on TAIPEI Kil'n time in Taipei - Community Services Center

entertainment
adoga:
Rocking Taiwan - Bilingually
TExT: PHILLIP CHARLIER FOR THE WILD EAST
IMAGES: ADOGA
‘Adoga’ may be a mysterious word to people
residing in the West. Google the word and the current
number-one result is the ‘American Dehydrated Onion
and Garlic Association’. In Taiwan, it has a very
different meaning. It is the Hoklo Taiwanese word for a
certain kind of foreigner and it refers specifically to the
nose-structure of Caucasians.
While controversy has raged about the use of this term
in both the Chinese and English language press, one
group of professional musicians has taken the word and
made it their own. ADOGA, the band, has racked up
some serious success in the fields of corporate and public
entertainment.
HigH eneRgy HiTs
music in styles ranging from classic rock to R&B to
funk and blues. ADOGA also features hit songs from
contemporary artists such as Maroon 5, Bon Jovi and
more. But what makes ADOGA exceptional is that they
can perform in English, Chinese, and even Taiwanese. So
while many people in Taiwan refer to them as a ‘foreign’
band, they are really a local band made up of foreign
performers. As Taiwanese bass player Maxx Ta says:
“As soon as I met ADOGA, I realized right away, that
even though they are foreigners they have a love for
Taiwan that you can hear every time we play in front of
an audience.” His favorite song is WuBai’s hit “Flower”,
where his pulsating bass gets people dancing right away.
Rocking THe island
ADOGA specializes in covering classic hits that span
almost a half century of rock and pop music, and their
playlist is also packed with the latest hits you can hear on
any popular, contemporary music radio station in Taiwan
or the West.
ADOGA audiences love dancing to the
high energy hits from Western bands
(such as the Rolling Stones, The
Beatles and Guns’n’Roses) as
well as Chinese (WuBai,
a n d t h e C a p e N o . 7
m o v i e s o u n d t r a c k).
This versatile act plays
Lead vocalist, Brandon Thompson, a native of Toronto,
Canada, is an accomplished performer with over twelve
years of experience hosting many different types of live
entertainment shows. He has performed at festivals
across the island such as Spring Scream,
PeaceFest and Blues Fest. His
e n e r g e t i c p e r s o n a l i t y
and ability to involve
the audience in
performances are
exceptional and his
Taiwanese version
of “Dancing Girl” is
“When you come to an
ADOGA gig, you can’t help but
clap and sing with them.”
16 june 2010