Fujirockers: The official Fuji Rock Festival blog

If I line up this long, there’d better be an oven-baked pizza at the end of it, not some kid in a Scream mask shouting “boo!”.

Did anyone make it inside? What was it all about?

Bit late in reporting this, but well, you know how festivals are.

Trombone Shorty, ex-Kravitz brass man, followed up his Orange Court main gig with a show at the diminutive Crystal Palace. He played one of those short trombones without the slide; you may know it as a trumpet, but still wheeled through the tracks on his new “Backatown” album. I’ve always liked the sound of the trumpet more, so this was a chance to hear the album with extra wallop.

He’s got a whopping 8 members onstage here. Sure, 8 isn’t whopping for a brass band, but it looks pretty cosy on this stage.

Trumpet Shorty plays a funky version of “Let’s Stay Together”, followed by a storming “On Your Way Down” without the help of Allen Toussaint, who appears on the album, and sings “Something Beautiful”, the track that had Kravitz’s voice on the record. Judging from these performances, Trumpet could have saved himself a few dollars and done the whole thing himself.

About halfway through the set, Angelo Moore of Fishbone pops in to take over vocals, leaving Trumpet to stand at the back. Surprise VIP appearances are fun, but, well, I can’t even remember what the difference was.

Fun ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Funk ★ ★ ★ ★
Palace of Wonderness ★ ★ ★ ★

So Ozomatli played a storming show at the Field of Heaven, and had to do it all again 9 hours later in the much smaller Crystal Palace spiegeltent. Every year the Palace seems to have one act that tears the place to pieces, and it wasn’t hard to guess that Ozomatli would be the one this year. So the two questions were:

* Could they top their first show?
* Could they top Rafven and Gogol Bordello’s madness of previous years

The quick answers: yes, and maybe.

They were more playful than earlier in the afternoon. At one point, Ulises makes a gesture with his finger and thumb to his lips. He then gets a sax solo, so the gesture must have been the reed to his mouth. Then the band join in and it’s “Pass The Duchie”. Probably wasn’t a reed gesture then. In quick succession, “Pass the Duchie” becomes “Top of the World”, “Pass the Duchie” again, “Strawberry Fields” and back to Musical Youth, all with a sound halfway between reggae and traditional Ozomatli.

From the new album, there was “45″, “Elysian Persuasion” and “Malagasy Shock”. The latter is clearly the one that’s set to become an Ozo live favourite.

What’s most amazing about this show is that they steered clear of most of the giant hits and live signatures, but had the crowd revved up as much as ever. With this band it’s not about which songs they play – they know exactly how to whip up an audience and they’ve got 5 strong album’s worth of music to mine.

When the music stopped, we waited for the encore, but it never came. This ain’t Woodstock. Ozo didn’t even get to take their instruments into the crowd, and I suspect it wasn’t their choice.

Would you? No, me neither.

Last night, one of the deadly wheelers dropped his juggling clubs. It strikes me that it’s not good to make mistakes in a job such as his.

Beardyman + Tucker was one of my must-see gigs. Livewire organ grinder Tucker blew the crowd away a couple of years ago in a solo set at Fuji Rock, and Beardyman has already played two acclaimed sets here, both of which I missed. Seeing the two together (how on Earth did that happen) may be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
It turns out it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, because if they play together again, I probably won’t bother going. It’s not that either of them was bad, but Beardyman is the human beatbox for whom the term human beatbox seems a little weak as a description. He turns out jazz, blues, breaks, techno and everything else with his vocal chords. Adding a real musician meant it wasn’t always possible to tell who was doing what (the best way to guess was that Beardyman’s mic was too low, so the loud stuff was probably Tucker). So without the “wow, he’s doing that with his voice?” factor, you have to judge the set purely on musical terms. And it was alright. Not something you’d go out of your way for. Bluesy in places, funky in places, and housey elsewhere, but none of it would stand as great examples of any genre.
NB. I was completely knackered when I caught the gig, with my legs about to buckle and my eyes half shut, so the show may well have been blinding. When all you wanna do is sleep, nothing’s gonna sound great.

This was actually kind of hot

We always tell everyone to go to the Palace of Wonder after hours, that you’ll often have your best time of the festival. It’s probably a blessing that so few listen, because it always seems to be just the right amount of packed. But, once more, I’d like to point out that this is the kind of weird crap you can see there: a lithe long-haired dude in a creepy Jason mask dancing to Upside Down with any and all comers at Vegas In Milk, mostly guys as it happened. (Can’t blame the ladies…that mask just screams ’stranger danger’) The guy had some sick moves, and it all made me feel very very happy.

Those eyes...so dead...like windows to an empty soul...

-Kern

The Human Cannonball

Danger and Rock n’  Roll are practically kissing cousins, so it should come as no surprise that acts of daring fit nicely into the Fujirock setting. This year in the Palace of Wonder area you will find the Human Cannonball.
more pics after the jump.

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I just met Ozomatli for a quick chat, and after hearing about the legendary Gogol Bordello show at the Crystal Palace a few years back, Ulises Bella says “we’re about to blow that out. Now we know that we’ve got to step it up.”

Later on, while a TV screen was playing a feed of another band onstage, Jiro Yamaguchi shakes his head and says “look at all the people they’ve got, and that’s all they’re doing. Man, if we were up there – bam!”

They’ve recently played to 10,000 people in Kathmandu, and 20,000 people in Ulan Bator, so the Crystal Palace is going to be a big change of vibe. I’m expecting the festival’s best show. Be there.

Mustang is a hard act to follow. The started out a little iffy at the pre party. Then they proved their worth at Shokudo. And cemented it in the Palace.

Enter DAD MOM GOD. Capitals cos that’s how they do it. We started with a list of famous musicians from the 60s. Session guys mostly. A hint of things to come? It was to a skewif techno beat. That quickly gave way to said 60s classics. The inevitable exodus was inevitable. But the unanticipated return was anticipated. By some. But it hasn’t taken long to fill the place. Or is that the Palace? Continue Reading…

45' Selector Baby Soul

Dressed in a strapless, power blue party dress, DJ Baby Soul (aka Elinor Fahrman) took the stage after a smoking rockabilly set by Kitty, Daisy & Lewis. The set: old school Rock n’ Roll a la Little Richard (Good Golly Miss Molly) and Ray Charles (Hit the Road Jack). A regular at Gaz’s Rockin’ Blues in London, Miss Soul danced and lindy-hopped between selecting tunes, keeping half of KD&L’s crowd for one more swing.

Classy

more pics after the jump.

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Honky Tonkin'

Ladies & gentlemen, meet the coolest family alive. The Kitty, Daisy and Lewis of this eponymously-titled band leave out two essential members: their parents. Mom plays upright bass, Dad plays guitar, and the three teens switch between drums, guitar, harmonica, banjo, accordion and vocals. The result is a rootsy, honky-tonkin’ rock show that may be my favorite gig so far.

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Well the others have summed it up pretty succinctly, I think. Not much more to say, other than don’t listen to anyone on what you should like.

But we don’t go for the music. Nope. If it were the music we went to see, then we’d shell out like the rest of you do. Then we could actually relax and enjoy said music. I remember a few years beck, our esteemed leader commented that he was having a near perfect weekend, catching up with old friends, and if only the bands would shut the fuck up and give them some peace it would have been truly perfect! Continue Reading…

Go Zen

It goes without saying Fuji Rock presents some serious logistical challenges to those people that want to see all their favorite bands, but my first recommendation for folks is something like this: go zen. Continue Reading…

Below you’ll find some of my music recommendations, but first off, a few nuggets of advice:

What to remember:

- Don’t forget sun protection (hat, extra sunglasses and sunblock). And if you use them like I do, bring your own genki drinks for an added late-night boost. Despite all the stalls at Fujirock, I’ve only rarely seen these on sale.

- Walk the entire length of the fest grounds at least once. That’s right: from the Red Marquee all the way to Cabaret Fiesta and back. At sunset or after dark is best, and make sure to take the boardwalk. Try not to look at your watch. You’ll be glad you did.

- Take the Dragondola up to the Day Dreaming stage at the top of the mountain, even if you just turn around and come back. The view, the fresh air and thrity minutes off your feet will do you good.

What to see:

Trying to point out a handful of shows at Fujirock is like recommending only one dish at your favorite restaurant: the entire menu is delicious, but you only have so much room in your stomach. It’s a foregone conclusion that bands like LCD Sound System, Broken Social Scene and One Day as a Lion will be mind-blowingly great live experiences, so I’ll try to point out some of lineup further down the marquee:

My list after the jump

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Viva Vinyl

Whether it’s late night at the Orange Court or regular Red Marquee revelry, Fujirock has you covered for DJs. Headliners like Rusko, Z-Trip, Ken Ishii and Riva Star will deliver the goods like they always do, but dig a little deeper into the lineup and you’ll find even more choice selectors.

This year has quite a handful of DJs plucked from bands in the lineup: Alexis Taylor from Hot Chip and James Murphy from LCD Sound System play back-to-back sets at the Red Marquee Sunday night. Both should be stellar, but Murphy’s will be a must-see. Check out his label’s mix series for a primer.

Now dig even deeper and we arrive at the Palace of Wonder, where some of the best spinning takes place every year…

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Aye Carumba! Is it hot in here?

The 2010 Fujirock schedule has its share of francophone acts, but anyone who’s a fest regular knows that the guys who run Fujirock have a healthy hard-on for all things Latin (and they’re not the only ones in Tokyo). Every year, there are bands from Italy, Spain or South America to spice things up on the side stages. There was cumbia troupe, Very Be Careful playing out of the back of a slow-moving pickup, and the tropical sounds of Ska Cubano splashing off the Avalon stage. And of course no one can forget the scorching sets by Manu Chao from years past.

A quick look through this year’s lineup proves that the Latin love affair continues.

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MUSTANG

Last year’s additional stage was the Moulin Rouge-accented Cafe de Paris tent way at the ass end of the festival. We haven’t heard yet whether or not it will be continued this year, but if it is there are plenty of French or Francophone artists on the menu to provide it with the proper je ne sais quois, though we doubt seriously that the two pop techno freaks of Air would ever deign to play such a puny venue. They are, after all, headlining the Red Marquee Sunday night. Moriarty, though they generally sing in English, is based in France, and they’re already playing at least two gigs during the weekend so it’s likely they could be talked into a third. Then there’s the French swing ska punk ensemble La Ruda, who’s slated for the Orange Court Saturday afternoon. With eight members it might get a little tight in the CdP, but I’m sure they’d be game. And while singer-songwriter Emeline Michel is Haitian, she sings in French and creole and would likely fit right in. Continue Reading…

Willie Martinez & Mambo Loco?

I need to start this by saying that one of my favourite acts at Fuji Rock over the years has been Big Willie’s Burlesque. Big Willie is one of the hardest working guys at Fuji Rock. although he’s never pulled off the most-shows-at-the-fest prize in any given year, without actually counting he may well hold the overall prize, as he’s been so many times, and plays three, four or more sets each time. That’s sure to add up to quite some FRF kudos. So I was excited when I saw in the Don’s piece on the Crystal Palace line-up that the Willie Martinez of Willie Martinez y Mambo Loco is actually Willie McNeil aka Big Willie. Continue Reading…

Human Cannonball and Wheel of Death

Quietly slipping in under the radar the other day (Don Coglione’s Crystal Palace update notwithstanding) have been some minor tweaks to the Fuji Rock 2010 line-up.

The complete Palace of Wonder, Gypsy Avalon, Day Dreaming and Silent Breeze details have been scheduled, as have announcements for the death spectacle that is the Palace Arena, Fischerspooner at All Night Fuji, and DJ Alexis from Hot Chip added to Sunday night’s Red Marquee lineup. Continue Reading…

The Crystal Palace

The schedule for the Palace of Wonder is up, and bend me over and poke a stick up my exit if it isn’t the greatest line-up that they’ve ever assembled there.

First, foremost and bloody hell: Ozomatli are going to play the Palace. It’s becoming a tradition to have a high-energy party band on the Sunday night, and who else but Ozomatli could have done it this year? It’s already right at the top of my to-see list.

Then there’s Beardyman, already punching well above his weight on the Fujirocker to-see lists, and now slated to play with Tucker, the acrobatic electone superstar from Fuji Rock ‘06, which looks even more compelling than Beardyman’s main set.

Willie Martinez Y Mambo Loco is the Willie of the always-on-the-bill Big Willie’s Burlesque, which presumably means he’ll be a bit less saucy and a lot more Cuban this year.
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Kitty, Daisy, and Lewis?

Sometimes it’s easy to guess where an act’s going to appear. If Kitty, Daisy & Lewis aren’t booked for the Palace of Wonder, I’ll buy you all tickets to the festival. Quiffs, double bass, retro fashion, swing and rocking blues… even if they play elsewhere, they’re bound to play the Palace. Continue Reading…

Auditions for Fuji Rock’s Rookie A Go-Go stage are now being accepted.  More after the jump.

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We’re now live from the fest at: http://www.fujirockexpress.net/09e/

follow us on twitter, as well.

Flickr and Vids to come.

jinki

At my first FRF in 2005, I was floored by Watusi Zombie as they opened the Rookie a Go-Go stage.  So impressed was I, that I’ve made a point of catching the lead performance at Rookie a Go-Go each year since.  Continue Reading…

Glastonbury concluded this weekend, and to many, the festival will always be connected with Joe Strummer, the late-great Clash front man and the leader of the Mescaleros. His presence ranges from a memorial stone laid in Glastonbury’s Green Fields to a campfire tended by Strummerville–organization which nurtures young musicians and continues Strummer’s “Yes We Can” attitude to important causes. The same organization makes an annual appearance at the Palace of Wonder bringing many of the same cast and characters. Here is a video from Day 1 of Glastonbury.

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