Taiwan blues fest signs Gillette, Géant

"This will be the first in a series of twice-yearly blues festivals, with many ancilliary events designed to promote the blues as well as promote the products of our sponsors," said Douglas Charles Rapier, the event's main organiser. The organisers hope to attract between 5,000 and 7,000 people to the event, which will be held in Taichung in March. Admission will be free, with costs covered by municipal and corporate sponsorship. Rapier also plans to hold a raffle for prizes worth over US$10,000 at the event, which he aims to make the largest in East Asia. "We are confident that this goal can be attained within the next five years with the active participation of our corporate sponsors," he said. Andreas Vogiatzakis, CEO of MindShare and Maxus in Taiwan, said the dearth of music festivals on the island should help make the Blues & Bar-B-Q show a regular fixture. "If this works well, it could get a life of its own and expand to other genres as it grows," Vogiatzakis said. "I believe this will be one of the success stories." Rapier, who founded the Taiwan Blues Society in August, has so far succeeded in recruiting around 400 members, half of whom are Taiwanese. He is also organising a blues competition in Taiwan, with sponsors paying for the winner to represent Taiwan in the International Blues Challenge, a competition staged in Memphis. March's show will be headlined by the Joanna Connor Band from Chicago, with support from performers from Taiwan, Thailand and Europe.