The Dirty Three play Tokyo (updated)
One of Australia’s finest musical exports, the elegantly ramshackle DIRTY THREE are gonna play 2 shows in Tokyo at the end of June.
UPDATE!!!! Wednesdays Shibuya O-NEST show is sold out but Thursdays show at LUSH still has tickets, you can email to reserve them at ticket2 at toos.co.jp in English. Not sure how many are left but if you get in fast you may be lucky (we were…)
More details in the ‚Äúread more‚Äù link….
The Photography Channel
The Photography Channel is a fantastic website full of short video doco’s about some of the worlds best photographers and historical events they’ve covered. My personal fave so far was the 4:32 clip about the Lost Boys of Sudan, as told by Magnum photographer Eli Reed. Powerful stuff. Go check it out. Think I’ll try to squeeze one in a day until I’ve seen them all.
Technorati Tags: photography, photographychannel, documentaries, video, web
Listening to….
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Create your own Music List @ HotFreeLayouts!
I wanted to add Tunng too but the database didn’t have the album cover, and being such a fan of symmetry I couldn’t cope with the white space it left. Love me some Tunng. Or is it Tuung?
Walking from Shibuya to Daikanyama
These pics were taken yesterday evening as I walked from Shibuya to Daikanyama for the Snow Patrol show (which I didn’t end up getting into because I’m a moron and didn’t get round to buying advance tickets.)
Miaou, Qua and Pan American
Last night Christian (in a very last minute decision) and I went to Shibuya O-Nest for a night of most excellent music.
I have written about Miaou before and I go to most of their shows when I can. They played beautifully, as always. They are such dedicated musicians and such sweet people it’s always great to watch them play.
Qua is one guy – Cornel Wilczek, who also plays in the wonderful Melbourne band, Architecture in Helsinki. He played an amazing set of hypnotic blips and bleeps and beautiful sounds, all accompanied by some of the most original and exciting visuals I’ve see in a long time. AWESOME. Very Melbourne. Very professional. Nice guy. That’s him playing in the photo above.
Pan American is the project for Labradford member, Mark Nelson’s experiments into the world of electronic music. He is signed to Kranky so you can read more about him there. I did find this quote:
Fred Mills wrote in the June/July issue of Magnet that
“Nelson has a wraithlike quality; sometimes he lurks, but you always sense his presence, a deeply haunting one that’s resonant on the purest of emotional levels. This is the first unassailably great album of the century.”
Don’t know about the great album of the century bit but he certainly made me cry (in a good way). I told him that as we both came out of the bathrooms at the same time, and he laughed and patted my back. I think he was stoked. I would have taken a picture of his set, but it was all dark and atmospheric and photos would have been a waste of time. It was all about the sounds.
Shibuya O-Nest is an excellent venue for small events, and the best part is that there is a cool little lounge upstairs (actually the venues entrance) where the bands, crew and punters all usually end up mingling after the show.
The night was made *truly* great with the discovery of a poster in the elevator announcing that the most-played artist in my iTunes collection – Jimmy LaValle’s The Album Leaf will be playing there on January 23rd. Beam me straight to the future Scotty. Let the big one come AFTER the 23rd! I will die a satisfied woman.
A little bit of rock action
Screamfeeder and The What’s playing at Shimokitazawa Era Monday night. A most excellent night was had by all. Tim and Dean have now jetted off to the UK for some The What’s shows and Kellie is in Hiroshima for a few days but back for the weekend before heading out Sunday. I think I drank more beer and cointreau in the last week than I did in the whole month before and am feeling all the worse for it now – add in the food poisoning from the bad bloody mary on the weekend, and the little cold I have now and you can understand why I’m ready to crawl into my futon and curl up with my powerbook and a good movie in a dark room. BUT! I just got an email from my server hosts telling me that Gallery 2 is now available in the Fantastico add-ons in my C-Panel. Oh god that is such good news, I just haven’t been able to face the job of installing it myself. So I’m going to have a go at this gallery 2 business right now. Hope I don’t start pulling my hair out! Actually, on second thoughts, maybe I should just crawl into my futon. There is one more post I want to make tonight though… so without further ado…..
Screamfeeder in Tokyo
Screamfeeder arrived at my place at 5.30 am Saturday morning and collapsed into three waiting futons after a couple of shows (Kyoto and a The Whats show in Shinjuku) and all-nighters rendered them utterly exhausted. There is a typhoon floating around which made staying at home all day in jammies drinking coffee and listening to music completely justifiable. It was great to catch up on all the news and gossip and just hang out with some good ‘ol home town crew. They are such lovely people.
We did manage to haul our arses into Shibuya last night for Miaou‘s CD launch at O-East. Miaou played the best gig I’ve ever seen them play, and to the biggest crowd I’ve seen at O-East (and at a Miaou show) and I got teary with pride as the crowd actually whooped and hollered between songs (something pretty unheard of at mellow music shows in Tokyo).
In the post-show melee, I got all celebratory and ordered a Bloody Mary which ended up having tomato juice which probably should have been thrown out that day. Within an hour of drinking it my stomach was pulling some pretty
interesting moves all on its own… So yeah, it’s been a pretty quiet day for me today.
The photos show Tim, Dean and Kellie Screamfeeder heading off for their show tonight in Kumagaya – some far away province… they are sleeping at the venue (again). It’s hard to tour Japan on a shoestring. But damn they’ll have some stories for the grandkids.
Video experiments: Shinjuku Buskers
I’ve been playing with imovie, lots of fun. This is a video (please click on the image) I shot with the Canon G3 a while back – an avante garde punk street performer/poseur (?) in Shinjuku, bloody funny. Please let me know if you have any problems with this file. I made it as small as I could – around 1.4 MG so I fear it’s pretty compressed and grainy. Hard to see the breakneck speed with which she was banging her head.
Update: I have uploaded a 2.7 MG version too, for those of you with fat connections.
Update: I recieved this email from a reader a while back:
I just thought I should add, if you didn’t know, that this is a man who calls himself Maria Cross… or techniqually it is the name of his ”band”. I am living in Tokyo for a few months and met Maria in this same spot at the East Exit of Shinjuku station. He is actually a very nice person and I have gone to his concert in a small live house. Just didn’t want everyone to think he was a woman. ^__^ In fact, I found this site by looking for a picture of him to show someone. Enjoy your time in Tokyo!!! If you go see him again, chances are you’ll see me there dancing too!!
Screamfeeder tour Japan and Miaou launch their new album
This is a dedicated music post. Yay for music. Read on….
An evening with the Bondi Tsunami crew
Rachel Lucas, Anthony Lucas-Smith and Taki Abe from Bondi Tsunami
I’ve been having a pretty fun weekend, and I actually managed an all-nighter on Friday night. And I thought I was getting too old for all that crap! He he. No way, I had a ball. I finally got to see Bondi Tsunami, the Australian Japanese surfing road film I mentioned here. There was a party screening and follow-up Q & A with the director, Rachel Lucas, the producer, Anthony Lucas-Smith, and main character, Taki Abe at Super-Deluxe in Roppongi.
Woo-hoo, the Kong is in the house!
We finally get a glimpse of what Peter jackson and his formidable team have been working on for the past year – go take a look at the trailer for King Kong. You can also visit the official website and Kong is king.net is well worth a visit for lots of behind the scenes gossip.
To be honest, I suspect this is gonna be the most expensive B-grade movie ever made. Looks delightfully schlocky, complete with bad zombie-ific island natives and lots of Jurassic Park-esque snarling T-Rex’s in battle…. Let us not forget Mr Jacksons true filmic roots and please don’t expect another LOTR timeless classic. See it with tongue firmly in cheek coz that’s the way it’s *lovingly* being made. It will be a timeless classic in its own way.
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.
all which isn’t singing is mere talking
all which isn’t singing is mere talking
and all talking’s talking to oneself
(whether that oneself be sought or seeking
master or disciple sheep or wolf)
gush to it as diety or devil
-toss in sobs and reasons threats and smiles
name it cruel fair or blessed evil-
it is you (ne i)nobody else
drive dumb mankind dizzy with haranguing
-you are deafened every mother’s son-
all is merely talk which isn’t singing
and all talking’s to oneself alone
but the very song of(as mountains
feel and lovers)singing is silence
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Another one by the master, e. e. cummings. He prefers no capitals.
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.
Design Festa Vol 19 – 2004 Spring
Finally got around to putting up a little gallery from the recent Tokyo Design Festa Vol 19. Yet to come, some photos from a selection of beautiful Butoh Performances from the same festa. One day…
