Yes, Fujirock's own Generalissimo, Hidaka-san, is on the the CNN website now.
jinki
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Yes, Fujirock's own Generalissimo, Hidaka-san, is on the the CNN website now.
jinki
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Alright, so I don't mean to retread old ground here. I know we've already written about Jamie Liddell, but jesus, have you seen this guy sing over his own beatboxing? Have you heard the new album?
]]> I just did. I mean, just go and listen to "Hurricane" on his Myspace page and tell me that won't completely BLOW UP on a sunny Naeba afternoon...Liddell may be opening for Elton John's new tour, but Indie kids, don't let that throw you. He's really a bizarre hybrid. On one side, he is full-on old-school soul a la Stevie Wonder/Otis Redding. On the other, he's all clicks and cuts like his Warp labelmates, Aphex Twin and Boards of Canada.
If you can't picture that combination, watch this to hear the former and this for the latter.
Great interview here
Cool video interview here
Liddell's a Mac fan, too, apparently. Interview and gear geek-out here
jinki
Back in 2006 the drummer from New Mastersounds was roaming the audience at Unit looking for something that he felt might help him drum a little more enthusiastically. Either he found it or he never needed it, because the leaders of the New Funk scene whipped the audience up that night into the kind of crowd you'd expect at a heavy metal show.
Expect nothing less from their almost-headline slot in the Field of Heaven. This four-piece are legends of modern funk and the heirs to the Meters' crown. They had the wisdom to ask Keb Darge, the single-handed carver of the deep funk genre, to produce their breakthrough singles One Note Brown and Nervous.
The Mastersounds have just released an album with Dionne Charles, singer with the latest Big Things in funk, Baby Charles - not at Fuji this year, but sure will be soon.
nick
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At least their guitar techs only need to do half the work!
Front man Chris Ballew plays the "basitar", a Gibson SG with all six strings taken off and replaced with only two heavy ones (a .060 gauge top string tuned to C# and a .036 gauge bottom string tuned to G# for you gear fanatics). This technique was actually developed by Ballew's good friend and Morphine front man, the late Mark Sandman.
As a compliment to Ballew's "basitar", original guitar player for PUSA Dave Dederer pioneered the - you guessed it - "guitbass" style by customizing his Fender Stratocasters and Telecasters. With this, a regular guitar is strung with only three strings. The top (or lowest pitched) string is .065 gauge tuned to C#, the middle string is .045 tuned to G#, and the bottom (highest pitch) string is .035 gauge tuned to C# again, but one octave higher. You rockers out there will recognize this as a "Drop D" tuning, down half a step. For those that don't play guitar, this is an open style of tuning that allows you to play crunchy barre (or "power") chords up and down the guitar neck with just one finger. Rock on, Wayne!
And that ain't all the customized axes coming to Fuji Rock. Also playing this year is Seasick Steve, a swaggering blues breaker and one man band. He says his chopped guitar is "the biggest piece of shit in the world," and calls it the 3-Stringed Tranz Wonder. He also accompanies himself on percussion with his "Mississippi Drum Machine", a stomp box decorated with a Mississippi license plate and a small piece of carpet.
Catch his Dog House Music Friday night in the Crystal Palace (23:45-0:30), Saturday night on Naeba Shokudo (18:30-19:10) and Sunday afternoon at the Field of Heaven (14:00-15:00).
Anybody know if any of the other artists (excluding whacked out hippie fusion art rock jazzy types) play home brew instruments? Cuz I think this is just the beginning...
Jeff
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Ok, so I have now accepted the fact that Led Zeppelin's reunion tour won't touch down at Fujirock, but oh, cruel world, why must you twist the knife so?
]]> Is it not enough that I've pulled out every Zeppelin album from my collection (ahem, hard drive) and listened to them regularly over the last 4 months? All in anticipation of seeing these very songs performed by the icons themselves, who, despite being gray and a bit haggard, still retain their chops and one helluva set of lungs?Must you tease me by referring to influential Japanese bands as "The Led Zeppelin of Japan?"
Must you taunt me me when my Facebook status says "Jinki is cranking the ZEP?"
Must you twist the knife by placing Youtube footage of Galactic covering "Immigrant Song?"
Oh how the song remains the same with you people....
jinki
As mentioned in earlier posts, soul music will certainly be represented at Naeba this year, but 2008 is most certainly the year of FUNK, children, and don’t let nobody tell you different.
But don’t miss Kansai’s answer to the JB’s, Osaka Monaurail, who will play under the thinly veiled name of Underground Express. These are the same guys who backed up Marva Whitney last year, but instead of James Brown tunes, UE will do funky covers of tunes by guys like Curtis Mayfield, Isaac Hayes and Kool and the Gang.
Ozomatli and Galactic are perrenial favorites in Japan, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see these guys playing together somewhere (on stage, at the Palace late-nite, barreling through the restaurant area, etc)
Oh and did I mention BOOTSY COLLINS is doing a full-on James Brown tribute? That’s right, the mind-freeing, ass-following starry-eyed one will headline the White Stage Friday with an onslaught of funk from the man who arguably birthed the stuff. Ol' Bootsy cut his teeth playing bass for Mr. Dynamite himself, so no doubt he knows the material.
And if that’s not enough funk in your face, I’ve been assured that the Sunday night DJs at the Crystal Palace are carrying some serious vinyl.
Mercy lawd, people. If you can't get your freak on here, then give it up, sister.
jinki
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So the schedule's up and we can start crossing names off our to-see lists. Wanted to see Galactic and Kasabian on Friday? Now you're gonna have to choose. Interested in Mark Stewart and The Maffia, but want to see if Mani really does join Ian Brown at other end of the festival in the Red marquee? No chance.
But somehow this year seems a little more.... thought out? Bootsy fans that want some more funk have 50 minutes to stroll to the nearby Field of Heaven for modern day funkateers the New Mastersounds. The kind of people who never budge from the Orange Court all weekend will probably want to catch the trio from SOIL&"PIMP"SESSIONS - who are playinga few yards away, just as the OC goes quiet.
I'm still wondering: Lee Scratch Perry or The Go Team? But for the most part, what a great piece of scheduling.
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Another round of artists have been announced for Fuji Rock bringing the total number of performing acts to 202! The timetable has been released as well and from the looks of it, there are only two slots left to be filled. One is Sunday night on the Green Stage, the other on Mokudo Tei on Saturday afternoon.
]]> Gypsy Avalon, Naeba Shokudo, and Mokudo Tei’s (the boardwalk stage) lineups have been revealed and some bands have been added to other stages as well. New performers include UK alt-rockers The Zutons, Japanese hard rockers Wrench, J-punks Razor’s Edge, Canadian Justin Nozuka, and Japanese psych-pop underground fave Tokumaru Shugo.Personally, I’m really excited to check out a special 15-minute show from AEO that takes place late Sunday night (or early Monday morning if you want to get technical) at the Red Marquee. AEO is comprised of EYE from Boredoms, Sawai, and Jo. Wonder how the always entertaining and unpredictable EYE will top the wall of guitars that he played during Boredoms White Stage set last year!
Shawn
*Photo of EYE at Fuji Rock 2007 by Hoya and used with permission of Fuji Rock Express
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Somebody's has got to open for Bootsy, so who better than New Orleans' Galactic (and Boots without the Y). Since Theryl "Houseman" DeClouet has left the band, these serious admirers of The Meters have backed a number of vocalists, and are bringing Chali 2na of Jurassic 5 and Boots Riley of the early '90s political rap group The Coup. To get yourself ready, here's a gut punch of Galactic funk from Paris Library:
Paris DJs present Galactic New Orleans Funk Swamp
Be warned, it gets dirty. And, by the way, don't be surprised if Led Zepplin show up as well (Heya Jinki, how about Immigrant Song? Kashmir?).
* photos by photos by yusuke/Smashingmag.com
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When the best person ever (aka fellow scribe Shawn Despres) invited me to join the Fuji team I was excited. Not only was it an unexpected trip to Japan - which means I'll get to see old friends - but it was a chance to cover one of the festivals I've always wanted to experience.
Oh, and then there's this: Flower Travellin' Band are playing. That fact is still melting my brain. FTB, if you don't already know, are probably Japan's most critically acclaimed '70s psyche rock band. Their album Satori has been called the penultimate Japanese rock record. Flower Travellin' Band are Japan's Led Zeppelin (in stature...musically, they're more like a more psychedelic and proggy Black Sabbath).
For me, though, there's two added reasons for my excitement. One thing is that I'm Canadian. Canada is the only country outside of Japan where Satori actually landed on the charts - top ten, no less. CHUM-FM in Toronto used to play the album. The band opened for Emerson, Lake & Palmer here. Finally, the FTB record Made In Japan was actually recorded in Canada. So there's this strange rock-historical connection happening for me.
Secondly, I'm the host & producer of a weekly Japanese music show called Octopus Army (Note: Yes, I stole the name from the clothing shop chain in Japan and no, so far, they haven't sued). So I've been listening to FTB for years, playing them on the show and thinking "Wow, too bad I missed this when they were around."
Guess what? They're still around. For anyone lucky enough to hit the Field of Heaven on Saturday...this should be a little glimpse of J-rock history.
Jamie Tennant
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A crazy tour involving a bus that runs on vegetable oil and a half-dozen freak out bands was how the Death Set started their summer. Fortunately, Videothing was along for the ride, and just sober enough to film some of the stops on the F Yeah Tour. Skate parks, house parties, and one long assed side of the road stop are all in the mix. If the past is any indicator of the future, then the Death Set will be jumping off drum kits, crowd surfing, and causing good old fashioned, singalong mayhem when they finally hit Fuji Rock.
//sean s.
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Returning to the States, the brothers entered their dance phase and secured the talents of disco gods Giorgio Moroder and Harold Faltmeyer but still couldn't quite breach the Billboard Top 100. That eventually happened in 1984 when they teamed with ex-Go Go Jane Wiedlin. After that, it was every Mael for himself, but Sparks never really went away, releasing an album every couple of years, always with their patented cleverly punned titles, which seem to have made more of an impression after all these years than the songs themselves: "Kimono My House," "Angst in My Pants," "Gratuitous Sax and Senseless Violins," that sort of thing.
If this entry sounds a bit sardonic, I myself was subjected to an onslaught of the Brothers Mael's music in college, where a dorm mate from L.A. used to play them nonstop, convinced they were the second coming of Bowie where to my ears they sounded more like the joke that Freddie Mercury got before anyone else. Still, in terms of pure pop extravagance there are few artists working today who can compete, and if the prospect of hearing Underworld, Simple Plan, or Ian Brown doesn't thrill you, Sparks probably will. Their greatest weapon is sounding a lot better than people expect them to sound.
Phil
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Fantastic locals groups such as Gumx, The Moonshiners, Galaxy Express, and a reunited Delispice will share the stage with Fuji Rock performers Feeder, The Gossip, The Go! Team, Princess Superstar, Travis, Underworld, Hard-Fi, Ozomatli, Ellegarden, and Kasabian making Pentaport the premier summer music event in South Korea.
A one day ticket for Pentaport costs 88,000 won (about 9,000 yen). While two and three day passes are going for 132,000 won (about 13,000 yen) and 165,000 won (about 17,000 yen). Camping is available on site for the low price of 10,000 won per person. For those wanting to catch some of Fuji Rock's performers, but also interested in getting out of Japan for a short vacation Pentaport is something you should definitely look into attending.
Shawn
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It was recently announced that electro-soul crooner Jamie Lidell will be opening up Elton John's UK tour in November and December.
]]> Jamie will be showcasing funky cuts from his brand new spankin' disc, Jim, Friday afternoon on the White Stage. Playing for Fuji's always fun lovin' masses will be great way to fine tune his live set and get better acquainted with performing for large crowds on massive stages before facing tens of thousands of Sir Elton's fans in the winter.Shawn
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So what does this have to do with Fuji Rock you ask? Well, as many already know, the campfire at the Palace of Wonder is largely in Joe’s honor, and many of his long-time friends and Strummerville contributors can be found roaming about the area such as sculptor Joe Rush and Pockets, the one responsible for much of the foundation’s work. This year, Strummerville is reaching out to young Japanese bands, offering financial assistance to unsigned bands who have been invited to play on the Rookie-A-Go-Go stage. There is still hope that music might change the world yet.
//sean s.
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