Art of Fighting in Japan
OK, one last mention – tonight is the first of two shows here in Tokyo for Art Of Fighting, click below for details. And they are going to Kyoto and Osaka too, so Kansai folk can check them out too.
Sekidens’ Junior Fiction in Japan
There is nothing like the warm inner glow of finding your friends’ (and former clients) bands’ CD’s in the shelves in Shibuya’s Tower Records.
Go Pete
My buddy Pete Murray has been nominated for not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4 but 5 Aria’s at this years Australian Record Industry Awards:
Pete’s chart-topping album ‘Feeler’ is still hanging around the ARIA Top 20, more than a year since its release. The ARIA’s have recognised his huge achievement with five nominations at this year’s awards including Best Male Artist, Single Of The Year ‘So Beautiful’, Best Pop Release, ‘So Beautiful’ Highest Selling Album ‘Feeler’ and Best Music DVD ‘Passing Time’.
He’s even been a guest programmer on Rage. I have countless memories of him sitting on the back verandah playing me a new song/s over a beer or three. I’m so proud I could cry. I always knew he’d make it.
Keeping abreast of the times
Street art in Naka Meguro
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All is OM
Last Sunday was also rainy in Tokyo. But I was determined to catch my friend from home, Shen play a show. Shen was part of the travelling posse in my trip to Varanasi, Spiti Valley and Dharamsala, and he is a serious Tabla student. Anyway, he is based here in Tokyo now for a while and I haven’t had a chance to catch up with him for almost 3 years. He played as part of a classical Indian Concert at The Edogawa Heisei garden source heart hermitage in Kita Kasai. It was a beautiful show.
more photos here.
Gocoo Taiko
Gocoo are an astonishing contemporary Taiko band. I saw them play at the Coo festival out at Higashi Yamato Humming Hall a weeks or so ago. Quite mind blowing, hope these photos do them some justice.
vanity @ la fabrique, shibuya
received this email from my buddy sev in brisbane about a party in shibuya. i like this international cosmopolitan coolness of getting stuff in my mailbox – all the way from brisbane – about cool stuff happening in my neighbourhood!
“…dont miss the broken glass, crashing airplanes, cities burning, and the best (and only) no wave party in the big smoke.” (FROM ROKIT MAGAZINE)
ABIKYOKAN play vanity at La Fabrique in Shibuya Tokyo JULY 24th – doors open 23.00pm
(supporting Stockholm Film Group)
Abi and Kyokan are two of the eight burning hells in Buddhist mythology – an accurate description of this uncompromising Tokyo 4 piece. A fluid loopbased electro shock soundclash between Can, Suicide and the Talking Heads . . .
ABIKYOKAN are
Jake Arntson – guitar
Ben Frost – vocals
Grant Mcgaheran – synthesizer/samples
Tatsumi Ochai – sequencer/guitar
STOCKHOLM FILM GROUP (NEIGHBOURHOOD THREAT)
SOMEWHERE BETWEEN NEW ORDER AND CHICKS ON SPEED WITH A VELVET UNDERGROUND AESTHETIC: DEADPAN FEMALE VOCALS AND RIFF GUITAR MEETS SYNTH PUNK/POP AND NUELECTRO BEATS (rokit magazine)
with DJ’s :
DUCK ROCK (DUCK ROCK MUSEUM)
“ALL THE ROCKERS LINE UP ON THE DANCEFLOOR”
THE NARCISSIST (EDDIE VAN NARC)
“HE WEARS SUNGLASSES AT NIGHT. DEATH DISKO FROM NEW YORK”
ROMANCE FOR CASH (NEW82)
“DFA ROCKERS VS. NOW WAVE NEW GLAM”
NICE
“TOKYO’S ELECTRO GOLDENBOY”
VANITY is a monthly gig at La Fabrique – visit the site for directions, details and DISCOUNT ENTRY code words
ABIKYOKAN LIVE at VANITY
SATURDAY
JULY 24TH, 23:00 doors open
LA FABRIQUE (shibuya)
Door-3000円/1D W/Flyer-2500円/1D
1500/1D DISCOUNT!!!!
don’t forget NO ID no ENTRY !!
friday night in the big city: erectornica
a great night if you’re into erectornica.
the japanese phonic system means there is a widespread inability within the general populace to differentiate between the sounds of L and R. makes for some great drunk moments. needless to say, tonight was one of those moments….
the music forest
ok, working through the backlog of photos and have just put up a new gallery from the kawaguchiko music box museum, also known as the music forest. it’s a kind of weird little slice of old world europe. surreal and fascinating. i put off visiting it until my last week in yamanashi-ken but i’m glad that i finally did get around to seeing it.
worlds best album covers
juggs sent me some fab album covers. my fave? JOYCE!!!! love the fab homo erotic pieces, and the quasi-innocence of Joyce and The Church Group….
sorry to those of you who have been having troubles finding my site lately…. my lovely and very reliable server hosts, earth first in new zealand, have been the target of a series of vicious hack attacks. well actually, one of the sites they host is the target, but of course, the server is the host and so…. been very frustrating for me, coz not only have i been unable to access my blog (which is web based) but also unable to work on my new look galleries (which are also web based). most of the pics are uploaded but the captions are yet to be finished… i will try very hard to have them finished this weekend, i promise.
on top of the site problems, my internet provider here, yahoo BB, has been particularly troublesome this week. intermittent connection – something which happens for about 10 days every 6 weeks or so. maybe they are still setting up their lines and not upgrading their service quickly enough? who knows. but it really pisses me off. i sent an irate email to them last time and they made a series of excuses including “it’s probably your fault”, but it stopped happening the next day…. untill this week.
this afternoon i’m heading into shinjuku to participate in this months photo expedition with the “japan photographers” group. bit nervous, many of them are professionals. but it’ll be great to meet a bunch of like minded folk who are passionate about photography. i feel like such a novice when i read their emails. massive learning curve!
the frangipani gig guide of pain and deprivation
here’s the frangipani gig guide of countryside deprivation…. shows i’ll be missing over the coming 2 months because
(1) i live in the (lovely) country 110-ish minutes from tokyo and
(2) work till 9:15 pm monday to fridays for a small school in a small town, with only one backup part time native english speaking teacher who is notoriously unreliable and elusive (a californian surfer).
the school tends to fall apart if one of us gaijins are “sick”… nevertheless, i just may have to fall sick on the 5th of november. see if you can pick the show…
B.R.M.C. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
10/21 (Tue) @ Club Quattro, Osaka
(06) 6281-8181
10/22 (Wed) @ Club Quattro, Nagoya
(052) 264-8211
10/24 (Fri) @ Zepp Tokyo
(03) 5466-0777
Open 18:00/Start 19:00/•6,000 (1 Drink)
CATO SALSA EXPERIENCE/THE MOONEY SUZUKI
11/7(Fri) @ Liquid Room, Tokyo
(03) 3444-6751
11/9 (Sun) @ Club Quattro, Nagoya
(052) 264-8211
11/10 (Mon) @ Club Quattro, Osaka
(06) 6535-5569
Open 18:00/Start 19:00/•5,800
THE COOPER TEMPLE CLAUSE
10/11 (Sat) @ Big Cat, Osaka
(06) 6535-5569
10/13 (Mon) @ Bottom Line, Nagoya
(052) 936-6041
10/15 (Wed) & 16 (Thu) @ Liquid Room, Tokyo
(03) 3444-6751
Open 18:00/Start 19:00/•6,000
ELVIS COSTELLO
10/1 (Wed) & 2 (Thu) @ Tokyo Geijutsu Gekijou Dai-Hall, Tokyo
(03) 3444-6751
10/4 (Sat) @ Osaka Sankei Hall, Osaka
(06) 6535-5569
Open 18:00/Start 19:00/•7,000
ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN
11/10 (Mon) @ Ebisu The Garden Hall, Tokyo
Open 18:00/Start 19:00/•6,500
(03) 3444-6751
FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE
New York-based power pop quartet
10/1 (Wed) @ Liquid Room, Tokyo
Open 18:00/Start 19:00/•5,500
(03) 5466-0777
10/2 (Thu) @ Club Quattro, Nagoya
Open 18:00/Start 19:00/•5,500 (1 Drink)
(052) 264-8211
10/5 (Sun) @ Club Citta, Tokyo
Open 17:00/Start 18:00/•5,500
(03) 5466-0777
10/6 (Mon) @ Club Quattro, Osaka
Open 18:00/Start 19:00/•5,500 (1 Drink)
(06) 6281-8181
MANDO DIAO
11/10 (Mon) & 11 (Tue) @ Club Quattro, Tokyo
(03) 5466-0777
11/13 (Thu) @ Club Quattro, Nagoya
(052) 264-8211
11/14 (Fri) Club Quattro, Osaka
(06) 6281-8181
11/15 (Sat) @ Drum Logos, Fukuoka
(092) 714-0159
Open 18:00/Start 19:00/•5,800 (1 Drink)
THE WHITE STRIPES
10/21 (Tue) & 22 (Wed) @ Shibuya-Ax, Tokyo
(03) 3444-6751
10/23 (Thu) @ Club Quattro, Nagoya
(052) 264-8211
10/25 (Sat) @ Drum Logos, Fukuoka
(092) 771-9009
10/26 (Sun) @ Club Quattro, Hiroshima
(082) 542-2280
10/27 (Mon) @ Namba Hatch, Osaka
(06) 6535-5569
Open 18:00/Start 19:00/•6,000
YEAH YEAH YEAHS/LIARS
Garage rock revivalists
10/1 (Wed) @ Club Quattro, Nagoya
(052) 264-8211
10/2 (Thu) @ Club Quattro, Osaka
(06) 6535-5569
10/3 (Fri) @ Drum Logos, Fukuoka
(092) 771-9009
10/6 (Mon) @ Shibuya-Ax, Tokyo
(03) 3444-6751
Open 18:00/Start 19:00/•6,000
YO LA TENGO
11/29 (Sat) @ Club Ba-Coo, Fukuoka
(092) 771-9009
12/1 (Mon) @ Club Quattro, Nagoya
(052) 264-8211
12/2 (Tue) @ Club Quattro, Osaka
(06) 6535-5569
12/3 (Wed) & 4 (Thu) @ Club Quattro, Tokyo
(03) 3444-6751
Open 18:00/Start 19:00/•5,500 (1 Drink)
MOGWAI
11/5 (Wed) & 6 (Thu) @ Shibuya-Ax, Tokyo
(03) 3444-6751
11/8 (Sat) @ Drum Logos, Fukuoka
(092) 771-9009
11/9 (Fri) @ Club Quattro, Hiroshima
(082) 542-2280
11/10 (Mon) @ On-Air, Osaka
(06) 6535-5569
11/11 (Tue) @ Bottom Line, Nagoya
(052) 936-6041
Open 18:00/Start 19:00/•5,800
i’m lucky I got to see The Yeah Yeah Yeahs when they supported um… someone… in Australia last year, they were awesome. better than the headline act. other acts (not all to my tastes) coming through before the end of the year include CHRISTINA AGUILERA (ho hum); THE ALL-AMERICAN REJECTS; ANDREW W. K.; THE BLUETONES; BOOMKAT; MICHELLE BRANCH; BRIAN SETZER ORCHESTRA; BUFFALO DAUGHTER; ERIC CLAPTON; THE DARKNESS; CRAIG DAVID; ELECTRIC SIX; LESS THAN JAKE; LINKIN PARK; METALLICA; MEW; MIS-TEEQ; A PERFECT CIRCLE; SANTANA; SUPER FURRY ANIMALS; LEEROY THORNHILL (ex prodigy); THE WILDHEARTS; and ZEBRAHEAD. and that’s just the bands! the dance world is equally as exciting.
i can’t wait to live in tokyo. goddamn spoilt for choice. something for everyone.
