Having formed for over 20 years, the Chairman is certainly the symbol of tenderhearted macho men in modern days.
Text by Roy Dai
Translated by Eli
Formed in 1997, the Chairman has released 11 albums in total. The band currently consists of lead vocalist Ji Dong, guitarist Bai Dong, bassist Jun Dong, drummer Micky, guitarist Xiao Hao and percussionist Jin Gang. Having formed for over 20 years, the band had built up an image of tough guys and sung numerous emotional love songs in the style of Taiwanese rock. They tackled sensitive topics by writing with humorous metaphors, and you could hear those metaphors in songs like “Free Ranger (假漂泊的人)”, “Lethal Lover (愛你我會死)” and “Do You Understand (你袂了解)”. The band is certainly the symbol of tenderhearted macho men in modern days.
The band released its 20th anniversary album “The Boyhood of Chairman” in 2016. The album is like a memoir of our youthful and wild adolescence. It recorded various defining songs from 1933 to 1992. They re-produced the arrangements, recordings and even collaborated with symbolic singers like Huang Ke Lin (黃克林), Ye Qi Tian (葉啟田), Ardor Huang (流氓阿德), Ayugo Huang (黃連煜), Wang Mon Ling (王夢麟), Wen Hsia (文夏), Lee Ping-Hui (李炳輝), Liu Fu Zhu (劉福助), Sasha Li (李婭莎), etc. This collaboration reflects the track of the times, adding a layer of profoundness and stories to Taiwanese songs.
The Chairman's latest album The Boyhood of Chairman was released in 2016. Lots of symbolic singers were invited to collaborate with them on re-arranging and recording some of the best classic Taiwanese songs.
For long, the Chairman has been playing at parades, baseball games, different towns and schools and any other situations where they can perform, make influences and put their effort into charity. Their music is not the soft and healing kind, it’s not even sentimental. However, if you listen carefully, you would find a stream of pure warmth springing out of the melody, giving you the strength of the rock spirit.
The Chairman | Profile
● Discography
Do You Understand (2000)
TW2 (2001)
Eleven Tai (2002)
Guan Yu's latest album Solo Flight (2003)
Looking for a New World (2005)
Jin Ei Ah Gey Ei (2006)
Spend All of His Money (2008)
The Gods Bless Taiwan (2010)
One Life (2013)
One World (2014)
The Boyhood of Chairman (2016)● Accolades
"Band of the Year", 17th Golden Melody Awards
"Best Taiwanese Album", 18th Golden Melody Awards
"Best Rock Album", 2th Golden Indie Melody Awards
"Best Electronic Single", 2th Golden Indie Melody Awards
"Best Live Performance", 3th Golden Indie Melody Awards
