Little Tempo

Little Tempo

Let’s start with the wealth of local (read: Japanese or other East Asian) talent I’d never heard of but who sound like nothing else I’ve ever heard.

Natsumen play triumphal orchestral pieces as funk metal without the funk, then noodle about in stop/start atonal wonder, and you know they mean every note. (Note: don’t listen to any of this crap I’m writing, just listen to the clips.) They are as early and as far away as could be, 11:30 am Friday at Orange Court.

Hanggai hail from Beijing, play Mongolian (throat singing ya’ll!), have the charisma of gypsies and the swagger of the Pogues (thanks Time Out Tokyo!), and look like they’d question your moral integrity if you didn’t dance when they played. Be awesome if they did eight shows like Räfven did in 2009, but so far only three are scheduled, Mokudotei 1:20 pm Friday, Gypsy Avalon 7:00 pm Friday, and Orange Court noon Saturday (no Crystal Palace![?]!). If the bosses would let me, I’d just follow them around the entire festival.

Little Tempo are two steel drummers fronting the band that plays when Super Mario is about to run out of time. (Seriously, don’t even listen to me. At all.) Orange Court, 3:20 pm, Friday.

(This is them fronting the band that plays when Mario is under water.)

Odoro Matilda is a Japanese 1920’s-music Tom Waits who is clearly awesome. It’s 踊ろうマチルダ, meaning “Dance Matilda”, as in “Let’s all…” 6:00 pm Saturday, Gypsy Avalon.

Tjiros are a man and a woman on guitar and bass, and the woman scream-sings at you like Janis Joplin, only much more menacing. Or possibly terrifying. Naeba Shokudo, 11:50pm Saturday.

MaNHATTAN are virtuosic organ-based space jazz with electro beats. Guaranteed impervious to Google searches forever, you’ll have to find them at Naeba Shokudo Sunday night at 10:40.

Who else? Sam Moore is the Same Sam of Sam and Dave, and though he seems to have turned into a bit of curmudgeon lately (sent a cease and desist to Barrack Obama to stop campaigning with his music), still, soul legend, and you might’ve not known if I hadn’t told you. I’ll feel robbed if there’s no horn section, double robbed if Sting and Jon Bon Jovi show up like they did on his last album. 7:30pm Friday, Orange Court.

For legends, though, Buddy Guy has been getting the hat tip from all the experts I surround myself with, and I have to concede they are probably right. He’s not your average B.B. King/Eric Clapton/Bonnie Raitt MTV tribute Electric Bluesician. I think he might be from outer space. 8:50pm Sunday, Orange Court. And speaking of hat tips, apparently everyone I know but me is going to be at Congotronics and Rockers. I could try to explain it, but I’m not so good with words. 10:10pm Saturday, Orange Court.

Cornershop, I admit I gave up on years ago. But they never gave up on themselves. Spotty albums, but the good stuff translates to stage like gangbusters, and Tjinder Singh is a total mensch. Way funnier than M.I.A. 5:50pm Sunday, Field Of Heaven.

For regular music (meaning the stuff the kids like), I cannot recommend Naked And Famous highly enough, and Best Coast gets the humble version of that. Back-2-Back at Red Marquee Saturday, starting at 1:55pm sharp.

Widespread Panic is celebrating their first ever trip to Japan with four hours at the Field Of Heaven Friday and Saturday nights. Extended jams are not really my bag, but I feel I ought to stop by just to make sure they stay properly hydrated.

Manu Chao. Deerhoof. Yellow Magic Orchestra. Jamie xx. Something called the JoJo Swing Quartet way out at the Cafe De Paris. Damn, where’s my mini-me?

The Crystal Palace Tent is great even when the music ain’t, so when it is it’s like a palace of wonder. Or something. Amadou & Mariam 11:45pm Friday is promising, as are the Black Angels same time Sunday night (Pure Rock Power in the Palace–like having Zeppelin play in your grandmother’s basement). But the most exciting is Very Special Guest 1:30 am Friday night/Saturday morning. I love that band. (Okay, haha etc., I hope it’s Coldplay.)

-Kern