Posts Tagged ‘Webster Hall’
J-Summit Show Feb. 20, 2011
Friday, February 11th, 2011 by Kathy Chee[press release] J-Summit New York City on Aug. 29
Thursday, August 26th, 2010 by Kathy Chee
[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] AKB48: A classic fantasy for the 21st century
Monday, November 30th, 2009 by Victoria Goldenberg
New York Anime Festival was the Big Apple hub for thousands of anime, manga and J-music fans from Sept. 25 to 27. What musical act would have better fit the convention than one from Tokyo’s own pop culture district, Akihabara? AKB48 is a 65-member idol collective that takes the winning combination of cute girls in short skirts and gives it a modern, geek-friendly spin. These hardworking girls have become a hit among both idol fans and the Japanese public. Sixteen of the girls made their American debut at NYAF, performing a mini-live at the convention and a full concert at Webster Hall that won them American fans.
In the 1980’s, AKB48’s prolific producer Yasushi Akimoto helmed Onyanko Club, a legendary idol group whose sexualized innocence he recycled for AKB48. The 52-member act existed in a decade of shared popular culture, one in which Michael Jackson and Madonna became international superstars. Onyanko Club itself was famous throughout Japan and made household names of members such as Shizuka Kudo and a karaoke classic of the coy “Serafuku wo Nugasanaide.”
But modern technology has expanded our choices in entertainment, and audiences are more segmented than ever before. Stardom is obviously still common, but it’s not what it used to be. We may never see another performer with Jackson’s level of popularity again, but we do see many becoming cult stars through the Internet, cable TV and more.
So Akimoto went niche and 21st century for his new pop experiment. AKB48, which debuted in 2006, focuses on fostering ties with the otaku fandom in a concept called “Idols you can meet every day.” The group consists of three ‘teams’ of girls—A, K and B—who rotate performances in a theater in Akihabara, the inspiration for the letter portion of the group’s name. The teams release albums individually, but the lineups for singles draw from the entire pool of members. An AKB48 team show takes place nearly daily, so fans have frequent opportunities to see the girls live in a small venue and even meet them. (more…)
[photo] Alone Together NYC – New York Meets Japan 2
Sunday, November 1st, 2009 by Kathy Chee
Photographs from the fashion show presented by Alone Together NYC at Webster Hall on November 1, 2009.
This SimpleViewer gallery requires Macromedia Flash. Please open this post in your browser or get Macromedia Flash here.
This is a WPSimpleViewerGallery
Alone Together Official Website – http://alonetogethernyc.com/
This is a WPSimpleViewerGallery
[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…)
[press release] ATNYC Presents New York Meets Japan Part 2
Monday, October 12th, 2009 by Kathy CheeAlone Together NYC presents the U.S. PREMIERE of Japanese visual rock band GURIGULA at an all-day event coordinated with Mok and Webster Hall New York City.
Alone Together NYC Website – http://alonetogethernyc.com/
Gurigula Myspace Page – http://www.myspace.com/gurigula
Uzuhi Myspace Page – http://www.myspace.com/uzuhi
Lilac Myspace Page – http://www.myspace.com/lilacofficial
[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…)