"Taipei subway," a new single released
Lyrics and vocal: Mike Marcellino
Music composition: Tomas Texino
Taipei subway marks the 8th single record released in the past year by Mike Marcellino and his band. This latest in a series of avant-garde recordings fusing poetry, "It's our first full band sound. I just wanted to be up there beating the drums this one," Mike said, about the new record. "It's also pretty far out, stranger than fiction kind of stuff." The music composition includes acoustic bass, drumkit, acoustic slide guitar, crunch electric guitar, piano and synthwhirl.
You may listen to our new song either on our ReverbNation music site using this link, or the music player at the top of my blog. We also encourage you to "like" us on our Facebook Musician/Band Page, as well as become a fan here. There's a music player on our Facebook page too.
ReverbNation music website
Facebook Musician/Band Page
A story of "Taipei subway" - baseball, music and human rights
I wrote "Taipei subway," in 2007 and recorded it with Split Pea/ce, my first band, in Cleveland the next year. Abe Olvido, a multi-media artist, who liked to create music, was the other half of Split Pea/ce and we performed at clubs and events in Cleveland until 2009.
The song is an offbeat look at Taipei, Taiwan spawned by my wanderings in the city taking a break from a human rights mission I undertook in 1987. I, along with a representative of former U. S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark, a liberal activist, and an official of a world Christian church group, accompanied a liberal opposition politician on his return to Taiwan. Dr Hong Chi-chang was in exile in the United States for his opposition to the oppression and martial law in Taiwan, the longest in world history. Our mission proved to be successful as the Dr. Hong wasn't killed or jailed but was put on trial. Tens of thousands of Taiwanese greeted the opposition leader at the airport, after some tense moments when authorities boarded our plane. As we were landing I would see hundreds of troops, riot police and armored vehicles on the runway. Since that time, human rights and democracy have progressed and the tension between Taiwan and China have diminished. I was asked to go on the mission by the Taiwanese leaders in the U. S. who were fighting for human rights and democracy in their home country.
I had first encountered the very active Taiwanese community in Cleveland while I worked as an aide to former Congressman Louis Stokes in 1984 specializing in human rights issues. For four years we worked to end marshal martial law and advance human rights and democracy in Taiwan. Martial law was ended in 1987 but was replaced with a repressive National Security Law by the regime still influenced by Chiang Kai-shek, the nationalist Chinese leader. Chiang had fled Communist China after World War II to Taiwan, an island off the coast, set up the Republic of China and killed 30,000 Taiwanese intellectuals, educators and artists. Reform began in 1988 and in 2000 an opposition party candidate won the nation's first free election.
As I'm working on a new recording of "Taipei subway," I dusted it off (edited) to share with you.
Taipei subway
By Mike Marcellino
Another day, night
another mission.
Underground.
White bright light -
Two guys, guitars
singing.
Where?
Taipei subway.
Two guys, guitars
singing.
Where?
Taipei subway.
There.
Nowhere.
Nobody there.
Taipei subway
twins
Taipei subway
twins.
Another day, night
underground.
White bright light -
Pictures
in dark
4 color corners
4 color
4 color.
Taipei subway
twins.
Another day, night
underground.
White bright lights.
White bright lights -
They weren’t
supposed to be
there.
Somewhere.
Anywhere;
Early commuters,
appearing
in a tunnel
of white tile walls.
On another mission.
Sent by God,
the old Taiwanese man said.
Taipei subway.
Taipei subway
twins.
Down below
runways filled with troops,
tanks, fire trucks
rows and rows of riot police
rigid
behind their plastic shields.
Tense moments, without warning;
authorities in plain clothes
board our jet from Tokyo.
Chaos in customs
tens of thousands,
cheering throngs
greeting him,
me, shooting pictures
in a scene
from Lord Jim.
Another day, night
underground.
White bright lights -
Taipei subway,
subway.
Two guys, guitars
singing.
Where?
There.
Nowhere.
Taipei subway
to a night game
of the
The Taipei Subway Twins
4 color,
4 color,
4 color.
Copyright Mike Marcellino, 2007/2011
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