DID SOMEONE SAY FONDUE?
The mystery of the cheese deepens. The bright yellow wedge was spotted earlier Sunday afternoon being marched through the Field of Heaven by two rodents towards a fate that to date remains uncertain. Anyone able to provide any more details?
WHAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF
For a guy who has been active on the Dead Head scene since ’74, it’s no surprise he has this cult following, even in Japan. This manifestation has 3 more players: the legend Bernie Worrell still kickin’ and tickling the ivories, Andy Hess swaying solid on bass and Wally Ingram tearing up a top-of-the-line DW drum kit.
Set-up and sound check took a little long and the show was actually about 10 minutes late, a rare thing at FRF for being a top-notch fest in always-punctual Japan. Though, the proper sound-check resulted in a fine-tuned sound all the way through a sweetly romping three-hour set (of which the first hour was a mere 4 songs mind you).
Starting the jam leads into a Beatles tinged remix of “Come Together.”
There is a guy in the front with a California license plate proclaiming DEAD HEAD status, and even a baby carriage with a Grateful Dead rainbow flag attached. That, my friends, is longevity.
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
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 2nd 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…
It’s hard to imagine anyone knowing the lines to Cornershop’s 1997 mega-hit “Brimful of Asha” because of its many Bollywood references, including a tip of the hat to the grande dame of playback singing, Asha Bhosle. That didn’t stop the song from becoming a decade long hit, aided by Norman Cooke and Fat Boy Slim remixes. Topping the success of this tune would be a tough task for any group, but when your band contains 2 brothers named Singh and a sitar player, it verges on impossible.
Speed the clock forward another 14 years, and the band has released 4 subsequent albums but slowly faded from public fame. Things got so bleak the band resorted to crowdfunding it’s last release “Cornershop and the Double ‘O’ Groove Of,” on Pledge music including the above heartfelt plea on YouTube.
But like all good Bollywood movies, Continue Reading…
Carlos and Temjin of MMK
It’s all about the brass. Bursting onto the stage and quickly picking up a pace that didn’t let up, Mountain Mocha Kilimanjaro made pulling myself out of bed after a few scant hours and making an hours trek all worth it.
This booty shakin’ sextet are tearing up the stage with a crowd of ravelers singing along to every word of “Baggy Pants” led by Bobsan on guitar. That’s right, everyone here knows both words. By heart. Even the guys from Ozomatli are approving, off stage right. Temjin on trumpet and Carlos on sax are the frontmen and face of the stageshow, but it’s Ginger on bass that gets the biggest cheers of the set as he leads us briefly into Run DMC’s Walk This Way. Brilliant stuff. Continue Reading…
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…
The Entrance Band
Writers of this blog annually award the Field of Heaven “Best Stage” for its snug mountain location, crystal clear acoustics, and firm gravel underfoot. For the weary, the stage is flanked by politically correct vendors offering covered seating along with hemp products and coffee w/Kahlua.
Unfortunately, the remoteness of the stage makes it overlooked by the masses leading to light attendance for otherwise big names such as My Morning Jacket and Ryan Adams, leading the artist line-up on this stage to be scaled back in subsequent years. This year, one of the best performers on this terrific stage will be The Entrance Band, a highly regarded LA trio that careen between jamrific tunes to delay-sotted guitars ala early 80’s acts such as U2, The Cult, and Echo & the Bunnymen.
The track “M.L.K.” is equal parts the Edge and Jerry Garcia, a wild traipse into the stratosphere that is so perfectly suited to the Field of Heaven that I can imagine some of the vendors selling rough hewn ponchos for a minute to look up, and jam along with an invisible guitar.
Mountain Mocha Kilimanjaro at FRF '08
After witnessing Mountain Mocha Kilimanjaro’s FRF debut in the spectacular Crystal Palace Tent in 2008, our own Don Coglione proclaimed, “This is a band on the rise and you’ll see them back on a bigger stage before too long.” Proving Mr. Coglione right, this year the Saitama sextet will be tearing things up in the Field Of Heaven with funky instrumental cuts from their 2008 eponymous effort and this January’s excellent “Uhuru Peak.”
Taylor Hawkins & The Coattail Riders
Someday, Taylor Hawkins may decide to step out from behind the shadow of his 13 year day job as drummer for rock stalwarts the Foo Fighters. When he does, his fairly extensive musical work experience with Grohl and others he’s played and wood shedded with – like some guys from some band called Led Zeppellin and some other dudes from another band called Queen – should come across in honed chops, creativity and confidence. With journeyman cred like that, he will most likely have found a way to offer something uniquely his own, and when he does it could be wildly entertaining. Until then, though, his current side project, Taylor Hawkins & the Coattail Riders, is pretty much just that, but that ain’t all bad. Continue Reading…
Smashing Mag, the premier web site in Japan for live music coverage, has some great live shots from the Liquid Heaven ver.6 gig held on April 29 at Tokyo’s Liquidroom. The popular event aims to recreate the fantastic atmosphere and positive vibes from Fuji Rock’s Field Of Heaven stage. FRF veterans Dachambo and Theatre Brook were both on hand to perform at the recent edition. The latter was especially fitting considering they’ll make their third FRF appearance this summer on July 31.
Best Thing About Fuji Rock: Being Alone!
That’s right, nothing like going to a festival with 30,000 people just so you can get a little solo time! If you are with a bunch of bros or hanging with the wolf pack ala “The Hangover” you might want to break away for some solo beer runs and never come back. Being alone means you’re your inner caveman can come out, and you bum smokes, share a jug of wine, throw a few elbows in the mosh pit, well,…you catch my drift. Anyhoo, catching up with entourage is pretty easy, either meeting at the Heineken tent during the Oasis set or night cap at Palace of Wonder.
Best Drink: Heineken Beer
Always cold, always refreshing, and most importantly, always available! This is the stuff that sustains me from morning to evening, the fuel for my fire, and an ever present companion throughout the festival. Sure it might come out a little foamy and it may give you a four alarm headache the next day but I got to hand it to Heineken cuz they keep it flowing all festival long. By my estimation, its still a pretty good bargain at 600 yen but your gonna need 3 of them in quick succession to get a buzz on! Who cares if they toss sochu with a lemon slice at the Tengoku bar, do you really think this festival would run without beer?
Best Food: Anything that sops up the beer
Fish and chips work, so does paella, curry rice, hot dogs from the Nathan’s Famous van in the parking lot, and if your lucky, sometimes you can grab pork on a stick without a long line. Ramen noodles really help when your fatigued.
Best Place to Sit:
So you’ve done the caveman, consumed a boatload of beer, sopped it up with something, rocked out, and the only thing you need now is some down time in a place where you won’t get trampled. I recommend this patch of grass across from the t-shirt tent. You can’t see any of the stages here no hear anything, but its elevated and the long grass can feel just as sweet as a featherbed.
Other Odds-n-Ends
Best Stage: Field of Heaven
I dunno why, but this place is downright magical at night time. Maybe it’s the candles.
Best Place to Catch Up With Us: Lily Allen
This little pixie must’ve done something right as everyone wants to write about her.
//sean s.
photos from fujirockexpress 08. Caveman, man with 3 Beers by me, (sean s.) plate of curry and place to sit (dominic raos)
Skirting the grounds between jazz, dub, and simply being labelled experimental, Tortoise will release of Beacons of Ancestorship in late June. Their first release in over three years has eager fans waiting in anticipation. Their friday FujiRock performance has Japanese post rock fans champing at the bit.
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