J-Rockin' Granny

My Mother and X Japan

One of a million things my mother bequeathed to me is my love of music.

On October 3rd, 2010, I got to see my favourite, international band of all time, X Japan. Before leaving for the concert, like any young person, I spoke with my Mom about it. All my life, she supported my musical interests, even if she didn't always understand them. I grew up cleaning the house to opera and Neil Diamond, or Donovan and The Beatles, even when I really wanted to be listening to The Rolling Stones or Sky Saxon and the Seeds. Mom's and my musical differences often opened fascinating conversations for us as well, like that day back in the 80's when she and I saw Boy George for the first time:

Mom (upon seeing him on MTV): "What the hell is that?"

Me, (rolling my eyes and sighing like any young adult): "Really Mother, what does it matter?"

Mom: "Well, when I sit down next to someone at a bar, I at least want to know what I am speaking to."

Me: "Why? Are you planning on falling into bed with that person at the end of the night? Really Mom, you're the one who taught me that it is what is in the mind that matters, and if a person touches your mind, it shouldn't matter what is between their legs."

Mom: "Hmm, I did say that, didn't I. I hate it when you throw my words back in my face, Brat." And then she would laugh. 

Yes, Mom and I had these kinds of talks, even in my teens, long before Boy George hit the airwaves and decades before I was introduced to X Japan.

Mom didn't understand a word X Japan sang, and it baffled her that, now 57, I still loved heavy metal, cyberpunk and other alternative music, each cranked past the red line on my system. But Mom did understand that she'd left me a legacy. I still red-line my opera and classical music, right along with my NIN and Marilyn Manson. I play John Denver just as loud as Rage Against the Machine and Linkin Park; Sarah Brightman as loud as Evenescence and...well, you get the idea.  I...love...my...music; Delta Blues; Zydeco; Chinese Opera,Salsa...I can even say I love some country...some. K D Lang, Patsy Cline...okay, so maybe not so much in the country dep't.

Mom might not have fully understood my recent interest in Jrock, X Japan in particular, but what she did understand was that my eyes lit up when I spoke about them. I became animated, and driven. I researched them intensely, writing what was supposed to be a feature article on X Japan that became a small coffee table book about their history when the magazine I wrote for went under. I never posted that flawed history anywhere, and it is now a full year out of date, but I cherish the draft still sitting on my hard drive.

When October 3rd, 2010 rolled around, Mom knew I was as excited as any teenager. When I visited her that day, she simply had to know what I was wearing to the concert. Yes, even at my age, I dress for such occasions, and, if I do say so myself, I looked pretty fucking awesome, my facial lines a bitchin' fashion accessory to my full length white satin duster, my black bondage pants, X t-shirt and my black nails. When I floated home just after midnight that night, deaf as a door post, my ears ringing with the blissful strains of Silent Jealousy and X, I found out I had been approved to write the review of the concert for Jrock Revolution, an international web publication. I was past bliss, floating into the realm of rapture. And I was so looking forward to telling my Mom all about my evening and my good copy writing news the next morning. It never occurred to me that I wouldn't get to share any of it with her.

Sitting down to write my review for Jrock Revolution while the concert was still fresh, I lost all track of time, so when the phone rang at 1:30 am October 4th, I was surprised to see Mom's number on the call display. It was not unusual for Mom to be up so late. Like me, she was a night owl, but she never phoned after 10 pm.

I had no idea that answering Mom's call would take one of the most amazing nights of my live and transmogrify it into two of the most horrific weeks I have ever lived.  A review of those two weeks can be found here: Death and the Ladybug I have no desire to revisit them here, but I will say that Mom was admitted to hospital for what we believed was a treatable condition on Monday, October 4th, and she passed away at 4:00 am, Tuesday October 19, leaving a gaping whole in the soul of a family who remain in shock, shouldering a devastaing grief. 

Mother, Mom, Tutu to the Grand kids, was our Matriarch, and, for the past year since her return to Canada from 27 years in Hawaii, she was my daily purpose. Her death has left a gaping chasm in my soul and me exploring a sense of pointlessness, offset only by my belief in a future and in life as celebration despite my pain.   

A few people have asked me if Mom's eventual death, precipitated on the night of the X Japan concert, has in any way tainted my love for X Japan. I didn't tell them that, while I sat vigil, I listened to, and watched my video of 'Last Song Tribute to hide'. I didn't tell them that this is what helped me begin to process what was happening. We all knew Mother was dying. No one was holding out any hope, although I personally did not abandon it until her final breath which I was present for. 

Exploring my feelings for X Japan and Mom after Mom's death, I realized the answer to the question of taint was a simple no, that night hasn't spoiled my love for the band.  On the contrary, as I posted recently on my Face Book:

"My mother got me through life. X Japan got me through her death." And it wasn't just their music that bore me up.

As a child, drummer/co-founderYoshiki lost his father in a manner that caused Yoshiki great confusion and anger. Then the band's guitarist, hide, died in a similar manner, decades later. And yet, despite his withdrawal, his personal confusion, and his anger, Yoshiki has not only survived, he continues to create, channeling his emotions into his exquisite art.

As a child of 9, I suffered a severe and violent trauma, one I suppressed for 49 years, until one day it would not lie silent any longer and erupted like Mt. Pinatubo, pouring sackcloth and ashes onto my 'perfect' life; costing me my sanity; my job; and eventually my home. Severe PTSD I was told. I didn't care. Sure, it was nice to have a diagnosis, but what I really wanted was my life back. Knowing I couldn't have it though, at least not yet, I was lost, and stayed that way until I found my two heroes: 

Senator Lt. Gen Romeo Dallaire (Ret) and Yoshiki Hayashi of X Japan. 

I knew who Senator Lt. Gen.Dallaire was long ago, but since seeing him speak late in 2008, as well as learning of Yoshiki's losses and tenacity around the same time, I named them my twin strengths; my saviours; and my inspirations in a time I could be none of these things for myself. When I feel lost or incapable, I look to them and remind myself that they have both suffered so much more than I have, and they have not only survived, they still create and move forward with a determined elegance and grace. And they assisted me in helping my Mother understand my condition when it surfaced.

Romeo Dallaire and Yoshiki Hayashi helped give me strength I could not find on my own, strength to forgive and to learn to love my Mother again, strength to not only become a caregiver to a woman with physical infirmities, but to love being that caregiver. And now they are giving me the strength to process her death.

Grief is a personal journey, a private one, no matter if we are surrounded by family and friends, or if we suffer alone. I don't know how Yoshiki managed to process the two sudden deaths he had to face, but his music, his freely expressed emotions; and his perpetual tenacity have held my hand through these two weeks since my mother's death and the four horrid weeks since her admittance to hospital. Without his musical presence, along with my little understanding of his past, I don't know that I would be as balanced as I am.

X Japan and my Mother are inextricably interwoven for me now, a melancholy joy that fills my heart with the love of my mother; the love of music she bequeathed to me; and my love of the music of my favourite band: X Japan.

To my Mother, although I said it often in life, I will reiterate it now in your death: thank you for your strength; your love; your infinite patience and your forgiveness. Thank you also for your sharp wit, your steel will, and your laughter right to the very end. I wish I could have rescued you from your pain in the end and I wish I could have explained to you what was happening to you. That will haunt me forever. I miss your daily calls, Mom; our discussions of politics both national/international and those of the building you lived in. Annie, Dorothy, Shirley and Celia all miss you horribly. You would have loved John Stewart and Stephan Colbert's 'Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear.' I missed watching it with you as we had planned, just as I missed watching the November 02nd interim elections with you, as we had planned. You will be happy to know, wherever you are, that Christine O'Donnell lost BIG TIME! So, you can rest easy. LOL

To X Japan, I cannot thank you all personally, but I can post my gratitude here:

To Yoshiki: thank you for your vision, your ability to forgive and your strength to continue against both physical and emotional odds; 

To Toshi: thank you for your angelic vocals, your strength and your ability to forgive;

To Pata: thank you for your perseverence and for being a fellow lover of cats;

To Heath: thank you for your gentle presence and love of your band mates;

To Sugizo: thank you for your cosmic energy and for blanketing the band and the planet with a veil of healing; 

And to hide, without whom I would never had discovered X Japan: thank you for your spirit, both when you were alive and now, over a decade after your death. My Mother didn't touch as many people as you did, but those she did touch will miss her as severely you are missed.

My two favourite entities have now become woven tightly to one another, both bringing a smile to my face and a tear to my eyes, and not necessarily in the order one might expect. I love you both...eternally. Mahalo Mom, and Arigato Gozaimasu, X Japan

  

 

 

 

OMG! Santa? Pweaze? Pweaze? Pwetty Pweaze?

ETA: Since the miniature Fernandes signature hide guitars sold long ago, the link to them is no longer active. Here's what they looked like: 

 

In my best Veruca Salt voice: "I want it Daddy and I want it NOW!" LOL

Yoshida Kyōdai: Silk and Wool: Weaving a Unique Tapestry

The following is a polished, re-print of my article originally found in ALT: Rock Culture and Lifestyle Magazine, Spring Issue, 2009, Volume 1. I want everyone to be able to read it, not just those who bought a copy. I retain all rights to this 'review'. If you find any errors, please take time to contact me with verifiable corrections. I respond well to polite correction and criticism. (For the legal record: I never saw a cent for this article, in  or out of print.) 

The Yoshida Brothers

Music Genre: Fusion: Classical Japanese futozao Tsugaru-jamisen with modern and western influences.

Entertaining a wide variety of people, all with a differing array of musical tastes, Ryōichiro (33) and Ken’ichi (30)Yoshida allow us to express our appreciation for cutting edge departures from the norm without the elements of shock  rock or the ‘cuteness’ so often prevalent in today’s Japanese pop and rock culture. Home-grown in the remote region of Hokkaido known as Noboribetsu, these brothers stand outside image. They are all about their music.

Appealing to musical palettes ranging all the way from your Great Aunt Tessy to your ‘in your face’ skater cousin, Doobie with gauged earrings and mondo body ink, this music will not aggravate brutalized club ears or jack up the adrenaline level; but it still satisfies the need for the alternative.

A duet of brothers born in 1977 and 1979 respectively, Ryōichiro and Ken’ichi debuted their first album ‘Ibuki’ (lit: contained breath) in Japan in 1999, playing Shamisen, a Japanese, three stringed lute. Playing in what is called the Tsugaru-jamisen style, these boys play this very traditional instrument with a very untraditional flare. You might never have heard of Shamisen or of the Yoshida Brothers, but you might have heard the music underlying the promotional video for the Wii™ gaming system.  If you’ve heard that music, then you have heard The Yoshida Brothers.  The piece is called ‘Kodo’. Who knows, perhaps RedOctane™ and Activision™ will add a Shamisen level to Guitar Hero™.

The Tsugaru-jamisen style of Shamisen that is played by the Yoshida Brothers originated in Aomori Prefecture in Northern Japan on the Island of Honshū. Unlike the more sophisticated and delicate Kouta-shamisen traditionally played by Geisha, or the Min’yō-shamisen tradition of folk music and expressive finger-work, the Tsugaru-jamisen tradition belongs to the realm of buskers whose music expresses the hardships of the common people, the style sometimes compared to a bluegrass banjo and lending itself best to the rock elements the brothers employ in their art.  Tsugaru-jamisen is played on the ‘futozao, ’the largest of the three principal types of Shamisen. The ‘do’ or ‘soundbox’ is usually covered in cat skin’ and, due to the size of this Shamisen, the ‘bachi’ or ‘plectrum’ (pick) is small in proportion to the instrument. Tsugaru-jamisen is known for the percussive quality of music caused by the plectrum striking the ‘do’ with each stroke, as well as the recognizable triple time rhythms performed on this larger instrument and akin to the tri-tones used in much of today’s rock music. However, the Yoshida Brothers did not begin playing in the Tsugaru-jamisen style until around 1989.

When the boy's were pre-schoolers their father fashioned them crude instruments made from bowls, and Ryōichiro and Ken’ichi began studying Shamisen under Sensei Koko Adachi in the Min’yō-shamisen style, not turning to Tsugaru-jamisen under Sensei Takashi Sasaki until their late teens. They have, since then, reinvented Shamisen music with a passionately masculine Western flare. Online world music portal ‘World Music Central’ states: "Clad in formal, ceremonial attire of kimono and hakama (pants), but sporting the dyed light brown hair that is trendy among Japan's savvy youth, the Brothers play the age-old Tsugaru-shamisen, an instrument akin to a rustic three-stringed banjo, with the fervour of Jimi Hendrix."

In less than ten years, the brothers released ten albums; five in Japan and five internationally. ‘The Best of the Yoshida Brothers’ was released in the West on June 03, 2008. Released in 1999, their first album ‘Ibuki’ sold an unprecedented 10,000 copies in a genre that rarely sees more than 5,000 copies sold per release. As with many ‘archaic’ art forms, the Shamisen had long been languishing, suffering a steady decline in favour with the youth of the nation, until Ryōichiro and Ken’ichi Yoshida breathed a vibrant new life into it.

Crossing international borders the brothers performed on Disney’s ‘Nightmare Revisited’, an album that reworks 20 tracks from Tim Burton’s ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’. Performing the track ‘Nabbed’, the brothers blend Shamisen and electronic elements, breathing a distinctly Japanese air into the piece. 

Quiet, polite and unassuming in their presence, there is no question that Ryōichiro and Ken’ichi are innovators in their field. They have achieved high celebrity status in Japan with their ballsy blending of an ancient musical tradition to Western and Latin jazz; blues; pop; and folk music. In so doing, they have injected new interest into a century’s old tradition. There are other Shamisen fusion bands, God of Shamisen and Monsters of Shamisen, both hailing from the West, but they lack the innovation or crisp and vivid precision of the Yoshida Brothers.

Virtuosos of their craft, The Yoshida Brothers are swiftly garnering international acclaim, attracting attention with their ability to ‘shred’ the strings as deftly as any heavy metal guitarist on tracks such as ‘Rising’, ‘Blooming’ and ‘Modern’ from their album, ‘The Best of the Yoshida Brothers’, as well as for their exquisite control and elegant refinement exhibited on such tracks as ‘Cherry Blossoms in Winter' or ‘A Hill With No Name’, also from the same release.

‘Overland Blues’ is a personal favourite from the album. Gutsy and playful, it is the kind of music you’d expect to hear around a backyard barbecue in the Louisiana Bayou. There is just something about Shamisen, slide guitar and sexy drum beats that make for a whirlwind romance and marriage of East to West.

With only the common language of music between them, the brothers have jammed with world renowned Brazilian percussionist, Cyro Baptista of Beat the Donkey fame. Baptista praises them for their connection to their traditional roots while exploring new musical vistas. The brothers also concluded a 2008 promotional tour of the USA and Canada where their guests played virtual bowling at the kick-off party in Beverly Hills.

Game consoles aside, Ryōichiro and Ken’ichi played such venues as the El Ray; Yoshi’s Jazz Club at the Filmore Heritage Center; as well as the Amoeba Music Hollywood store in California, signing autographs and meeting with their fans at the latter. They have performed at The Highline Ballroom in New York; the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, and appeared on the local Fox News Morning Show.  The Aladdin in Portland, Oregon hosted them, as did Border’s Books. The brothers even served coffee at a Starbucks in Seattle when not performing at the Triple Door or Safeco Field.

They have performed in Minneapolis at the Cedar Center and in Hawaii for the International Film Festival. Here in Canada, they were recently spotlighted on a CBC Radio 2 Canada Live Concert, which I was lucky enough to hear broadcast from the Enwave Theatre in Toronto. Blanketing the continent West and East, they performed in Victoria, British Columbia at the Alix Goolden Performance Hall as well as in Vancouver, British Columbia at the Queen Elizabeth Playhouse Theatre.

If I had to choose one word to describe the music of the Yoshida Brothers, it would be ‘unifying’. It is unlikely people will be head banging or thrashing to their music anytime in the near future, but the duo remain alternative, weaving eastern silk to western worsted, creating a uniquely blended fabric  both seductive and coarse that is warm and inviting.

Overland Blues:

 

Rising:

 

 

Maximum the Hormone: Having This Much Fun is Serious Business.

 The following is a polished, updated re-print of my article originally found in ALT: Rock Culture and Lifestyle Magazine, Spring Issue, 2009, Volume 1. I want everyone to be able to read it, not just those who bought a copy. I retain all rights to this 'review'. If you find any errors, please take time to contact me with verifiable corrections. I respond well to polite correction and criticism. (For the legal record: I never saw a cent for this article in  or out of print.) 

The Music: Punk with Nu metal and funk influence  

Formed in 1998, Maximum the Hormone are best known here in the West for the opening and closing songs for the second season (episodes 20 – 37) of the popular, dark anime: ‘Death Note’. (songs: ‘What’s Up, people?!’ and ‘Zetsubou Billy’ respectively) Their music has also been featured at the closing of the anime ‘Akagi’ with a song of the same name and their song ‘Rolling1000toon’ was featured as the closing theme in the anime series ‘Air Master’ in 2003.

This band is not what most North American audiences have come to associate with the JRock 'genre’. They are a mix of UK Punk; System of a Down; Tenacious D and Bare Naked Ladies, all mushed together in a small, dark room and mainlining hot Sake for a week. One also has to wonder if their name has anything at all to do with having a wild, female drummer and headwoman. Good things come in small packages...so does poison and Nao Kawakita.

Sometimes looking like a blond Jack Black, at others like a bad-assed Maori Warrior, Nao’s baby brother, guitarist and co-vocalist Ryo, aka Maximum the Ryokun, pounds out sound like a Howitzer alongside founding member and co-vocalist Daisuke-han. Both men fire off lyrics with the rapid fire speed of a semi-automatic machine gun. These can be best heard on the opening theme of Death Note, ‘What’s up, people?!’ from their album BuiIkikaesu (2007) and Bouriki from Kusoban (2004)

On bass, Ue-chan is the antithesis of Ryo and Daisuke-han. Skinny, pale, often sporting a mohawk and usually shirtless, he flies around the stage with his bass swung low or high as he whirls and jumps like a demented imp.

Being stuck behind her drum kit certainly doesn’t keep founding member Nao out of the fun. She’s right in there like a dirty shirt with pink hair and sweet vocals and screams that tell sour stories. A fun and vocal-centric group, the music carries the lyrics like slaves carrying a fat Raja, bowing under the weight, but never quit breaking.

Maximum the Hormone is a relatively young band, both as a unit, and in age. All are all in their late 20’s/ early 30’s and the current line-up formed in late 2001. Although they released an album and a single between 1999 and 2001, A.S.A Crew (1999) and Bullpen Catcher’s Dream (2000) respectively, they didn’t really hit the charts in Japan until 2004 when they signed with the major label VAP. Their single, ‘Koi no Mega Lover’ was released in 2006 and was accompanied by a video making a statement on teen lust. It hit No. 9 on the Oricon Charts the same year. The fact that this wild bunch of ‘feral kids’ even made it within sniffing distance of the Oricon Charts (Japan’s answer to our Billboard Charts) so early in their career is an accomplishment. To make the top ten speaks solely to Maximum the Hormone’s consistent talent. Although they are often polite, the band is anything but reverent, and their social skills are seriously canted to the fun side of the lower left quadrant. Whether that is their ‘image’ or a reality, it is a recipe that works. Since 2006 they have consistently sold out 2,500 to 3,000 capacity venues and have shared the stage with such headliners as Dropkick Murphys in their US/Canadian Tour in early 2008, as well as Enter Shikari in Bournemouth, England in late 2008. They were also invited to join the ‘hide Memorial Summit’ in May of 2008, a singular event in the International annals of Rock and Roll history. Accepting the invitation, the band were honoured to appear at a press conference for the summit, alongside such established peers as T.M. Revolution; Ryuichi Kawamura of Luna Sea; hide’s younger brother Hiroshi Matsumoto, the exclusive president of Head Wax Organization; and ‘the man’ himself, Yoshiki Hayashi, headman for X-Japan.

Comprised of three men and a lady, erm, girl? Woman? Okay, female drummer and big sister (at 35, Nao is the oldest member of the band and Ryo’s sister) Maximum the Hormone look like a bunch of bored kids hanging out in a garage with guitars and a drum kit. Sporting sandals, cargo shorts, plaid shirts, t-shirts or no shirts, they scream, bounce, growl, sing tra la la, rap, and generally entertain themselves with as much gusto as they entertain their fans. And the fans absolutely love them for it, singing right along with them, because, unlike a bunch of bored kids hanging out in a garage, Maximum the Hormone deliver the goods. Immediately recognizable with their tongue twisting vocals, their music is tight, driving and engaging.

Founding vocalist Daisuke-han, and drummer Nao, along with former members Sugi on guitar and bassist Key, released their first album. A.S.A. Crew’ was the only full length album to be released with this member line-up. Following the release of their EP: Hō, in 2001, Sugi and Key left the band and Ryo and Ue-chan stepped in to fill the void. In 2002 the new line-up released their single: Niku Cup in May, unconventionally following it up with their second full length album, Mimi Kajiru, in October.

Citing Pantera; System of a Down; KOЯN; Molotov; the Ramones; Slayer; NOFX; Stalin; Greenday and Tool amongst their Western influences and Ringo Shiina from the East, their music is an unlikely marriage of vocals, beats and guitar licks that come at you at a scalding high boil, uniquely blending gut busting growls with sweet melodies. And it all works in a way that it shouldn’t. Instead of birthing songs like two headed babies with webbed fingers and gils, Maximum the Hormone keep producing bouncing baby tracks, replete with charm, big-assed puppy eyes and  drooling grins to match their big-assed snarling attitudes. These babies bite.

Like lyricist Kyo of Dir en Grey, Ryo likes to work his lyrics, playing word games rife with humour and sarcasm. But where Kyo uses the more traditional kanji to build exquisitely fragile mansions with hidden passages filled with mirrors that reflect our own corpulence, Ryo uses katakana symbols, building carnival fun-houses that tilt like a melting Salvidore Dali painting stocked with venomous vipers and shit bombs. Not to be confused with whimsy, many of Ryo’s lyrics might appear nonsensical, but caveat emptor. Hidden in the nonsense is a message that the reality that we see, feel and consume each day is the true nonsense. Don’t get me wrong, this is not serious political science here. This is nose thumbing, brat kid, raspberry blowing music all the way to the bank, and it is fun-with-substance, addressing adolescent angst, (Bikini Sports Ponchin from Buiikikaesu 2007 and Koi no Mega Lover: single 2006 ); cultural attitudes towards crime, (What’s up, people?! Buiikikaesu 2007) and the ever pertinent issues on the effect of eating too many rich foods (Minoreba Rock: release info not found.).

With five albums under their belts as of this writing, as well as 8 singles, an EP and 2 DVDs, Maximum the Hormone is moving forward with constant momentum. They are like dark clouds on the horizon that make you wriggle with excitement and delight at the thought of being out in the rain and lightening when the storm hits. Definitely not a visual kei^*(1) or oshare kei^*(2) band, Maximum the Hormone look scary, and they are definitely not harmless; however, their aggressive bark has not graduated into a rabid bite like some bands.

Somewhat monochromatic in their drumbeats and guitar licks, as long as they continue to mature as they have been, these bad-asses from Tokyo will soon pin their own unique location on the musical map, one that will stand shoulder to shoulder with better known visual, oshore, and eroguro kei^*(3) bands. And while they do, you can rest assured they will be having way too much fun.

(1): Visual Kei puts emphasis on flamboyant make-up, hair and costumes.

(2): Oshore kei: a ‘cute’ or ‘kawaii’ subgenre of the Visual Kei movement among Japanese bands, the image is often colourful and light hearted.

(3): Ero guru kei: Erotic Grotesque shortened to ero guro. A Wasei Eigo term (literally translated to ‘made in Japan) A not so cute or kawaii subgenre of Visual Kei, ero guru is a literary and artistic movement that began in Japan in the 1920’s and ‘30’s with emphasis on eroticism, sexual corruption and decadence.

Maximum the Hormone is none of the above. They are a category all of their own, perfectly so.

Updates:

In November of 2008 an official announcement was made that Daisuke-han needed corrective surgery on his throat. In December 2008 the band temporarily retired from performing while the singer recovered his health. Maximum the Hormone returned to the stage in May of 2009,  performing with other bands such as Bring Me The Horizon and Blessed By A Broken Heart. That same year, their song Tsume, Tsume, Tsume won Best Rock Video at the MTV Music Awards Japan.

Booked to perform in Ezo at the Rising Sun Rock Festival in August of 2009, the band suddenly cancelled and an announcement was made that a family emergency had called Nao away. It was not until November 19th that year that an official statement was posted on the band's official site that Nao was pregnant. Having continued to perform, Nao had been taken to hospital on November 3, where it was explained to her that it would be dangerous for both Nao and her baby if Nao continued working. Once again, the band temporarily abandoned the stage for the sake of a band member's health. Carrying the baby to term, Nao gave birth to a baby girl on May 6th of 2010.  Altough they would now be returning to the stage, their appearance at the Soundwave Festival in Australia, on July 16-18, 2010, remained cancelled, allowing Nao time to recover and to spend time with her brand new daughter.

Baby born, the band was soon back in the saddle, just as crazy as ever, with shows booked from August 3rd through November 7th, 2010, as well as being booked for the December 30th slot at the 3 day, Countdown Japan 10/11 New Years event. All of these are Japanese dates, but one hopes the band will eventually find their way back to Vancouver, sooner than later. Until then, we can keep track of them here, Official English Site,  and continue to enjoy their videos and discs.

 

 

Band Members:

1998- 2001 founding line-up:

Daisuke Tsuda: Insanely fast vocals

Nao Kawakita: Drums and vocals

Sugi: Guitar

Key: Bass Guitar

2001-2008

Daisuke (Daisuke-han) Tsuda: Still insanely fast vocals

Nao Kawakita: Drums and vocals

Ryo Kawakita aka Maximum the Ryo: Guitar, equally insanely fast vocals, lyricist

Futoshi Uehara (Ue-chan): Bass, back-up vocals and mystery man.

So, I am moving...

...here: JRockin' Granny at Blogspot and staying at Typepad.

I love typepad and am familiar with the interface, but I don't think it fair a person needs to join the site to leave a comment and so, I bid TP adieu. I will not be exporting my files, but will link each entry to an individual entry at blogspot as soon as I have a little more free time. Likely over the weekend.

Thanks to everyone who has been reading me. I appreciate it, and I hope you will continue to follow me at my new JRockin' home.

Ciao 4 now: Kate aka the timid Piglet.

X Japan: First North American Tour, Final Night Absentee Report...And It's a Birthday Wrap

First, my apologies for a late post. Today is Canadian Thanksgiving, and my mother remains in hospital so I wrote the report in two parts, first before leaving for the hospital, and second through the evening after returning home. Thank you all for your patience and to my Canadian readers, I hope you had the best of Thanksgivings.

On the 10^th night of the 10^th month in the 10^th year of the new millennium, X Japan completed their First North American Tour at the Roseland Ballroom in NYC, ringing in the new Western era of X Japan with vocalist Toshi’s 45^th birthday and a huge cake the band shared with the crowd.

 
image from BARKS Global Music Explorer

 

Video posted on You Tube by dkstar222

The arrival of the cake served as a dessert for lucky fans who had been treated to slices of NY Pizza Yoshiki had sent to fans lined up…twice…around a chilly NYC block, bringing a rare sense of Heavy Metal Dinner Theatre to the New York show. Only Yoshiki, man; only X Japan.

Although this premier Western tour was not presented on the same epic scale as X Japan concerts in the East, the last night of X Japan’s First North American Tour was no less epic for New York fans than for the rest of this premier tour. Those of us intimately familiar with X Japan have despaired for decades that the Godfathers of JRock would never appear outside of Asia, so now that they are here, we are religiously following each night on Twitter, BBS, Face Book and other social network sites. Even those of us who experienced them live are scouring the web for articles and videos, living and reliving the night vicariously through the experiences of others, not caring that the videos are of the same songs, just on different nights. We don't even care that some of the US/CDN articles are humorously incorrect because the errors are minor and neophytes are becoming converts and the songs as ever, are eternal. 

Each night of the tour, Yoshiki spoke candidly to the fans about how it had been the band's dream since the early 90’s to embrace the Western airwaves and concert circuit, but the members’ inability to speak English, coupled with circumstances that soon followed, halted that dream cold. He also shared that it was us, the fans, who'd made it possible to bring the band forward to this point, our love, our loyalty, buoying them up through the years. It wasn't just lip service either. If there is one thing x Japan knows, it's that, if the music they make is the message, the very breath of the band, then the fanbase are the wings that carry that breath across the globe and into the heavens.

On October 10, 2010 at the Roseland Ballroom Yoshiki said: “When you believe in yourself, dreams can come true. AND THEN YOU FUCKING ROCK THE WORLD!!”

And rock the world X Japan is, one small venue and one huge city at a time, electrifying us with inspiration and elation. North America is finally getting a taste of the band that makes the earth tremble when they sing 'X' along with 55,000 fans at The Tokyo Dome.

It is true that our venues have been more intimate than the massive Tokyo Dome, so the West hasn’t made the foundations shake, though not from lack of trying. And it is true that we will never be as familiar with X Japan as the fans in East, and that Japan will always be our big sisters and brothers in the realm of X Japan. It is true, we will always be the adopted foreign kids in the family, but these facts do not detract from, or dampen our abiding loyalty to, and love for, X Japan. For many of us, X Japan’s premier tour in the West is Manna from Heaven; a gift from the music Gods reaffirming our faith that, during a time of global unrest, catastrophe and crisis, music can and does eliminate borders, weaving heartstrings into common threads in a global tapestry. Through seven nights, over the months of September and October 2010, for a few, too-brief hours each night, X Japan took us out of a world rank with bigotry and fear, politics and pontification, transporting us into a realm of transcendent existence as one nation, speaking one language and sharing one heart. In the realm of X Japan we became family, we became X, genetically fused together by the music.

This shared feeling of ‘transcendent oneness’ might not have been evident for some fans during the early minutes of X Japan’s appearance at the Roseland Ballroom concert however. Members of the New York Concert thread over at the X Freaks Forum reported that this show was festival seating and it seems that, when the band appeared, the crowd rushed the stage in excitement, causing some very tense and physically uncomfortable moments through the first three songs: Jade; Rusty Nail and Silent Jealousy. There have been some reports of minor fan injuries, as well as momentary but very serious fears of being crushed. Some fans were finally extricated from the crush of ‘the pit’ or moved away on their own to less precarious locations, reporting that once they had moved, the incident was swiftly forgotten, their anticipation for the concert growing into euphoria.

It was also reported by a concert goer in the first few rows that, although Yoshiki did take a stage dive and was caught by the crowd, for some inexplicable reason,  they let him go mere moments later, dropping the drummer/co-founder into a crush of fans that was already the cause of some concern. It was reported he required up to five security personnel to return him to the stage.

These incidents aside, everyone has given the same report: "The night was amazing!"; "...unforgettable!"; "Mind Blowing!"; "Nothing Compares!"; and Yoshiki seems to think the same thing, tweeting: "Thank you so much LA, SF, Seattle, Vancouver, Chicago, Toronto and NY! This tour was our dream come true also a new beginning! Love you!!!!!" almost immediately after the concert.  

NINGIN gave an excellent report of the night along with video here: X Japan leaves New York Screaming for More and Metromix posted a wonderful sound bite with shots here: X Japan/Roseland Ballroom As ever, Jrock Revolution also posted an excellent review on their home page, completing their coverage of each night of the tour.  

Despite the formula used by the band, the same set-list, the same brain-breaking, reason-shattering wait between the main set-list and the encores, the one-on-one between Yoshiki and the fans, each night was different, a rare and unique event geared perfectly for each city, Yoshiki tweeting his thanks after every concert, as well as his enthusiasm and encouragement before. He even made sure to include the fans in Toshi's birthday surprise before the Roseland Ballroom concert: "Ppl @ Roseland, the surprise is after Kurenai. When I say "are you ready? 3,2,1" say: "Happy birthday Toshi!" and throw the confetti! love u" 

I have been attending concerts since my childhood, from seeing The Dave Clark Five through Paul Revere and the Raiders as a preteen; Sky Saxon and the Seeds, The Doors and Led Zepplin in my teens duing a time when my mother despaired that I had lost my soul along with my  mind. Then I toned down to more main stream, MOR bands during my early adulthood, but I have since returned to my alternative and metal head roots, carrying on through Bif Naked, Left Spine Down, Apocalyptica and Myavi as  I inch towards my  60th year. Both as a fan, and as a former studio performer, I have never experienced a band like X Japan.  As much as their music, the intimate connection between X Japan and their fanbase is what fuses us to one another, sharing tears over the loss of a band member in 1998 to sharing a birthday cake for and with another band member 12 years later. 

Some of X Japan's fans have only been X a few short years, while others have been family for decades; some are new born X, merely weeks old, some barely days, but one thing is for certain whether we have been X from the onset or whether we discovered them on their journey through their first incarnation 1982-1997; their second 2007 to present; or if we have only just fallen into the vortex of eXtasy that is X Japan...our conversions are absolute. Like Crack, all it takes is one injection, one inhalation of X Japan and you are hooked.

I am going to miss the anticipation of writing these absentee reports just as much as I have missed the anticipation of the X Japan concert I actually attended in Vancouver a week ago. But like so many others, I will also continue to surf the euphoric high that night infused in me. X Japan is my drug of choice, and the high lasts forever.

In closing, I want to share a little of that high; a high shared by everyone who has ever attended an X or an X Japan concert. First, this  most excellent review from Consequence of Sound, and second, a fan video from the floor of the Roseland Ballroom, 10/10/10 or in the realm of the fans X/X/X. 

Welcome to my high. I am X.  

 

video posted on You Tube by park8272

My thanks to all my discussion buddies over at X Freaks for their first hand experiences, and their well wishes for my mother. I also extend my heartfelt gratitude to X Japan and Jrock Revolution for the experience of a life time. 

Setlist fo Roseland Ballroom NYC, October 10, 2010:

Vanpires Everywhere

Set Change with orchestration.
1. JADE
2. Rusty Nail
3. Silent Jealousy
4. Drain
5. Sugizo & Yoshiki - Violin & Piano duet
6. 紅(Kurenai)

Toshi's 'birthday surprise'...

7. BORN TO BE FREE
8. YOSHIKI drum solo
9. I.V
10. X

~ENCORE~
11. Endless Rain
12. Art of Life
13. Forever Love (prerecorded) 

Stan Lee/Yoshiki and X Japan's XXX

At New York City's NYCC '10, Marvel, Yoshiki and Stan Lee announced they are making a motion comic together. It will be a music/super hero comic book series that will be translated into many languages and adapted into a motion comic ala Ironman Extremis found here: Marvel introduces Motion Comics   Yoshiki will be composing the music and I, for one, am intigued what two of the world's greatest minds and talents will create. 

ETA: posted by ThePRPD2 on You Tube.

In other news, today's date is 10/10/10 which translates to XXX in Roman numerals. It is also the final night of the seven night First North American Tour of X Japan, concluding in NYC with vocalist Toshi's birthday. What will it bring? Watch this space.

X Japan: First North American Tour Sixth Night Absentee Report (updated)

And the hits just keep coming. In a tour plagued by consistent sound problems, one thing remains obvious, the fans don't care and last night's crew at Massey Hall in Toronto made that abundantly clear. Sound issues be damned, the audience was in the presence of X Japan greatness and that was all that mattered. Not to detract from X Japan's talent in the slightest; sound issues can be corrected come the next tour, but one wonders if the consistently perfectionist band can actually get any better.

Once again it is reported that Toshi's voice was in perfect form, the best so far of all the tour's shows, and the incomparable Sugizo is more and more often taking the guitar solo's out of the hand's of hide's spectre and bringing them to life with his own unique style. I am of two minds regarding the release of hide's playbacks into Sugizo's hands, not that I don't think Sugizo can handle them. As a virtuoso musician, there is no doubt as to his ability. I can't think of anyone who could better step down stage left on the X Japan stage to become the 6th member of the band, but I 'grew up' with hide's riffs and licks, as well as his larger than life presence, from his appearance in the band in 1987 until his death a decade later in 1998. I have also revelled in his visual and audio presence on the X Japan stage since their reunion, so it hurts to lose that presence. It is like mourning him all over again. Like a child whose surviving parent takes a new spouse, there is an irrational sense of betrayal coupled with a sense of conflict because I love the new spouse!

I read somewhere that the best way to honour hide would be to bring his guitar back on stage and leave it where he once sat, down stage left, near the piano. That would work for me. I will never be ready to say farewell to the man whose heart and talent drew me into the world of X Japan to begin with, but I can't help embracing Sugizo, not as a 'replacement', but as the true 6th member of X Japan; a perfect one who brings an ethereal, spiritual presence along with amazing talent to their stage. I hope he can be patient with those of us who are having some difficulty making the transition because we do love him.

 

Although I was not in attendance at the band's October 7th show at Massey Hall, it held a special place in my heart because a large group of X Freaks from the forum were able to finally meet and make new friends. There is one bit of sad news to appear on the web after the show however. It seems Yoshiki's missed interviews are likely due to his new diagnosis of Hyperthyroidisn. As an 'until death do us part' fan, I am happy to finally have a diagnosis, but saddened that the indefatigable Yoshiki seems plagued with ongoing challenges: MusicJapan+Yoshiki Collapses 

On Sunday, October 10, 2010 X Japan will play their final concert in this their First North American Tour, and it will be a XXX event. (one wonders if the band will have some fun with this rating...*wink*) The Roman numeral for 10 being X, the concert will take place on the 10th day of the 10th month of the 10th year, a night to remember not just for this, but because it is also vocalist Toshi's 45th birthday and you can bet the fans know this.  There is little doubt this tour will end on a note so high even hide will hear the rapture.

@jrockevolution posted an eloquently moving review of the Massey Hall event that brought a tightness to my throat and mist to my eyes, because I knew exactly what they had experienced: X Japan Massey Hall Toronto ON and Lithium posted a light hearted yet sincere review with photos here: Lithium: X Japan

Music Vice seems not to have known what to do with the band, but they did give them a passing nod in a sound bite review with photos here: Music Vice Sound Bite They say a full review is to follow.

X Japan is winning Western hearts. and so, until Sunday night when I will be eating a Canadian Thanksgiving meal with family, giving thanks for this incredible chance to see the ONLY band, and thinking of them in NYC, I leave you with this video from the Toronto Concert. Not totally random, I chose Silent Jealousy because I woke up singing it this morning. lol

 

X Japan: First North American Tour: Fifth Nigth Absentee Report

The smallest attendance so far on X Japan's seven show tour, the crowd on Wednesday, October 6th made up for the low numbers by sharing their infinite love for X Japan. Processed through lines segrated by gender, suffering purse checks and pat downs, pulled out of line for chains on their clothes, and questioned on legitimate medications, none of this dampened the spirits and energy  the fans brought with them into Chicago's Riviera Theatre. The balcony remained closed making the Riviera audience the most intimate to date on the tour, but when X Japan took the stage, 1,000 voices rose to sing the Japanese lyrics to older beloved X Japan songs while Toshi sang the new English versions. Near the end of the concert, Yoshiki even took a chance and stage dived into the crowd. You can see it here:

 

video by bahbah over at X Freaks Forums 

Jrock Revolution posted this report, X Japan Live Report Chicago IL and Consequence of Sound gave the evening an excellent review with photos.

With two more shows on the agenda, concerns are high for Yoshiki's health after articles surfaced reporting that interviews had been postoned or canceled when the drummer was ordered to bed on doctor's orders. However, anyone who knows Yoshiki will tell you, and he will tell you himself, he is willing to sacrifice all for the fans, and his stage dive in Chicago proves that.

Perhaps to accomodate the needs of Yoshiki's health, Chicago was night 1 of the only back-to-back performances on the tour. Toronto's Massey Hall is the next stop on Thursday October 7th, (That show will actually be over by the time I post this.) This tour is a seminal event in the life of X Japan and we all want to see them return, so I for one hope Yoshiki's health remains intact.

For those who have been unable to attend the concerts during this tour, here is a  snapshot video of the night beautifully shot and edited by bahbah at X Freaks Forums.

 

We Are X!   

The Fury: Honesty Without the Attitude

As so often happens, I was introduced to The Fury when someone sent me a link to their music on Myspace. As I always do when I receive a message, I slipped over to their site and had a listen. By the end of the first song: Beauty Queen, I was wondering why I had't heard of this Vancouver based band . Hell, they are from my home town! 

I admit that I don't usually listen to main stream music, leaning more towards alternative indy and Japanese Rock, but the Fury's music is damned tight and I like them. Each element; drums, guitars, bass  and vocals are evenly balanced, the one never overriding the other, each blending into a perfect whole that becomes a chalice that cups their vocalist voice, carrying it on a stream that doesn't overshadow it. I have listened to long-standing bands who have played together for decades that don't have the same cohesion The Fury has. And although it is not overtly aggressive, The Fury's music is true Rock & Roll,  a solid blend of Rock,  Metal and Punk, good enough to head bang to without breaking your neck.  With lyrics accessible to teen and adult alike, The Fury honestly addresses the simple realities of being human in today's Western Culture without flinging disaffected attitude back into the face of that culture.

Started in 2008 by Vocalist, Chase and guitarist Jon, by 2009 The Fury was working with indy producer Jay "Juice" Evjan, (Hot Hot Heat; Wide Mouth Mason; Todd Kerns and Incura (Fox Seeds 2008 Platinum Winners)) at the legendary Factory Studios and Greenhouse Studios  to produce their debut CD: 'Truth Comes Out', playing to a crowd of 500 at the disc's release. They  also toured Canada 3 times in 2009, and the game Rock Band has picked up two of their songs: 'Beauty Queen' and 'Picture Perfect'.

The Fury aren't just 5 kids (4 now) who want to be rock stars. Although they have a lot of fun, this band is all about the music, their egos taking a back seat to their art.  The only woman in the band, The Fury's vocalist Chase, has a richly timbred voice, and she knows how to use it. I was put in mind of Amy Lee of Evanescence and although Chase's voice leans more towards a higher register than Lee's throaty alto, she exhibits the same control. I have heard opera singers say that controling one's voice can be like trying to rein in a wild stallion and it is obvious that Chase is mastering her stallion.

Although I like the band presented on The Fury's site, I can't say what they might sound like  now. In 2010, they lost two of their band members when guitarist, Royce, and drummer, Jay, alternately left the band, bringing a planned 2010 tour to a halt and leaving The Fury searching for replacements. Since the pair's departure, Ricardo has replaced Jay on drum. Although some might say that only a drummer was what the band needed, going by the quality of their music, The Fury are perfectionists, and in their first incarnation, they employed twin guitars, a  technique that works extremely well, exhibited in the success of Japan's ultimate metal band: X Japan.  Twin guitars can mean the difference between a milk chocolate treat or an exotic truffle of audio seduction. They bring a sensual and ethereal sound to a band, so I really hope The Fury continue to search for that second guitar for their second draft line-up.

With little presence on You Tube or Google Video, and with only first names on their now out-of-date site on MySpace, I can't report much on history or on what the future might hold in store for The Fury, but it would be tragic if this band slid into obscurity when the tips of their toes were perched on the very edge of a spring board ready to launch them into flight. They have talent in every fibre, and they were already on the right path, so what they need now is another guitarist and greater visibility. I am happy to give them what little I can, but I hope they begin to promote themselves again. If they do, who knows, they might even attract that missing guitarist.   

The Fury on MySpace

 

Stillborn DIZ Update

 

Congratulations to Dani and Selviö of Stillborn DIZ for their shared release on Retro Virus Records' "Mundus Patet". Sounds like it is going to be an awesone disc. Featured artists are:

Finger Painted Death; dakuu; Stillborn DIZ and The Death Sound.

Retro Virus Records on MySpace

Stillborn DIZ on MySpace

dakuu on MySpace

The Death Sound on MySpace

Video of Finger Painted Death at Punkfest Bridge to Fucktardia 90'

 

Like God, all four of these independent artists create their music from the basic DNA of their vision and the cell structure of a personal sense of lyricism. Likewise, Retro Virus Records is also a solo endevour, so I hope everyone who reads orders the album here:  Mundus Patet Orders

Support the church of Indy Music. Some Gods DO need our financial help.  

Read my September 2009 review of Stillborn DIZ here: Stillborn DIZ