New York, NY – Excess dB Entertainment is happy to welcome Guitar Wolf to Santo’s Party House, located at 96 Lafayette Street in Manhattan, NY on September 23rd.
The band Guitar Wolf was founded in Japan in 1987. They are known for their piercing vocals and loud style of garage punk that emphasized heavy distortion. They describe their music as “Jett Rock ‘n’ Roll” which is an energetic cross between The Ramones, rockabilly, classic punk, and noise rock.
Santos Party House is a two-level, 8000 sq. foot music venue, located in downtown New York City, near Chinatown and Tribeca. The venue is designed to function as a concert hall, dance club, and lounge.
Excess dB currently produces shows at several venues in the metro area including School of Rock, Mexicali Live and Maxwell’s in New Jersey; The Studio at Webster Hall and various other venues in New York City.
The upcoming event with Guitar Wolf on September 23rd is all ages and tickets are $18 in advance $20 day of show and can be purchased from Ticketweb.com
Please visit www.excessdb.com for more information.
Faced with daunting musical options, we music fans need some guideposts to help us narrow down our listening choices. Intriguing band names help, and few are more eye- and ear-catching than Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her. Bandleader Aiha Higurashi had the good taste to adopt the bizarre phrase from an XTC song. She and her bandmates also had the great taste in music to back up the distinctive moniker.
SSKHKH was an indie rock group that existed from 1992 to 2001. For most of its lifetime, the band consisted of Higurashi on guitar and vocals, Nao Koyama on bass, keyboard and backup vocals, and Takaharu Karashima on drums; the obscure first SSKHKH album included Higurashi and Sachiko Ito, and Karashima left in 1999. The group earned cult popularity across the world by playing overseas gigs and releasing a UK compilation.
Ironically, SSKHKH’s music has none of the titular screaming, but it does have nearly everything else imaginable. The trio had a terrific ear for 70’s punk, 90’s hip-hop, classic rock, country, dissonance, harmony and even pop hooks—and they knew how to combine them in a way that’s brainy without compromising viscera and punk ‘tude. You could sit down and marvel at how they incorporate so many genres so smoothly, or you could just rock out.
No single album could capture SSKHKH’s breadth, but 2002 retrospective Dying for Seagulls admirably approximates it. You get the unpredictable, meandering style of their early music in songs such as “It’s Brand New” and “Asking For It,” and the more tuneful later work such as “Sentimental Journey” and “Doko e iku no?” “Evolution” has a complex ambience, while “Angel” harkens back to 70’s punk simplicity.
The tracklist also emphasizes one of SSKHKH’s strengths—contrast—both at the micro and macro levels. “Pink Soda” alternates between sparse verses and bursts of rock catharsis. The eerie, screeching conclusion of “Red Talk” makes the pretty harmonies and wistful lyrics of “Seventeen” more haunting.
Three bonus tracks round out the disc and make it worthwhile even if you go on to collect the entire SSKHKH collection. Dying for Seagulls is a testament to the creativity and energy of one of Japan’s best—and best-named—rock bands.
MIYAVI is a samurai guitarist, conquering the world for Japan with the only weapon he knows how to use: his guitar. But this visual kei idol turned CEO of a management company hasn’t always been his own feudal lord. Starting out in the short-lived band Due le Quartz, MIYAVI had to go through being just another struggling guitarist to a guitar ronin before he could set his sights on ruling Japan and lands overseas.
Before he launches his North American Circuit tour, MIYAVI made some time for an in-depth chat with purple SKY about the beginnings, music, business, and future of this fierce musical warrior.
pSKY: You just got back from Kyoto, right?
MIYAVI: Yeah yeah.
pSKY: You’re in the middle of your Japan tour. So how is that going so far?
MIYAVI: Everything’s going well. It’s been a while since I had a Japan tour like this. And actually, I’m feeling kind of different from the usual tour. I think in part because the environment and I have changed. You know, I just made my company and became independent. I have my family now. I have a daughter. So it feels kind of different from before when I had my usual tour. During this tour, I have a new style: only a drummer, keyboard player, and me on stage. So it feels brand new.
pSKY: Before you used to do all-out rock. The whole thing with rhythm guitar, lead guitar, bass, drums. A very traditional set. So why did you decide to take all of that away and do something new?
MIYAVI: It’s not that I just took it away. I’m just trying to be an original artist. This is one of the options. One of…
pSKY: One of many options?
MIYAVI: Not so many, but I tried to make an original style with beat boxers, Kavki Boiz. It was a good tour, but after that I realized that I should have made a more original style as a guitarist. So now there are only drums and keyboard. And mainly I only play with drums. Two players. Including me there are just two people on stage. So everything is going well. Even the audience in Japan. In my opinion Japanese fans are kind of quiet, quieter than fans overseas. But on this tour they’re so enthusiastic, because I’ve been playing some old songs with a new style.
pSKY: Do you think with your new style you’re gaining a different kind of fan? Maybe some artsy people or people who like that independent style? Maybe before you had those visual kei kinds of fans…
Aiha Higurashi’s music always bears her unmistakable stamps. Both the experimental punk of her bands, Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her and Loves, and the soft introspection of her solo records, are honest about life’s struggles, yet delivered with confidence and a middle finger. Higurashi has a knack for writing unpredictable song structures and incorporating a stunningly broad palette of influences into rock, such as yodeling, hip-hop, ambient, country and disco. And of course there’s her unmistakable guitar style–brash, tender and daring all at once.
Higurashi formed Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her in 1992, taking its eye-catching name from an XTC song. The band was best known for its lineup of Higurashi, bassist Nao Koyama and drummer Takaharu Karashima from 1994 to 1999, although Higurashi and Koyama continued as a duo until 2002. The band became a cult favorite overseas, touring with Modest Mouse, Yo La Tengo and Mogwai and releasing a compilation CD in the UK. After SSKHKH broke up, Higurashi contributed songs to Judy and Mary singer Yuki’s budding solo career and then launching her own solo career with the single Fantasy in 2003. After recording two albums on her own, she formed the band Loves. in 2005, later changing the name to Aiha Higurashi and Loves! (Exclamation included.) Higurashi has released two albums with Loves and revived her solo career with the album Perfect Days last November. She is currently working on a new album for Ravolta, her hip-hop/new wave project with Tsutchie from Shakka Zombies.
That’s quite a busy schedule, but Higurashi was able to answer a few questions in English by e-mail.
pS: Your solo music’s usually softer than your band work. But even by those standards, Perfect Days is notably sparse and acoustic. Why did you choose this stripped-down approach?
A : Yes, that is very simple. I usually listen to Donovan , Elliot Smith, Rickie Lee Jones, Daniel Johnston, etc., so I wanted to do this simple sound even since I started Seagulls. I always put at least one acoustic song or quiet song in Seagull’s album, too. I just adore listening to those sounds so it is probably best time came to write and perform. That is because, my band is formed and Ravolta is doing great, so why not? Now I have enough space to let my mind open.
pS: You’ve said you formed Aiha Higurashi and Loves because you were tired of being solo after 2005’s Platonic. But then you released Perfect Days last year. What changed over those four years?
A: As I mentioned that Loves. is finally formed so tight as a band now. It took us so long to gather the right members and tighten up, get together and be a band that we wished which I wished.
pS: What was going on in your life when you were making the album?
A: I am a single mother of a lovely daughter so I do live usual everyday life. But I met a guy at the very beginning. He is the biggest reason why I could open my mind and let the brand new air into me. Then naturally the melodies came up into my head and heart. I fell in love. (more…)
Since 2003, MORNING GLORY has been telling stories with pop-punk finesse. Honest problems meets honest music that might not have been able to grow in Tokyo, but flourishes in their home-base of Nagoya.
purple SKY: How has your musical style changed since you first formed the band in 2003?
RIMINA (guitar, vocals): I’ve never tried to change intentionally, but I think it’s become more pop because I started to try to make music that the listeners would remember.
KANAKO (bass, chorus): In the beginning, I just tried to make music that sounded cool and made me feel good. That was it! (laugh) Now, I think about how I can make a certain part better or what I can do with the rest in order to make the whole thing sound cool.
purple SKY: How do you feel being female affects your performance as a punk musician?
RIMINA: I think that males and females each have a different attraction or charm and that there’s no pro or con. I’m just me. I’m not sure if my female aspects affect my performance.
KANAKO: Hmm. Since there are not many female punk bands in Japan, I’d like to be the one and the only.
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.
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…)
Last year, the New York Anime Festival and our friends Karaterice launched the Far East To East Showcase at The Knitting Factory. It was a celebration of indie, punk, rock, and pop both from Japan and NYC. This year, NYAF and Karaterice — now with the super name Superglorious — are bringing FETES back, and bringing it into the iconic Webster Hall.
From Japan, FETES hosts Kokusyoku Sumire and Swinging Popsicle, and from NYC, FETES features Echostream and Gelatine. (Bios are available at nyanimefestival.com.) Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 the day of the show and available now at www.ticketweb.com and www.websterhall.com. The doors open at 5:30 PM, and the show starts at 6:30 PM on September 27. FETES is open to audiences of all ages.
Kokusyoku Sumire, Swinging Popsicle, Echostream, and Gelatine are four amazing bands — bands selected not because of their involvement in anime, but selected because of the intensity and integrity music.
For more on the Far East To East Showcase, Superglorious will hold a FETES Press Panel on Saturday, September 26 at the New York Anime Festival. Superglorious will also maintain a booth at NYAF all weekend long where various FETES artists will appear.
Superglorious Official website – http://www.superglorious.com/
JapanFiles Official website – http://www.japanfiles.com/
Swinging Popsicle Official website – http://www.swinging-popsicle.com/
Abe Futoshi, former guitarist for the legendary garage punk group Thee Michelle Gun Elephant, died this week. His death was announced July 22 and attributed to acute epidural hematoma. He would have turned 43 in December.
Thee Michelle Gun Elephant formed in 1991. Abe joined in 1994 and played with the group until they broke up in 2003. TMGE had respectable success overseas and released two albums in America.
Tokyo, Japan May 12, 2009 –”Live House,” an upcoming feature-length
music documentary on punk rock clubs in Japan directed by Kevin Mcgue,
has been awarded a grant by the Japan Foundation, a non-profit
organization that carries out arts and cultural exchange programs to
enhance mutual understanding among countries throughout the world.
New York, NY – Excess dB Entertainment is happy to welcome Guitar Wolf to Santo’s Party House, located at 96 Lafayette Street in Manhattan, NY on September 23rd.
Since 2003, MORNING GLORY has been telling stories with pop-punk finesse. Honest problems meets honest music that might not have been able to grow in Tokyo, but flourishes in their home-base of Nagoya.
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.
