LightHouse

Big Frog Interview／ビッグフロッグインタビュー

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 4 Aug 2005 00:45:00 +0900

On Tuesday July 19th , Big Frog, Japan's premier act that can be lumped into the ever widening "Jam Band" category (think high-energy engaging live performers like Phish, Dave Matthews Band, Widespread Panic), rocked the Nagoya Bottom Line with a loud and rowdy CD release party. For those unfamiliar with their sound, a look at their touring partners may give you an idea: Moe, Phish, and the The Zen Tricksters to name a few. Big Frog is the first Japanese band to make an mark on this growing international scene, and will only continue to get... ...well, bigger.

Nursing a stubborn hangover, Lighthouse caught up with Big Frog the day after the show at a Nagoya recording studio where they were busy laying a new album:

Listen to the interview here: Big Frog Audio Interview

LH: We understand your name, "Big Frog", comes from an old legend that big frogs are the ideal battle vehicles for ninjas. It only seems logical that ninjas would fight on giant toads, but, is it true that you named your band after them?

Big Frog: Well, we wanted to give the band the name of an animal, and we also wanted to name it BIG something…so… BIG... FROG!

LH: In America, there is a very famous frog called the Sonaran Desert Toad, or the Colorado river Toad. This frog’s saliva is very, very, very psychedelic, and some people smoke this frog’s saliva, because contains a super-psychedelic called DMT…so…you are Big Frog. Have you ever tried to smoke your salvia ?

BF : (Bursts out laughing)

LH : Have you tried ? Do you want to ?

BF : Well…I’ve thought of smoking that frog’s sweat, but mine…I don’t know…now that you gave us the idea, we’re definitely going to try !

LH : Please tell us how it is !

BF : My dog does it.

LH: Ok... so, most of your songs are in English and Japanese. So who writes your lyrics ? Who writes the Japanese lyrics and who writes the English lyrics ?

BF: We write the Japanese lyrcis, but Jason writes the English lyrics most of the time.

LH: Jason? Who's Jason?

BF: He’s a very old friend of ours. He knows many jokes. Before, it used to be Shaggy, a weirdo. And then this other fat guy. But, in the end, we chose Jason. He has this feeling...

BF: He has a funny feeling. He’s really ...funny.

LH: The jam-band scene is huge in the US - but in Japan, there are very few jam-bands… Big Frog, the Meltones... but is there a chance for Japanese jam-bands to get big? What has to happen to help the jam-band scene in Japan?

BF: (Laughter…) What’s needed is DOPE ! That’s from School of Rock, isn’t it? No... seriously tho, so long as young people don’t come and see jam-bands, the highschool and university students, there is very little chance that the jam-band scene will grow any bigger in Japan.

BF: The hard thing is launching it…you know how the Japanese musical scene is…there are many walls separating the categories of music… so before reaching Jam music, people need to get through those walls, and that’s not easy. The bigger he category is, the harder they are stuck into it. It’s true that the jam band scene is rather small, which could also explain why people don’t come, but…I think people just don’t understand…

BF: Yes, that’s why we try…

BF: We try to get them into it, into this experience…that’s why we tour all around Japan.

LH: You played a lot in Tokyo, for many years, you come to Nagoya often…

BF: WE LOVE NAGOYA!

LH: Really? Why?

BF: When you compare it with Tokyo... I mean, Tokyo’s grown a little bit sketchy…Of course, we are Big Frog FROM TOKYO, but you know... recently, Tokyo is not the place! There’s still the Super Deluxe, though.

BF: Yes. There’s something we like about Nagoya - people like to party! Also, the difference between Tokyo and Nagoya isn't that big. Osaka and Tokyo are definitely different, but Nagoya is very close to Tokyo, there’s no real border, the feeling is the same…We kind of feel at home here.

LH: Last night, at the Bottom Line we noticed that your band is only 4 people, but Big Frog actually seems to be more than 4 people. Tokyo Ale for sale travels with you everywhere, and you have a travelling hempstore from InSunFlower, and many fans were wearing InSunFlower T-shirts…

BF: That’s Big Frog’s uniform!

LH: …and you have a hip-hop DJ, DJ Quietstorm, and many friends that work with you…So how did you make that kind of network ? It’s like a big family.

BF: They’re just friends!

LH: So, what’s next to join the Big Frog family? You have beer, you have clothes…so what’s next?

BF: Well, we need a big frog! BIIIIIG!!!! What else? A travel agency! Also a convenience store and a highway! And a gas station!

LH: One more question : In the interview we did before, we asked Afrilampo if they had a fist fight with Acid Mothers Temple, which band would win. Afrilampo said that in a fight, they could beat Acid Mothers Temple, so now, we are making a kind of score card to see which band can kick the most ass, and right now, Afrilampo is the winner…so…if you could challenge Afrilampo to a fight, who do you think wins?

BF: The Mafia!

LH: Do you have ninja tricks ? Can you do back flips and disappear in smoke ?

BF: Yeah! that’s me!

BF: We’d win a smoking contest, it’s our tonic ! But in a fist fight, it would be Afrilampo, there’s no doubt about it! What we could do is smuggle ourselves into their dreams, and bring the PEACE!

The next area Big Frog performence will be 8/13-8/14 at an incredibly heartful independant called the Summer Music Festival held at a campsite in Yokkaichi. In it's 9th year, the all-volunteer charity (almost unheard of in Japan) event will feature a great line-up from all over Japan, and is strongly recommended. 2,500 yen with one free drink.

Contact Richard 0593-22-7879 and

http://www.cty-net.ne.jp/~rtjordan/yokkaichi_promotions/.

字界へ隘路のかたち　(JI -KAI -E)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 3 Aug 2005 00:35:00 +0900

Character, letter, ideogram or ideograph, logogram or logograph, grapheme, graphic symbol. Concise and rich in poetic possibilities the Japanese syllable, “JI”, carries all of those meanings.

“JI” is the theme of a refreshing collective exhibition held this month at the Nagakute cultural center, gathering 12 Japanese young contemporary artists, working in different mediums (installations, photography, video, painting...). Every one of them is to give their own interpretation of the poetics of the “JI”.

From allegories to denunciation of the implacable impossibility to communicate everything through words, this exhibition is an interpretation of Interpretation, and touches the core of the artist paradox: the necessity to communicate the indicible.

Until 8/10, at the Nagakute cultural center (Fujigaoka) tel: 052-264-8580

http://www.bunka.nagakute.aichi.jp

Seu

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 2 Aug 2005 22:04:00 +0900

Brazil is not a quiet place. Like her New-World brothers Jamaica and Cuba before, Brazil today is producing some of the world's most innovative music. Rio De Janeiro's teeming favelas, are to today the kind of musical greenhouse that Kingston's shantytowns were in 1970's - generating styles and innovations that promise to shape global musical trends for years to come.

At the crest of this wave is the Afro-Rio groovie from the future, Seu Jorge, and his unlikely mix of eerie samba-folk come funk come soul. After rising from the slums to the top of the Brazilian pop scene in the late 90's as part of the band Farofa Carioca, Seu split off to pursue his own projects - in both music and acting.

Those who remember Fernando Meirelles's 2002 film "City of God" might remember him as a pacifist-turned-slum-gang leader Knockout Ned. In Wes Anderson's recent “The Life Aquatic”, Seu played a sailor with a penchant for Bowie covers - sung in Portuguese.

Seu's recent solo album Cru, co-produced by former Beastie Boys collaborator Mario Caldato, has won respect and awe around the world. Seu is coming to Nagoya for his most interesting show in Japan, where a native audience drawn by his recent stardom will have the unusual chance to kick it with our area's uniquely rich Brazilian community, who, lord knows, will dance better than any of us native Japanese or English speakers...

August Cinema／８月シネマ

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 25 Jul 2005 23:03:00 +0900

La Marche de L'Empereur (March of the Penguins)／皇帝ペンギン

(Documentary) (France) (2004) 80 min dir. Luc Jacquet

A beautiful and poetic documentary realized by French ornithologist Luc Jacquet. Following a flock of penguins in the most remote part of the world, the documentary captures their departure from Antartica’s frozen waters for the frozen continent’s slightly more hospitable ice fields, so as to carry on the survival of their species. Penguin love, penguin tragedy, and penguin adventure in the deepest south. Exceptional.

CENTURY CINEMA (YABA-CHO) (Through August)

Palindromes／おわらない物語アビバの場合

(Movie) (USA) (2004) 100 min dir. Todd Solondz, with Ellen Barkin, Shayna Levine, Richard Masur, Jennifer Jason Leigh

A palindrome is a word which carries the same meaning when read from either direction. Kind of like AVIVA, the name of the main character which is performed by 8 different actors and actresses! To make thing more unusual and perplexing, Aviva is 12, and she badly wants a baby. Her parents are unsurprisingly deaf to her wants, so she decides to run away. She finds a world outside that is somehow more hostile, but also richer in opportunities.

NAGOYA CINEMATHEQUE (IMAIKE) until 8/5 14:20 16:20 18:30

1.0

(Movie) (USA) (2004) 92 min dir. Jeff Renfroe and Marteinn Thorsson with Jeremy Sisto, Deborah Anger, Udo Kier

Are you paranoid? Do THEY plot against you? Are you infected? Or are these just hallucinations of your deranged mind? 1.0 invites you to share the nightmare of a young computer programmer who becomes a guinea pig in a sinister experiment that would make Kafka smirk in his grave. Thrilling.

NAGOYA CINEMATHEQUE (IMAIKE) 7/30〜8/5 12:30

Suite Habana / 永遠のハバナ

(Movie) (Spain) (2003) 84 min dir. Fernando Pérez with Francisco Cardet, Amanda Gautier
A drag queen hospital launderer, a railroad mechanic who plays saxophone, a young man who does carpentry work before dancing ballet. Touching on great human themes such as devotion, loss, and the pursuit of dreams, confident in the music of its subjects' modest lives, "Suite Habana" is a purely organic picture a lyrical document, and an ode to everyday moments, joys, lulls, and tasks.

NAGOYA CINEMATHEQUE (IMAIKE) 7/30〜8/5 20:25

Blue Requiem

(Movie) (France) (2003) 115 min dir. Nicolas Boukhrief with Albert Dupontel, Jean Dujardin, François Berléand

After 3 murderous armored car convey attacks, a society nears bankruptcy and a young man named Alexandre starts a new job as a conveyor for a funds transport company. Blue Requiem is driven by by an excellent storyline, directed by an accomplished filmmaker, stars Dupontel (one of the great contemporary French actors) and is carried out in the tradition of French film-noir.

NAGOYA CINEMATHEQUE (IMAIKE) 8/6〜8/19 20:35

My Beautiful Girl, Mari／マリといた夏

(Animation) (Korea) (2002) 80 min dir. Lee Sung-Gang
Korean animation’s first major internationally acclaimed production is the story of the young Nam -Woo who, in a rut of misfortune, discovers a magical marble which transports him to an enchanted land. Floating on clouds, riding on the back of fantastic creatures, he meets the ethereal girl called Mari, who is changes his life forever. A beautiful fairy tale about the dream-worlds of children and the importance of fantasy to the formation of our adult minds.

NAGOYA CINEMATHEQUE (IMAIKE) 8/13~8/26 10:35

Shakippuri-ten／シャキっぷり展

Short movies and an exhibition by a group of students of the Aichi Prefectural University of fine arts and music, defining themselves as being under the influence of lettuce and shrimp…

8/17~8/28

PTU (The Mission)

(Action movie) (Hong Kong) (2001) 111 min dir. Johnny To with Anthony Wong Chau-Sang, Francis Ng Chun-Yu, Jackie Lui Chung-Yin

The Mission is the story of 5 retired professionals hired to protect a local godfather. A Hong Kong movie masterpiece alternating intense action scenes and long moments of idleness with the same tension. Johnny To, as Melville and Sergio Leone before him, succeeds here in recycling old action movies gimmicks with talent, to offer us an elegant, stylish, deep, cold but beautiful object, miles away from the out-of-breath productions of Hollywood action movies.

CINEMA SKHOLE (NAGOYA STATION) 8/20〜26 12:30/16:10/19:50 8/27〜9/2 20:50

Der Untergang (Downfall)／ヒトラー

(Movie) (Germany) (2003) 150 min dir. Oliver Hirschbiegel, with Bruno Ganz, Juliane Kohler, Alexandra Maria Lara

Haunted by the ghost of the Beast, no European movie has yet succeeded in realistically showing Adolf Hitler as a man. Until now. The scene is Berlin, April 1945. The Third Reich is collapsing. Hitler, his generals and his soldiers take shelter in the Fuhrer’s bunker. The story of the Reich’s last hours is told by Traudi Junge, Hitler’s very loyal private secretary, who refuses to leave him behind. Bruno Ganz is a stunning Hitler, carrying on his conscious and delirious incoherences all through the 2h30m of this chilling movie. There’s matter here to meditate on the disasters of the hubris, and man’s propensity towards crime and craziness.

MEIEN CINESALON (SAKAE) 8/6〜9/2 10:00/12:55/15:50/18:45

Afrirampo Interview／あふりらんぽのインタビュー

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 3 Jul 2005 14:49:00 +0900

May 30th. 2 screaming, jumping Osaka banshees named Pikacyu and Oni flay the minds of a huge audience at Tokuzo - standing on their drums, brutalizing an audience already bleeding from the eyes after Nagoya's own Acid Mothers Temple's opening show. For those who dont know Afrirampo, their own self-description explains them best:

"2 young Japanese girls rock duo from Osaka JAPAN! Naked rock!!!!! Naked soul!!! Red red - strong red dress!! Freeeeeeeeedam paradice rock! Jump! With improvisation. Sooo fantastic & wild performance! wowowowowowwoooooowwwww!!!!!!!"

LightHouse caught up with Afrirampo after their show for few questions:

Listen to the audio interview: Afrirampo Audio Interview (5.7mb)

LH:海外でもライブをやってるけど、日本のお客さんと何か違いってある？
You’ve been playing abroad, can you tell the difference between the Japanese audience and foreign audiences?

Oni:　ウーン全然違いますけど、でも二つとも好きやから・・・どう違うか？　ノリが違う。
It’s really different. I like both very much, though...what’s different?　The crowd’s reaction is different...

LH: そうなの？
Really?

Oni: 　でも日本人のひとも最初シャイやけど、やっぱりどんどん慣れていくとwaah! って盛り上がるから、スゴイ好き。
But even though the Japanese can be shy at first, they progressively get into it and waaah!, they explode...I love that!

LH:　その、例えば海外のほうがもっと？　最初から・・・
How about the foreigners...do they at first....

Oni:　うん、最初一発目から　jaaangooooo!!! って聞こえる。（彼女達がステージに上げるぬいぐるみの）
ネコ出そうとする前に・・・そこが違います。
Definitely! We play a song, and all at once, it’s JAAAANNGOOOO!!!!, even before we play the second one...this is different.

LH:　よく耳にするのが、日本では曲と曲の間、観客は静かにしてると・・・けどAFRILAMPOはそうでもない・・・ですね（笑）。
In Japan, people are said to be very quiet during the songs...maybe not during afrilampo concerts, though...

Oni: ＭＣの時に日本人は静かにしてるって？けどアメリカ人はウルサイって？
たしかにそう（両方ともあてはまっている）何であんなに曲の間、（日本人は）静かなんやろう？
何でなんでしょうかねぇ〜
Yeah,exactly ! The Japanese audience is really quiet between songs,on the other hand Americans are very loud. However why are the Japanese so quiet ?

LH:　元々、バンド始めた時に、自分達が海外にやると思ってました？
Originally, when you started the band, did you ever think you would play abroad?

Oni:　や、結成して３ヶ月後位でアメリカツアーしようと言うてたから・・・ずっと行きたいと思った。
夏ぐらいにアメリカでしたいなって、言ってたけど・・・
We began to talk about tour in US after 3 months after we started the band, we’d always thought about going...maybe in summer.

LH: 今日,会場に来てた外国人が口を揃えて言ってたのは、『何であふりらんぽの2人は赤なの？』って We have one question from the foreigners who came to see the show today: Why red?

(Pikacyu enters)

Oni: ウーン、ホワイレッド？
uhhhhh……..Why red?

LH: 燃えるから？
Is it because red is an exciting color?

Oni: かな・・・みんな最初そう思うんやな・・・でも、なんやろ『ホワイレッド？』why redって考えることが大事やな maybe...that’s what first comes to people’s mind...Yes, that’s what it was, originally... Uhuhuh…. It is something important to think about: why red?

LH: 結成した最初の時から赤いモノを着けていたの？
So...you’ve been wearing red from the beginning?

Oni:　うん、一回、黒とか花柄とかでもやったことがあるん、私服でもやったことがある。私服は最悪やった。
Yes, or flashy or black...we used to wear evil clothes...

LH : でも前回の得三は何か赤のペイントして・・・
The last time you were here in Tokuzo, you were wearing red paint...

Pikacyu: そう、裸で。
Yes, and we were naked.

LH : 聴いた所によると、お2人はアフリカに行ったことがあるそうですが、それはアフリカのどこです？
I heard you were in Africa for a while...where did you go in Africa?

Oni: カメルーン。
In Cameroun.

LH : あそこでフランス語を勉強しましたか？
Did you study some French there?

Pikacyu: 行く前ちょっとだけフランス語を・・・ウィ
Just a little bit before going...

LH : Donc, si je vous pose des questions en francais, est-ce-que vous comprenez?
(OK、じゃ、フランス語で質問を聞けば分かりますか？)
Right, so if I ask you some questions in French, will you understand?)

Oni/Pikacyu: CA VA! CA VA! PARCE-QUE! もう忘れたプ〜（笑）VOUS...EST-CE-QUE VOUS PARLEZ FRANCAIS?　
(元気！元気！だから！あなた。。。フランス語を少し話せますか？／Fine! Fine! Because! You...Can you speak a little French?)

LH : アフリカにはどの位滞在したんですか？又、何故、アフリカに？と言うのも、アフリカに行く日本人のミュージシャンっては多くないですね。アフリカの音楽に興味があるの？ How long had you stayed there ? Also, why did you go to Africa? I mean It’s pretty rare for Japanese musicians. Are you interested in some African music?

Oni:2ヶ月！ピグミー族と一緒に住みたかった。
2 months.Yeah! We love! Also, we just wanted to live with pygmees.
LH : Pygmees!!!
ピグミー族？

Pikacyu: そう、森の中で。それから、アフリカに行きました。
Yes, in the forest. So we went to Africa.

LH : どうやってピグミーとコミュニケーションできましたか？
So how did you do to communicate with the pygmees?

Oni: スマイル、ダンシング、ミュージック、トラバイ。
Smiles, dance, music, and travail.

LH : あの、世界中でステージを踏んでいますが、名古屋の印象ってどうですか？　今日のステージは凄く楽しんでいる様に見えたんですが,オカシイです？ I know you play in lots of places around the world. You looked so fun at today’s show. but... Don’t you think Nagoya is a weird place?

Oni:　エエ〜っと、ガイ・ユニットと去年にやった時には、名古屋はスゴいなと思った。
Well, last year, when we played here with gai-unit, I thought Nagoya was really great.

Pikacyu:アシッドマザーテンプルとかガイ・ユニットとか、こんな人ら、おんねやぁ〜って。
I was really surprised there are some great bands like Acid Mothers, and Gai unit here in Nagoya.

Pikacyu: 名古屋ではアシッドマザーズとか、川端さんとかばっかりライブをしてるから、なんかすごいお客さんの方も
エエ感じ。他の友達の話とかでは、名古屋は全然お客さんが集まれへんとか、すごい聞くんやけども、ウチラがやる時には
全然楽しいライブをやらせてもらってるんやけど。
We know the Acid Mothers, Kawabata-san and the others pretty well. Everybody’s really great, really funny. Otherwise, it’s true that our friends often say the audience isn’t good in Nagoya, not a bunch of people, not a great interest in music...But as far as we’re concerned, we’ve never felt that way here. We’ve always had a good time !

LH:去年、お二人はソニックユースとヨーロッパを一緒にツアーで回ったけど、どうやって知り合ったんですか？
You also played with Sonic Youth, last year, on their last European tour. How did you get in contact with them?

Pikacyu: あの２年前、サーストン・ムーアがロスに他のバンドを見に来た時に、私達のショウも見てくれて、
気に入ってくれたみたい。で、その後、サーストンが「Great Great 」ってメールを送って来たの。
About 2 years ago, Thurston Moore went to see a band in Los Angeles. He also saw our show the same night, he really liked us, and then, he e-mailed us, saying it was great...

LH: ソニックユースと一緒にツアーをするのはイイ経験になったと思うんすが・・・
メンバーのジム・オルークをステージで襲ったって噂を聞いたんですが、本当？（笑）
I guess it was a good experience for you to tour with them...I heard you tried to attack Jim O’Rourke on stage...is it the truth, or is it just a legend?

Pikacyu:　ジム・オルークを殴った殴ったってメチャ言われとったけど、違う！
あのオモチャで、空気を入れて膨らませるギターがあるんやけど、浮き輪みたいの。
で、それを持ってソニックユースが演奏している時にステージに出てって、
サーストンとかがギターをアンプに擦りつたりして、ハウらせてるでしょ、
ギターを逆さまにしたりして。あの物真似をしようと思ったんやけど、そんな空気じゃなくて（笑）アーもっと違う事をしよっと思って、取り敢えず、サーストンが弾いている
楽器をズ〜ッと叩いていたんやわ。で、そのまま、ジム・オルークも叩いとった（笑）
気付いたら。アレは、自分でも何したいかわからんかったなぁ〜（笑）勢い良く出てったものの！アレは、オモロカッタなぁ〜
There is a rumor that I hit Jim O’Rourke. It’s not true. Do you know the inflated toy-guitar like
inner-tube ? I tried to imitate Thurston Moore making feedback with his guitar and amp and
upsidedown of guitar on the stage of SonicYouth.But I realized they played very seriously at that time and stopped to try to do it.And I just thought again what other I would do with it at that situation…. So I just started to keep hitting Thurston’s guitar with the inflated toy-guitar !and
Jim’s guitar !!!!!!!!!At that time I didn’t realize myself tough I just rushed to the their stage… It was so awesome !!!!!.

LH: 最後はバカな質問があります。。。
We also have some stupid questions to ask you...

LH: もし、あふりらんぽとアシッドマザーテンプルが闘ったらどっちが勝つと思う？　因みに、アシッドマザーテンプルの東サンはレーゼー光線を発します（笑）！ How about if AFRILAMPO fights with ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE? And please be careful because Higashi-san has fire claws and laser breath...

Oni: あーそうなんや？・・・んんんん〜あふりらんぽ！
Does he ?uhuhuhuhuh…………..AFRILAMPO!

LH:なんで？
why？

Oni:レッド　ウィンズ！！モアモア　ファイヤー　ブァ〜ブア〜！レッドはウィン。
WE ARE RED!!! RED WINS!!! MORE FIRE!!! WAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!

LH: 最後のバカな質問です。もしラモーンズになれるだったら、誰になりたい？
One more question: If you could bring any Ramone, one member, back to life, from the dead...who?

Pikacyu: ラモーンズってよく知らない。
I don’t know the Ramones very well, but she...

Oni:　夢でラモーンズと一緒にライブを何度かやったことがあるけど・・・ I played with the Ramones a couple of times in my dreams.

LH: 誰と？
With whom?

Oni: みんなと花いちもんめとかしてぇ〜何回か夢の中で。何かメッチャ縁があるねんな、ラモーンズ。友達のライトニングボルトのドラマーも夢でラモーンズと共演したことがあるらしい。何か訳わからんよな〜ウチだけじゃなくて、人も見てるんねんな。。。ラモーンズ。 With everybody　Me&Ramones played HANAICHIMONME, a Japanese traditional children’s game many times… There’s something about them..My friend, the drummer from LIGHTNING BOLT also dreamed that the Ramones and him played together in dream!!!That’s something I don’t understand, you see...it’s not only me...other people dream of the Ramones too...

Check out a video sample of the encore with the Acid Mothers Temple: A Cappella Encore Video

Kei: Lost People, Lost Music

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 2 Jul 2005 13:55:00 +0900

Curling into your ears like smoke from a flower, the zen-heavy music of one of Nagoya’s most talented musicians has begun to attract international attention - and should attract yours.

Similar to Jim O’ Rourke’s solo work, Kei manages to string together a subtle, psychedelic guitar, where each track varies in virtuosity, to create vast ethereal soundscapes of exotic ambiant music.

Kei’s 3rd album Lost People, Lost Music uses some Sgt. Pepper’s style tomfoolery to mask his work as an compilation of lost, ancient Japanese music. An eagerly awaited 4th album nears completion.

Listen to a sample:
Ondo No Seto

Kei will be performing his unique style of music at Tokuzo on July 22nd.

Don't miss it!

Kenji Yanobe: Kindergarten／ヤノベケンジ・キンダガルテン

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 1 Jul 2005 20:43:00 +0900

Atomic-powered cyborgs walk among the many absurd and fabulous contraptions that populate the universe of Kenji Yanobe.

Born in Osaka in 1965, Yanobe grew up on a steady diet of television and manga, much like other otaku-artists of his generation such as Murakami and “the superflat”.

Situating his work within the toxic environments common to science fiction, Yanobe employs its themes and forms to address the central paradox of technology: its boundless potential and unbridled danger.

As a kid, he used to play in the ruins of Expo 1970 Osaka, among its destroyed proto-robots and spacey sculptures. He took from this period an obsessive interest in the image of futuristic catastrophes , such as "Chernobyl 1997".

With "Kindergarten" (en/jp), Yanobe iron-ically winks at the ruins-to-be of this latest Expo, hoping another message emerges for the next generation.

Check out the trailer: here

LightHouse July 2005

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 29 Jun 2005 00:04:00 +0900

We here at LightHouse are proud to bring you the only English guide to Nagoya's growing independent music, art, & cinema scene for the month of July.

Download the full color version here: July 2005 (4.2mb)

Print it, read it, roll it, smoke it, or wipe your ass with it... whatever you fancy.

Poor Art／貧しい芸術

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 7 Jun 2005 20:13:00 +0900

The exhibition 'Arte Povera' at the Toyota Municipal Museum of Art is a unique occasion for you to encounter more than 60 works by influential Italian artists of the anti-art concrete movement of the late sixties.

As Italy was falling into economic and political instability, Arte Povera erupted from within a network of urban cultural activity, describing a process of open-ended experimentation, working outside formal limitations.

Arte Povera is therefore very close to other sixties movements such as the New-York based Fluxus or Gutai in Japan.

No need for words nor theories to reach the apex of aesthetic appreciation, this time...This is earthy, concrete art appealing to your senses until June 12.

Just go and see!!!

The French are Coming!／多数のフレンチ・ミュージシャンが名古屋を席巻!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 6 Jun 2005 19:48:00 +0900

It’s pretty rare to see many French bands playing in the same month in Nagoya, but June wa ippai.

Very different in style and feeling, these bands from the far west of the old-continent will give you a good idea of what is going on there. Don’t miss the double-unexpected concert of Dominique A, last survivor of a form of explosive poetic ROCK a la French, and Yann Tiersen, a drifting sailor in exile on the international scene since he signed the soundtrack of the internationally successful Jeunet movie Amelie.

You'll find a striking contrast between Dominique A’s energetic rock, pulled by his incomparable voice, as well as Tiersen’s oceanic violin ballades, and the music of Dragibus, an improbable toy music duo playing music for little and grown-up children, and acid lullabies. The band has also been collaborating with Japanese electro-pop musician Mami-chan.

Speaking of pop music, the teenager who dwells inside you might also want to check out the indie easy-pop of Tahiti 80, the most famous French band in Japan.

Last but not least, The Pascals, a 100% Japanese formation named after the French underground icon Pascal Comelade, whose songs they cover, are to play at the Expo Dome on June 29th.

Tahiti 80: June 7 @ Club Quattro

Dragibus: June 24 @ Tokuzo

The Pascals: June 29 @ Expo Dome

Dominique A & Yann Tiersen: June 30 @ Expo Dome
(Scroll down)

The Japan Blues Carnival／ジャパン・ブルーズ・カーニバル

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 1 Jun 2005 23:07:00 +0900

Every year, from the darkest bars in Georgia, the bourbon soaked halls of Mississippi, from the smokiest most nastiest clubs in Chicago, some of the finest blues acts in America box up their guitars and cross the Pacific to bring their music to Japan. Now in it's 20th year, The Japan Blues Carnival has returned to Nagoya with some of the blues' proudest sons in a 2 day event hosted by Tokuzo and The Bottom Line.

Freshly inducted into the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame, blues pioneer and legend Buddy Guy headlines. Guy is considered the greatest living exponent of Chicago electric blues, a unique sound developed after World War II that redefined the instrumentation of blues (plugged in guitars, added drums), made famous by legends such as Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf.

Guy is joined by Grammy award-winning acoustic blues master John Hammond, whose intense solo performances reflect his love for the sound of traditional blues. Also to play are the grit-spitting blues-rock hell-raisers The North Mississippi All-Stars, a southern rock/blues trio composed of the brothers Dickinson, and bassist Chris Chew. Don't miss them, as they will rock your tits off, we promise.

It's all happening on June 1st at Tokuzo, and June 2nd at The Bottom Line. Bring your smokes and your troubles to enjoy some of the best in American roots music.