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Posts Tagged ‘Far East To East Showcase’
[photo] BOOM BOOM SATELLITES @ Irving Plaza 10/10/10
Tuesday, October 12th, 2010 by Kathy Chee[photo] Zazen Boys @ Irving Plaza 10/10/10
Monday, October 11th, 2010 by Kathy Chee
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[photo] Far East to East Showcase Panel @ New York Comicon 2010
Sunday, October 10th, 2010 by Kathy CheeSuperglorious hosted a panel for the Far East to East Showcase at New York Comicon. The panel introduced the artists performing at FETES and allowed attendees a chance to get to know the music and ask a few questions. When queried about their craziest fan moment, Puffy AmiYumi reminisced on a marriage contract received in the mail. Boom Boom Satellites said they enjoyed all aspects of their celebrity status as musicians and hoped to have more of their music featured in movies.
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[interview] Zazen Boys
Thursday, October 7th, 2010 by Victoria Goldenberg
Although Zazen Boys didn’t make it back to New York City as soon as bandleader Shutoku Mukai promised, they’ll perform alongside Boom Boom Satellites, Puffy AmiYumi and Echostream at Irving Plaza as part of the Far East to East Showcase on Oct. 10. Mukai’s kept busy since Zazen Boys last performed in America. He’s toured solo and paired up with indie pop musician Leo Imai to form a new band, Kimonos. Mukai answered some questions via e-mail, shedding light on Zazen Boys’ future and why his relationship with Imai is strictly platonic.
pS: It’s been a year and a half since you performed in New York City. Last time I spoke with you, you said you Zazen Boys intended to come back last September. What happened?
Shutoku Mukai: I did say that. I’m sorry. We had some problems with the initial bookings. These kinds of things are always subject to change.
pS: In the spring, you did another Acoustic & Electric solo tour. You originally performed solo after Number Girl disbanded. Did this tour have any significant meaning?
Mukai: Playing solo feels very natural and easy to me, not least because I can move freely on my own. So I’m always playing by myself here and there through the year.
pS: Will you ever release studio recordings of your solo performances?
Mukai: Not yet.
pS: On the flip side, you recently formed Kimonos with protégé Leo Imai. How did this band come into existence?
Mukai: I would not say he’s my protégé. Our relationship is very much on an equal footing. We started out just having fun together. Not in a gay way. Just as friends. We thought we’d get together to cover some recordings of songs by people like Talking Heads and Cypress Hill, just for fun. Then we started to click musically, started writing our own songs, and became more and more serious about the songs until we decided to turn it into Kimonos.
pS: Please tell us about Kimonos’ album, which is coming out in November.
Mukai: Leo and I have very different backgrounds. I come from the Japanese countryside; he is half-Japanese, half-Swedish. Yet we have a very similar outlook on the city of Tokyo, and Kimonos is that outlook put to music. Our vision of Tokyo is definitely more real than something like, say, Akira.
pS: I believe Kimonos is the first band of yours in which you are not the lead singer. What was the reasoning behind having Leo Imai front the band, and how does it feel?
Mukai: I do sing on quite a few of the songs. But Leo sings more, and I just like his vocal style.
pS: How does the songwriting process differ between Zazen Boys and Kimonos?
Mukai: Its pretty much the same. Except with Kimonos, it’s two people doing the writing.
pS: Based off “Almost Human,” Kimonos has a dance sound, which you’ve also explored in Zazen Boys. Will Zazen Boys take a different direction to contrast?
Mukai: I don’t know yet. It could go either way.
pS: How will you juggle both Zazen Boys and Kimonos?
Mukai: Basically, Zazen Boys are ongoing.
pS: Is Zazen Boys working on any new music?
Mukai: Yes we are. We have many illmatic songs now.
[press release] Zazen Boys & BOOM BOOM SATELLITES @ FETES Showcase NYC
Thursday, August 19th, 2010 by Kathy CheeThe New York Anime Festival is proud to reveal bands Boom Boom Satellites, Zazen Boys, and Echostream will come together with previously-announced musical guest Puffy AmiYumi at the Far East To East Showcase (FETES) on Sunday, October 10, 2010! Boom Boom Satellites, Zazen Boys, Echostream, and Puffy AmiYumi will all be appearing at NYAF for speaking sessions and autograph signings prior to their FETES show.
Presented in Irving Plaza (East 15th Street, New York, NY) for the first time, the Far East to East Showcase — created by our friends at Superglorious — is a one-night-only, once-in-a-lifetime lineup, built to create an evening of music appealing to anime fans, audiophiles, and casual New Yorkers interested in something new.
Tickets to FETES are separate from NYAF and NYCC admission and they can be purchased now at www.superglorious.com or www.livenation.com.
[press release] PUFFY AMIYUMI TO PERFORM AT FAR EAST TO EAST SHOWCASE AT NYAF
Thursday, July 8th, 2010 by Kathy Chee
Duo To Headline Concert At NYC’s Irving Plaza
The New York Anime Festival (NYAF) and Superglorious today announced Puffy AmiYumi, an iconic Japanese girl rock band, will perform at the Far East To East Showcase (FETES) on Sunday, October 10, 2010. FETES is produced by Superglorious, a live event production firm responsible for orchestrating events with a very eclectic and exciting mix of artists. The New York Anime Festival, an anime, manga, and Japanese pop culture convention, will take place October 8-10, 2010 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in Manhattan. It is created by and co-located with the New York Comic Con. Puffy AmiYumi will be appearing at NYAF prior to their FETES performance. NYAF has already announced Japanese rock band VAMPS will appear as guests, and comics legends Stan Lee, John Romita, Sr., and John Romita, Jr. will headline the New York Comic Con.
FETES — going into its third year — is a night of music that brings together musical artists from both America and Japan, focusing on the borderlessness of song, and creating an evening appealing to anime fans, audiophiles, and casual New Yorkers interested in something new. Presented in Irving Plaza (East 15th Street, New York, NY) for the first time, FETES is proud to take place in this historic venue, and will be presenting a roster of performers fully befitting the concert hall.
“FETES has been a unique attraction at the New York Anime Festival since 2008,” NYAF and NYCC Show Manager Lance Fensterman said. “And, in 2010, we’re excited to welcome in a new year of FETES — with our biggest group of artists from both the US and Japan that we’ve seen yet.”
“I’m very happy to work with the renowned Puffy AmiYumi,” FETES Director Hayden Brereton said. “Their exceptional body of work and global appeal will promise a very exciting show for our audience.”
Puffy AmiYumi will be appearing at the New York Anime Festival and New York Comic Con throughout the weekend for panel discussions and autograph signings before taking the stage on Sunday night at Irving Plaza. Tickets are $22 in advance and $25 at the doors. Tickets can be ordered at Irving Plaza’s Box Office or via Ticketmaster from July 9th. FETES will be announcing further details and additional acts throughout the summer.
Tickets for NYAF or NYCC may be purchased at www.nyanimefestival.com or www.nycomiccon.com. Other information about the shows, as well as news about the Reed Pop Culture Group, which also organizes Star Wars Celebration, is available at Lance Fensterman’s blog, www.mediumatlarge.net.
[review] Kokusyoku Sumire: Version; a voyage
Tuesday, January 5th, 2010 by Victoria Goldenberg
Despite the international success of many Japanese classical musicians, Japanese band showcases in the United States rarely include the genre (the faux-classical posturing of many Visual Kei bands nonwithstanding). That made Kokusyoku Sumire a pleasant surprise at New York’s Far East to East Showcase in September. Singer-pianist Yuka and violinist Sachi filtered classical, opera and cabaret through the Gothic Lolita coolness of their matching outfits. They were the biggest hit of the night.
Version; a voyage is a three-song sampler CD-R that was sold at the Far East to East Showcase. It draws from the duo’s 2006-2008 work, and does a good job conveying their style and strengths, though not their breadth. Kokusyoku Sumire does not make background music; its dark, theatrical atmosphere permeates and takes you out of the present. Like the Dresden Dolls, the duo can create a full sound from just two instruments.
Their versatility is key. “Gekko Renka” has both girls switching responsibility for the march rhythm. Its calculated melody is punctuated by bursts of cathartic, cluttered dissonance from which Sachi’s violin flourishes fly out.
Pacing also plays an important role in their appeal; the vocal and violin trade-offs in “Towa ni Uruwashiku Sumire no Hana yo” lead the listener to focus alternately on Yuka’s opera-trained soprano and Sachi’s deft violin playing.
Kokusyoku Sumire’s songwriting is also refreshingly unpredictable. “Junketsu wa Aka” is slow until Sachi imitates an opening door with her violin, cueing the music into a fast frenzy.
Yuka and Sachi’s music is brainier than that of most Gothic Lolita-clad acts. It’s rich enough that you could spend hours dissecting the 13 minutes of Version; a voyage. At the same time, it’s not a difficult listen. The prominent melody and dusky tenor are instantly appealing and intriguing, and they make classical music hip for the J-pop culture crowd.
[review] Gelatine: Gie Ji Gaii
Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009 by Victoria Goldenberg
Sometimes you have to see musicians live to get them. I had previewed the bands playing the Far East to East Showcase at Webster Hall prior to the event on Sept. 27 , and Gelatine didn’t grip me instantly. My first impression, based off performance videos of singer Seiko shrieking and marching around in a diaper, was that the New York-based Japanese band belonged squarely to the subset of wacky Japanese punk rock, where the hyper music is matched by the band members’ eccentric stage presence. Though I enjoy several such bands, Gelatine didn’t strike me as adding anything new or distinctive to the formula.
That impression changed when I saw the band live. Entering The Studio after attending AKB48’s glossy and highly packed pop concert, I was struck by the dim lighting and intimate feel of the tiny bar in Webster Hall—and how well opener Gelatine matched them. I wasn’t wrong about the band’s strangeness. A bondage-clad Seiko shrieked, stomped and headbanged to the wild music, guitarist Jun delivered his MCs in a novel metal growl, and keyboardist Waiko wore a schoolgirl uniform. But their music and performance had a distinctive dark, deranged mood suited to an underground club show.
Gie Ji Gaii is Gelatine’s first album, released nine years into the band’s lifetime, and it recreates the live experience admirably. The raw production is easy on the ears and makes me feel like I’m back in The Studio on Sept. 27. Even without the visual element, Gelatine’s murky punk has a prominent gloomy undertone that adds dimension to their music and anchors their hyperactivity, a refreshing change of pace from peers content to be superlatively happy. “Let’s Go Gelatine” sounds chaotic and agitated for a band theme song. The grungy, stop-start “‘Cause My Mom Said So” sounds manic, angry, evil, disturbed, and mischievous–all at once.
People often go to concerts because they’re fans of the performers’ recorded music, but Gelatine is one band for which the opposite works better. See them live first, then check out the CD. You’ll understand their music better that way.
[interview] Swinging Popsicle Swings into New York
Friday, October 16th, 2009 by Victoria Goldenberg
Swinging Popsicle makes an unlikely link between indie music and anime/video game fandom. While its laid-back retro rock isn’t the typical soundtrack for animated entertainment, the unassuming trio has played at conventions in North America and composed the music for the well-regarded 2009 PC game Sumaga/Star Mine Girl, introducing their 12-year catalogue to a new audience. But singer Fujishima Mineko, bassist Hirata Hironobu and guitarist Shimada Osamu make indie pop with broad appeal: It’s cheerful, melodious and driven by soulful yet understated vocals. As Hirata puts it, “everyone from kids who like to watch anime to older generations can enjoy our music.” On Sept. 27, they performed their second New York City gig at The Studio at Webster Hall as part of the Far East to East Showcase, a concert connected to New York Anime Festival.
The cold weather caught Swinging Popsicle off guard this time. When they played a solo show at the Knitting Factory in 2007, it was on a balmy May night. Shimada soon regretted wearing short sleeves in an unusually biting September.
Sumaga’s manufacturer organized Swinging Popsicle’s appearance at NYAF. For Hirata, it was a chance to return to a city whose talented people inspire him. Or, as Fujishima describes New York: “It’s cool.” (more…)
[live report] Far East to East Showcase (Gelatine, Echostream, Swinging Popsicle, Kokusyoku Sumire)
Monday, October 5th, 2009 by Victoria Goldenberg
When pop group AKB48 ran across the stage waving at their fans during their debut American concert, the members were in perfect sync. When Fujishima Mineko of Swinging Popsicle ran across the stage high-fiving the audience at the Far East to East Showcase, she nearly hit her head on a speaker.
The New York Anime Festival closed with two polar opposite Japanese concerts at Webster Hall on Sept. 27. Pop fans could enjoy AKB48’s slick choreography and endearing adorableness. But two flights down at The Studio, the music was totally underground. The second annual Showcase, presented by Superglorious and NYAF, covered punk, ambient, indie pop and cabaret in four distinctive bands. It was an intimate affair all about the originality, raw energy and spontaneity that make small club gigs so appealing.
Gelatine conveyed a simultaneously dark and comical mood through the two-prong thrust of its frenetic punk music and menacing stage presence. This New York City band formed in 2001 to play both original music and that of singer Seiko’s old band, 10Yen Ana-kinoko. Its first record, the murky Gie Ji Gaii, finally came out this year. Gelatine’s chief draw is Seiko, who has the confidence and twisted humor to perform in a diaper and act like nothing’s strange about it. This time she wore a bra and bondage leash, which seemed almost tame in comparison. Though leashed, Seiko behaved more like id unfettered: swinging around from the mic stand, stomping in place, and moving from cute shrieks to aggressive snarls within seconds. The rest of the band was ready to meet Seiko at every capricious turn, and they complemented her bizarreness with their own. Guitarist Takeshita Jun literally growled his MCs about glamorous topics like the sweat in his eyes. Rock ‘n’ roll, indeed.
(more…)