It's time for a P.A.R.T.Y.

You know that feeling you get when you've been working too much, and not taking the time to enjoy the fruits of that labor? All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, right? And we all know what happens when Jack becomes a dull boy...When that feeling sets in, you need something to lift your mind out of the routine-trenches you've carved deeply into your life. You need something to help you let go, enjoy that labor-fruit, and erase those routine-trenches.

That's right people. That feeling calls for a specific remedy. It beckons for a Philippino-American Radical Trip, Yeah!

The flights have been booked, the vaccinations injected (live Typhoid pills eaten), and the daydreams have started.

The plan is pretty simple:

I'll be heading to the 7,107-island archipelago on the eve of Halloween, and returning just before Christmas. Maggie will be joining me in early November. We'll be visiting my buddy, Pips and his girlfriend, A.b. as we journey around the country taking on a variety of hiking, surfing, and road trips. We're hoping to write and shoot a short film during this time. Maybe a horror, possibly a documentary of sorts. Maybe both. We'll see.

For those interested, I'll try to update this blog with photos and writings as we go. Catch you later!

The Last Week of Work!

So let me start off by apologizing for writing an extremely long post...I'm a week behind...


Tomorrow we'll be leaving for a week of travel before coming home to America...we'll be stopping in Hiroshima, Miyajima, Kyoto, and possibly Osaka. I'm not sure we'll have computer access, so I probably won't post again until the night before coming home, or once I'm back in CT. That being said, I though I'd catch ya'll up to speed on the last week.


Of course, a lot has happened, so this is the briefest of summaries. Also, events may be out of order in this post, because it's all blended together by this point...


End of disclaimer.


Ok, so in trying to find another side of Tokyo, we spent one day in the Imperial East Gardens, which is a large park filled with beautiful landscaping, plants, fish, and whatnot.

Later on (another day maybe) we interviewed Stan, who owns a small recording label for noise artists. He had some insightful things to say about the Japan bubble economy in the 80's/90's. It was great to hear financial underpinnings of the industry.

Later on, we met up with Jonny, and hung out in his neighborhood. We drank a beer at a nearby shrine, where a local struck up conversation with us.

He brought us to another shrine where we took these photos. The gate to the shrine was covered in signs and writing that was telling ghosts to stay out...supposedly spirits visit there once in a while.

The next day we filmed raw footage for an animation sequence with the Tokyo Pinsalocks. We made instruments out of colored paper and bottles and yarn. Later we filmed their show.

After they played, we filmed the following band, Nissenen Mondai...they played psychedelic 13-min epic trance like songs...and they played them well.

The following day, we went to Koenji and filmed at Enbon, a very important record shop/venue for our project, and the underground music scene in Tokyo. It is a place where many underground bands sell their music, and many have performed. The owner did an interview for us explaining the diversity of music in Tokyo, and in their selection at the shop.

After leaving there, we met up with Samm Bennett and his wife, who collaborate as the band Skist. Samm was a prominent musician in New York City in the 70's and 80's, playing in various forms. He has played extensively with John Zorn, and is now well established in Tokyo. Their interview was great, and provided a very positive look at the music scene here. We did the interview in great traditional room in their home, sitting on mats, sipping tea...

The following morning we woke early and filmed all of the salary men going to work at 8AM.

At around 8 or 8:15 suddenly wave upon wave of thousands of business men flocked to their various business places. It was amazing. We documented it for a few hours before heading home to catch up on sleep.

Later on that day, I picked up Vanessa from Shinjuku. From there we dropped off luggage, then headed to Koenji where our Return To Hamburger show took place. It was a weird and wacky time, which was exactly what we expected. Mission accomplished. We threw burgers out to the crowd and ate burgers onstage while doing a dance. Later in the set, we did a fast-food vocal jam. I think it was safe to say we were the crowd favorite that night.

The next day, we interviewed David W. Marx, a culture/fashion/music critic who eloquently described to us the progression of international culture, the state of unrest in the music community, and many other interesting points of interest. Good stuff.

Later we went back to the curry restaurant owned by the couple that is Suishou No Fune (see early post). We had some amazing curry, and had a good time with them before saying our goodbyes. Here we are post-meal, very content.

After dinner, we met up with Jonny to say our goodbyes and whatnot. Yet another person who made this trip possible. We had a few drinks and then headed on home.

Today we did some packing/cleaning. Lewis leaves tomorrow, so we had to pack up some gear for him to bring home. After that we headed to Shibuya where we saw D.V.D and the Tenniscoats play two great shows.

Our last shows were at O-Nest, where we had seen many shows throughout the trip. There were also members from many of the bands we had seen/interviewed, so we had another chance to say hello/goodbye, and thank everyone for their help.

So tomorrow, it's off on our adventure! We're done filming! That's a wrap! End of principal photography! Hot diggity! In a few weeks, we'll start animating and editing...a few months later, we'll be done...after that who knows. As I said above, I'll post a few photos from our travels once we're back. Until then, thanks for reading/looking!

Ian

Buying Some Time...

I know....I know...

I've fallen seriously behind....

There's a lot to tell about the last few days...only now is not the time to do it...we're running out the door to one of our last scheduled interviews! And then I'll be meeting Vanessa in Shinjuku before our show tonight!

So there's a big post coming up, with the past few days' photos etc...check back in a day or two!

Ian

Spoon Market, Craig and Trend-Setting

So, as expected, our last week of shooting has been packed trying to get in all the Tokyo footage we can.

What to say about the last few days...what to say...

A few nights back we attended Spoon Market which was an event hosted by The Tokyo Pinsalocks. It was a mini-festival of sorts, where various female groups performed, candy was served and there were little stands selling handmade clothing and toys. It had an arts and crafts feel, mixed with some interesting tunes...made for a good time.

There was a duet of twins playing Hawaiin music on ukeleles. Rad.

Later in the evening, the Tokyo Pinsalocks performed.

We've been talking to them about producing a music video. They're interested in our animation style, and might want a video which incorporates hand-done stop motion animation with them as characters.

We'll be meeting them soon to talk details/set up a shoot for the video.

So the event went well.

The next day, we interviewed the owner of the website tokyogigguide.com. The Australian, named Craig, had some really good things to say about his experiences as a foreigner trying to understand the Tokyo music scene.

He also emphasized many of the points we have already been exploring, like the problem's with the Norma system. This is the system in which bands have to pay venues to perform, instead of earning money for their performance. Kind of backwards.

Later, Lewis and I went and filmed Tokyo people in all their fashionable get-ups. We were set-up in Harajuku, where all sorts of trend-setters congregate. We've been shooting people in close-up lately so we have some of the faces of Tokyo on hand. And who doesn't like people watching...

Alright, off to an interview...more photos coming soon.

Ian

Uhnellys and Shibuya: Under the Gun

So what's new? Let's see...

We've been working hard lately. With only 1 week left of "principal photography" we're under the gun to get all those shots that we know we'll need once we're editing back in the USA. This means not only continuing with the interviews/live show filming, but also filming Tokyo streets, people, landmarks, phenomenon, and interviewing non-musicians and industry experts.

We have a few such interviews coming up in the next week with Japanese-music website founders, and music theorists, etc. These interviews tend to be in English, and thus, we are able to get much more detailed responses.

2 days ago we met a music video director. He has worked around Japan, but is finally trying to make a name for himself in Tokyo. We shot ideas back and forth, and he may be able to get us in contact with a few networks in Japan once we have a cut film ready to distribute.

The next afternoon, we met up with Jonny in Shibuya, and headed to Club Lush to do an interview with Uhnellys.

They are a hip-duo in which the female plays the drums, and the male does live loops using a bass/guitar and a trumpet, then raps on top of it.

He was really skilled at using the loop pedal and would build songs from the bottom up in a matter of seconds. Although I couldn't understand his lyrics (a frustrating problem) he recommended they be translated for the film because they have a lot to say...time will tell I guess.

After the show, Lewis and I hit the rainy streets to film Shibuya crossing. The downpour may have worked to our advantage because while the intersection is normally awe-inspiring in that thousands of people are crossing the street every time the walk signal flares green, it is even more amazing to see when every one of them is carrying an umbrella. We've really made it through the rainy season over the course of the past 6+ weeks, so we thought it was important to show that facet of Tokyo culture.

Today, with no scheduled shows/interviews, we headed back to Shbuya, and filmed the intersection without rain.

We shot it from many different angles, and in daylight and at night.

We shot the surrounding areas, the neon signs everywhere, close-ups of people, the works.

We saw some weird stuff on the way too.

Tomorrow will be much like today. We'll be heading to Yoyogi park, where on Sundays, all sorts of bands set up their instruments and play in the sun. There are bands set up every 15 feet, which makes for some interesting juxtapositions of genres.

Alright, time to make some progress in Shogun (1210 page epic novel about feudal Japan)

Ian

P.S. - This bee was checking out the camera...I think he wanted to be in the film

This Is Not A Hiatus...

Wow, so it's been 4 days or so since we've seen any music...that's the longest stretch since we've been here. But we've been grinding away over here. There's a lot of filming to do in our last few weeks here of things besides live performances. We've been getting shots of the city...as the film will really be exploring Tokyo music culture as it is specific to Tokyo, in comparison to other cities of Japan.

Many of our interviews focus on the special macrocosm that is Tokyo, and how this megapolis in turn forms a very particular subculture of musicians.

An interview with Shintaro focused on this. Shintaro had performed at Test Tone a few days back, and is a friend of Cal's. He is actually from Berlin, but he emphasized that his "roots" are Japanese, which I think is to say his ancestors are Japanese.

He talked about music on the physical scale, such as sound waves and reverberations, and also discussed the differences between playing in Berlin and Tokyo. He talked about the way that Japanese people will adopt foreign concepts (including musically) and then make them their own through a process of trying to perfect them. They borrow, then improve. We've heard this response a lot, as well as another take on it which says that they borrow concepts, and then destroy them. Thus there are "maniacs" who play extreme versions of genres, perverted and twisted into something new...

After interviewing Shintaro, Return To Hamburger had a practice session. We played for 3 hours, and we think we have a full 30-minute set put together. We'll probably play once or twice more before the show next Friday.

Today, we headed to Akihabara for a little while, and picked up a few needed tools/items, which included a battery for our lavaliere microphone, a really small Phillip's-head screwdriver for fixing my omni-directional microphone, and a mic clip for the lavaliere. I also found an AC-Adaptor for my still camera, but it was overpriced. I want to be able to plug the camera into the wall (instead of using battery power) because I can hook the camera up to a computer, and set it to take photos on an interval. Then, I could point the camera out the window and record the sun rising, without having to manually take all the photos. Time-lapses made easy! But the adapter cost $75, which is the equivalent of 2-3 days of food/transportation/personal spending money...so it will have to wait...

From Akihabara, we headed to Asakusa, where a market area leads you up to a shrine. This area is tourist central.

Here's the front gate...

And here's what's inside.

There are all sorts of snacks and souvenirs you can get here.

There were candy shops, clothing stores...entire stores devoted to selling chop-sticks, or to selling fans.

We got a bunch of footage, and a few souvenirs, and continued to the end where this other gate is. Here I am getting the wide shot.

At this time, the sun was setting, and the light was great.

It's what they call "Magic Hour" in film/photography...because of a few reasons. The softer side light can make for very interesting portraits, with great directional shadows, and is warm and rich in color.

But also, and in this case more importantly, the dimmer light of the sky allows it to be photographed at the same exposure as the subject without being over-exposed and washed out...makes for some beautiful rich shots of the sky. There was a 5 story pagoda in the shrine area.

Here's my "film-maker" portrait/pose.

So after filming, we came home for a big bowl of instant ramen...except we cooked rice separately to put in it and sauteed moyashi in yaki-niku and soy sauce to put on top...not half bad!

When I get home, I most definitely will look into ordering a rice-cooker...it's amazingly easy, and provides a great base for a meal. Set it and forget it.

Ok, now for a drink.

Ian

P.S. - Our band, called Return To Hamburger, in Japanese is ハンバガーに帰る.

Canada, Seattle, and Musical Form

Alright! Tonight was a relatively easy night. Early this evening we met up with Micah for the last time sadly. He is flying home to Seattle tomorrow, and will be away until after we have left Japan. He has been awesome both as a translator for us, and as a buddy. Thanks Micah!

Later on, we had a great interview. Cal, the organizer of the event we saw called Test Tone, sat down with us. Kelly, one of the musicians who had performed, and a long time friend of Cal's, also came. They're both originally from Canada, but have been in Japan for around 10 years. Both are musicians, and play alternative sorts of music, but are not limited to one genre.


Kelly was playing with the Polish guy at Test Tone, and they played really loud and scary stuff. It was angry, and gritty...but as an academic musician, Kelly listens to it from a different perspective. One of form. He finds form to be the great unifying aspect of music. He plays heavy distortion noise music one day, then jazz the next, but does so with the same ear towards form.



Cal on the other hand says he is moving more and more away from form. He is very interested in spontaneity to the point where he enjoys playing with people and not having an idea of where a piece will end up.



Cal also has been organizing Test Tone, which is a monthly event at which a variety of musical/visual artists perform. In Japan, bands have to pay venues to perform, and there is a lot of pressure to draw a large enough crowd. If too few people attend, bands will often have to fork over some more dough after the show. To break this seemingly backwards system, Cal started Test Tone, where bands are not charged to play. The venue, Super Deluxe profits from the drinks it sells, and the artists don't have to worry about financial issues. Instead, they can play whatever they want, and risk being alternative or experimental. Very cool.

As a result the event incorporates an eclectic blend of musical genres and styles, as we saw.

So, good stuff tonight.

More news a comin'.

Ian

Oh Yeah! I almost forgot...so Cal was talking about how he really likes bringing various musicians together. And it turns out, he was the impetus for D.V.D to form...He knew the two drummers separately, and thought it would be cool if they played together, and set it up. Very quickly, they began writing songs, and incorporated YMG, the visual artist who made them D.V.D! What a coincidence that we meet a guy who caused one of the bands we love to exist...thanks Cal!

On a completely different side note, I wanted to mention that at no point does the Tokyo citizen ever have to buy tissue (Kleenex). There are people who hand out small packs of tissues everywhere on the street. They have little advertisements on 'em which explains why they're free. You can easily get a few packs every day. What a world! Tissues for every man, woman, and child! If all it takes is an advertisement to make it free, I say bring on more free stuff! I'll sit through an ad if it gets me a bowl of ramen. Heck, I'd do it just for the bowl...