http://www.keikaku.net/blog Just another WordPress weblog Sat, 03 May 2008 01:37:26 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en   I've had a strange fascination with the rapper Illreme ever since I saw him back in 2005 with Bloodthirsty Butchers, Your Song Is Good, and BREAKfAST, among others at a small festival in Ebisu, Tokyo. I had no idea who this gangly, effeminate goofball sporting a microphone headset and sampler ... http://www.keikaku.net/blog/2008/05/02/hip-hop/ BOREDOMS!!!!!!! (?)     Confession time: I never really understood the insane love affair that the indie world at large has had with Boredoms. Sure, Super AE and Vision Creation Newsun are pretty great records. Incredibly original, often fun, very cerebral, but... it just doesn't stick with you after the record finishes spinning. ... http://www.keikaku.net/blog/2008/03/26/boredoms-at-the-crystal-ballroom-in-portland/ Beloved readers, we are proud to present to you a [mostly] unedited excerpt from a dialogue between Ricardo and Bob two days after The Kaze to Rock Festival show featuring Romanes, Sakerock and The Ging Nang Boyz on July 10, 2007. http://www.keikaku.net/blog/2007/10/19/an-everyday-conversation/ I had the misfortune to have been in attendance at Anime Expo this past weekend in Long Beach, California. The weather was beautiful, but I was unfortunately sequestered in a dimly lit dealer's room peddling nerd wares to nerds, instead of enjoying the cool ocean breeze and ogling southern Californian ... http://www.keikaku.net/blog/2007/07/06/so-you-wanna-be-a-j-rock-superstar/ A little while ago there was some debate on our forums about whether Melt-Banana's live show was completely amazing or just plain confusing. I can see how the band's live show would be off-putting if you weren't intimately familiar with the band's records or if their brand of noise-punk-grind-experimentalism is ... http://www.keikaku.net/blog/2007/07/05/melt-banana-at-dantes-in-portland/ You know what I'm talking about. There's a certain quality that's shared in the sound of bands like Sparta Locals, Vola and the Oriental Machine, and to a much lesser extent 9mm Parabellum Bullet. None of these bands are too similar to each other, but there's certain aspects inherited from ... http://www.keikaku.net/blog/2007/04/12/that-certain-sound-now-in-digestible-girl-form/   So on March 27th, Yoshimi P-We of Boredoms fame returned to LA to play a show in the all-female band OOIOO (pronounced oh-oh-eye-oh-oh). But before I headed to the concert, I stopped by Little Tokyo to get some ramen. It seemed like that wasn't a smart choice, as my stomach ... http://www.keikaku.net/blog/2007/04/01/ooioo-at-the-echo-in-los-angeles/ It's been about six weeks since Zazen Boys' bassist Hinata Hidekazu announced he was leaving the band, and already ringleader Mukai Shutoku (restless as he is) has brought in a new bassist, Yoshida Ichiro. Yoshida was originally in the (now defunct) band 12939db (he also played in Nine Days ... http://www.keikaku.net/blog/2007/03/26/new-bassist-same-old-zazen/ I think I've mentioned to death how awesome I thought the HY and Doug E. Fresh performance of "Street Story" at New York's Japan Nite concert was. It totally came out of left field for me. It's not like Japanese and Western collaborations are not possible, but they are pretty ... http://www.keikaku.net/blog/2007/03/23/east-meets-west-hy-meets-doug/ I don't know what street musicians are like in other cities of the world, but here in Tokyo, I'm sad to say, most of them suck.   There are exceptions to the rule. I always like to brag about the one time I saw PE'Z, before anyone knew who they were, play ... http://www.keikaku.net/blog/2007/03/19/street-music-in-tokyo/