A New Taiwanese American Music Concept? My Nakashi Band Dzian!

HoChie Tsai of TaiwaneseAmerican.org posted about my new band Dzian! (贊!, "super-cool!" in Taiwanese) yesterday. It's exciting to see that Dzian! is now recognized by the Taiwanese American community.

This band emerged from s few strands of inspiration. One is the discovery of the tremendous amount of exhilarating surf and garage music from in the non-UK-and-US parts of the world in 1960s-70s (pre-cassette age). Many bloggers and music lovers have digitized these old LPs and posted them as free downloads. In particular, we have been drawn to the excellent posts by Radiodiffusion.

The other strand of inspiration comes from my personal quest for Nakashi, a Taiwanese burlesque-like performance practice circa 1960s-1980s employed for social functions (weddings, new years parties, company parties, temple celebration, strip tease...). Over time Nakashi morphed into a semi-participatory karaoke format. Because it was always a local practice, not much of it has been documented. There are a few representations in Taiwanese films (mostly about rural life driven by nostalgia). Other than, I'm reconstructing this fascinating performance practice in part as an ethnomusiologist by talking to friends and family from Taiwan and internet research, in part as a musician who's driven by the energy and performative efficacy of this practice. And I'm recreating a performance based on some of my childhood memories of Nakashi at company parties that my parents took me to.

The band Dzian! is my pet project right now. A few musician friends, most of whom I met through improvised experimental music, came together to play these great tunes. Our formation as a band solidified at the typhoon relief benefit show that I organized for last week. My intention was to recreate Nakashi performance in Virginia (perhaps the first maybe?) and to enliven Taiwanese local culture to an audience mixed between Taiwanese American students from UVa, local restaurant owners, friends, family, and the local music and Taiwanese-food lovers. With our friends The Nakashi Dancers, Dzian! played a selection selection of your favorite 1960s surf and garage rock songs from Taiwan, Japan, Indonesia, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, and US.

Here's a 60s Taiwanese pop song "Mama Give Me A Guitar" originally by Cai Mi Mi and the Five Petals, here sung by my mom Sonia Hsu and yours truly:


Here is a Taiwanese "A Go-Go" pop song "I Love You A Go-Go" originally by Wu Jin Lan, here sung by yours truly:

Dzian! is Charlottesville/Virginia’s new, one and only Nakashi band. Following the tradition of Nakashi, we have now made ourselves available for fundraiser events, weddings, holiday parties, birthdays, graduations, frat parties, TV commercials, NASA launching ceremonies, etc.

"Moon Over Ruined Castle" 荒城の月 - a Japanese pop classic arranged and performed by Dzian! [I heard and learned this song mostly from my Ah-Ma (grandma) my parents' karaoke parties:

A Khmer folk pop medley consisting of "Blue Basket" and "Look at the Owl" [from the Cambodian Cassette Archive]:

Here's a great video recap of the entire event by David Eklund:


Dzian! (贊!) - Please say our name with your thumbs up!!

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dzian/168876187210
Myspace: http://myspace.com/dzianband
contact: wendy.f.hsu@gmail.com

"Nakashi" Typhoon Relief Benefit Was A Success!

"Nakashi" Typhoon Relief Benefit @ The Bridge PAI, 10/30/09 was a huge success! We raised over $900. All the proceeds from the event will go toward the Typhoon Morakot Relief Funds at the Children Welfare League Foundation in Taiwan. Thanks to University of Virginia's TSA, Cafe 88, The Bridge PAI, and all the talented artists, musicians, and dancers - including Peter Chen, TSA Dancers, Dzian!, Nakashi Dancers, Loren Ludwig, Erik Deluca, Jesse Dukes -who made this event possible. It was BEAUTIFUL!


video courtesy of David Eklund.







pictures by Sonia Hsu

Evaluating Me: (Reflections on) an Annual Report

I just wrote and submitted my annual report to my dissertation chair and the Graduate Committee in my department. I have a strange impulse/shamelessness to share this with 'the public.' Partly, I'm hoping that by sharing it, I will be held accountable for fulfilling the goals that I articulated for this academic year. Partly, I just want to get feedback and advice from my friends and readers on my efforts toward developing my newly carved-out professional identity of "scholar-performer."

Last note: graduate work is isolating at times. Every now and then, I need to jump outside of the 'grind' and get a reality check. Talk to me about what you think!

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Scholarship
I completed my field research for my dissertation project during the academic year of 2008-09. I analyzed some field research data for the purposes of writing the three conference papers. This process of doing field research and writing analytical ethnographic papers allowed me to better hone my research focus while being ‘in the field.’ It also encouraged me to further flesh out the details of my dissertation chapter organization. Through the exposure of my dissertation blog YellowBuzz, my dissertation project has received some non-academic interest from national biweekly Pacific Citizen and blogs such as Boston Progress Radio.

With the financial and intellectual support from the NEH-funded Graduate Fellowship in the Digital Humanities, I will add an exciting dimension of digital ethnography to my dissertation project. In the coming year, I intend to complete 2-3 chapters of my dissertation and present my dissertation work at conferences including Cross Roads in Hong Kong and the annual meeting for the Association for Asian American Studies in Austin in 2010. In the meantime, I hope to secure solid funding for dissertation writing for the year 2010-2011.

Performance
Throughout this year, my performance life was active as a member of improvised music trio Pinko Communoids. We recorded our second album and performed at the Feminist Theory and Music 10 Conference in Greensboro, NC in May 2009 and a number of well-known venues such as The Red Room in Baltimore and ABC No Rio in New York City. With an invitation to contribute to EcoSono DVD curated by Matthew Burtner, the trio did an on-site performance recording in Bar Harbor, Maine in May 2009.With an invitation, my duo Grapefruit Experiment performed at the ninth annual Queering Sound Festival in Washington DC in June 2009. As one half of a duo with Tomie Hahn, I was invited to do a two-day residency consisting of lectures, workshop, and performance at Wheaton College in Norton, MA, in September 2008.

In the coming year, I hope to focus on personal development as an improviser in the academic world while maintaining my ties with my field research informant musicians and fellow improvisers. This includes a performance at FFMUP, an improvised music series at Princeton University, in February 2010.

The 1st Annual Independent Asian Pacific Islander Performing Artists and Writers Festival

BREAKING THE BOW: The 1st Annual Independent Asian Pacific Islander Performing Artists and Writers Festival

Over 70 Asian Pacific Islander artists participate in the 6 performance, 4 day event October 22-25, 2009 at the Miles Memorial Playhouse at 1130 Lincoln Blvd; Santa Monica, CA 90403.

Programs include play readings, an API cabaret, and Battle of the Pitches, and an innovative screenwriting pitch competition.
Sponsors include FOX Diversity, East West Magazine, and Visual Communications.

Thursday October 22
5PM Kick Off Party with Cold Tofu and Dawen($5)
6:30PM VIP Reception ($10 with invitation)
8PM: Battle of the Pitches/Ten Minute Asian Pacific Islander Play Contest Performances with Kristina Wong special performance ($10 admission with $5 Battle of the Pitches contest entrance fee) Pitch sessions with FOX 2000 and FOX Searchlight for best screenplay pitch. Celebrity judges.

Friday+Saturday October 23-24 8PM
AARGH!!, the API cabaret ($15) (Ken Choy, Jude Narita, Rodney Kageyama, D’Lo, Youtube all star musicians Seriously, Mikey de Lara, C. Kenneth Lee, Dawen, and Sue Jin)

Sunday October 25
2PM: Ken Narasaki’s No-No Boy reading ($5) Premiere
7PM: Staged reading of Ken Choy’s theatrical extravaganza Lazy Susan ($5) Premiere

Miles Memorial Playhouse 1130 Lincoln Blvd; Santa Monica, CA 90403

For more information and reservations, please contact Ken Choy at ken@mapid.us. www.mapid.us
More photos at www.mapid.us.

Yellowbuzz and HzCollective Present: "Nakashi" Typhoon Relief Benefit, 10/30/09, Charlottesville

To raise funds towards typhoon relief efforts in Taiwan, local food and performing artisans will join forces with Taiwanese artists for an evening of art, sound, live music and dance. The event will feature an one-night-only exhibit of visual and sound art installation works by Taiwan-based artists responding to the typhoon.

Dzian! will present a live set of Nakashi-inspired surf and garage rock music and dance evoking Taiwanese burlesque circa 1960s-80s. The program will also feature a set of live TPOP (Taiwanese pop) performance and "Taike" dance. All the performances are supported by members of HzCollective, WeArts, Taiwanese Student Association and the McIntire Department of Music Department at the University of Virginia. Li Chen of Cafe 88 will provide Taiwanese snacks and delicacies.

All proceeds from the event will go to Children Welfare League Foundation of Taiwan [http://www.children.org.tw/] toward their typhoon Morakot relief efforts for the affected children and families.

The event will be streamed live on the Internet. Stay tuned for details.

Friday October 30, 7:30pm
The Bridge PAI [http://thebridgepai.com]
209 Monticello Road
Charlottesville, VA 22902

non-students: $12
students: $8

Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=158275236852

Call for Taiwanese Artists: Typhoon Art | 徵件: 台灣藝術家 颱風藝術

HzCollective is organizing an arts event on October 30, 2009 to raise money for typhoon relief in Taiwan.

We're looking for Taiwanese artists to contribute art works related to Typhoon Morakot. The contributed piece can be either visual or audio. Art works could be done in any style: documentary, abstract, experimental, etc. During the event, we will project the works at The Bridge, a progressive art space in Charlottesville, VA. We will ask the audience to write notes to respond to the art.

We hope to generate much artistic response from Taiwan in order to represent Taiwan through the arts.

All submissions have to be sent by 10/27 to wendy.f.hsu@gmail.com. All work have to be submitted as digital files online [over email or file transfer services like Yousendit.com or Sendspace.com].

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Wendy Hsu: wendy.f.hsu@gmail.com. Thank you!

HzCollective: http://hzcollective.blogspot.com/
The Bridge PAI: http://thebridgepai.com/


徵件: 台灣藝術家 颱風藝術

HzCollective, 實驗性藝術組織, 在美國維吉尼亞州籌劃一個莫拉克颱風賑災藝術活動。

我們須要台灣藝術家們的幫忙，須要你們提供有關莫拉克颱風的錄像，平面攝影或聲音檔案。作品以莫拉克颱風為主軸，可以以任何方式呈現：紀錄式、寫實式、實驗式或抽象式等等，無論是當天的紀錄或是事後的創作。我們會在十月三十日將這些影音作品放映於維吉尼亞州 Charllotesville 的一個前衛藝術空間 "The Bridge" 中。屆時我們會請觀眾寫下對藝術作品的反應。

我們希望能夠招集到許多台灣藝術家的藝術作品，借由藝術將台灣帶到 Charllotesville.

所有作品必須於十月二十七日前寄送 wendy.f.hsu@gmail.com 。這些數位檔案可透過 email 或 網路提供的免費傳輸空間 (如: sendspace.com, yousendit.com) 傳送給我們。

如有任何疑問，歡迎email 詢問 Wendy Hsu (wendy.f.hsu@gmail.com) 謝謝！

HzCollective: http://hzcollective.blogspot.com/
The Bridge PAI: http://thebridgepai.com/

Taiwanese Game Show Spoofs Exit Clov's Hsu Sisters' Benefit Video

This is hilarious! A game show in Taiwanese produced a spoof performance of Emily and Susan Hsu's typhoon benefit video. HoChie Tsai of TaiwaneseAmerican.org is right to point out that only celebrities are subject to being spoofed in Taiwan. :)

Dawen's New Album Now Released!

I just got a note from Dawen about his new album American Me! - hot and right off the press! Dawen's CD Release Party will be held on this coming Saturday, September 12th in Santa Monica, CA. The album drops today September, 9 on iTunes and Amazon.



Come join Dawen and his full band for an awesome night of soul/R&B music! Kicking off his debut album "American Me" at the beautiful Dakota Lounge, get ready for a fun night of music and entertainment! RSVP now!

Special Guest performances by:
Vudoo Soul (American Idol, Kollaboration)
Sue Jin (Kollaboration)

Hosted by:
Lina So

Doors open at 7:00PM
Performances start at 8:00PM

$10 (with Facebook RSVP)
$12 at the door
21+
No shorts, no flip-flops

For RSVP, please use first and last names of all guests.
Facebook Event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=117111874359

VIP & bottle service available:
Call: 310.393.8200 or email info@dakotalounge.com

A portion of the night's proceeds will be donated to Taiwan Typhoon Relief.

Sponsored by:
http://taiwaneseamerican.org/
http://blacklava.net/
http://www.angryasianman.com
http://tnkat.org/
http://www.alivenotdead.com/

Yellowbuzz live from the field: Kou Chou Ching + Hsu-nami

In NYC

Emily and Susan Hsu Make Typhoon Benefit Video

Emily and Susan Hsu of Exit Clov made a video covering a Taiwanese pop song from the 1980s as a benefit for the victims of the Morakot typhoon in Taiwan. Their cover of ""Ai-Biahnh Jah-eh Eah" is sweet. It reminds me of the Carter Family (although not quite as dark and gothic as the Depression-era SW Virginian hillbilly family trio).

Every time the video is played on Youtube, they will make a (25-cent) donation toward the funds.



On their blog post, they wrote:

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We’re personally making a donation of .25 cents for every hit/view we get on this YouTube video between now and September 1, 2009 — with a goal of 500 hits ($125).

Please help us by watching the video and sending it around to your friends to help us reach our goal. Feel free to make your own pledge/donation too. Pledges can be as low as a penny per hit (=$5 at 500 hits/views) — any little bit helps. If you do so, please let us know your pledge (mousybabe@gmail.com). If we get enough responses, we’ll post a list of anonymous pledges (here on mousybabe) to celebrate the good will. We’re capping total hits at 500, so no worries about going broke.

Also, pledges are not binding, just the good old-fashioned honor system! You can send your tax-deductible donation to the Taiwanese Association of America (info below), or any other suggested organizations listed at TaiwaneseAmerican.org.

Taiwanese Association of America
Mrs. Ling Ling Huang, Treasurer
TAA-USA