Archive for Original Tour
adieu et bonne chance Kulu Kulu Garden (R.I.P.)
On May 15th, 2011 Kulu Kulu Garden played their final show. The decision to break up came as a shock since things appeared to be going very well for the band as they were under a developmental deal with Victor Entertainment. They took part in the original NMFT tour, found an amazing full-time drummer, played [...]
I’m back in Japan!
After working a 24 hour shift with no sleep, I spent 12 hours on a plane to Tokyo unable to sleep. When I arrived the first thing I did of course was go to a show! Last night I watched Tokyo Karan Koron and This is Panic! at Shimokitazawa Basement Bar. I’ll talk about the [...]
Manami Fujii
of グーミ One of the first things you notice about グーミ’s songs are the simple but infectious basslines. Manami brings the funk! And she’s one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. Completely unflappable. Air Canada actually lost her luggage on our flight between Montreal and Toronto. She had no change of clothes, was missing [...]
Unforgettable Tour Finale
The tour final at Shibuya O-nest was a massive success: 1. it was sold out (and we managed to sneak a few more people in: shout outs to Amit, Jack and Merv from Australia! and John and Dan from Texas) 2. all 5 bands KILLED IT! – OWARIKARA opened with a blistering, LOUD, soulfully funk-filled, [...]
Summery Summary pt1
The tour was an absolute blast and I will never forget the fun and crazy times we had on this hectic trip. It was only 10 days but it felt like 10 weeks. Not because of ennui or stress although there were definitely some tense moments (eg Ryogo getting electrocuted. wtf?! more on that later) [...]
PRIZES and GIVEAWAYS !!
On my last trip to Japan I bought a bunch of t-shirts at the various shows I went to. Why? So I can give them away as prizes during the tour. I don’t have THAT many, but considering I bought them all at regular price I did buy quite a few. So how do you [...]
Recap of 2nd week in Japan
Better late than never (right Ymane? yes you get a shout-out in my blog). Shows I went to: Feb 21: OWARIKARA / YOMOYA / LOVES / SuiseiNoboAz @ Shimokita BASEMENT BAR Feb 21: birth / talking dead goats “45 / camellia / high tension sex girl / Mahiruno / 猿ダコンクリート / Clean of Core @ [...]
DIY, fan-driven and interactive!!
One of the aspects of the tour I’ve underemphasized is that it is “do it yourself”, communal and very interactive. It is DIY in the sense that I realized that a tour like this (multiple Japanese bands coming to Canada) would never happen on its own, so I decided to get off my ass and [...]
My first week in Tokyo
It’s been a busy week of organizing the tour, networking, going to shows and… eating ramen. Taking photos and video footage is frowned upon at shows and I’ve been behaving myself for the most part. Which is unfortunate b/c I’ve seen some great bands over the last week. List of shows I’ve attended: Feb 14: [...]
Origins of the tour and I’m back in Japan!!
こんにちわ!! Hi my name is Steve and I’m the nut responsible for organizing this mini tour. Background: My parents are Japanese and I was born and raised in Vancouver but I’ve lived in Toronto for the last 10 years. My biggest passion in life is music. And at this point in time.. Japanese indie music. [...]
