Saturday, August 20, 2011

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.


Wednesday, August 17, 2011

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. 


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.