Johnny Hi-Fi get serious ...

New York rockers Johnny Hi-Fi may be an independent band, but that doesn't mean they're satisfied with remaining underground.

The band, who supported Taiwanese rock star Chang Cheng-yue during his 2004 Kill Kitty tour of the US, have been together in various forms since 1999, but have only operated as a serious business this year.

'As you get older, you become more responsible and, in a way, more entrepreneurial,' says Taiwan-born frontman Eric Hsu, who is the band's songwriter. 'Now, we're treating [the band] as a real business and think maybe we can make a profit from it.

'We're not trying to write mainstream pop songs. We're not trying to follow or copy what's on the radio right now. Our songs are original. As far as everything that people can see on the surface, we want to make it as appealing as we can.'

Johnny Hi-Fi, described as 'the American Coldplay' by some fans, create a form of melodic rock inspired by Asian pop music as well as Brit-pop.

The band's name comes from a combination of the first name of Radiohead guitarist Johnny Greenwood and the abbreviation for high-fidelity music. They're launching their self-financed Asia tour by headlining this Saturday's HK Live! They'll be supported by local all-female country band the Shotgun She-Ras and emo quartet the Lovesong.

It's the second time the band have played in Asia after they rocked Taipei last year. For this tour they'll play seven shows in four cities, including Taipei, Tokyo and Beijing.