Fujirockers: The official Fuji Rock Festival blog

SING-A-LONG TIME

havin’ a brew.

THE DEKITS.

Made up of KC from RIDDIM SAUNTER, MAURICE from YOUR SONG IS GOOD, TGMX from FRONTIER BACKYARD and TK from COMEBACK MY DAUGHTERS, together they make an excellent folk quartet.

All of them are pro’s to the bone and between them have countless years of experience and masses of talent, but today, at the Mokudotei stage, they give off a completely different vibe. They’re just four guys chilling on a cool Sunday afternoon, having a beer (and kanpaiing the audience) in the middle of the woods.

Now I’m a sucker for multiple vocalists in a band, and given that four out of four of the members of this one are just that, that alone is heaven. Add in the fact that they sing both good ol’ classics like “Lean On Me” and “You are My Sunshine” as well as their own original hits like “Thursday”, and some great conversation in between songs, you’ve got yourself the perfect way to spend the evening.

The only sad thing is that it didn’t last that long. Thankfully they’ll be playing in Tokyo in less than a month on the 25th of August at Sangenchaya Grapefruit Moon, so it won’t be too long until Tokyoites at least can hang out with them again.

Cheers to that!

Photo: 輪千希美

For more chillin’ with THE DEKITS, click here.

Whistle while you work

That was some smooth scheduling. Ren Takada took the tiny Mokudotei stage on the  boardwalk between the White Stage and the Field of Heaven about a minute-and-a-half after Dachambo finished their very loud set. Takada is singer-songwriter of the quiet, thoughtful school, and while his music is perfectly suited for the forest setting it was staged in, it wouldn’t have done at all for him to compete with Dachambo’s frantic jamming. As it was, there also wasn’t anyone on the White Stage, though occasionally the sound check floated over. Continue Reading…

Bunch of Hillbillies Entertaining Folks On The Boardwalk

The second of Kensington Hillbillys three FRF performances took place Saturday afternoon on the Mokudotei boardwalk stage.  The laidback forest surroundings were a perfect fit for the Canadian quintet’s country tunes.

Drawing a sizable crowd early on (that continued to grow with each song), the group sounded great on takes of Hank Williams’ “Hey Good Lookin’” and a fantastic version of The Clash’s “Straight to Hell.”  Frontman Steve Ketchen’s twang-tinged vocals and slowed down drawl fit both wonderfully.

Several numbers included fiddle and stand up bass, both of which added an extra kick to the group’s old time anthems.  And Stew Crookes’ pedal steel guitar sounded fantastic throughout the 45-minute showing.  While the band’s covers proved to be popular, originals like “Dyin’ (is Just a Part of Livin’)” and “A Country Road” were just as well received with folks on the boardwalk clapping along and a few even kicking their feet up and doing a bit of two-stepping.

Photo by 中島たくみ
More photos here.

Hanggai took their first of three (official) sets at the Mokudotei (boardwalk) at 1:20pm on Friday. Though they didn’t start fast, they clearly know from power. Hurizha (the imposing looking fellow on the middle right here) came out with the rest of the group and treated us to a torrent of Mongolian, never pausing to care whether anyone understood. (I believe no one did). Bandleader Yiliqi (far left) provided a halting and brief English translation, which he didn’t seem particularly keen on doing, and then they launched into their first number, a menacing multi-harmonied ballad about, yes, Ghengis Khan.

It wasn’t dance music yet, but everyone was getting walloped just the same. They gave us the slow build, earth-scorching throat singing and multi-part harmonies, ballads about great warriors and lots and lots of blood (I assume), building to perfectly controlled crescendos. Hurizha takes the duties of front man, and it’s worth noting that he’s the only one who doesn’t play an instrument, his role being limited to singing and apparently vanquishing foes. (He carries a small whip, which he lashes about, and at one point mimed shooting an arrow into the air). Batubagen is their secret weapon, though, as he is Continue Reading…

Olde Worlde and Pal On The Boardwalk

Olde Worlde is the stage name of solo artist Sohhei Numata.  For his Mokudotei appareance on the FRF boardwalk, Numata brought along another guitarist to help him flesh out tracks from his newly released sophomore effort, “The Lemon Shark.”  The disc coincidently includes a cut called “Have You Seen the Rain,” something we’ve seen all day long today.

Around 60 people hung out in the forest to listen to Olde Worlde’s 45 minute folk set.  When he sings, Numata’s soft voice has a slight feminine edge to it that makes his vocals unique.  While I thought little stood out about his performance, he’s gigged at Summer Sonic and Rock in Japan in addition to FRF so he’s obviously doing something right.

Near the end of the concert, he launched into an arty acoustic rocker.  The song’s opening was peppered with a series of F-bombs.  And although I’m in no way against some good “olde” fashioned cussing, shouting out “fuck” several times seemed really out of place in Mokudotei’s lush, serene surroundings.

Photo by 府川展也.
More photos here.