OOIOO/Pixel Tan/Avey Tare & Panda Bear--Brownies--3/20/01
I decided it would probably
be a good idea to see the acts booked with OOIOO, thinking they might prove
quite interesting. Wrong!
OOIOO finally came on. Now,
I was expecting a BOREDOMS spinoff to sound reminiscent of THE BOREDOMS, and
the earlier material I had heard by this band did. The four women who took the
stage played traditional rock instruments, in a traditional rock set-up. The
only departure from that was Yoshimi occasionally added a trumpet to the sound.
Sometimes the traditional instruments didn’t sound traditional, effects
making things sound like techno keyboards and such; but largely, it was a very
straightforward presentation of a very unique band. The music had a wide range
of influences, and seemed to be an offbeat pop music for a new age. There were
very beautiful, very serene moments, offset by some upbeat rockin’. Jazz
entered into the mix, as did traditional ethnic musics, and spacy progressive
music; but all of it was combined in a warm, pleasant sound, that, for now,
defies any overall definition. It was well-worth experiencing.
OOIOO/Kim Gordon with Ikue Mori & Jim O’Rourke/Disfunctionixs--Knitting
Factory--11/12/04
Unlike DISFUNCTIONIXS and
Kim Gordon’s crew, OOIOO played a good long set, and the shortness of the
previous sets made the length of this one especially delicious. OOIOO didn’t
seem to have as wide a range as the last time I saw them, having trimmed some
of the technology from their sound, but there was still a good deal of variety.
They started the set off with just the drummer pounding out a tribal rhythm
as the two guitarists and bassist did a kind of chanting, call and response
thing, that may have been Japanese, but was more likely a language invented
by Yoshimi herself. It went on for quite a while, and was a wonderful way to
start things off. There were so many lyrics involved in the chanting poetics,
they each had lyric sheets taped to their microphone stands just for that one
song. The drummer was impressive throughout. Besides a full set of drums, she
also had a couple of conga drums which she often played, along with some of
the other drums, with her bare hands. Principally, it was her drumming that
gave the set its tribal culture sound. The bassist often kept things quite simple,
but when she began repeating one of her funky riffs, which she would do exactly
the same way each time, a good number of people in the audience would immediately
begin bouncing. Both the guitarists seemed to mostly stick to single note runs,
rather than chords, often playing them high up on the neck. It was an interesting
approach, and Yoshimi added some rousing trumpet, and a melodica, a keyboard
powered by air from a tube she blew into, to expand the variety of the band’s
sounds. I noticed influences from jazz, funk, rock, primitive tribal, and soul,
and there was a certain jamming to the sound, but more because of its constant
pulse than any real improvisation. Somehow it all seemed to fit into a style
I’ll call modernized South Pacific Island. The entire set was delightful,
and thoroughly entertained the sold out crowd of New York island natives and
visitors. When OOIOO returned for their encore they launched into the hardest
rocking song of the set, but soon slowed it down to a good, upbeat, rhythmic
chant. When they left the stage the second time, they left many of us cheering
with smiles on our faces.
OOIOO/I.U.D.--Knitting Factory--3/20/07
After waiting much too long in a
sold-out crowd whose voices were louder than the music, which usually I would
appreciate, but the music was old-style Japanese music and kind of interesting,
OOIOO finally emerged. OOIOO had two drummers tonight. They were both very good,
and had a wide variety of drums to bang away on. One of them even had two different
sets of conga drums. At one point, when one of the guitarists was having trouble
with her equipment, the drummers got onto their conga drums, and by the time
the equipment was fixed, they had the crowd whooping and hollering. Yoshimi
led her band through a wide variety of tribal songs, anthems, marches, and traditional
festive celebrations of sound. There were a wide variety of influences, the
most notable from Africa and Southeast Asia, but the music they were playing
tonight all came from Yoshimiland. With her guitar, a trumpet, and a small electronic
gadget, she led her band through a collection of traditional songs from a land
she had invented. She and her fellow guitarist often just played odd, repetitive
series of notes, using chords mostly as accents. The bassist kept things churning
underneath, often using short little slides and occasionally big swoops to give
her playing a very fluid sound. At one point, Yoshimi came to the microphone
to say, “Please, no flash.” I think she was actually talking to the
light operator, who had gone deliciously overboard on a very exciting tribal
celebration number. The new Knitting Factory stage-light array is rather spectacular,
and whoever was operating them was doing a fine job, though I could have done
with less lights shining directly out at the audience. At another point, Yoshimi
held her arm up and gave us a peace sign, holding it there for a good long time.
After easily over an hour of dramatic and original music, the band left the
stage. It took a little while to call them back, but the audience forcefully
did so with applause, whoops, and stomping. The encore was the national anthem
of Yoshimiland, with a heartfelt plea for unity, prosperity, and peace. For
the final number they did a reprise of one of the first songs of the set. It
was a rousing number for which Yoshimi once again brought out her trumpet. OOIOO
had kept us waiting, but had easily fulfilled all expectations of the sold-out
crowd.
Papaya Paranoia/Translove Airways--Luna Lounge--3/19/03
It wasn’t long before we
got Papaya Paranoia. Besides Yumiko Ishijima on vocals, and Michiko Morinaga
on bass, keyboards, laptop, and a few other contraptions, there was also a male
DJ. “Have you ever seen a Japanese DJ?” Yumiko asked, but they’re
not really so rare here. Unfortunately, a lot of TRANSLOVE AIRWAYS’ fans
had disappeared, and the remaining crowd was quite thin. Worse yet, when PAPAYA
PARANOIA started up they were shocked to find that the backing tracks from the
laptop were inaudible. The soundman was claiming that they were playing too
loud to get the backing tracks up loud enough to match them. Somehow they found
a way to do it, and while they were working on it, Yumiko entertained us by
telling us about their tour, and that this was their second appearance in New
York. I didn’t know, but they had played here eight years ago. They got
the laptop connection straightened out, and launched into a few upbeat dance
numbers. Yumiko is quite the performer. She was wearing what appeared to be
a fairly traditional kimono, except for the bare midriff. Michiko seemed to
be wearing a much more modern style dress out of the same material. She and
the DJ, who was wearing traditional Japanese clothing, concentrated on their
instruments and let Yumiko put on the show. That’s what she did, and she
did it well, dramatically waving her arms and gesturing in all directions. In
the middle of the set the songs became slower and more somber, which gave her
a chance to expressively use the fullness of her voice. The audience grew as
the set continued, and Yumiko successfully led several sing-alongs. They finished
off the set with a couple more up tempo numbers. PAPAYA PARANOIA is no longer
the four-piece rock band I was so impressed with, going now for more of a dance/club
sound. They continue to approach their sound in their own unique way, though,
and it was good to finally see them live. Yumiko’s spirited performance
left the small, enthusiastic crowd happy and smiling.
Peck You!!/Uncle Bob--CBGB Gallery--4/16/06
Peck You!! turned out to
be one guy on an Ovation guitar. He was a gentle, young man who told the small
number of people, in halting English, about how his aim with his songs was to
express himself honestly, and to bring us some beauty with his music. He opened
up the evening by telling us that he was enjoying his time in New York, and
that he liked some New Yorkers, but that there were some people in New York
who pissed him off. When asked who it was who pissed him off, he replied, “Some
people who work at Guitar Central, they have wrong attitude.” His music
was beautiful, and he sang his songs with passion and sincerity, usually closing
his eyes as he sang, to more truly connect with the music. His songs were all
in Japanese, but he told us that he hoped we would understand the feelings.
I was most impressed by his variety of picking styles. He really is a good guitarist,
and seemed a nice person, as well.
Japan-Smacksdown-NYC: Do Thank Anal/10 Yen Ana Kinoko/Petit
Mit/Bossston Cruising Mania/Electric Eel Shock/Techma/ Mong Hang--Continental--10/17/00
This show, apparently presented
by Micro Music who handed out a complimentary CD of their artists, was well
attended throughout the evening. About half the audience wasn’t Japanese
this time, which was nice to see, and Continental was the perfect club for this
event.
PETIT MIT were a DJ and two
female vocalists. The DJ wore a cape, spent almost the entire show holding a
rose, not always the same one, and not always just one. He also enjoyed sipping
wine in between his sampling, tape manipulations and singing stints. At first
I thought the young women were dressed as kappa, but I later decided they were
some kind of green bugs, with blonde(?) wigs. Their dance routines were almost
completely improvised on the spot, and their voices often seemed off-key, but
they were good sports and were definitely enjoying themselves. The wide variety
of styles, sounds and affects used in the odd, often bizarre songs, were quite
inventive, and I found myself enjoying the offbeat presentation. There was something
very unique going on, and it was lots of fun. I picked up their CD to see if
it works in the studio too.
Petty Booka/The Moonlighters--Fez--3/21/03
PETTY BOOKA came out in shiny
red, shin-length, hula skirts. They were backed by two guitarists, one seated
playing a resonator guitar face up on his lap, and a stand-up bass. I don’t
remember any of them doing anything especially amazing, but they were obviously
all very good musicians. The two women, whom Michiko suggested were Petty and
Booka, both played ukuleles with some kind of pick-up. Their ukulele playing
was OK, but mostly they just strummed along. Their voices were nice, though,
and their choice of songs was designed to please everyone. They opened up with
‘Ukulele Lady’, and followed that with ‘Do You Wanna Dance?’
It wasn’t long before they told us that when they thought of New York,
they thought of THE RAMONES, and proceeded to play ‘I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend’,
though, of course, they sang it “Girlfriend”. I was enjoying myself,
and the crowd was quite appreciative of their music and their charm. It was
when they began dipping into Patsy Cline, and Connie Francis tunes, basically
a section of music I’m not terribly familiar with, that I noticed that,
though their range of material was unbelievably wide, they basically were doing
all these songs in a very similar style, leading me to believe that no matter
what style of song they play, it becomes a PETTY BOOKA song when they play it.
The great majority of people there seemed to think that was just fine, so, of
course, it was. They closed the set with ‘Que Sera Sera’ and ‘The
Tide Is High’. I really didn’t think, as they walked off the stage,
that they’d be coming back, but an enthusiastic call for an encore brought
them back to perform one song alone, which I believe they called ‘Tiki
Torches Of Twilight’. I doubt if it was an original, but it sounded like
it could have been, and with lines about executives barfing in their cars, it
was kind of wonderfully wry, especially from these two young women strumming
along on their ukuleles. Their band joined them again, and they closed with
a slow song called ‘Adios’. Petty sang it, and did a wonderful job.
It was heartfelt and beautiful, and the kind of song it would have been hard
to top. PETTY BOOKA are not my cup of tea, but they’re impressively unique,
and almost impossible to dislike. The merchandise table was still seeing a good
amount of action when I left.
Japanese Girls Samurai Tour ‘04: Bleach/Petty Booka/Noodles/Kokeshi
Doll--Knitting Factory Tap Room--3/23/04
Next up was PETTY BOOKA, accompanied
by a lone acoustic guitarist, who sat behind them on a small Fender amplifier
with one leg crossed over the other. Petty and Booka were dressed in cowboy
outfits this time, complete with chaps, kerchiefs and cowboy hats. The outfits
probably meant more to the denizens of Austin, Texas, but even in New York they
maintained a certain stylish flair. Again the pair played through a wide variety
of material and made it all their own. My personal favorite was their marvelous
rewrite of Roger Miller’s ‘King Of The Road’ into an ode for
a modern housewife, ‘Queen Of The Home’. Once again they catered to
their New York audience by covering The RAMONES’ ‘I Wanna Be Your
Boyfriend’ with a slight change to ‘I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend’,
but they easily got the biggest response and the most applause for their cover
of Cyndi Lauper’s ‘Girls Just Want To Have Fun’. Regularly, they
showed us that they can actually play those ukuleles, and amazingly, had no
trouble at all entertaining a room full of rockers, and doing it with their
smiles and their good spirits as much as with the music itself. The guitarist
was very good and helped them out quite a bit, but by the end of the set I was
willing to bet they could have done it on their own.
Petty Booka/Gaijin A Go Go/Titan Go Kings/Tsu Shi Ma Mi Re/Puppypet--Sin-é--3/21/05
Some nights are just so good, they
remind you of how good life can sometimes be. Tonight was a night like that.
Thank you Audrey Kimura, Benten, and Sin-é. Japan Girls Nite U.S. Tour
2005 was a wonderful celebration of life. The highlights (along with the bands)
included Audrey pinning a pin on my shirt when I first arrived, a fan of Rock
of Japan coming up and thanking me, and a very nice conversation with Mari,
of TSU SHI MA MI RE, and Kazuya, of THE EMERALDS, who are also currently touring
the U.S. from Japan. It was a wonderful evening.
When the door opened and I could
hear that PETTY BOOKA had begun their set, I thanked Mari, of TSU SHI MA MI
RE, and Kazuya, from THE EMERALDS, and made my way back into the club, and up
to the stage. Petty and Booka were performing alone this time, and though their
previous accompanists had been very skilled, and done wonderful jobs, seeing
them accompanying themselves with just their two ukuleles was magical, because
they are so good on their instruments, they don’t need any help. Listening
to their finger-picking, and the intricacies of their arrangements I couldn’t
help but get the idea that the former accompanists had been hiding PETTY BOOKA’s
technical skills. During the musical breaks, and often at other times, Petty
and Booka are doing different things on their instruments that play off of,
and interweave with each other. Their repartee with the audience seemed to have
improved, as well. Petty did most of the talking, and was quite funny, in a
down to earth, matter of fact, way. When introducing a RAMONES song, ‘Rockaway
Beach’, she suggested that she and Booka should both stand like Joey Ramone
while they sang the song, and they repositioned their microphone stands, so
that they could play that song with one leg extended in front of them. They
followed that up with ‘I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend’, though, of course,
they sang it “I wanna be your girlfriend”. Some of the other songs
I remember include, in no particular order, ‘The Tide Is High’, ‘Girls
Just Want To Have Fun’, ‘Cowboy Hula Song’, ‘Que Sera Sera’,
‘Rainy Night In Georgia’, and there were a good number more. I’m
not sure why, but I easily enjoyed this PETTY BOOKA show more than either of
the other performances I’ve seen them do. They seem to be getting better,
and more comfortable, and for the first time, I really felt quite caught up
in their set, as, obviously, most of the audience did, because Sin-é
was still filled with people when GAIJIN A GO GO began to take their places
on the stage. Petty and Booka put down their ukuleles, and did a slightly saucy
dance routine as GAIJIN A GO GO accompanied them on their last song. It was
the same type of shallow groove that GAIJIN A GO GO had played throughout their
set, but Petty and Booka’s vocals added a certain soulfullness, and a sassy
sax solo and hot guitar solo both added some real gusto to the proceedings,
bringing a wonderful evening to a fittingly classy conclusion.
Japan Nite: The Beaches/Detroit7/Ketchup Mania/Petty Booka/The
Emeralds/Scandal--Knitting Factory--3/16/08
It was another great night of
Japanese rock ‘n’ roll brought to us by Audrey Kimura and Benten/Sister
Records. They sold out and Knitting Factory was jam-packed with smiling, happy
people who knew they weren’t gonna get another onslaught of Japanese rock
like this until Japan Nite rolls around again next year. Oh yes, and, of course,
all the bands told us they loved New York.
Next up were the new, revamped PETTY
BOOKA. Apparently Audrey Kimura found two new girls to be Petty and Booka, and
do the old PETTY BOOKA ukulele duo schtick. Tonight they were supported by an
accoustic guitarist, and an amazing mandolin player who just seemed to be able
to do anything. Throughout, Petty and Booka strummed their ukuleles and sang
a wide variety of songs. Generally, they would sing a verse, and then the mandolin
player would play an amazing lead. They would sing the next verse, and then
he’d play another amazing lead. Petty and Booka were dressed in matching
cowgirl outfits, and even had matching cowboy hats and matching haircuts. They
spoke to us with an exagerated cuteness, but I believe they both had stronger
vocals than the original PETTY BOOKA, and I was impressed. The songs I remember
were THE KINKS’ ‘Come Dancing’, ‘Ukulele Lady’, ‘Que
Sera Sera’, ‘Don’t Rock The Jukebox’, and a GRATEFUL DEAD
cover, ‘Friend Of The Devil’, which, surprisingly, seemed to get more
recognition and support from the crowd than any of their other songs. I enjoyed
their set, and the mandolin player was amazing!
Benten Tokyo Presents Japan Nite: Tsu Shi Ma Mi Re/Pe´z/Ellegarden/Stance
Punks/The Rodeo Carburettor/The Emeralds--Knitting Factory--3/20/06
Australian Cattle God Records have
started up a side label for Japanese bands, apparently in connection with Benten/Sister
Records, called Benten Tokyo Records. This tour is kind of an announcement of
that, with TSU SHI MA MI RE, who are already signed to Cattle God Records, headlining
the bill. The audience was evenly mixed between Japanese and caucasians, and
many of them were much younger than are usually seen at these shows, which is
certainly a positive thing. Six Japanese bands in a row! Oh, and almost every
band made a point of letting us know that they, “Love New York!” I’m
exhausted, and I’ve only just begun writing.
Perhaps because of the age of many
of the audience, many of them had left by the time PE´ Z, apparently pronounced
like the unaccented candy, began to play. Generally, I wouldn’t write about
them at all, because they’re not a rock band, but here they were playing
with a bunch of rock bands, and I do try to cover a wide variety of music. So
I’ll make an exception for them. They’re a jazz band consisting of
a trumpet, a saxophone, a stand-up bass, and a lively keyboard player in a derby.
The man with the trumpet described their sound as “somewhat jazz”,
but it fit easily into the jazz realm in my book. An occasional shouted accent
were the only vocals. The songs were led by the horns, but the keyboardist,
either seemed to be burying his derby in the keyboards, or hovering about them
strangely and banging out the rhythm by feel. At times what he played was very
smooth, at other times he seemed to be intentionally going against the grain
of the tune. Everyone else in the band played the tunes very correctly, and
the musicians were all top-notch. The most wonderful surprise was that every
tune they played was uptempo. Most of the bands tonight had one slower number,
to show their versatility, I guess, but PE´ Z kept things hopping at a
good pace throughout their set.
Dynamite Club/Ghost Cubes/Picarince/Guva--Delancey--2/19/05
The Picarince were up next, and
they were amazing. They’re a trio who had changed into kimonos for their
set, and play a very unique traditionally inspired music. Sometimes the respect
for its origins overshadows the vocals of the songs, but at other times a true
joyfullness was obvious while they sang. All three took turns singing lead,
and all three sang well. The highlights of their songs, though, were often during
the musical breaks when the guitarist would let loose an often intricate lead.
While she plays these hot leads, she smiles broadly, and jerks her head and
shoulders back and forth. In these moments, she and the band take the songs
firmly into the realms of rock. She’s a very good guitarist, with a style
nearly as unique as the band itself. The bassist is quite good, as well, and
played a flute during the intro of one song. The drummer, not really in the
same class as her partners, still manages to do a fine job, and provides a good
variety of sounds and beats. Though all the songs began, and most ended, in
a very traditional influenced style, there was a good amount of range in their
material, from slow moody ballads, to tribal chanting, and energetic dance beats.
Their use of a traditional approach is wonderfully unique, and gives their music
a singular sound of both beauty, and glorious rocking joy!
Pillows/Daddy/Noodles/Future 86--Pianos--3/20/05
I had heard great things about
PILLOWS. They’re best known for doing the soundtrack for an anime entitled
FLCL, but the music I’d heard previously didn’t especially
impress me. Whatever you might think about their songwriting, which is catchy
and good spirited, they are one rocking band. The front man does his job with
enthusiasm, and now and then takes a lead that shows that he’d be a fine
lead guitarist, if they didn’t already have a fine one. In fact, everyone
in this band is on their game, and each do a great job keeping the boisterous
nature of the music bouncing along in a jaunty swagger. At one point early in
the set, I heard a woman saying to her friend, as she pointed at the stage,
“Now, that’s a rock band!” She was right! They let us know they
were happy to play their music for this sold out and enthusiastic crowd. When
the lead guitarist took a lead, it always stepped out in front. The drummer
was all business, and kept the beat charging forward, and the front man, sang
the songs energetically with his tongue in his cheek, and a smile on his face,
and regularly he would finish a verse and launch himself up into the air as
he banged out another resounding chord on his guitar. They eventually left the
stage, and shook hands with the fans as they made their way through the crowd
and toward the back of the room. In a couple of minutes, the audience’s
shouts and cheers had the band heading back to the stage. They played us only
one more song, but then, while they packed up their equipment, they happily
signed autographs and talked with a large number of fans who had gathered around
the stage to spend a little extra time with their favorite band.
Pillows/Noodles--Blender Theater--3/21/08
It was an interesting evening. The
place was sold out. I got there half an hour after the doors opened, and there
was still a line that went about a third of the way around the block, and it
was barely moving. Thankfully, the bands didn’t start until everyone was
in. It was also interesting that it was a younger crowd than I’m used to,
which was nice, and promises a good future for Japanese rock music. Also, it
was nice because I got to practice some more with my new camera.
It took a while for PILLOWS to come
out, and then a while longer for them to get set up, but the audience was cheering
them for a good portion of that set-up time. In fact, everytime they stopped
to tune up, and weren’t talking to the audience, the audience was yelling
at them--mostly song requests. They were obviously the stars of the night, and
their guitarist/lead singer, Sawao Yamanaka, was the obvious star of the band.
He was a genuine rock star, and with no effort at all knew how to get the audience
cheering and excited. The rest of the band is technically very good, and have
their charms, but the singer’s the star. My favorite story was that the
last time he had stayed in a New York hotel, he got seven mosquito bites, while
his roommate got none. The lead guitarist, Yoshiaki Manabe, lays down some mighty
tasty leads. He was introduced as “Manabe” and responded, “My
name is Yoshiaki, but call me Yoshi. Don’t call me sushi.” Their songs
rocked in a very joyful way, and as Sawao jumped around the stage, and climbed
up on the monitors, the audience just seemed to get more and more excited. The
last few songs of the set were some of the best, and had a good number of fists
pumping up into the air. When they finally left the stage, a chant went up for,
“One more song! One more song!” It eventually brought them back out,
and after our star announced that he was tired, they played two more songs for
us. After that they were called out one more time, and Sawao brought out some
bottled water, threw three out to the audience, before handing the rest out
to the band, and playing us one last song. It was a good show.
PINE*am--Tonic--5/16/05
When I got there the band had apparently
just finished their sound-check. By the time they began playing there was still
only a small crowd, but it’s a Monday night, and this being PINE*AM’s
first appearance in New York, it wasn’t a bad showing. Best of all, the
crowd grew more enthusiastic as the set went on. They’re a trio of keyboards
with a lap-top, bass, and guitar, and all three do some of the vocals. The music
is consistently a light, uptempo, techno, pop music. The tunes were energetic,
and tastefully sweet. Most of the songs started with a repetitive phrase on
the lap-top, then the band would join in. They had a stage costume that consisted
of a brightly colored dress, and all three wore worn bluejeans with holes in
the knees. Tsugumi, lead singer/bassist, did most of the talking between songs,
but when she spoke in Japanese, Chizu, on guitar, would translate everything
into English for us. They were consistently casual, comfortable, and polite.
The biggest changes in their sound came from Chizu’s guitar, which sometimes
sounded as computer generated as Taeca’s keyboards, but at other times
went for a much more rock guitar sound. Taeca didn’t change her sound so
much, but used a variety of techniques, and everyone in the band kept the songs
bopping along at a good pace. The nicest touch of all has got to be the sweetness
of the background vocals, which soak Tsugumi’s lead vocals in a layer of
sugar. Halfway through the set, Tsugumi set her bass down for a song, and danced
a bit as she sang. For the last couple of songs they invited people up front
to dance, and a number of people took them up on the invitation. Then, with
just the laptop and the guitar playing, the three of them did a charming dance
routine as they sang the final number. There were a variety of beats. Without
a drummer, though, their catchy pop music isn’t going to rock you over,
but it’s not going to blow away either. They’ve created a unique,
though comfortably familiar sound, and I enjoyed their show enough that I’ll
be checking them out again tomorrow night.
PINE*am/Zeitgeist--Pianos--8/23/05
PINE*AM took the stage, each
wearing a flower in her hair, and Taeca started up a programmed track with dialogue
which they used for their soundcheck. It was immediately apparent how much more
full and layered her programming was than ZEITGEIST’s. The programming
on every song was full, warm, and cozily comfortable. When they had their sound
together, I expected them to leave the stage and do a costume change, but they
put their instruments down, and took off a layer of clothing each, revealing
that they were already in costume. PINE*AM seemed more confident tonight, and
though the crowd was small, it was enthusiastic. The trio ran through their
set smoothly. Chizu’s guitar seemed toned down a bit, but it blended smoothly
into Taeca’s soundscapes, and she played with her usual enthusiasm. Tsugumi’s
bass playing was more intricate than I had previously noticed, and pulsed gently
as it wove its way through the songs. They’ve got their sound together.
It’s sweet techno-pop, and that’s before you add the vocals which,
with all three of them singing, is icing on the cake. Last time we got an announcement.
They were talking to the audience more then. Tonight, without a word, they turned
their backs, slipped on sunglasses, and did a dance routine during the last
song. Tsugumi was bassless for the second time in the set. Chizu played guitar
throughout, and Taeca only played during the verses, though her programmed sequences
continued. When she wasn’t playing, she and Tsugumi danced through the
routine, and Chizu copied their movements as closely as she could while playing
guitar. It was a fun way to close the show, and PINE*AM seemed to be enjoying
it nearly as much as we were.
Pistol Valve/Go!Go!7188/The Emeralds/50 Kaitenz/Asakusa Jinta--Empty
Bottle (Chicago, IL)--3/14/07
I missed Japan Nite in New York.
(I was out of town.) So, here I was catching it in Chicago. It was not the easiest
journey, but, once again, Audrey Kimura had put together one hell of a show!
I sure didn’t want to totally miss it! With help from my friend Paul Yamada,
I rode the trains, busses, and taxis, negotiated Chicago’s byways, and
eventually entered the Empty Bottle. Paul had referred to it as a dive, but
I don’t mind a good dive, and found it quite roomy. The almost completely
wooden and brick interior gave it a down-home bar-room feel, and tonight it
was the place to be for Japanese rock ‘n’ roll.
PISTOL VALVE are ten women who
all wore hats, but even that didn’t seem like a costume, because they were
all distinctively different, as were the rest of their outfits. They took the
stage shortly after GO!GO!!7188 abandoned it, which was unfortunate, as it took
way too long to get the sound together for all of their ten instruments, which
left the ten quite attractive women standing silently on stage with their instruments
in their hands. Proof of their attractiveness is provided by the fact that though
they stood there on the stage doing next to nothing for ten minutes, and were
the last band of the evening, almost no one left the club. The passing time
gave me a chance to count, as best I could, three saxophones, two trumpets,
two trombones, a french horn, a violin, and DJ Lydia. DJ Lydia actually seemed
to have the best command of English of any of the performers, but they only
rarely let her speak. She did play a major role in the band, though. At times
she was the only one providing sound. Sometimes she just added sound effects,
at other times she provided major portions of the beat, and often she heavily
colored the background of the tunes. When their set finally began, Lydia let
loose a Jam Master Jay thing, which added a nice funk edge to what was largely
a brass band. When they got a chance, they did swing, but many times Lydia’s
additions to their sound seemed to confuse things. Lydia proved at various times
that she is quite the talented DJ, but this band has perhaps not completely
jelled yet. Experiments are often good fun, though, aren’t they? And who
can complain about ten attractive women, dressed to the T, and crowding a stage.
It was unfortunate, again, when halfway through their set there was a problem
with the sound, causing another long pause in the proceedings, which they charmingly
attempted to cover up with some chatter, getting coached on their English as
they tried to entertain the crowd without music. Several times, when the set
resumed they promised songs that we would know. Honestly, I don’t remember
recognizing any of them until they launched into THE WHO’s ‘My Generation’.
They took turns singing the lyrics. I’m not sure I completely understand
the concept behind this band, but I certainly defend their right to kick it
around and see what happens. The brass band was obviously talented. The DJ was
talented. If they keep at it, they’re going to come up with something very
interesting.
Japan Nite 2000: Lolita No. 18/Polysics/Number Girl/Spoozys/Mummy
The Peepshow--CBGBs--3/20/00
What a great night! I can’t
remember the last time I saw five bands in a row that were all good!
I didn’t know THE POLYSICS
either. I know them now! They performed the shortest and the most intense set
of the evening. Arriving on stage in matching factory uniforms with the name
of the band printed across their chests, and protective eye-gear, they quickly
rocked up a storm. The keyboardist was providing wonderfully wacky effects and
adding some very classy touches to this band, but unfortunately could only be
heard when the band stopped and allowed her a break. Otherwise, this band rocked
with an intense power that completely overpowered her subtleties. It’s
hardly worth complaining about, as the band rocked with a ferociousness that
threatened to go completely out of control at any minute, but never did. An
extra delight was a cover of THE PLASTICS’ ‘Good’. I was disappointed
when they stopped so quickly, but perhaps they couldn’t have kept up their
revved-up attack for much longer than they did. They kicked ass!
Polysics--Knitting Factory--9/30/03
I was excited. Even the medley,
seemingly of video game soundtracks, that played for half an hour before the
band emerged, promised a kind of wacky joy, and that’s what we got. POLYSICS
came out, picked up their instruments, and launched into a very uptempo, rockin’
set. They were dressed in their blue POLYSICS factory gear and protective eyeglasses,
but only Kayo managed to keep the eyeglasses on throughout the energetic set.
I pulled out my camera, and I began taking pictures. Immediately, I was tapped
on the shoulder by Carl, and told that no photography was allowed without the
band’s permission. I told him photography without flash used to be allowed.
He said no photography was the policy now. I suggested they should announce
their policies before they began enforcing them. Here’s my one picture.
As I wasn’t taking any more pictures, I was able to move up and enjoy the
show. The energy continued throughout with Hiroyuki, the guitarist, playing
the showman. All the vocals used a variety of sounds from abrupt pitch changes,
to various voice-box effects. The sound was quite a bit different from the show
I saw years ago at CBGBs. The guitar, then overpowering, was now mixed below
both the bass and the keyboards. It tamed the sound quite a bit, but it certainly
didn’t slow them down. Hiroyuki let it be known that he was very happy
to be playing in New York, and pleased to be opening up for RX BANDITS. He even
confessed to being nervous, though that seemed more part of his humorous approach.
At one point he interviewed people at the front of the stage, “Where are
you from?” “Long Beach!” “Long Beach? That’s cool!”
he said, smiling broadly. He repeated that routine with someone from “New
Jersey!” eliciting many shouts for “New Jersey!”, and then asked
how many people had bought Neu, recently released in the U.S. by Asian
Man records. “You should buy Neu! You should buy Neu or die!”
he said emphatically, but I didn’t believe he meant it. They did two covers,
THE PLASTICS’ ‘Good’, and a another song I couldn’t quite
recognize, but was later informed was ‘My Sharona‘ by THE KNACK. The
set was a short one, but as they were the opening band, that was to be expected.
Immediately after THE POLYSICS played, it was announced that photographing bands
without flash would be permitted. Hiroyuki, Fumi and Kayo happily talked and
posed for pictures with fans after the show, and impressed me with their warmth
and openness. I look forward to seeing them tomorrow night at Luxx.
Polysics/Soundtrak/Champions Of Sound--Luxx--10/1/03
As soon as SOUNDTRAK left the
stage, POLYSICS’ computer game soundtrack medley started up. At first it
was kind of funny to hear it again, but after a while I started to get annoyed
with it. Obviously, I wasn’t as excited to see them this time, having just
seen them the night before, but I should have been, ‘cause they put on
an excellent show! Partially, it may have just been that they were playing in
a smaller room. The stage was lower. The band was closer, and the volume was
louder. It was glorious, and the small crowd were big with enthusiasm. Hiroyuki
was as energetic as ever, and got even more energetic when inspired by a dancing
couple, the male of which danced directly in front of him for a while in a uniquely
spastic manner. Fumi and Kayo, on bass and keyboards, play things much closer
to the chest, though occasionally Kayo will find a section of a song that inspires
her to bend forward over her keyboard and shake her head and hair for all it’s
worth. The sound, perhaps because it was louder, seemed more distinctive and
dynamic. At first the guitar seemed lost again, like it had been last night,
but then, either I found it in the sound, or someone turned it up, but I could
here Hiroyuki’s guitar, and it was even more amazing than I remembered
it. He regularly sends a barrage of intricate notes flying into the mix, and
alternates that with quick chords sliding down the neck, and a variety of unexpected
surprises. The band just doesn’t have the same punch with Hiroyuki’s
guitar buried. The rest of the band does a great job as well, though, handling
the intricasies of the brilliantly quirky songs, and Kayo is constantly refining
the songs with her keyboards, and extensive variety of samples and effects.
At one point in the set, which largely seemed to be the same as last night with
a few extra numbers added in, Hiroyuki turned his back on the audience and quickly
retuned, and that one break in the flow made me realize the power of that flow.
They rock, and it keeps coming. The only time they slowed down in the entire
set was a song where Fumi and Kayo repeated, “Yeah, yeah”, “Yeah,
yeah”, while Hiroyuki called repeatedly, and desperately, for his mother
and father. I was hoping that on the last night of their tour POLYSICS would
really cut loose, and, in fact, they did, but their set wasn’t much longer
than it had been the night before, and even a very enthusiastic crowd couldn’t
bring them back for an encore.
Polysics/Gorch Fock/The Attack Formation--Trash Bar--9/15/05
POLYSICS took the stage
in their red factory outfits. Unlike the two Texas bands I’d seen, POLYSICS
were incredibly tight, and Trash Bar actually gave them a good sound. Generally,
Hiroyuki’s guitar is still beneath Kayo’s keyboards and effects, but
it could almost always be heard, and now and then it would roar above the mix,
and make its presence felt. Fumi’s bass and the drums were always there
propelling the songs forward, and each instrument maneuvered with agility, hopping
and skipping through each song’s hooks, stops and starts. When Kayo sang,
it was often through a deep robotic effects box. The songs were spirited, spry,
and every single one of them rocked hard. Now and then they’d pause a moment
to give Hiroyuki a chance to rev up the audience a bit, and then they’d
be rocking into the next song. It was all business, and they kept the energy
high. Early in the set Kayo pulled out some gold sparkly pom-poms, and shook
them for the choruses. Hiroyuki would raise his guitar up into the air and lean
out into the crowd. At one point he balanced it on his head. During a song that
Fumi sang he chugged a beer. The band cruised along without missing a step,
till, finally, the last song warning brought the last song. The crowd cheered,
and the band was ready to respond with another number, but the DJ, unimpressed,
started up a song, and the moment and POLYSICS were gone.
Polysics--CBGB--10/2/05
I got to CBGB gallery, and POLYSICS
were standing outside in their stage outfits. First PEELANDER-Z snubbed me,
then the CBGB Gallery doorman snubbed me. I already knew downstairs at CBGB
Gallery is a lousy place to see a band, and was really considering just turning
around and going home. I’m a trooper, though, and I’d heard good things
about POLYSICS’ Boston show, like that it was three times as long as the
CMJ show I’d seen at Trash Bar. Hiroyuki Hayashi--guitar/lead vocals, Kayo--synthesizer/vocals,
Fumi--bass, and Yama--drums, put on a great show! Hiroyuki did his frantic act,
pandered to the crowd, did some of the craziest solos I believe I’ve ever
seen him do, topping the wildest one by balancing his guitar on his head again.
He also did some very classy solos, that artfully ripped through their spaces
and then slipped back into the Polysics roar, distinctively defined by Kayo’s
effects and antics on the synthesizer. Throughout the entire set, minus the
flurry of the pom-poms in one song, Kayo strives to mimic a robot, and does
an excellent job of it. Her humor is slyly displayed in the music, and her extremely
restrained performance reflects that humor well. Yama was rocking hard. Whenever
I looked back there he seemed to be all over the drums. When Fumi wasn’t
doing a dance step along with Hiroyuki, which actually I only noticed them doing
once, her head was bouncing along with the beat. It was a great show. The entire
band’s energy is impressive. Hiroyuki’s is excessive. Oh yes, and
he managed to chug another beer tonight during Fumi’s song. The set was
about an hour long, and then they came out for a three-song encore. Hiroyuki
introduced the first song by saying how happy they were to be playing at CBGB,
the home of THE RAMONES. Then Kayo sang ‘Psychotherapy’ for us.
Peelander-Z/The Phenomenauts/The Portugal Japan/The Emeralds--Knitting
Factory--11/5/05
THE PORTUGAL JAPAN are a trio
of young women. I asked a couple of people who had heard their music to describe
it, and was told that they were both very pop and very rock. Live, the rock
aspects were the most obvious. Both the guitarist and bassist wore leather jackets,
and the entire band wore bluejeans. THE RAMONES major influence on this band,
besides the punk image, seems to be the ‘60s pop influences, which, in
spite of the very rocking presentation, are easily apparent. The covers say
a lot. Tonight those were THE SAINTS’ ‘Do The Robot’, THE SONICS’
‘Have Love Will Travel’ and MC5’s ‘Kick Out The Jams’.
Throw in a dash of hair metal (mostly to represent some of the stage moves),
a bit more emphasis on the garage rock, and an acknowledgement of their definite
pop influences, and you may be starting to get the idea, but the strength of
their rock presentation would probably still be a happy surprise. Some of their
moves seemed choreographed. At other times they would stare straight ahead in
a classic punk manner, but they would always rock. The guitarist and bassist
are proficient, but it’s the drummer who has the real chops in this band.
She hits her drums hard, but her technique is skilled, and she is much more
than just a pounder. A couple of their songs had such tasty pop hooks that I
mistakenly suspected they might be covers which I just didn’t recognize.
Their set flew by much too fast, but they easily delivered their share of rocking.
Pulled out from the crowd to replace
Peelander Yellow for bowling time was Fukiko The End of THE PORTUGAL JAPAN,
and, I think, replacing Peelander Blue on drums was PORTUGAL JAPAN’s drummer.
Fukiko launched into the guitar, and really cut loose more than I had seen her
do during their set, while the tri-colored Peelanders, and Peelander Pink, cleared
a lane in the crowd and used hapless Peelander Yellow as their bowling ball,
knocking down all the pins, and readying the evening for its glorious close.
Radio Heartbeat Power Pop Festival: Milk ‘N’ Cookies/The
Jack Lee Inferno/The Go/Prambath/Electric Shadows/Top Ten /Genteleman Jesse
And His Men--Southpaw--4/1/07
PRAMBATH are a tight band.
Both the guitarists are good, and the drummer was one of the best drummers who
played tonight. Not only did he handle the skins excellently, but he also handled
the majority of the back-up vocals with a class that really gave the band an
added shine. Their front person was a woman who handled the bass and the lead
singing. She also covered a good bit of the stage, keeping things interesting,
and regularly stalking out to the front of the stage when her vocal duties didn’t
keep her behind the microphone. She and one of the guitarists regularly talked
to the audience, but unfortunately most of what they said was difficult to understand.
She, especially, had a very thick accent. One of the first things he said was,
“We are PRAMBATH, from Japan. Eat sushi!” I think he even raised a
fist for that command. They were a good band, and their material, though not
incredibly strong, was handled well, and always presented with energy and a
good deal of joy. For some reason the audience seemed to throw more stuff at
them than at any of the other bands. The most impressive moment for me was when
she asked the crowd, “Do you know THE DEAD BOYS?” She seemed taken
aback that there was so little response. It may have just been that not many
people understood her. The guitarist mentioned CBGBs, and again it received
little response. They did get some response when they launched powerfully into
‘Sonic Reducer’, though. It was one of the most dynamic songs of their
set, and they laid it on thick! It was good to see how powerfully they could
play, and there was always a dose of punk in their presentation, but, except
for that song, they generally stuck to a more power pop oriented approach, and
they did that well.
Puffy AmiYumi/Bleu--Irving Plaza--7/20/02
For their last song BLEU called
out Ami and Yumi, thanked them for a “great tour”, and Ami and Yumi
sang along with them on a song called ‘Sayonara’.
It took a while, but eventually PUFFY
AMIYUMI’s band came out behind the screen and got tuned up. Finally the
screen raised up and the band and Ami and Yumi came out. I was expecting a real
show from Japan’s top duo, but they and the band were all dressed in regular
street clothes. To my surprise there was no apparent choreography, but that
was fine. About the only real showy aspect was the light show, which was pretty
spectacular. Otherwise, it was a fairly straight rock show. The back-up band
was really strong, with bass, drums, keyboards, and two guitarists who both
took turns doing leads. The guy with the mohawk’s leads were a bit edgier,
though he did a really smooth one on a pop song. The guy with the longer hair
did more hot-shot metal-style leads. The songs ranged from pop ballads, through
uptempo pop numbers, and on into some very hot rockers. A couple of times Ami
and Yumi made announcements in English, but much of their talking was in Japanese,
and Ami suggested that if we wanted to know what they were saying we should
ask the nearest Japanese person in the audience to translate. At one point someone
from the audience yelled out, “You could translate!”, and Ami quickly
shot back, “No I couldn’t!” It was a good show. Ami and Yumi
sang together and alternately. Their vocals seemed to blend together beautifully
and seamlessly, and the songs were almost all wonderful, happy pop ditties that
expressed a kind of joy that Western pop music seems incapable of these days.
Ami and Yumi only rarely seemed actually inspired by the music, but they consistently
hopped up and down, and shook their hair around. Though they didn’t seem
especially enthused, they were certainly not feeling hard pressed to do their
job, and it occasionally had members of the audience hopping along with them,
and always had a large portion of the audience, fairly evenly divided between
Japanese and caucasions, bobbing their heads along with the music. In one song
Yumi started a mouth harp solo, and Ami finished it off with her own mouth harp.
After the encore I asked my friend Dan what he thought about the show. He claimed,
“It’s not my cup of tea, but the band was great!” He didn’t
like the “over-processed effects” on the vocals, claiming that only
one song had used harmonies, and that the digital processing had made them sound
like chipmunks, and blended the vocals so much that only one vocalist was necessary.
The audience as a whole, though, seemed more than satisfied with the show, and
there were many smiling faces as we filed out into the street.
Puffy AmiYumi--River To River Festival: World Financial Center--7/11/06
I was able to get a good seat,
so I’d be able to get a good picture of PUFFY AMIYUMI, but before the show
began, a man walked around announcing that no photography was allowed. It was
announced from through the P.A. just before the show started, too, so once again
PUFFY AMIYUMI goes without a photo. The show was good. It seemed to be a different,
younger band than last time I saw them. This band wasn’t quite as top-notch
professional as the last band, but they were all very good, and they seemed
to be having a great time, maybe even better than Ami and Yumi. There were two
guitarists, a bassist, a drummer, and a keyboardist who also played some guitar.
One song even brought out two male dancers who seemed to be dressed as construction
workers. The rhythm guitarist did the most jumping about, but everyone in the
backing band got rambunctious at times except for the lead guitarist, who seemed
to concentrate on his guitar playing and certainly served his purpose well in
that area. Ami and Yumi did more talking in English than I remembered, and though
they both read their English annoucements from notepads, their English is improving.
At times they seemed to be bored of their own announcements, but they regularly
made fun of their pronunciation, repeating words several times as if practicing.
They also regularly made seemingly humorous asides in Japanese. The entire band
dressed casually, though Yumi wore a nice slinky vest thing, that came down
to her thighs over her well-worn jeans. Ami was wearing cut-off white jeans,
and a white T-shirt. On the back of the T-shirt were scrawled three lines. Her
long, dark hair, small bits of which were red, kept me from reading the first
line, but the second line read, “PUNK ROCK”, and the third line seemed
to read “DNA SLANG”. Yumi’s hair was blonde. Most songs stuck
to a fast rock beat, but they did change the pace a few times. Ami and Yumi
seemed to have divided the center stage and generally moved about in their respective
areas as they sang in unison, now and then soloing. They both moved quite a
bit, though Yumi seemed to move a bit more, and once or twice they even left
their respective areas to move up front, or over to the side areas of the front
of the stage. Sometimes they seemed a bit bored, but just as often they got
into it and showed the fun they were having. They covered Green Day’s ‘Basket
Case’, did a song by one of the members of OFFSPRING, ripped music from
a WHO song, and closed one number with an obviously intentional goof on THE
KNACK’s ‘My Sharona’. The crowd, of all ages, responded warmly,
enjoying the performance of this pop/rock band, and though the applause had
died down by the time PUFFY AMIYUMI came back for their encore, the band was
warmly greeted once again. They opened up the encore with ‘Radio Tokyo’
from the new record, which with synthesizer strings impressed me the most of
any of the songs they played tonight. They followed that up with a couple more
songs, lined the entire band up in front of the stage and took their final bow.
It was a very enjoyable show. They rocked, the weather was good, and the nearly
filled World Financial Center concert area was set up and handled well.
Petty Booka/Gaijin A Go Go/Titan Go Kings/Tsu Shi Ma Mi Re/Puppypet--Sin-é--3/21/05
Some nights are just so good,
they remind you of how good life can sometimes be. Tonight was a night like
that. Thank you Audrey Kimura, Benten, and Sin-é. Japan Girls Nite U.S.
Tour 2005 was a wonderful celebration of life. The highlights (along with the
bands) included Audrey pinning a pin on my shirt when I first arrived, a fan
of Rock of Japan coming up and thanking me, and a very nice conversation
with Mari, of TSU SHI MA MI RE, and Kazuya, of THE EMERALDS, who are also currently
touring the U.S. from Japan. It was a wonderful evening.
Things started off with PUPPYPET.
PUPPYPET are a standard rock trio with two female singers. Besides singing,
one of the young women also regularly played a melodica, a small keyboard powered
by the air from a tube that she blew into. The material wasn’t that good,
or original, but the trio were quite good, and I especially appreciated the
mohawked bass guitarist. On top of the rock foundation, the second singer’s
melodica added a unique sparkle to their sound, which also featured a touch
of ska. Added to that, you had the exuberant vocals of the two women, which
were so energetically cheerful and good natured, that they reminded me of cheerleaders,
and seemed to be cheering the crowd and encouraging us to let our inhibitions
fly away and to join the party. It was happy, happy, pop music, and the blonde
singer, especially, sung it, and sold it, with peppy enthusiasm and bouncy dance
moves. It was good fun, and a great way to start the evening.
Qypthone/Himawari/Creme Blush/Spoozys/Peelander-Z/Condor 44/Fantasy’s
Core--New York -- Tokyo Music Festival--5/26/02
This night of the New York --
Tokyo Music Festival was quite the success. Let’s hope it does become an
annual event! The pier was a nice place to be. The wide variety of bands was
intriguing. The MC regularly mispronounced the bands’ names, when he knew
them at all, but that’s a small complaint. The bands set up quickly and
kept coming.
While QYPTHONE were setting up, I
noticed a beautiful woman I had seen in the audience up on the stage with them,
and I remember hoping that she was in the band. When they started she wasn’t
with them, but she soon joined them and turned out to be their lead singer.
The rest of the band is male and were all dressed in black. They’re made
up of keyboards, congas, a stand-up bass, and a guy who played a variety of
synthesizers. Occasionally the keyboard player would dance about the stage waving
what looked like a small tapedeck, but I’m not sure that’s what it
was. They played bossanova, and were obviously having a great time doing it.
The audience was very much enjoying it as well, with many of us bouncing about
with big happy smiles on our faces. With their modern additions to the bossanova
beat, and the attractive woman on lead vocals, they reminded me of PIZZICATO
5. She looked every bit the fashion model, and the way she danced, doing the
twist and various dances of that era, she looked very much as if she was doing
a fashion shoot right there. Her vocals were little more than OK, but she won
this crowd over immediately with her smiles and energetic dancing, and the party
didn’t stop until the band left the stage.
Japan Girls Nite: Gitogito Hustler/Bleach 03/Noodles/Falsies
On Heat/Red Bacteria Vacuum--Bowery Ballroom--10/21/07
Wow! What a night! This special
Japan Girls Nite ‘07, brought to us by Audrey Kimura of Sister/Benten Records,
is only happening once, right here in New York, and was lots of fun, but then,
I knew it would be. The crowd wasn’t that big, but it was OK for a Sunday
night, and the crowd was enthusiastically enjoying themselves more and more
as the night went on. Interested in getting an OK to photograph the event, I
had warned Audrey that Bowery Ballroom was usually very strict about photography,
so I found it humorous when I saw a bouncer, who had that night accused me of
videotaping, pulling Audrey aside for videotaping her own show. Oh yeah, and
I think every band told us that they loved New York, though one of the guitarists
of FALSIES ON HEAT may have spit and pretended to heave shortly after telling
us how much she loved our city.
RED BACTERIA VACUUM started things
off with a roar of punk rock. It was like a jump start, a great way to begin
the evening! At one point, for one song, they slowed down to an energetic pop
speed. Everything else rocked at a good clip, and roared out of the gate and
around and around the track. They’re a trio, and were technically fine.
They played their songs with energy and exuberance. The guitarist, sporting
war paint, sang most of the leads, but the bassist regularly helped out on vocals,
and when she wasn’t singing, she was moving about the stage a good deal,
and seemed to really enjoy shaking her long hair all over the place. Their material
wasn’t amazing, but it was a lot more fun than I had given it credit for
when I heard their CD. The difference was obviously their performance. They
were having a great time up there, and it was a joy to see.
Rin’--Arlene’s Grocery--5/17/06
RIN’ were doing a promotional
appearance for their new U.S. release, Inland Sea, on Domo Records. The
show was being professionally documented, and a full room of interested people
were there to see them. The three women played traditional Japanese instruments,
backed by a drummer/percussionist. The instruments included the koto, the jushichigen
(a fourteen string koto--they normally have twelve strings), the shamisen, the
biwa, and the shakuhachi (a traditional Japanese flute). Each of the three women
switched between two of these instruments, and they all sang some. Part of the
concept behind RIN’ is the mix of Japanese traditional instruments with
Western music. The Western music was all piped in through the P.A. It was quite
rich, to an orchestral degree, and with the various traditional instruments,
it had the fullness of a movie soundtrack. Usually there was a good rhythm behind
it, too, and the drummer/percussionist kept things interesting with a wide variety
of percussion instruments. RIN’ were all excellent musicians, and the woman
who played biwa and shakuhachi often did some playful strutting while playing
one of her assorted shakuhachi. She had four of them to choose from. The richness
of the instrumentation, and the fullness of the tracks they were playing along
with, filled the room with a traditional feeling (the Western music) and with
intriguing new sounds (provided by the traditional Japanese instruments). All
three of the women added some wonderful vocals, that seemed to unite the two
musics more than anything else in the sound. The only departure from these blendings
of Western and traditional Japanese music were a shamisen/biwa duet without
any piped in sounds, which, in truth, seemed to get the biggest reaction from
the audience; and the last song where RIN’ was joined by Leigh Nash, a
former singer for SIXPENCE NONE THE RICHER, who sings three songs on the new
release, Inland Sea. Her vocals did not have the wonderful effect that
the band’s vocals had, but she did give their sound a mature pop feel,
which might very well expand their potential audience.
Rinken Band--Japan Society--4/10/02
I was invited to this performance,
which is good, because I didn’t know about it previously. The Japan Society
has a wonderful theater, which I’ve seen many movies in, but few performances.
RINKEN BAND are in the world music genre, but are said to have added pop and
rock to their traditional Okinawan music. The only noticeable influence of popular
music was the use of a modern drumset, electric bass, and various keyboards.
They also used traditional drums and percussion, but their lead instrument is
an eletrified sanshin (a three-stringed plucked lute), which Teruya Rinken,
leader of the band, invented and calls a cheren. The band performed in costumes
inspired by traditional Okinawan costumes, and designed by Tomoko Uehara, Rinken’s
wife and the band’s lead vocalist. It was wonderful to hear this music,
which reminded me of music I heard at a Japanese obon festival. The music was
quite beautiful when Tomoko sang, and full of spirit when the three male dancer/percussionists
sang. The performance is well designed to introduce Okinawan traditional music
to the entire family. It was presented with humor, and lots of audience participation,
including a dance lesson which kept the audience on its feet for the last couple
of songs. The audience repaid the band for this expenditure of energy by enthusiastically
demanding an encore. My only complaint was a row of lights hanging from the
ceiling above the stage which sporadically shone out at the audience. Over and
over our eyes were allowed to accustom themselves to the dimness of the theater,
only to be temporarily blinded whenever this row of lights flashed on and off
at us. It didn’t make the show any less enjoyable.
Guitar Wolf/Peelander-Z/The Spunks/Goggle-A/The Young Ones/Rocket
Jack Vaders/Volume Out--Japunks Jamboree #6 @ CBGB--11/18/03
That was a wonderful night, a kind
of miraculous night, and with GUITAR WOLF on the bill, the size of the crowd
grew very fast, and the palefaces may have actually outnumbered the Japanese!
One of the nicest touches were the women who came out at the beginning of each
set and held up signs with the “Round” number for each set on one
side, and the name of the band on the other side. There were seven rounds in
all, and, yes, it was a knock out. Thanks Japunks!
Round two was The ROCKET JACK VADERS.
Already there was a good sized crowd. They were a four piece band with two guitarists.
The rhythm guitarist was a woman. They were not a tight band, but they could
all play well, and they did rock. The lead guitarist traveled about the stage
in an awkward manner, striking odd poses now and then with an arm or leg stuck
out at odd angles. They opened up with a couple of instrumentals, but then added
vocals to their sound. They went back to the instrumentals once or twice, but
most of their songs featured vocals. The most interesting thing about them was
that the band had a rough sound, but the lead guitar was played as clean as
it could be, and gave me the impression of a kind of VENTURES sound. He was
very good, and I haven’t heard a sound like that in ages. The contrast
with the rough band behind him worked well. His odd movements looked good, too.
The bassist was also quite animated. He jumped around a lot, and at one point
took a dive on the front of the stage which took down two microphone stands
and a bottle of beer all at once. Near the end of the set the woman sang a DEVO
song. I was impressed enough that I immediately headed back to their table and
picked up the CD they had for sale.
Benten Tokyo Presents Japan Nite: Tsu Shi Ma Mi Re/Pe´z/Ellegarden/Stance
Punks/The Rodeo Carburettor/The Emeralds--Knitting Factory--3/20/06
Australian Cattle God Records have
started up a side label for Japanese bands, apparently in connection with Benten/Sister
Records, called Benten Tokyo Records. This tour is kind of an announcement of
that, with TSU SHI MA MI RE, who are already signed to Cattle God Records, headlining
the bill. The audience was evenly mixed between Japanese and caucasians, and
many of them were much younger than are usually seen at these shows, which is
certainly a positive thing. Six Japanese bands in a row! Oh, and almost every
band made a point of letting us know that they, “Love New York!” I’m
exhausted, and I’ve only just begun writing.
THE RODEO CARBURETTOR, another trio,
were up next. I wasn’t familiar with them, but they had an impressive edge.
They rocked it, and they rocked it hard. The drummer kept things lean and mean.
The bassist kept a good pulse going, and the guitarist/lead singer sang with
a vigorous theatricality, blasted out the rhythm in roars, and his leads were
both rough and agile. They really only had one sound, but they did it well,
and with his expressive singing, they kind of reminded me of an early, primitive
WAKUSEI. His singing didn’t stray far from hot-tempered, but I liked it,
and I liked the edgy assault of their songs. A somewhat wider variety of material
would help, but the thing they need to work on the most is that the two times
the guitarist retuned, he turned his back on the audience, and the band waited
for him, as did the audience. Their CD was the only one I bought tonight, and
I look forward to hearing it.
Ruins
Ruins--Tonic--7/16/99
I went to this because Hitoshi
had seen them and liked them a lot. The place was packed, and the additional
air-blowing fan they pushed in as far as the extension cord would allow, didn’t
help much. The band started up as I entered the club and played for about forty
minutes. It’s amazingly intricate music, and the sounds were surprisingly
wide-ranging considering that it’s just a drummer and a bassist. The vocals
are actually operatic, or mock operatic. It’s quite strange. It took awhile,
but after being assaulted for half an hour or so, I recognized the prog-rock
aspects Village Voice had mentioned. It’s true, it’s like they
took the worst of seventies-rock (E,L&P and such) subtracted all the explorative
jamming and played all the intricate breaks in a row at twice the speed while
singing opera. Yeah, well, that’s not really my cup of tea, but they did
it unbelievably well, and with a humble joy of presentation. The crowd was enthusiastic
and brought them back for three encores.
Japanese New Music Festival: Acid Mothers Temple SWR/Zoffy/Ruins
Alone/Ronruins/Zubi Zuva X/Shrinp Wark/Akaten/Seikazoku--NorthSix--9/3/06
The Japanese New Music Festival
was Atsushi Tsuyama and Makoto Kawabata of ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE, and Tatsuya
Yoshida of RUINS in various combinations. The only exception was RONRUINS, a
project of Yoshida’s which included Ron Anderson on guitar and vocals,
and Jesse Krakow on bass and vocals. The majority of the people attending understood
the situation. All the bands were there. They were just made up of the same
three people, and many didn’t play more than a few songs. At one point
I was just going to do one report of the entire evening, but as it turns out,
I’ve divided my reports up for the different “bands”. Throughout
the evening, the three principals regularly welcomed us to “The Japanese
New Music Festival”. They did it so often, it became a running gag. All
three of the principals sang in most of the “bands”, though Kawabata
tended to stick to back-up vocals.
RUINS ALONE fittingly followed
RONRUINS. Yoshida got a few breaks, but he was playing drums most of the evening,
getting quite a workout, and doing a great job. RUINS ALONE was his shining
moment of the evening. There he was alone on stage. Tapes including a wide variety
of instruments played behind him as he sang and kept the beat to the intricate
music of the recordings. Like RUINS music has always been, the changes kept
coming, rapidly, and constantly, and Yoshida was ready for every single beat.
He pounded those drums for several songs in a row, and the pace, though it varied
constantly, never lost its frenetic energy.
