Blog - November 2014 Archives

November 2014 Archives

Index

.29 Weekly revue: 2014 week #48 (November 22 to 28)
.22 Weekly revue: 2014 week #47 (November 15 to 21)
.16 Weekly revue: 2014 week #46 (November 8 to 14)
.09 Weekly revue: 2014 week #45 (November 1 to 7)
.02 Weekly revue: 2014 week #44 (October 25 to 31)

November 29, 2014

Weekly revue: 2014 week #48 (November 22 to 28)

Outing: Spent last weekend in Ibaraki countryside, enjoying some autumn colors and the Scarecrow Festival that featured various characters made in hay (sometimes). Had great soba and local brand beef (Hitachi beef) and pork (Rose pork) too!

Food: - Soba and tenpura
- Hitachi beef and Rose pork at Iijima

Music event: I went to see Hoshino Michiru! The event was also a release party for a collaboration 7" single with The Scooters, covers of "Tokyo Disco Night" (The Scooters' classic rearranged) and "koi suru Fortune Cookie" (post-Michiru AKB48 hit). The 7" is only sold at shows for the time being. The event also featured The Scooters, Kinoco Hotel and Wack Wack Rhythm Band (who also joined during Michiru's set), with DJs Konishi Yasuharu and Fukutake! That was an awesome event full of music that I love. Check out the all-star curtain call!

Stuff: Got the new "Ease Up" photo zine by our good old Flickr friend TRUE2DEATH who specializes in immortalizing graffiti'd freight trains. His photos are beautiful, and so is this 40-page full bleed zine! Each comes with a photo print, vintage railroad stationary and an original sticker. It can be bought online here.

Music release news: The Lady Spade, enami Taisuke, nananon, Taketatsu Ayana

Playlist: Yume to Cosme, Hoshino Michiru, etc. Just been too lazy to update!

This week's video: Making movie of CAPSULE's upcoming album "Wave Runner" (Feb. 18, 2015)

November 22, 2014

Weekly revue: 2014 week #47 (November 15 to 21)

Food: - Dinner at Cicada, Omotesandō
- Oden at Tapir, Shin-Ōkubo
- Deer spaghetti at Consequence, Shibuya
- Nasi Lemak at Malay Asian Cuisine, Shibuya

New music: - I received Old Monk's latest album "Posing as Love", the great Brooklyn-based band of my friend Tsugumi who I saw there last month! I've dreamed of seeing them live and I hope to have that chance someday. If you're near them check them out, or you can find the album on Bandcamp (etc.). The album comes on delicious pink vinyl with a MP3 download code. Check out their latest video "Secrets in the Lawn".

Music event: On Sunday I went to event "Switched On!" held in Kichijoji! This great series of events organized by Dr.Usui ((M)otocompo) and friends had been put on hold a few years ago, but now it seems to be back! There I got to see Genius, The Lady Spade, Saoriiiiiii, Kit Cat, The Aprils, (M)otocompo and more. That was a great show! It was also an opportunity to get The Lady Spade's new album (the first with current singer ATG) which will be released on November 26, and I got it autographed too!

Music release news: Hoshino Michiru, Ishikawa Shunosuke

Playlist: The Lady Spade, U-zhaan, Jintana & Emeralds, Old Monk, Noppal, Hoshino Michiru

This week's video: Hoshino Michiru & The Scooters "Tokyo Disco Night / koi suru Fortune Cookie" sampler clip

November 16, 2014

Weekly revue: 2014 week #46 (November 8 to 14)

Food: - Lunch plate at Fujiwara, Higashi-Koganei
- Lamb gyoza and curry at Indo Fuji, Higashi-Koganei

Music events: - We went to Higashi-Koganei for the Teratotera Sound Fes., a free event held at the Community Station below the tracks. This station area has been renewed recently and contains several nice shops. We got to see performances by Haino Keiji, actually we could only hear because of the crowd, and then Yamakawa Fuyuki (who I last saw in a play with Yokomachi Keiko (report)), who used microphones to get sound from his skull when hit with his hands to control snare and bass drums. He also did tricks with light bulbs synced with his heartbeat, and he showed his throat singing skills. He's a very unique performer!

- Also I had the chance to catch a free in-store event by Vanilla Beans, in promotion of their new single "uchōten Girl"! That's a great new song! Now I can't wait for their one-man show next month. :)

The set list was: koi no Sniper 007 / Please Me Darling / Tokyo wa yoru no 7ji (Pizzicato Five cover) / Kiss wa me ni shite po! / uchōten Girl

Music release news: Nomiya Maki, Vanilla Beans, Akakage, Nakatsuka Takeshi, Ruby*

Movie: Went to see Xavier Dolan's "Tom à la ferme" ("Tom at the Farm"). I liked it, better than "Mommy" (which we saw while in Québec last month). I'm happy that this Québec director is gaining popularity in Japan!

Playlist: Nomiya Maki, Dorian, Aira Mitsuki, Hoshino Michiru,... also Noppal, (M)otocompo

This week's videos:

Takanami Keitarō & Nangasaki Five "Sugar Town"

Negicco "hikari no Spur"

November 9, 2014

Weekly revue: 2014 week #45 (November 1 to 7)

Food: - Fish & chips and maguro tataki salad, etc. at Bespoque
- Yakitori

Music event: I went to see Nomiya Maki at Billboard Live Tokyo! This was her 2nd show there of the "Shibuya-kei Standards" series that started last year (that one is being released on CD this week). The show started with "Tokyo wa yoru no 7ji (The Night Is Still Young)" and followed with many covers such as Roger Nichols & The Small Circle Of Friends' "Love So Fine", The Scooters' "Oh Honey", Flipper's Guitar's "Summer Beauty 1990", Swing Out Sister's "Breakout", Towa Tei's "Amai Seikatsu (La Douce Vie)" and many more.

Kaji Hideki also guested for 3 songs during the show, including "amefuri toshi", a duet with Maki from his latest album "Ice Cream Man". He stuck around for the covers of Flipper's Guitar (a song originally sung in duet by Oyamada Keigo and early P5 vocalist Sasaki Mamiko) and Swing Out Sister.

While the whole show was awesome, the most incredible was the encore which consisted of a P5 medley! Maki showed up in this outfit and sang "Nata di marzo", then undressed to this one and sang "I hear a symphony", "Groovy is my name" and "It's a beautiful day" (if my memory is correct, as it all seemed like a dream). Then Kaji-kun joined back for "Message song".

I got Maki's live album (a few days before release) with a signed card, and even got to line-up to shake her hand and say hi. :) A wonderful evening!

Set list: "Tokyo wa yoru no 7ji (The Night Is Still Young)" (Pizzicato Five) / "Dreaming Day" (Yamashita Tetsurō/Celia Paul) / "Oh Honey" (The Scooters) / "amefuri toshi" (Kaji Hideki) / "Summer Beauty 1990" (Flipper's Guitar) / "Breakout" (Swing Out Sister) / "Amai Seikatsu (La Douce Vie)" (Towa Tei) / "koi no Corolla (O meu Corolla)" (Claudia) / "T jiro" (Koizumi Kyōko & Nakai Kiichi) / "Glass no ringo" (Matsuda Seiko)
Encore (approx.): Pizzicato Five medley "Nata di marzo" / "I hear a symphony" / "Groovy is my name" / "It's a beautiful day" / "Message Song"

Exhibition: "On The White" group exhibition at Musashino-Garō, with works by ESOW, Nozaka Toshikazu, etc. Also enjoyed some autumn colors in Koganei.

Music release news: Hoshino Michiru, Smooth Ace, Brother's Sister's Daughter, Ryoma Maeda, lyrical school, "Twilight Time"

Playlist: Nomiya Maki, Buffalo Daughter, Tarte Tatin, Digital Underground, Frenesi, Kaji Hideki

Digital Underground "Sex Packets"

This week's videos:

Buffalo Daughter "Love & Food"

Akakage "Oh My God" (Short version)

Ryoma Maeda "Run Faster Than Beauty"

November 2, 2014

Weekly revue: 2014 week #44 (October 25 to 31)

Food: - Pumpkin cheesecake at Sunday Bake Shop
- Gingerbread latte at Starbucks! It's back this year again! :)

Shopping: - Some 600 personal items of Nomiya Maki are on display and for sale at Pass the Baton, Harajuku. Anything from clothing to Barbie dolls, badges and accessories, also some rare Pizzicato Five goods, etc. There will be a special live and talk event at the shop on Saturday November 15 from 19:00.

New music: - I got jōdan hakushaku's 2nd single "nagisa", it's the unit of Maezono Naoki and Arai Toshiya (Missing Linc, Kofta, and programmer for Konishi Yasuharu). I love their 1st single so I couldn't resist. This one is great too! A 3rd single has already been announced for December 2. Could an album be coming?

- I got Denki Groove's new mini-album "25", in its limited edition that comes with a 7"! Many fun tracks.

- Also Akane Hosaka has released a mini-album titled "Loop Music". It's available for free at Bandcamp so go get it. :) There are still copies of her previous album "pikkonoco" available at Tokyo Recohan.