TAINAN TO KAOHSIUNG!

This is the second installment regarding our Asian Tour.  If you haven't read our first blog, then scroll down to "It's Great to be Back!" and read that one first.

After playing to a great crowd at the Tin Pan we rushed off to our accommodation after midnight.  The reason I am mentioning this, is because unlike the Hotels we are use to in Australia, the reception for this Hotel was on the 7th floor!  Which meant, that we stood around in an entrance way like dorks, where a security guard was sleeping on a stretcher and managed to yell over his shoulder in Mandarin.  Fortunately, our knight in shining armour was the ever talented Joyce Bolland who knew exactly where to go... (phew!).  The Asia Emperor Hotel is located east of Tainan city, it takes about 5 minutes from the train station and freeway exit. The rooms were modest, yet clean and tidy and a hot breakfast is provided.  After nearly 30 hrs with little or no sleep we crashed for the night.  As with most Hotel accommodation, the rooms were a little more pricey for Taiwan and equated to around $30 - $60 AUD per room per night.

We checked out mid-morning Saturday 31st March and headed to the train station to make our way back to Kaohsiung.   We arrived without much fuss  at the main station just in time to hear... what sounded like a hugely heavy, metal band playing on a makeshift stage outside the station.  REAL being the metal head he will always be... bolted to see who was playing.  Imagine his surprise when he realised, that huge sound was coming from a tiny  15 yr old Taiwanese girl shredding a guitar like Michael Angelo Batio... Gobsmacked!!

REAL and I made our way to the Walking Story Hostel located on Liuhe Road about 100m from the famous Liuhe Night Markets.  The Hostel was central to where we would be playing for the next three nights.  It is a 10 minute walk to the subway and the friendly staff are more than willing to help with taxi's and tourist enquiries.  The rooms are clean, tidy and reasonably priced, ($15 - 23 AUD per room per night) with AC, free wireless and an elevator (carting band gear up and down stairs just plain sux).
 

One thing I really enjoyed about staying at this Hostel, was that as soon as we would get back from a gig, the markets would be open and we could go get some dinner before heading back for a well deserved rest.

Downstairs from where we were staying we found a rather interesting little shop, that we had to comment on.  The windows were often covered and it took a while for us to realise what kind of shop it was, but none of us were game enough to enter the premises.  I don't think the owner was too interested in us hanging around the front of his shop either.  We probably did look a little dodgy.  Check some of the footage we managed to capture...

Well it made us laugh!     Moving right along...

Our first gig in Kaohsiung was at the Brickyard Beer Garden Spring Festival, which was smack bang in the middle of Kaohsiung Central Park (well maybe a little left of centre).  This was our first little festival in Taiwan and we had no idea what to expect, so we went along for a sound check in the late afternoon.

 

Along with The Bollands, DSR, Goober Gun and DJ Spinkid we had a great night, gained fans, became fans, sold merch and made lots of new friends.  The crowd was super supportive and we had our first encounter with dancing girls between bands.  A real eye opener.. for some more than others.

Our second gig in Kaohsiung was at a cool little venue called The Rocks where we got another opportunity to play alongside the Bollands and DSR.  REAL managed to jump on the cans and help out the Bollands, not that they needed it and we managed to get some lovely footage from Trevor Joines of one of our classics.  We also wanted to thank the guy's from the Brickyard... Ryan and Graham for not only coming along and supporting us, but also tracking down REAL's gooseneck,  you guy's Rock!  REAL by this time was feeling the effects of late nights, lack of sleep and smog... hence his new ninja styles.

The third and last gig we had in Kaohsiung was at a little whisky bar called Mountain Station which was just around the corner from our Hostel (bonus!).  We had Brent, Ponw and Greg a.k.a Canada (sometimes Tim) from DSR rock up and cheer us on.  Thanks to Hack who managed to get us a kit and the regular's who gave us a warm round of applause.

We then proceeded to a roof top party with a guy we affectionately call 'Rooftop Rob', carrying all our gear from the gig,we decided since we had it... we should play!  So on top of Rob's roof (hence the name) and in the dark, we sang our little hearts out with the help of the Bollands, RT Rob, Canada, a set of bongo's, a melodica and two guitars.  A few ales along, the Cranberries, GNR and 3 Non blondes later we were kindly removed by security due to noise complaints!  Well you can't win them all! We had a blast either way and a lot of laughs, cheers guy's!

There ends another fun filled day in Taiwan.
To be continued very soon....    Peace out!  AnaMac


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IT'S GREAT TO BE BACK!

It has been an eventful last couple of months for TAUN.  With the whole busyness of touring through Taiwan and Hong Kong and then doing the catch up on everything now that we are back in Perth.  Not to mention the preparations that are underway for our album recording, which in itself is a whole new project that has taken on a life of its own.

Before I get into anything else, TAUN owes it biggest, heartfelt gratitude to our great friends THE BOLLANDS  who not only instigated this tour, but did so much more in between.  Translating, Accommodating, Managing, Entertaining the list goes on and on and we will be forever greatful for the whole experience cheers guys.  To our newest Sth African brother HACK who added a whole dynamic in itself to the BOOM TOUR!  Big thumbs up to you bru.

Where to begin...
Well due to an overwhelming amount of things to do, I have to do this in installments.  So, here is installment one!

The tour began with a flight out of Perth International Airport 29th March 2012, after three flights (Perth-Singapore, Singapore-Hong Kong and Hong Kong - Kaohsiung) with little or no sleep (making us slightly delirious), a lot of disorientation (whaaat! you have to catch a train to pick up your luggage?!), a dash of panic (sorry... I don't speak very good chinese!) and a fair bit of wide eyed amusement and terror! (We are no longer in Kansas Dorothy!!).  We were collected (much to our relief) by Hack from Kaohsiung and headed back to his pad to drop off excess gear and then off to our first gig in Tainan on Friday 30th March 2012. 

Tin Pan Alley is a quaint venue that has great food, friendly staff and is well priced.  The stage is set against the brick wall of what looks like a former venue.  It is a 5 - 10 minute walk from the Tainan Train Station and has great atmosphere.
On a Friday night a whole heap of Uni Students grace the venue to drink lots of Taiwan Beer, play impromptu numbers and watch other bands play.  It makes for a great combination for bands like us.  What more could you ask for?  A supportive and slightly intoxicated audience, four Police cars arriving to check our noise pollution against the traffic noise (true story), catching up with old friends, meeting new ones, eating and drinking your fill and nothing but positive vibes to take you into the small wee hours of another day, aaaaah bliss!

Watch this space for the continuation of this story... The Brickyard Beer Garden Spring Festival Preview...

 Peace Out [AnaMac)

2012 we're coming to get you!!

Wow! talk about full on!  It's been pretty busy, with kids, school, work, study (or the lack thereof) and that's not even considering trying to be a working band!
There's the trying to book gigs in local venues, which may I add is difficult to get 'prime' venues with them requiring so many 'bums on seats' before giving you a decent day to gig on!  I mean c'mon a Tuesday night on the eve before school returns and most people already working their be..hinds off at their day jobs.  I swear some venues make it difficult for bands starting out to get a break.

Then there's the trying to practice, learn new songs and get them sounding awesome, the writing, the social networking, networking in general and becoming part of the local scene, the uploading of music, pics and maintaining a website..... time consuming!

Now, I know it may look like I'm complaining!! but I prefer the term venting.  Bands in general do ALOT of work in order to show people that they are serious about their art and we (TAUN) are no different.  Like most bands we sacrifice alot of time, effort and resources to just get our stuff out there.  We do appreciate every fan, every 'like' on facebook and people who make an effort to purchase merch and come to gigs.  In fact we have a little party with every new 'like' on facebook... pathetic I know, but as Ariel Hyatt of Cyber PR would say "..celebrate the little successes..." and that is indeed what we do.

As you may or may not have seen on our facebook page or our website we are due to kick off a tour through Asia, concentrating mainly on Taiwan and Hong Kong for now and then seeing where it goes from there.  It's exciting, a little daunting and a bit expensive, but the experience itself will be invaluable to each of us as musicians, a band and as human beings.  We are looking forward to it and trying not to expect too much, let it be what it is and as our friend Christian of 'The Bollands' would say have fun!

We will be also working towards a full length album this year and a professional video as well, so lots of stuff happening!  But as a rule that I live by "you only get out of it, what you put into it" so we're going the whole hog!!

Well that's about it from me for now, we will try to put on a Perth show with a few other bands to kick off our Asian Tour.... that's if any venue will have us LOL! otherwise we may have to take matters into our own hands.... which could be an adventure in itself!!

Oh! and join us in taking on this year by sucking the marrow out of life.... Peace out!  [AnaMac]