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Not many bands would make the bold claim of being the worst band in the universe, but 八十八顆芭樂籽 88balaz have made a motto out of this throughout their 20-plus-year career. This also carries over to their ethos of making uncanny music with an earnest attitude; a no-frills approach while embracing the old school tenants of rock ’n’ roll.
Formed in 1996, the band’s Mandarin name (pronounced as "ba shi ba ke ba le zi" in Chinese) simply translates to 88 guava seeds. Lead singer Balaz Lee initially wanted to take a poke at a popular Mandarin tongue twister 44 Stone Lions (pronounced as "si shi si zhi shi shi zi"). The tongue twister not only gave the band a memorable name, but 44 Stone Lions also went on to become one of the band’s album names. Musically, 88balaz were inspired by the likes of Guns N' Roses and Nirvana, which made the band’s sound a thick blend of blues rock, noise rock, and garage rock. In addition, Balaz Lee has a deep and rough voice that he often screams with, which fits perfectly with the band’s sound.
Taiwan experienced a wave of rock music at the turn of the millennium. This was when 88balaz found its footing in the emerging indie music scene. Often touted as Taiwan’s take on Woodstock and Coachella, the Spring Scream and Ho-Hai Yan music festivals were important to the band’s career: They played for 17 years consecutively at the former and being awarded top prize at the latter in 2001.
After rising to fame at Ho-Hai-Yan, many record labels expressed interest in signing the band. Though these offers seemed lucrative, they also meant the band would most likely be given pressure to pursue a more mainstream and commercial sound. Believing that the band should maintain complete creative control, Balaz Lee turned down the offers and the band has continued true to their indie roots. Though the band released their first full-length album Tsao Bao's Ambition back in the year 2000, it would take another eight years for the band’s second release 44 Stone Lions in 2008. As with most up-and-coming indie bands, 88balaz was also a victim of members coming and going. It wasn’t until 2012 that the band finally came to a more stable line-up, as bassist Kuan Ling, drummer DongYu Lee, and guitarist Bluez Lee became permanent fixtures in the band. 2010 and 2012 both saw releases from the band, with two albums closely associated in name: Worse Than an Animal and Handsome Than an Animal. The first being a critique of the indie scene based on years of observation by Balaz Lee, while the second tackled the difficult and oftentimes emotional creative process of writing music. The single “Handsome Than an Animal” has also become a staple of the band’s live sets.
Balaz Lee has always brought a touch of dark humor to his lyrics, while also being outlandishly wild in imagination and on occasion intentionally ambiguous. Songs such as "Viscera Party" and "JIMI & MARY" demonstrate this perfectly, drawing praise from both fans and critics alike. To commemorate the band’s 20th anniversary, they released the album Punk Floyd in 2016. The 10 songs on the album each represent a chapter that adds to the fictional titular young punker's cynicism. The album not only marked the band’s maturity in its age but also demonstrated how the band was also growing more mature creatively. For example, "Sun Chaser" a single from the album that was made into a music video, paid homage to the late poet Leonard Cohen, building the song upon one of his famous line of verse: "There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in". The song and video went on to become widely discussed within the local indie scene.
88balaz has an extensive performance schedule, as the band usually plays more than one hundred shows yearly. They have played more than a thousand shows to this date, quite a rare feat for Taiwanese indie bands to achieve. Often thought to be a band better seen live, they have continued to craft and build a strong stage presence throughout their career. This is also evident by the fact that they won two consecutive Golden Indie Music Awards for Best Live Performance. The band also has a knack for alcohol and all things B-grade, derived from the term “B-movies.” Their passion for alcohol has led them on a special unplugged tour around Taiwan, playing at any brewery that was willing to have them perform. Extending the B-grade concept, they have also been promoting their own “B festival”, carving out a market for festival goers with extremely cheap tickets and lots of fun.
Aside from continued touring in Taiwan, the band has also embarked on numerous over-seas tours, with the most recent being the B Walkman tour that spanned from Asia to Europe. Even after so many years, the band has stayed true to their indie roots, while never straying too far from the DIY spirit that helped them build a bond with fans.
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