that our friend Chenbl shot and put up on TC’s YouTube channel.

Things will be a little different this time around. We asked one of Taipei’s hottest duos, The Red Cliff, to share the bill with us. They’ve been on our radar this year, and we’re looking forward to enjoying their show. From Indievox

The Red Cliff are a 2-piece acoustic band born from the loins of the Darvill and Cole dynasties. Although individually uncouth and erratic, their music comes together to form a refined and consistent sound. Influenced by American and English rock and folk artists, The Red Cliff seek to find the very opposite sound to that of being awoken by a Taoist parade at 6am.

You can sample some of The Red Cliff's tunes on YouTube. 

Django Saveage 

Koxinga

In Plain Clothes 

About the Show

 

We’re expecting The Red Cliff to kick off their show at about 9 PM.  The Ramblers will finish out the evening with our own brand of foot-stomping, finger-snapping, toe-tapping jazzy jug band blues. The door charge is NT$300, and that includes one drink.

We look forward to seeing you there. Bring a friend; they’re great for dancing with!

Village Cafe is at No. 7 Beiping E. Road, Taipei, Taiwan

Other News

 

Our old friend and Village Café lao ban (boss), Jason Su, bid farewell to the TAV and headed toward a new project. We’ll miss Jason’s special brand of hospitality, but we wish him the best of luck and look forward to seeing his latest endeavor take wing. Jason is a gold mine wherever he ends up, so all we can say is, Ah Bon! The Village Café will remain a venue for live music, so keep this gem on your list of Taipei treasures.

The whisper about town is that there will be a soft, soft opening for the new, bigger Bobwundaye, aka Bob’s, this Friday, August 19. If you know Kat on Facebook, you may have seen the notice, but if not, the address is No. 77 Heping E. Road, Sec. 3. That’s on the north side of the street, between Tunhwa S. Road and Anhe Road.