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We’ll take James Murphy and LCD Soundsystem anyway we can get him when he appears on Sunday. Several years ago he played one of the airplane hangars at Summer Sonic and reportedly the place is still rattling–I know my teeth are. If it were up to us, we’d have him headlining the White Stage, though there’s always the possibility he’ll get stuck at the Red Marquee since he tends to classify himself as a rock act. Actually, it wouldn’t be too bad if he were mistaken for a dance act and scheduled for the the middle of the night at the RM, but the White Stage around 9 with a huge crowd and a starry sky to close out the weekend. What could be better? Continue Reading…
May
0
DEFINITELY HAPPENING
May
0
22-20s
It takes alot of guts for a UK band to start their current American tour with 2 dates at First Avenue in Minneapolis. This legendary music club is the birthing place of indie legends, The Replacements and Husker Du.
Listening to the lead off track “Devil in Me” on the 22-2os eponymous debut in 2004 indicates they have the same hell-brand, hootenany guitars and nicotine sotted vocals that owe a debt to Paul Westerberg & company. More importantly, the 22-20s can also rock out, and have won over audiences as the group have opened for Oasis as well as lent their track “Such a Fool” to Guy Ritchie’s film “RocknRolla.”
While the stages and times haven’t been announced yet, I’m guessing that 22-20’s will probably be performing in the Red Marquee, similar to a 2008 performance by another Replacements homage band, The Whigs, which, by the way, 22-20s are currently on tour with right now!
But, the question most people wanna know is how the band got their name which is actually taken from a 1960s Mississippi bluesman Skip James and his song “22-20 Blues.”
May
0
THE DIFFICULTY FACTOR
Though I admired the Dirty Projectors’ much-lauded latest album, Bitte Orca, more than I enjoyed it, I decided to check out their first-ever show in Tokyo last March at Club Quattro. I was surprised at the turnout. Despite the hefty amount of press the band had received overseas, the place was hardly sold out, but it was a healthier crowd than what I had been led to believe it would be from the promoter. Continue Reading…
May
0
Mass Appeal
Grant "Daddy G" Marshall and Robert "3D" del Naja
They pressed buttons when everyone clanged guitars. They created an entire musical genre that they now distance themselves from. They claim musical ineptitude, yet recently were inducted into an elite fraternity of songwriters. It’s hard to judge where Massive Attack’s place will be in the history of pop music, but their influence on the genre cannot be overstated.
Now that original members Robert “3D” del Naja and Grant “Daddy G” Marshall are back on the road together with their best album in a decade, the duo have are making the rounds to the music press about the tour, the record and their band’s unique trajectory.
May
0
Moriarty: The Real Bohemians?
There’s a good chance that many people attending this year’s festival have never heard about the 6-person French group, Moriarity.
I could count myself as one of those people if not for being assigned to write a a feature article about the band ahead of their Taipei area appearance last June.
After doing some initial research like visiting their Myspace site and watching some videos on Youtube, I was quite suspicious that Moriarty had borrowed a page (musically and stylistically) from Natalie Merchant and 10,000 Maniacs and to some extent, Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians. And, I wasn’t sure that what had been cool vibe in the early 80’s originating in upstate New York, a scene that may be described as “American Gothic” would still be compelling 30 years later. Continue Reading…
May
0
Ozomatli
Ozomatli first played Fuji Rock in 2000, before they were that band from the iPod ad. Back then we had this to say:
“… on Friday night over at the Field of Heaven, even in the rain everyone was dancing. The hundred or so of us gathered that night ended up abandoning our rain coats to the wind. It was as if the sky was dancing, too, and the rain was simply the heavens perspiring to cool down – and us too, in the process.”
Or in a nutshell, it was pissing down, but we didn’t care. Ozomatli’s cumbia-hip-hop-salsa-some-other-genre-names-jazz-rock is perfect festival fodder and will have the kids dancing with the grown ups.
Four years after that first Fuji show, the band sold its soul to Steve Jobs and shifted a bazillion downloads of their tune “Saturday Night.”
Other iPod ad alumni include Coldplay, the Black Eyed Peas, Paul McCartney and U2. Just saying.
Still, not only did it give Ozomatli the publicity they deserved, but it also lead to a show at the Apple Store in Ginza which ended with them parading down Chuo Dori, still playing. The show-that-ends-offstage is one of the band’s trademarks, but it works better than usual when they’re prancing down Ginza’s main drag, scaring the big brand dollies.
I first found Ozomatli in a rack in Shibuya. It was their first album and I bought a vinyl copy because I saw that (back then) Cut Chemist of Jurassic 5 was a member. It’s one of only two albums that I was hooked on from the first play and never, ever tired of. The other one is the Greatest Hits of Belinda Carlisle. No it’s not really. It’s Coldplay’s “Parachutes.” No, it’s not that either.
Anyway, this makes Ozomatli the only band I’ve ever been ahead of the curve on, and it’s why they’re top of my list of bands to see this year at Fuji Rock.
May
2
Broken Social Scenesters
Broken Social Scene 2006
It’s been a few years since Broken Social Scene has played at Fuji Rock Festival (they were last here in 2006). It’s nice to have some solid representation from the The Great White North and so early in the lineup announcements. Continue Reading…
Apr
3
Pendulum
There are tons of acts this year that have never been to Japan before, but which of the artists on the FRF’10 roster who has played in Japan has been away the longest? Research indicates that John Paul Jones, who is coming with the supergroup Them Crooked Vultures, played in Japan with Led Zeppelin in Oct. 1972, while John Fogerty, who is coming in his own capacity as a solo act, was in Japan with Creedence Clearwater Revival in Feb. 1972. Fogerty wins by a guitar pick.
This difference has a larger meaning than just as a bit of trivia. As terrific as John Paul Jones is and was, he was simply one-fourth of one of the greatest rock bands of all time, and Them Crooked Vultures is not Led Zeppelin. However, John Fogerty was for all intents and purposes CCR, the original roots rock band and some might say the greatest singles band in American pop history.
Jul
0
Writing is my rock and roll
“Write what you want”
This is my favorite line from the film “Almost Famous.” You may remember it, uttered by the lead singer of the fictional band, Stillwater.
For the past 4 days we have followed this advice, both here and at Fuji Rock Express. We’ve told you with absolutely no hint of objectivity about which shows rocked the house (Peaches, Diplo) and which bands were under appreciated (Gaslight Anthem, Neville Brothers). Big props to these bands who flew halfway around the world, fought jet lag and difficult conditions to play some damn fine music.
Later in the same film, the legendary rock critic, Lester Bangs, represented perfectly by Philip Seymour Hoffman, tells an aspiring rock critic this sage piece of advice.
“Be honest, and unmerciful.”
Continue Reading…
Jun
0
Introducing: Funeral Party
One of the late additions to the line-up is Funeral Party from East Los Angeles. Relative unknowns to many – they’ve only released a 3-song EP called “Bootleg”- the band are getting lots of attention and big time management as somebody must have figured out they sound a lot like that other youth dance party sensation, MGMT.
Jun
0
The Inspector Cluzo
Aside from the band’s name, which denotes a certain sense of ironic identification with a Hollywood portrayal of a bumbling Frenchman, the band being French and all, they sure sound a heck of a lot like the Red Hot Chili Peppers circa Blood Sugar Sex Magic. But the weird thing is, how do you do funk without a bass player?
Jun
0
Cage The Elephant
A couple of small town brothers from the American south get rebellious, form a rock band, escape their Pentecostal upbringing, go to England, booze and carouse, go to model swapping parties, and screw and snort their way around the London music scene–-and no, it’s not Kings Of Leon. Plus I made that last bit up (about the models and the screwing and the snorting) but the first part is true.
Jun
1
Return of the Doves
If you’ve been reading this blog, you will know perfectly well what “Mancunian Lad Rock” is and how this category could be used to describe the Doves. So tied to this genre is the band that they’ve even recorded a version of “Blue Moon” for the Manchester City football club.
Jun
3
Flying the flannel
Sounding a lot like my favorite Minneapolis bands, Soul Asylum and The Replacements, Japan’s Comeback My Daughters are well worth checking out. Another laurel in their cap is their much loved record label, Pizza of Death.
May
0
Spoilt Virgins
Let’s face it, rock’n’roll is basically a bunch of garbage. It’s noisy, means nothing, and quickly fades into obscurity. Into this context, I introduce The Virgins, a band who will probably sell a million albums and live/breathe/die the “I don’t give a f&*# attitude ” about everything aside from getting laid or paid.
This self titled debut from the NYC band basically sucks because it has no original riffs or creativity. But, and I am talking about a big BUT here… The Virgins manage the mean trick of creating some of the summer’s best jams…
May
0
Maxïmo Park Will Have Their Vengeance
Maxïmo Park’s first album, A Certain Trigger, is one of the best rock albums of the naughties, full stop. And I don’t mean ‘one of the best’ as in, say, the grey consolation prize area of the tail-end of the top 50. I mean top 10, just behind category killers like the White Stripes and My Morning Jacket. (The whole album is great, but the above two are probably the best tracks)
May
0
Animal Collective on Letterman
This song totally blows me away and has been virally circulating through the internet. The dancers in the background, or what Letterman calls, “trick or treaters,” are less than inspiring and don’t do the song justice. Shoot, i would simply like to see Paul Shaffer’s bald head bobbing to this tune.
//sean s.
