Fujirockers: The official fansite of the Fuji Rock Festival

THOUGHT I WAS THE WHITE GUY?!

FRF 2012. Best of the festival you ask? For me, it was all the cool new bands I discovered at random and by way of doing a great many reviews for fujirock.com. Thanks Shawn!

At first glance, when I shit my pants as soon as ATDI was announced, I thought for sure that would be the highlight, grand finale of my festival this year. And don’t get me wrong, it was a fantastic and powerful show to put a cap on three days of great music, food and people watching, but it was more the unexpected excitement at witnessing lesser-known yet just as legendary musicians without all the rock-image hype necessarily that filled my ears with the good stuff until overflowing for three days straight.

Counting down from five to one, here are a few acts that I am talking about:

5. Mop of Head. Live band disco-tronica with George on “Machines” won me over alright.

4. Steve Kimock. Though truly, I am a far cry from DEAD HEAD 4 LIFE; I don’t have to justify this to anyone. Bernie Worrell on keys come on! (Maybe the brick oven-baked pizza I was eating colored my experience a little extra positively.)

3. Onda Vaga. They lived up to the hype, FIVE times. (Though I really only caught 2.5 of those shows, what I saw they were solid, super-genki and always had the crowd way into it.) Plus, I saw them hanging with the die hard Palace of Wonders crowd at 6am Monday morning after that intense schedule over the weekend. Red Bull anyone?

2. Cock Rock toss-up between Japanese legends-in-the-making Lay-Run and my hometown heroes Los Lonely Boys coming all the way from Texas. These two bands for me this year defined the “Rock” in Fuji Rock Music Festival. Not that it is a bad thing, but lately disco, DJs, jazz and a ton of “World” music have a huge presence. I enjoy it all, but good old fashioned rock n’ roll done right is still a beautiful and inspiring thing. And while Los Lonely Boys are still putting out records, a lot of theirs and Lay-Run’s tunes already feel completely “classic.”

And the number ONE unexpected-exciting-lesser-known-yet-just-as-legendary-musical-act-of-this-year’s-festival was…

1. New Cool Collective! All the way from Amsterdam. Amazing musicians with a sense of humor, having a blast on stage. No ego, just excellent music.

So there you have it, one man’s opinion in a pool of thousands. Really, go see for yourself next year if you haven’t already. And if you have, tell me what you think.

Here’s to another 350-some days of anticipation…Want to start making bets on big reunion shows/headliners for next year?

YES, IT IS A REAL LOAF OF BREAD

No Nukes. Gnarly.

So I thought for sure this massive loaf was papier mache or some shit. Nope.

It is a REAL loaf that the baker/artist sketched in NO NUKES, definitely the sub-theme political slant of the festival this year.

In the Field of Heaven this delicious bread vendor provides festival goers with delicious buttermilk on sliced wheat bread, raisin walnut loaves, or if you’d like a crispy alternative, little packaged rask packets or breadsticks you can take on the go.

The smell alone is worth 400 Yen, rivaled only by the wood-burning oven pizza guys on the other side of the field. Especially for us working the fest, after eating 3 days of mediocre bento lunch boxes with lukewarm and questionable fish and other unidentifiable oddities, a nice hearty loaf of bread washed down with a cup of coffee or 100% apple juice makes an excellent breakfast or filling snack. It was kind of my lunch, actually.

So, if you missed it this time around, put it on your gastronomical list for FRF 2013. Tear a loaf with some J-Hippies, hell get a glass, dip it in wine and commune together! Peace and Pan.

D-JOW AND EIJI ARE GRAVITY FREE

This year’s concept, since it is the Year of the Dragon and all, is none other than a “Psychedelic Dragon” rainbow scales and all. The Gravity Free artists Eiji and D-Jow take a second from their work to chat with me a bit about their work. I will paraphrase their Japanese responses in English for you.

They say there is not any serious meaning behind the piece, just the act of painting is meaning in itself for the friends. Although, on second thought they say, ruminating on the earthquake last year, and all the rainbow-type people you see dancing around the Field of Heaven, basically hippie-style from the last 70 year movement as such. This year, the guys feel that movement is changing. Rainbow-type people and rich people have to learn to get along, and they have as you can see in relief efforts in Japan last year and ongoing today. And they can continue to do it, but it might take you off guard or effect your balance relating to people you are unfamiliar with or who hold different values. Or giving up all your riches to help others, a disconcerting feeling that may set your horizon off-kilter, yet will actually allow you to soar to greater heights. But in the end, we are still human, and can reach great heights regardless if we work together.

Continue Reading…

FLYER

Tohoku Livehouse Daisakusen has a table in the FujiRockers tent by the Shokudo. They are raising awareness and funds towards their project to build music venues along the devastated Tohoku-Sanriku coastal area.

By consciously building venues as part of the grand revival schematics, Miyako, Ofunato and Ishinomaki will become creative hubs, enticing musicians from around Japan and the world to visit the area and perform. Dual-purpose in this pursuit is of course the positive energy brought with performances, but also a reciprocal inspiration exchange, affecting the artist’s themselves with that spirit of human revival and perseverance.

Coming to FRF every year never ceases to fill me with great memories and lots of new ideas for the future. If you are listening to solar powered DJ booths on the Avalon lawn, eating curry cooked with bio-fuel, or buying hand-crafted hemp shirts direct from the artist, the community vibe and sustainable appeal is ever-present, and it renews my faith in the kindness of strangers and the resilience of humanity.

The Livehouse initiative can be found online here. Get connected, and if you have the time and energy, join in some way, any way, and help out the collective. Keep jamming amidst the rubble.

DJ AKI AND YUUKI MC

Watch out in the front row, freaking flamethrowers, dude!

Round 1 of 5, DJ Aki and YUUKI MC open the show in rebel jungle fashion. Drum and Bass with sweet serenades sampled and dropping on the incoming masses. Cornrowed Aki is feeling it, feeding the front rows, and Yuuki MC with his stereo surround British-twang spitting hooks on a soapbox help focus the otherwise visual onslaught; 5 screens, lasers, smoke and mirrors, oh yeah, and flames singeing eyebrows of those innocent dancers in the front rows.

The food and drink lines are growing, as is the toilet line (funny how that works out), then the camping foldy chair beasts are beginning to build their sit village in the back. All-in-all the Orange Court is happy to be this packed, at this late hour well past sundown.

Brazilian food, coconut curry, Korean and fruit smoothies are available as delectable midnight snacks to fill the void before dancing 5 more hours. The only vein in is the boardwalk, so take your time, it is a two-way street. Don’t take a million pictures of the fancy disco balls. Yeah they are cool, but they will still be there tomorrow night. And watch your step as waterlogged boardwalk steps are beginning to break and buckle under the tired (heavy) feet of thousands.

Dexpistols gave Aki and Yuuki a run for their money, with oldies like Prodigy’s “Smack My Bitch Up” thrown in the mix, Bryan Burton Lewis in some Lady Gaga-worthy getup keeping things in line, introducing the DJs to follow: legends like DJ Emma and Krush are coming up!

Photo Courtesy Smashing Mag 前田博史. See more here.

THREE PEAS IN A POD

I woke up on Friday morning for my first day proper at Fuji Rock to find the sun piercing the curtains with ease. That settled it: I needed a hat.

On the advice of one of my colleagues (who I have since learnt has posted a similar piece), I sought out an Englishman down by the river near the White Stage who was believed to be selling hats for as little as JPY500. What’s more, I was told, he barely had any left.

This would not surprise regular festival-goers who will be more than familiar with John, who has been coming to Fuji Rock without fail for 14 years. Indeed, he even misses the Carnival back in Santiago where he lives to make an annual appearance. Continue Reading…

HUBBA HUBBA

Some artists bring a new feel or special presence to a stage, regardless of the setting. Some stages are made for certain artists. The Café de Paris is exactly where Big Willie’s Burlesque (BWB) shows always ought to be. The Palace of Wonder is great, what with the wood floor and intimate setting. But come on, pole dancers and busty broads painted on the walls, red velvet curtains to boot.

1920s jazz renditions with a sense of humor, upright bass man in a bowler hat, “Pickles” on the ivory keys, band leader Bill Ungerman the saxophone man (or ‘trumpiccolo’ (sp?) player as they call it) lets a gold chain dangle, and the eye candy diamond studded vocalist Makinna Ridgway, as if Big Willie’s melon wasn’t shiny enough!

So now I will replay a few of the out loud chuckling (LOL) anecdotes witnessed in the midst of great beauty baring it all (save a G-string and glitter tassels).

“Willie, you got another talent, right?” Mackinna asks sweetly. “Oh yeah, I’m a bikini waxer,” he nonchalantly replies.

“Genki?” Willie asks the crowd? Fill in some simple small talk about the heat. “But it’s OK, I have a very big towel.” To which a band mate echoes, “That’s what I tell the ladies.” Oh!

OK, maybe you had to be there for some of those clever ba-dum-dum-ching moments.

“You like surprise? I like surprise.” Grins. And out comes Carolina Cerisola, a classic doll done up glamorous in olive sequins…though not for long.

Continue Reading…

THATS FOUR HANDS SHREDDING ON A SINGLE NECK AXE, MAN

Los Lonely Boys had quite an act to follow Thursday night after the romping rambunctious septet from Argentina Onda Vaga. But, with the back-in-black cock rock confidence the power trio exudes, shredding from start to finish, asking “Ya’ll ready for some Texican Rock n’ Roll!” clad in superstar sunglasses and strutting in unison to the crowds rising bemuse, Los Lonely Boys were anything but lonely as they made a shitload of new friends tonight headlining the special Thursday opener. It might not be my favorite kind of music, but these Texas boys know how to put on an excellent show. Watching the slap bass solo seemingly in fast-forward and the four-hand axe attack. Watching these guys work together virtuoso and complement each other so well, I got tingles.

They only let up for one song, their Top 40 Super-hit “How far is Heaven?” This 40-something white dude freaking out at the opening hook spilled his freakin’ beer all over the place. Hilarious.

After an unrelenting engagement, the dueling bass and guitar duo drop humbly to their knees and pay homage, “Muchas Gracias!” and are sure to shout out their main event, tomorrow at seven, the Field of Heaven, it is sure to be a showdown at sundown like the Blues Brothers versus Mad Max on crack version all up in some dusty Texas saloon.  Get some veggie tacos from the Field of Heaven for dinner while you listen from the delicious fry bread place; equipped with red beans it’s likely the closest thing to Tex-Mex you can get around.

Photo courtesy Smashing Mag from 平川 けいこ. See more photos here.

SLOW TURTLE AND LITTLE EAGLE POSE IN FRONT OF THE WOOD FAIRY

FOH (Field of Heaven) is by far the crowd favorite stage for ambiance and that effervescent hand-made feel. The do-it-yourself makeshift boutiques, light art installations, and overall deadhead hippie vibe drifting through the air. What’s that I smell? (Just kidding, this is FRF, and even with the growing international presence, it’s still Japan.)

What enticed me into Slow Turtle and Little Eagle’s enterprise was the life-size root sculpture of a sexy tree fairy out front amidst their tasteful and welcoming naturalist entrance installation. We got to talking a bit about their respective hand-made goods for sale, turns out Little Eagle lives on the Big Island Hawaii 10 months out of the year, making special return trips to her native Japan for Fuji Rock and other summer festivals, selling her elegant and flowing design work, dresses, blouses and other comfy looking hippie gear. Slow Turtle practices 60s free-love style lettering and crafts intricate multi-color patterns to be hand-printed, residual flashbacks of twenty years ago or so when the couple (previously married) road tripped around the US, following the Grateful Dead and other fleeting movements of the era. They got bored in Japan, they said, so they headed west. They especially like the wide-open spaces, wilderness, California Redwoods, and Native American population. Japanese artists and free thinkers were drawn to the space and time offered in the US of yore. I met a handful of other FOH vendors who also spent significant time overseas soaking up those influences and coming back to Japan to offer a refined fusion product especially for the lucky FRF attendees. They have been doing so for 14 years!

If you need a sweet throwback shirt or a long one-piece that feels on your body like a cool zephyr on a warm sunny day, head on over to their unassuming geodesic dome, wrapped in twigs and berries, and try on some artful craft apparel via hangers made of silken twine. You can also visit their webshop at SLOW TURTLE.NET

CLOCKING IN JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT ON FRIDAY AT THE RED MARQUEE

This preview comes with a warning: Factory Floor is not for the faint-hearted.

The London-based trio are renowned for delivering live performances of such abrasive intensity that they’ve been known to cause power outages to entire streets during the feedback crescendos at the end of their set. And while this is unlikely to happen at Fuji Rock, I certainly wouldn’t blame the crew on the sound desk for casting a nervous eye over the levels during their Friday night Planet Groove set at the Red Marquee.

Much of Factory Floor’s material is typically described as post-industrial but it’s much more complicated than that. The trio strips down melodies produced on analogue synths, sequencers, drums, guitars and vocals to their bare essentials, mixing them together gradually in the same way that full-cream milk is added to a simple cheese sauce. The end result is a sound that is reminiscent of something you’d likely hear at an underground disco for zombies: It’s predominantly beat heavy, but comes peppered with droning harmonies the undead can certainly fling their arms around to. Continue Reading…

BEST FEET FORWARD

With less than two weeks to go until Fuji Rock, it’s time to start making sure you’ve got everything you need to make the festival an unmitigated success. Here’s a list of essential items you’d be well advised to bring:

Gumboots (known as rain boots or Wellingtons to those outside of Aotearoa): Footwear is a fiercely debated topic. Ideally, you’re likely to need something mid-calf or higher to keep the mud out. I wore a pair of ankle-high hiking shoes last year and the mud was perilously close to the top by the end of the first day. I was already taking wide berths around certain areas on the main paths, and the Orange Court was basically inaccessible. Remember to bring some comfy insoles to help give the soles of your feet some added protection.

Poncho/light raincoat: Umbrellas are prohibited in the festival grounds and rain is as much a part of Fuji Rock as the music itself. I personally find ponchos easier to use than raincoats because you can simply throw them on and off as and when is necessary (the rain has a habit of coming down in regular showers). Ponchos can also cover any day bags/gear you might be carrying. It’s worth buying a semi-decent one that will last the distance because the ¥100 varieties have a tendency to disintegrate just when you need them most.

Torch (flashlight) and batteries: It gets pretty dark when the sun goes down. Central Shibuya this is not.

Sunscreen, insect repellent, Tiger Balm, hat, sunglasses, folding fan: The Red Marquee may be blessed with a roof but you’re going to be exposed to the elements for much of the festival. Continue Reading…

DJ Nobu last year on the decks at the Red Marquee

All-Night Fuji, a special Friday night rave DJ Royal Rumble of sorts, way back in the Orange Court where you can be freaky as you wanna be, celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the festival. And my top pick for Sunday night, Annie Mac closing out the fest in style with one last surge of dancing frenzy, for the win!

Ringing in the 10-year anniversary of Fuji Rock Festival, the bludgeoning jungle-y DnB tracks of DJ AKI, Future Terror artist DJ NOBU, DJ KRUSH, techno axe murderer Ken Ishii, DJ “Psy-Trance” Tsuyoshi, and that is only half the lineup. (Already I have twice been obliterated by DJ Aki who is equally as energetic on stage while he plays as the furious dancers in the dust rising just trying to keep up with his raunchy 280bpms!)

In Osaka and seemingly the whole of Kansai, government has put the sledgehammer to all-night parties. And yet they are putting nuclear reactors back online, disregarding the 80-some percent of the population who begs and protests otherwise. Major bummer. Anyway, unless you live in Tokyo (or Kanazawa) it seems that you are quite possibly doomed to ipod dance parties in your underwear at home on an otherwise awesome Saturday night. Coming from Kyoto, I for one am stoked sideways for the electronic onslaught kicking off Friday night, out at Orange where no one can hear you scream. Continue Reading…

AXEL WILLNER GOES ALL LOOPY AT ASAGIRI JAM IN 2009

Axel Willner, a.k.a. The Field, comes across as a man who is never happy with his own work.

The Swedish electronic artist first debuted on Kompakt with the EP “Things Keep Falling Down” in 2005, after the uber cool Cologne label plucked his demo out of a pile of young techno hopefuls from all over Europe.

Another 12-inch and a string of remixes later, he dazzled the musical powers that be with “From Here We Go Sublime,” a hypnotic fusion of 4/4 beats heavily layered with dozens of fragmented nanosamples that are chopped up, looped and twisted in every direction imaginable. Lionel Richie’s “Hello” forms the base element of one track, as do songs by Coldplay and Fleetwood Mac. The album is in many ways the perfect marriage of techno and ambient, and, understandably, tour requests came thick and fast.

But Willner wasn’t satisfied.

The isolation of touring by himself frustrated him and so he brought in two live musicians – bassist Dan Enqvist and multi-instrumentalist Andreas Soderstrom, who has since been replaced by drummer Jesper Skarin – to join him, a decision that ultimately spawned 2009’s “Yesterday & Today.” Although the album certainly didn’t generate the same sort of unconditional love that gushed from fans after Willner’s debut, reviewers were quick to highlight its crossover potential, with elements of Krautrock and shoegaze adding to the vintage trance-tinged sounds he was able to manipulate on his laptop in his earlier body of work.

Japan was even fortunate enough to host The Field later that year, when Willner & Co. delivered a stonking set on the Moon Shine stage at Asagiri Jam.

But Willner still wasn’t satisfied Continue Reading…

THE DAY AFTER: QUEUES THAT NEVER END

So you’ve bought your ticket to this year’s Fuji Rock Festival and you’re – as they used to say on “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” in the early ’90s – “psyched.” Now comes the mundane part: getting there.

There are a number of options you can take to get to and from the festival site, which is located in the lush mountains of the Naeba Ski Resort in Niigata Prefecture. These fall within various categories ranging from “you can do it with your eyes closed” to “it would be faster to walk,” so let’s cover each of these in turn…

TRAIN

1. TRAVEL TO TOKYO STATION

The very first thing you need to do is work your way to Tokyo Station, from where you can catch a bullet train to a station on the Joetsu Shinkansen line near the festival site.

(1) From the Tokyo area:

Narita Airport to Tokyo Station

The Narita Express takes around 90 minutes to Tokyo Station and leaves the airport roughly every half hour between 07:30 and 19:45. After 19:45, trains are less frequent and vary depending on the day, with the last train leaving Terminal 1 at 21:44. Tickets cost ¥2,940 one-way.

See here for the Narita Express timetable from Narita.

See here for the Narita Express timetable to Narita. Continue Reading…

AGORIA'S AWESOME OTAKU STYLE!

“…With Sébastien Devaud, aka Agoria, who entered the world of electronic dance music at a peculiar moment in time.” (I had to rip straight from Heiko Hoffman’s words on Agoria’s French label InFiné; he just said it too perfectly.)

Growing up in rural France (Lyons environs) you may wonder how this young fellow got hold of the means to hear, consume, succumb to and eventually fabricate his own alluring deep house techno beats as a now well-sought-after world-renowned DJ and producer. Well, he started washing cars for the neighbors, that’s how. (Just for comparison, how many cars would you have to wash for a 3-day ticket to Fuji Rock nowadays? Depends on the cars, I guess.)

From those humble beginnings, listening to Kevin Saunderson on the radio back in 1988, Agoria has evolved his musically abilities to include mastering modern house and even foraying into the amorphous ambient realm (hear the soundtrack he crafted for the movie “Go Fast”). Continue Reading…

THE CANADIAN DUO ARE MAKING THEIR FIRST APPEARANCE AT FUJI ROCK

If the announcement last week that Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds will fill the vacant headline spot on Saturday ultimately proved to be one of Fuji Rock’s worst-kept secrets, electro-pop fans were salivating at news that Canada’s up-and-coming Purity Ring has also been added to the lineup.

Indeed, it’s hard to believe a duo with the sum total of four singles to date could have attracted so much attention online over the past 18 months. Much of that buzz comes from glowing reviews posted on music websites such as Pitchfork, which incidentally listed Purity Ring’s debut single, “Ungirthed,” at No. 38 on the best 100 singles of 2011, just behind Jamie xx’s “Far Nearer” and Harlem rapper A$AP Rocky’s “Peso.” It’s illustrious company to be included in for sure, and we all remember Jamie xx’s performance at the Red Marquee last year, don’t we?

Like a mosquito circling at shoulder height in summer, the buzz surrounding Purity Ring is a buzz that refuses to go away. Storied independent label 4AD has since added to the hype, signing the duo in April and announcing a release date for their debut full-length album, “Shrines” – July 24, just five days before their inaugural Fuji Rock performance. This in of itself is sure to inspire a show I’m sure the pair will want fans in Japan to remember.

Like so many young artists these days, it’s hard to pin a tag on the duo that really sticks. In earlier interviews, they seemed to be trying to stake a claim on a genre they called “future pop.” However, this label fails to account for the unearthly atmospherics that typically pervade their recordings. So what exactly can we expect? Continue Reading…

AT THE DRIVE-IN LIVE IN TOKYO, JAPAN (2006 US limited edition vinyl LP released by Lost Horse Records and featuring 8 tracks captured live on the 18th January 2001, presented in a unique sealed picture sleeve).

I must confess something. While I am not usually into idol worship or fanaticism, listening to At The Drive-In (ATDI) makes me giddy like a high school kid getting felt up in a movie theater again.

When I was 19, I played guitar (not nearly as sexy as Omar Rodriguez-Lopez mind you) for an ATDI cover band—and got chills every time I played the intro to Napoleon Solo. Later at university, I took a music rhetoric writing course and wrote eight pages about The Mars Volta’s epic debut album “De-Loused in the Comatorium,” only to “happen” across lead singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala casually hanging outside the tour bus parked on 6^th street in downtown Austin outside Emo’s where the band was set to play in a few hours. I “happened” to have a copy of my 8-page report and handed it to Cedric, wide-eyed, blushing and bowing like a Japanese schoolgirl. We exchanged a very few words, something about eating vegetarians.

Needless to say, after 11 years on hiatus (hardly so– as Mars Volta, Sparta and a smattering of other super side projects with fries have deliciously transpired), At The Drive-In broke their silence with a simple Tweet (January 9^th, 2012) and a minimalist homepage update declaring, in a semblance of lyrics from their hit track “One-Armed Scissor” that, “This Station Is…Now…Operational;” cue crushing guitar distortion! Continue Reading…

SEUN KUTI & EGYPT 80 PERFORMING AT ASAGIRI JAM 2011

Even though the main act on the Green stage for the evening has not been announced yet, looking at the lineup for Saturday at Fuji, if I were a busy office worker and could only make it to the festival for one day, then that would definitely be the day I would go. I feel fairly well qualified to tell you all just how amazing Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 is. For starters, I think I must own at least 20 of the innumerable albums that Seun’s father Fela Anikulapo Kuti released, primarily during the 70’s and 80’s, and I consider him to be one of the 5 most influential and important musicians to have ever walked this earth. Secondly, I was privileged enough to see Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 for the first time at last year’s Asagiri Jam and although I couldn’t have imagined that he would even come close to matching his father’s passion, intelligence and musical genius, after witnessing Seun and the band do their set, I was completely in awe.

I could write pages about how brilliant and unique Fela was (and Seun is) but seeing as space is limited, a brief introduction to the man and his legacy for those unfortunate souls who do not know who he was will suffice. Fela was born in Nigeria, studied music in London and went on to become the undisputed king of Afrobeat music, a trance-inducing mix of funk, looping African rhythms and story-telling . What he played were more than just songs, they were epic excursions into his world of political and musical thought, often stretching past the 20 minute mark and some tunes lasting more than half an hour. He loved his country and its people with his entire being and used his music as a weapon to fight the horrific corruption, brutality and poverty that was caused by those in power in Nigeria. He was so disgusted by the state of the government that he got some land and tried to create his own country within Nigeria. It was acts like this that enraged the police to the point that they threw his mother out of a window and killed her. He was also repeatedly arrested and spent time in jail, yet he never gave up his hope for a brighter future and the intensity of his music only escalated with his fight for the underrepresented people of his country continuing until his death in 1997. Continue Reading…

DAYDREAMING OF PSYCHEDELIC SOFT CREAM

Way up here, the vibe is nice, high above the clouds. The sun is peeking through 3 days of overcast overhead. Luigi makes an appearance and eats a huge plastic magic mushroom. There are rainbow ice cream cones, a rock ‘n’ roll panda, lions, tigers, and bears oh my! (Seriously, human-sized.)

Don’t wake me from this trippy daydream on a mountaintop. But what put the icing on the mud cake was the full freakin’ rainbow on the Dragondola ride down! It seriously spanned the sky, arching from one pot o’ gold to the other, over peaks and a winding river. More to come on that later…

Riding the dragon up to Daydream was the best possible way I could have spent the afternoon calm, albeit raving with umbrellas at three o’clock in the afternoon, hardly the definition of calm. Yoda DJing must have covertly transferred some of his grammatical wisdom through the womping bass, as I seriously feel enlightened. Because, we may have since descended from on high, but I am still on cloud 9 and plan to ride this feeling to finish this year’s fest strong, despite my damp wooly socks. Fuji Rockin’ Rainbows of Love!

SUCKS SCREAMING DISCUSTING

A sweet new banner hangs behind drummer Sang-yun, like an alien eye half open looking at some netherworld universe, or a still half-drunk Fuji Rocker on Sunday morning, and an epic intro track plays with blue strobes blinking. This would be awesome at like 9pm tonight. Drawing an 11:30AM slot on Sunday, unless you are as well known and loved as Oh Sunshine, apparently, is a rough time. Even still the power trio gets down to business. Set starts heavy with songs off A18’s Blue Album. Thanks to the trickling rain outside, people have trickled into the Red Marquee as well. The A18 guys knew that rain would play in their favor as they don’t have a lot of name recognition in Japan yet (this ain’t Korea anymore, Dorothy).

Lead singer and thrash guitarist Hyun-seok, aka Sucks (he introduced himself to me 3 years ago in Seoul like, “I’m Sucks.” So I said, “You suck?” “Yes, I’m Sucks.” And that was that), had a funny jiko-shokai (self-introduction) translated into Japanese that got some grins from the motley crowd.

The onslaught continued with heavy songs, including a new one “Sonic Boom” off their album Gogol, set for release early fall. Besides Envy, and arguably Atari Teenage Riot, this year’s festival is light on the heavy rock acts. So A18’s volume and swagger is welcome reprieve from all the world music and jam rock.

“Get the fuck up!” Sucks screams on “Discusting,” surely heard throughout the nearby campground, decreeing all the late risers peek their sleepy heads out there tents and in fact “get the fuck up.” It wasn’t until “Warm” off their Red album that the psychedelic clouds rolled in and the wind (fan) blew on drummer Sang-yun, giving the moment that much more of a refreshingly ethereal feeling. It too though would crescendo in post-rock finale fashion.

The last song showcased a bit of the guys’ characteristic careless stage presence, tossing instruments and wobbling off stage into the arms of front row fans over the barricade, feedback still screeching. I would have liked to see a little more of that madcap movement throughout the set. That ought to rile up the crowd and keep attention of everyone not in love with their post-hardcore psychedelia.

Very last, the dudes tossed out some promotional iphone covers to try and increase that name recognition, and I would put money on them being back in the future too, on a better stage and time slot for their style. After all, their work ethic, raw skills, and personality all together seem like every successful band in the rising star stages. No doubt A18 will keep shooting for the moon. Just next time, not so damn early!

Photo courtesy 佐俣美幸. See more photo reports here

HE NEVER STOPPED SMILING!

The all-out freak-out jam last night at Orange Court, started by two wee kalimbas (thumb pianos), and carried through by a cast of about a dozen multi-talented and incredibly diverse skilled musicians, singing, dancing and banging things was what huge international festivals like Fuji Rock should be all about. To see a musician going beyond their own song list, bending and blending styles, and expressing the inner rhythm to the beat of just one drum (a HUGE hide skin thing tonight), rekindles the definition of a true artist, reaching higher, further, stretching, aching 15-minute jams kind-of further, to embrace the crowd as a pulsing organism comprised of precious individual expression.

Deerhoof front lady Satomi Matsuzaki lent her vocal styling’s to a rare distinguishable vocal hook “No one can change no one else.” That was both fitting precisely into the motley percussive Congotronic rhythm and still hosting a tint of Satomi’s own unique voice. Wildbirds and Peacedrums‘ Ms. Mariam also impressed with a vocal pipe strength both primal as what archetypal native African singing might bring to mind, but with incredible inflections and a bunch of other pleasant surprises, with passion ever-present.

The smiles never ceased on all the Congotronics members’ faces. Their authenticity, playing steady since the 70’s, was contagious. I think if they had it their way, the crowd and band would become one, like a dusty Congolese café, patrons boogying, having fun, picking up a drum, expressing the movement and sound that go hand-in-hand in spinning the globe. So global music meshes like this can be expected more, I hope, and it will be fun to see what genres morph next.

Photo courtesy Julen Esteban-Pretel. More photos here

SMOOTH HIP CAT PIMP DADDY-O

I was just finishing my green curry and tofu pita when I heard the trombone squeeze and saxophone, my cue to hustle over the bridge to the Green Stage. Only 15 minutes before, walking through the sparsely populated Green Stage lawn, I wondered what kind of crowd the Tokyo Ska outfit would draw.  I got my answer as I showed up on the lawn with capacity other ska stompers keeping time.

All clad in matching suits, a gangster-esque menagerie of accessories, like bowlers, shades, braids, open top buttons, etc. these guys looked the professional part (though professional what, just by looking, may be hard to tell…assassin perhaps?) Anyway, it did not take long to learn that the only thing these guys are killing is the airwaves all the way back to the tree line and beyond. They had the priority area patrons up out of their seats stomping!

Showcasing the talent of this tenured act, around since 1988, every one of the members gets a shot in the spotlight. At one point the front man in the Blu-Ray shades is scatting oogy-boogies versus the trombone player squeaking out replies. There was even a surprise rendition of Tequila, performed flawlessly on harmonium, with a large portion of the crowd happily filling in the vocal portions.

A special track was performed as inspiration post-earthquake, the baritone saxophone man puts down his brass and belts the hook full of celebratory confidence, “We can do it!” The crowd smiling and singing along in solidarity.

I have a new favorite genre ska, and the president-elect of that new favorite genre is, Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra.

Photo courtesy 熊沢泉. More photo reviews here

MS. TOKIKO, YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE

Kato Tokiko was described to me endearingly as Japan’s most famous hippie lady. When she comes out on stage at the Atomic Café (Gypsy Avalon), the sun may be hidden beneath layers of cloud, but she exudes an elegant vibrance to fill the atmosphere with a bright genuine smile and confidence, even before her first words. Think Joan Baez with a perm, and a little shorter. “Genki?” She asks knowingly. “Subarashii.” Wonderful.

She explains this set is not just about singing songs, she will be talking about important issues, too. She closes her short and sweet intro with something like, “Of course Solar Power is strong and important, but what is even stronger and more important is each and every one of you in the crowd.” Continue Reading…

ETHICALLY CLEAN SOUNDS AND GRASS

Grass. Actual grass. And thanks to all this rain, a small river runs through it. The sound booth is a neat, yet poorly placed geodesic dome, reminds me of Burning Man, as does the environmentally proactive theme and message surrounding this sweet hillside tucked away just enough to give you pleasant reprieve from all the big stage sounds, crowds and mud pits. It is now going past the halfway point of this years festival, so you may be feeling a bit worn out and just want a toned down communal vibe, chill acts (except for Mr. Hideki and the Riddim Saunter earlier), and a place to eat your Tom Yum Ramen from the restaurant stall around the corner. There are also natural products that smell really good for sale. Maybe you should pick up something to disguise that pesky mold growing in your ears and between your toes thanks to Naeba’s constant damp humidity this year. It is also nice be able to sit down on the ground, and not get up looking like you had a terrible chocolate accident in the pants. There are plenty peace signs to cuddle with up the hillside, too.

THESE FOLKS PLAY EXCELLENT FOLK MUSIC

Banjo, upright bass, steel guitar, electric guitar, and Ms. Nakamura’s more authentic than authentic can throw a stick at authentic vocal sounds and flawless acoustic guitar. They start the set unassumingly, no frills, just straight skills with “Some Happy Day.” And it is for me, increasingly as they take me on a trip back to my homeland America’s musical heritage, as good or better than the originals. The next track’s refrain, “Gonna build me a log cabin on a mountain so high,” certainly resonates with campers, commiserating in their tent cabins set up here in the mountains of Naeba.

The Field of Heaven stage decorations this year provide one of the best settings for this kind of roots music, too. Pine branches draped and disguising the huge speaker stack scaffolding, blending with the backdrop of pine beyond. Perhaps this venue 2^nd best, only to a campfire in the hills of North Carolina, cooking beans in a can, chewing spit from a tin, and washing it down with moonshine for the win! Continue Reading…