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/

BO-PEEP: November 2010 USA Tour

BO-PEEP has announced their November 2010 USA Tour! Guess what!!?! I'm their tour manager! Come on down and join us for one of our rambunctious shows! We are going to rock the Northeast US hardcore Japanese style!

Friday, November 12
AS220, Providence, Rhode Island
Girls Rock Showcase
9PM
$10

Sunday, November 14
The Trash Bar, Brooklyn, New York
11PM
$6

Monday, November 15th
Danger! Danger! Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
8PM

Tuesday, November 16th
O'briens Pub, Allston, Massachusetts
8:30PM
$7

Wednesday, November 17th
Daniel Street Club, Milford, Connecticut
8PM
$8
http://manicproductions.org/

Thursday, November 18th
Arlene's Grocery, Manhattan, New York
12AM (technically Friday morning)
$8

Bo-Peep: 10th Anniversary Show

This past Saturday night, Bo-Peep celebrated their 10th anniversary with a special live show featuring bands and musicians who have stuck by their side and supported them all these years.

The Tokyo Pinsalocks, who are gearing up for their upcoming album release, played a set featuring their new material.

Hisayo...

Reiko...

Nao...

At this point, I don't think I can count the number of times I've seen Bo-Peep live, but this time around, Mika's smile was the brightest I've ever seen. The positive vibes in the room must have caused the band to kick it up a notch.

For each song, Bo-Peep featured a line-up of different guest bass players. Hisayo, Arie from Vola and the Oriental Machine, and Hime, Bo-Peep's original bassist, all played numbers. In the end, Take, the group's current master of the 4-stringed axe, closed the set with her characteristic energy. The power was alive.

Bo-Peep meets James Brown

Yesterday evening at Shibuya's Duo Exchange, the Japanese television channel NHK World hosted and filmed a live music event showcasing new talent in Tokyo. Four reputable underground Japanese groups were on the roster: visual-glam band Doubt, viciously named ska group Doberman, funk outfit Osaka Monaurail, and of course, my favorite ladies on the Tokyo scene, Bo-Peep.

The program is scheduled to be broadcasted overseas on NHK World on the final four Mondays in August. In Japan, the program will be available via the NHK World iPhone application.

Bo-Peep- having recently released their new album Vibe- have been in overdrive lately. Their album release party last week at Super Deluxe was probably the most intense set I've ever seen the girls do. Last night, in an effort to show off their Japaneseness to their intended foreign audience, the girls all donned yukatas, which are basically summer kimonos. I'm looking forward to seeing how the cameras catch their characteristic energy.

Taking the stage after Bo-Peep was the throwback funk ensemble Osaka Monaurail. The group is a classic funk tribute band led by lead singer and organist Ryo Nakata, who takes on the personality of James Brown when on stage. Down to the stiff full bodied dance moves, husky voice, and full suit, Nakata's James Brown was totally spot on. The whole crowd, including Bo-Peep and crew, were simply grooving.

And if the group wasn't authentic enough, they even had personalized 45s for sale at their merchandise desk. The inner vinyl junky in me had to pick up a few for posterity.

Tribute band or not, I love funk and soul, and Osaka Monaurail had it going on. I'll definitely be checking them out again.

Stay tuned in August for a link to the feature broadcast on NHK World.
_____
Osaka Monaural's webpage: click here

And a cool music video via youtube:

Bo-Peep Release Party

Bo Peep held a release party for their latest record, VIBE, last Friday night. There were quite a few excellent bands playing and I got some awesome photos.

In order of appearance, Che-a, Sunset Drive, Natccu, and of course my favorite ladies of all time, Bo-Peep.

Here is a link to the full-size slideshow.

Vola and the Oriental Machine

This past Friday evening, Ryoko from Bo-Peep took me to see her husband Arie's band, Vola and the Oriental Machine, play at Shibuya's O-Nest. They are signed by Universal, tour all over Japan, and are quite well known in the music world over here.

Vola plays an eclectic mix of hard rock and electronica. The drummer often bangs out uptempo disco rhythms while Arie's bass drives with intense distortion and buzz. The singer switches accompaniment between guitar and keyboards and at key points in the music, the lead guitarist runs his rig through heavy electronic processing.

For brief moments at a time, Vola's plethora of influences would come and go through their busy sonic spectrum. From the West, I heard elements of Smashing Pumpkins inspired guitars and Daft Punk style vocoding. From the East, a few songs were reminiscent of electro groups like Sakanaction and Capsule. But perhaps these were just my own personal musical projections. Vola's sound is unique and goes well beyond comparison.

You can sample a few highlights from their current work on their myspace page here. The song Future Days most directly matches my attempt at description. The unfortunately spelled Oriental Melonchory gives you a taste of  Vola's adrenalin capacity.

If I could describe Prague as electronica via rock as I did last week, then Vola would be rock via electronica. The keyboards and electronic effects take on just as heavy a role as drums and guitars. I think the connection between the two groups might not be so spurious. I was once out to dinner with members from both bands. Arie from Vola and Tsugu from Prague sat in the corner of the restaurant booth and quietly talked about music for over an hour while ignoring the rest of us. Given the decade and a half between the two, the scene was like master and pupil.

After Vola's performance, Mika, Ryoko, and I made our greetings, then we took off to get some Korean BBQ, known as yakiniku in Japan.
____

Mika doing what she does best...

Ryoko

Smoky Korean BBQ

Mika goofing off as usual

The Silence of the Lambs: BO PEEP... In Chains

Since this past fall, I've been working with American filmmaker Aaron Jenkin on a music video for Bo-Peep. Our original idea was to do a simple live promotion video and we met with the girls in early November to discuss our plans. Over a few drinks during a late night out with the band, we brainstormed ideas, one of which was captured by Aaron on a napkin.

We shot live footage at a Shibuya performance two weeks later. Thankfully, our array of HD cameras weren't pulverized in the process. Soon after, Aaron returned to his work in the States. The napkin idea was quick to burgeon into and incredibly elaborate setup that he's been working on patiently ever since. I'm not allowed to reveal too much to you, but I will say that the extended plot involves sheep, dolls, rockets, telekinetic energy, and of course rock 'n' roll.

Two nights ago, I had the band over at my place where we set up a makeshift movie studio and filmed a quick scene. Filming took a few hours and the girls had to wear some heavy costumes, but they were great sports and we all had a blast. Afterwards, we cracked open a few beers and goofed off until the last train.

Production should be wrapping up within the next few weeks. You can guess whose blog the final product will appear on first.

Also, if you are interested in Aaron's work, including the video he shot for Tokyo-based band, The Watanabes, check out his webpage here.

A Happy Hannukah and a Bo-Peep New Year

I spent this past New Year's with Bo-Peep. My evening began at 7:30PM when I was packing my bags to head over to drummer Ryoko's house. The thought suddenly crossed my mind, "Why am I packing my earplugs to go to a New Year's party?" Because when it comes to Bo-Peep, I don't take any chances.

We had quite a feast.

Bassist Take sharing laughs in front of Ryoko's favorite records

Frontwoman Mika

An American Werewolf and three Japanese Sheep

A New Year's toast with Mika

A toast with Ryoko's husband, except all he had in hand was a giant Japanese raddish

Ryoko loves cats.

Takahashi, Prague's tech, with Ryoko's husband, Yoshinori, bassist from the band Vola and the Oriental Machine

Why do the Japanese live so long and look so young? It must be their healthy diet of sake, beer, and cigarettes. I think I inhaled three packs worth of secondhand smoke.

After midnight, we all went to the local Shinto shrine to pray for good fortune for the coming year.

Here are a few men warming up by the fire.

Deep in the night, the dim temple grounds seemed to evoke another era.

Mika praying to the Shinto gods for Bo-Peep's continued success

Wishing everyone a wonderful 2010!

Beer Pong PHASE VI (with Bo-Peep?!?)

Thanks to all who came by Beer Pong this past evening. Can you believe we've been at it every month for nearly a half year? I already can't wait for the next party in January.

Bo-Peep even came by to shoot a few rounds this time. Here is lead singer Mika preparing for her vicious attack:

Drummer Ryoko, quite and agile, aiming a killer shot...
The intensity of the tournament wiped us all out. We had to find sustenance (i.e. ramen) fast or else we risked exhaustion.

To the right of Ryoko is last month's Pong Champion, Eric.