Taiwan Tour Journal

Day 1 (December 19)

if you've been keeping yourself up to date with our NEWS page...you'll remember that i was exhausted already because last night we mixed a song for a Chinese magazine until 6am. i slept for 3 hours then had to get up and go to work all day today. but it didn't matter because this is what i enjoy doing - i love having a lot of things to do and working hard...KLC is my life - this is something i will be proud of when i get old and i'm pretty sure its the same way for the rest of the guys. i was also just excited that in a few hours we'd be in Taiwan again...a beautiful country with friendly and warm people and i couldn't wait. 

we got to the airport at around 7:30pm and our flight was at 8:15...while we were checking in the counter staff calls out for Chung Chi Kin (alex). i should've guessed that something was wrong but we were all just laughing excited about this trip. then the staff says, "Mr. Chung, your passport expired in 2001". oh SHIT! we tried desperately to figure out what he could do and the guy said that even if he let Alex go through that when he arrived in Taipei the immigration officials wouldn't let him in. we were all pretty upset and tried to figure out what he could do...the best thing was for him to apply for a new passport first thing in the morning and get on a plane right away. our show tomorrow night wasn't until very late - about 11pm so he still had time.

i immediately realized that if he couldn't come to taiwan that i was going to have to play the bass...i would also have to sing alex's verse! holy crap...it was going to be scary.

we waved goodbye to alex and wished him luck and got on board the plane...feelings weren't that high - we started the trip on a bad note and were nervous that he wouldn't be able to come.

we got to taipei and checked into our hotel - some fucking love motel where the wall between the bathroom and the bedroom was glass! HAHAHAHA! chi lun sin...pretty crazy. we called the show organizer (allen) in Taizhong to let him know about the problem with alex's passport. then that night we went out with some of kevin's friends for some food...we checked out a 24 hour bookshop that was CRAZY! 24-hour bookshops are the best things i've ever heard of! there were so many youngsters inside reading magazines and books etc. it was great - it is such a healthy alternative for the youth. chloe told us that Taiwan supposedly has the highest reading ratio for Asia. people were allowed to sit around on the floor and read whatever they want...it was so cool. some people were asleep in the back of the shop! i want to open one of these in Hong Kong! imagine that! it'd be great...then we went back to the hotel early cause we were tired...i had only slept 3 hours so i wanted to get plenty of rest before our show tomorrow...

Day 2 (December 20)

photos

chloe - band roadie and band photographer!!! poor girl had to do so much for us the entire trip like photocopying our show handouts, and carrying our friggin' luggage etc...thanks chloe!

kevin wondering how we could take advantage of our little lovers room...

riz is freaking out about alex...i really missed the guy! hahaha...

a great picture of the bar taken by chloe...

you can't see it in their eyes...but they're nervous about alex i tell you! hahaha... 

the guitar boys - i think andy just decided that i was going to be in charge of the bass tonight if alex didn't come on time! hahaha...look at how happy he is! just kidding...

riz X-ing up...

king ly chee with the Freestyle boys (thanks to Jamu for giving us these pictures!)...

this is Fyodoro who actually used to live in Thailand and played with one of Thailand's oldest hardcore bands called Plahn...he came to check us out and loved it...thanks for the support! 

today was the day of the show...i woke up still nervous about alex...but then he called me at around 11am to tell me that he was going to get his passport later in the afternoon and was going to take the 8:15 flight to taipei that night!!! i started screaming in our hotel room super happy that he could make it! erica (kevin's girlfriend) called kevin later and told him that she called alex first thing in the morning to make sure that he was awake and on his way to get his passport! hahaha...erica called alex another 5 or 6 times throughout the day to make sure that he was ready! thanks erica!!!

after we found out about this of course we were all in much better moods...we just hoped that he would be able to arrive in time to play the show because if he took the 8:15 flight that means he would arrive at the airport at about 9:30. then he would need to get in line to get a Taiwan visa and then get in a taxi. normally it takes more than an hour to get to taipei city from the airport on a bus. so we expected that alex would be able to get to the bar by at least 11pm...

the entire day was spent hanging out in Sai Mun Ding (Xi Men Ding) checking out shops and Taiwanese life...we found a punk shop called Vicious Circle where i bought a Minor Threat patch...then we went back to the hotel room where i met Monkey the singer/guitar player of Taiwan's first emo/hardcore band called Fall Of This Corner. i met him the last time we played at Spring Scream 2 years ago so it was nice to see him again! he was prepared with a million questions regarding hardcore etc that he had been waiting to ask us so it was cool talking to him.  then he took us to the bar early so we could soundcheck etc...when we got there we were VERY VERY surprised with the sound! it was AMAZING!!! loud as fucking hell!!! King Ly Chee played there 3 years ago and the sound has changed a lot since then...freddy showed up and i thanked him for helping me get my visa and i complimented him on the great sound inside his bar. we met the rest of the Fall Of This Corner guys and a nu-metal band called Freestyle and it was nice meeting them all. everyone was really friendly and made the show really fun...

before the show started we just hung out outside talking to all the local Taiwan people who came out to check out the show. they talked about the last time they saw us etc and it was so nice to see so many people support us all the way in Taiwan! me and chloe set up our t-shirts booth outside the bar and waited nervously for alex to show up.

then the show started and Fall Of This Corner went on first...they were fucking great!!! a good mix of punk, emo and hardcore...at times they sound like Envy, at times they sound like Refused, at times they sound like The Get Up Kids...totally great! their drummer is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO emotional!!! it was so touching to see him play...when he was beating the drums it looked like he was going to cry - it was insane...monkey sang and played with full 100% sincerity...the band has 3 members and you can feel their unity and spirit. it was great...also, Monkey is a fellow straight edge kid! i think their bass player or drummer is straight edge as well! 

next band was a nu-metal band called Freestyle that sound like the Deftones. they were SO tight - played very well and professionally...sounded cool.

then after they were done...freddy came on stage and explained to the audience that alex still hadn't arrived yet and we will need to wait for him...

so we all sat next to our t-shirts super nervous. alex finally called us at 10:30 and said that he was going to get in the taxi now. that meant he was probably going to show up by 11:15. i made a bet with Monkey that alex would show up before 11:15 and he said no way.

then at 10:55am alex comes running down the stairs! OH MY GOD! i've never been SO happy to see him!!! i jumped out of my chair and gave him the biggest hug! hahaha...before he got in the taxi we told him to tell the taxi driver to drive fast. alex made it to the bar in 25 minutes from the airport! he said the taxi driver was going so fast that he was scared...he thought he was going to die! hahahaha...all for King Ly Chee!! GREAT!

then we got on stage and fucking ROCKED HARD! we went off boys and girls and that's all i have to say...kids were going crazy and had a great time. we played our new song "Refused" for the first time tonight and it sounded great...we haven't played this song in HK yet! hahaha...we finished a 7-song set and everyone asked us to play one more song so we played masterpiece...when we played this song people actually knew the lyrics! that was great...

we went back to the hotel totally happy about the awesome experience...i can't remember what we did that night...i think we went to "Si Lum" to get something to eat...then alex and kevin went out to some party while me, andy and chloe went back to the 24-hour bookshop for a bit...\

DAY 3