Home Safe

Total Mileage: 1518.0

I drove home from New York City to Syracuse on Saturday afternoon. I guess the exhaustion must have finally caught up to me, because I fell asleep after dinner and didn't wake up until the following morning at 9AM, thirteen hours later.

I still owe you my final impressions of the tour, but for now, I'll leave you with an all inclusive slideshow of my tour photos in chronological order. You'll see shots of all the venues we played at as well as places and people we got to see along the way. Quite a few of my college friends and even my mom make appearances. We had a running joke that the trip was actually the "Ethan Green Reunion Tour".

I've long had the hunch that my existences in Japan and the US were mutually exclusive, but to see friends from both eras of my life cross paths was quite an experience. And it was all thanks to a Japanese rock band...

Enjoy!



Click here to view the full-quality slideshow.

Bon Voyage Bo-Peep!

Last night, we made it to Manhattan for the final leg of the tour. The venue was Arlene's Grocery, an awesome spot in the Village known for having some of the best music in town. Even with the midnight slot, Bo-Peep attracted a decent audience; next to AS220 in Providence, Arlene's had the second best attendance of the tour.

Without fail, the girls gave their all for every performance of the tour. Last night was no exception. I've seen them play their set six times this week and it has yet to wear on me. I'm already looking forward to seeing them take the stage back in Tokyo next month.

So what was it like managing a tour for a Japanese band? I'll save my debriefing for another time. All I can say for now is that musically, Bo-Peep is an incredible band that deserves a place in the American music scene. And personally, they are some of the best friends I have in Japan.

I saw the girls off to the their airport taxi this morning. All good things come to an end, but Bo-Peep will certainly be back to rock America again.

Apprx. mileage: 1250

Bo-Peep En Route: Boston and Milford

Sorry for the wait, we've just completed the longest leg of our tour; we jumped from Philly to Boston, and then back to Milford, CT. One more show in Manhattan tonight at Arlene's Grocery. It's been quite a haul and we are all pretty exhausted, but the girls haven't shown one ounce of fatigue in their playing. They've been giving it their all every night.

A Philly Cheese Steak was an appropriate meal before hitting the road to Boston on Tuesday.

The girls played a small show at O'Brien's Pub, a great local venue in Boston.

Last night, we did a show organized by Manic Productions at Daniel Street in Milford.

Last stop: Manhattan

Mileage: approx. 1160.3

Bo-Peep En Route: Philadelphia

We packed up the car in Brooklyn and were off to Philadelphia by 2PM yesterday. We took a slight detour through Manhattan so we could ride over Williamsburg Bridge for one incredible view of the City.

We took our pleasant time driving and made it to Philadelphia by 5PM, giving us just enough time to walk around the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall before load-in. The girls knew way more that I expected about America's founding fathers.

Bo-Peep played at the Philadelphia Mausoleum of Contemporary Art, an aptly named art gallery that is housed in the remnants of a 19th century tombstone manufacturer's office. The facade of the building says it all.

One of the bands on the roster, Banned Books, was easily the most exciting and unique band Bo-Peep has shared the stage with on this tour so far. The group is a three-piece trio with the guitar doubling on keyboard. Both the bassist and guitarist used a plethora of noisy bugged-out electronic effects. The drummer had a minmal kit with just one cymbal, hi-hats, snare, and bass drum, but somehow he managed to make a thunderous cascade of noise like Keith Moon.

Bo-Peep took the stage sometime around 9:30. The crowd wasn't bad for a Monday night.

The bassist/guitarist in J. Fox, the first band on the roster of the evening, has a brother in Tokyo who is one of our good friends. He has a friend in Philadelphia who said we could sleep at his band's rehearsal studio.

This was the biggest surprise of the tour so far. We were expecting to crash in a small dirty warehouse with moldy couches. When we walked in, all five of us were blown away. The space turned out to be an enormous converted warehouse shared by 7 artists and musicians. It was something of an artists' collective slash hipster hang-out, complete with numerous lofts, a recording studio, and even a swing.

We finally got a good night's sleep. The ladies are doing their make-up now before we hit the road to Boston. We are playing at O'Brien's Pub at 9PM.

approximate mileage: 620

Bo-Peep En Route: Brooklyn

I've got to run so I'm going to make this quick.

After Bo-Peep's incredible opening show in Providence, we jumped in the car to head to New York. We stopped at the Yale Bowl on the way to catch the end of a football game. The girls were excited to attend their very first tailgate party.

From there, we took off to New York City where we rendezvoused with some old friends. It was our only day off scheduled for the tour.

We had a few hours to spare in Brooklyn. Here is Take checking out a rack of guitar effects.

We played the Trash Bar in Brooklyn last night to an ecstatic audience. A good number of Japanese rock fans came by for the show.

Next stop: Philadelphia

Miles on the car: 526

Bo-Peep En Route: Providence

Last night, Bo-Peep played the first show of their tour at AS220 in Providence.

Living in Japan for two years, I think I've forgotten how beautiful New England cities can be, especially in autumn. The fall foliage is incredible, even this late in the year. The girls were equally impressed. You don't see streets lined with fiery orange trees and classic 100-year old buildings in Tokyo.

AS220 is something of an art-gallery turned music venue slash bar & cafe. The location couldn't be better; the space is located right in downtown Providence. If I lived in this city, it would definitely be one of my hangouts.

Bo-Peep was third on the line-up in a benefit concert for Girls Rock Rhode Island, an organization dedicated to supporting young women who play rock music. Could it have been a better fit? The audience ate the band up. I saw looks of shock on many people's faces who were taken off their guard. Could a band from Japan rock this hard?

308 miles are on the car. Next stop: Brooklyn.
____


Picking the girls up at the Providence Amtrak station

AS220

Getting ready for the show

TOUR KICKS OFF TODAY!!

Ladies and Gentlemen!

"SUSHI BURNING! GEISHA BURNING! HANABI BURNING!"

Bo-Peep's November 2010 USA Tour kick's off today!

I'm currently at my place in Syracuse. In 5 minutes, I'll be on my way to Providence to pick the girls up for their first gig.

Friday, November 12
AS220, Providence, Rhode Island
Girls Rock Showcase
9PM
$10
http://as220.org/calendar.html


See you at the show!

Bo-Peep Tour Plugged By Japanamerica's Roland Kelts

Author, commentator, and lecturer Roland Kelts has plugged Bo-Peep's tour!

http://japanamerica.blogspot.com/2010/11/far-east-to-east-coast-bo-peeps-kawaii.html

Make sure you check out his book, Japanamerica.

Bo-Peep Written Up on Examiner.com

Check out this article hot off the press!

http://www.examiner.com/japanese-culture-in-new-york/tokyo-s-bo-peep-rocks-the-northeast

Thanks to Examiner.com and Justin Tedaldi for hyping Bo-Peep's tour. We hit the road this Friday!

BO-PEEP: Japanese Press Release

"SUSHI BURNING! GEISHA BURNING! HANABI BURNING!"
「３ピース女性バンドBO-PEEP、３度目のアメリカツアーへ」

東京を拠点に活動するBO-PEEP（ボーピープ）が３度目のアメリカツアー（海外ツアーとしては６度目）を１１／１２より敢行する。今回は初のNYマンハッタンでのLiveを含む東海岸６都市公演。
福岡で結成されてから丸１０年を迎える２０１０年は、３月に１５本のアメリカ中西部ツアーを行なったばかりだが、NEW YORKやBOSTONの大学生たちからのラブコールに答えての急遽のツアー実現となった。
ステレオタイプな日本女子のイメージを完璧に覆すライブパフォーマンスで急激に話題になっているBO-PEEPが、配信サイトで人気の最新アルバム "VIBE" を引っさげ、人種と音楽のルツボNYでどんなパフォーマンスをするか、どんな反応を得るか。乞うご期待！

＊2009年にSouth By South Westに出演したときのJohn Pareles氏寄稿THE NEW YORK TIMESの記事の和訳：
↓
長年多くのロックのライブを経験してきて、日本は面白く可笑しいが、すぐに違和感がなくなるようなバンドを多く輩出していることがわかった。もし私がSXSWのスケジュールを見間違えていなかったら、東京から来た３人の女性ハードロックバンド、BO-PEEPを見る事はなかっただろう。運がよかった。BO-PEEPの荒々しく効果的なリフは、それがぶっきらぼうなワンコードの力強い乱打だろうと、調和しないメタルのラインだとしても、パンクのように鳴り響かせていても、冗談めいた所などなかった。
ボーカルはヨーコ・オノ風の震え声で英語だったとは思うが、何を言っているのか理解はできなかった。しかし、それは問題では無い。BO-PEEPはどんなアメリカやイギリスのサイケデリックなバンドや激しいバンドと並んでも負け劣りしない、そしてそうあるべきだ。

＊Tour Schedule:
↓
Friday, November 12
AS220, Providence, Rhode Island

Sunday, November 14
The Trash Bar, Brooklyn, New York

Monday, November 15th
Philadelphia Mausoleum of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Tuesday, November 16th
O'briens Pub, Boston, Massachusetts

Wednesday, November 17th
Daniel Street Club, Milford, Connecticut

Thursday, November 18th
Arlene's Grocery, Manhattan, New York


Official Page:
http://bo-peep3.com/
Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/bopeepjapan
Japanese management: 3rd Stone From The Sun Corp.
http://www.3rdstones.com/

Japanese Band Bo-Peep Tours the Northeast US

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Japanese Band Bo-Peep Tours the Northeast US

Tokyo, Japan – November 1st, 2010 – Bo-Peep, one of Tokyo’s hottest rock bands, has recently finalized the schedule for their upcoming Northeast US Tour.

The band will play 6 dates in mid-November in New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Milford, and Providence. This will be the band’s third US tour after appearing at Austin’s prestigious South By Southwest festival both this year and last.

Well known in Tokyo for their ferociously intense music and lean visceral show, Bo-Peep is an all female trio that epitomizes the excitement of the Japanese rock scene. As described by one journalist, “Bo-Peep is harder than a hurricane and louder than bombs.”

The band is earnestly looking forward to sharing their own breed of Japanese-influenced hard rock with new audiences and die-hard fans in the USA.

Official Page:
http://bo-peep3.com/
Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/bopeepjapan

Tour Schedule:
Friday, November 12
AS220, Providence, Rhode Island

Sunday, November 14
The Trash Bar, Brooklyn, New York

Monday, November 15th
Philadelphia Mausoleum of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Tuesday, November 16th
O'briens Pub, Boston, Massachusetts

Wednesday, November 17th
Daniel Street Club, Milford, Connecticut

Thursday, November 18th
Arlene's Grocery, Manhattan, New York

For all press inquiries and general questions, please contact:

Ethan Green, Tour Manager
ethan@tokyowerewolf.com