So I figure since I've such a passion for live shows, and music in general, and am in Japan where the concerts flow daily like wine into my glass, I have something of a responsibility to point out to you guys the bands that aren't getting much attention state-side.
To start, we've got 中学生棺桶 (That's pronounced Chuugakusei Kanoke, and translates to something like "Middle-Schooler's/s Coffin/s (there's no plural or singular in Japanese, its all strictly and situationally referential)), and they play a pretty refreshing blend of punk, doom metal, and 70's hard rock. Forget refreshing, I love this band. If I had to describe them outside of genre confines, I'd say they kind of remind me of a more-technically-proficient Ramones covering Led Zeppelin, with more emphasis on epic-ness and vocals totally separate from either of them. Basically, Its got kind of a Metal-Meets-Garage-Rock sound to it while retaining that all-important underlying head-bobbing groove, the vocals are most definitely sung and not yelled/screamed/grunted, and they tend to have pretty fist-raising riffs. Oh, and their vocalist dresses like an old man (going the whole way, he even dyes his hair & beard grey), and apparently their bassist is a Pinku Eiga (read: soft-core porn) actress.
Next up is Eternal Elysium, bringing the more traditional 70's Hard Rock sound. Being me, of course I'm going to be throwing a bunch of groovy shit yr way, and at least in the non-metal loop, these guys top my list for spaced-out, psych-ed out, Cream-Meets-Blue-Cheer-Meets-Sabbath kick-ass-ery.
Going from high-octane psych rock to something a little more honest, the next band I'm going to post is called LSD March (name supposedly taken from a Guru Guru song). For the sake of actually posting a video, I've chosen a song that I don't know, and while its a bit more... composed... than they usually are, it still retains the humble charm that this incredible lo-fi folk/rock (most of the time just VERY folk) band has. If Andrew passed the word on to any of you, sorry in advance for posting something you actually do know. Jeez.
Back to the louder stuff. The King Brothers are basically what Brian Jonestown Massacre or (probably a more adept comparison) John Spencer Blues Explosion would be like if they were cockier, better dressed, and probably drunk-er. These guys play a meaaaaaan brand of turned-up-to-11 kind of blues rock. Classy mothers to be sure, I figure this is what Billy Bob Thornton listens to when he's in a fightin' mood.
Honestly, I'm not too sure what to call these guys, named My Way, My Love. Sometimes I want to call them Post-Punk, other times Noise-Rock, other times Post-Rock (all of these subgenres are killing me)... but in the end I don't think it really matters - My Way, My Love play interesting music that takes from (ESPECIALLY their earlier works) Sonic Youth, a bit of Siouxsie, maybe a bit of Slint, and throws it together with a bit of their own ssssssssspecccccial ssssaaauuuce. What the fuck does that mean? I don't know, I'm rambling in a worthless attempt to try to put a label on these guys, but its pretty hard. So just check it.
So for now, that's all I'll post. I own records by all of these bands, so if yr interested in any of them hit me up and I can make a mediafire file for you.
And tonight is Earthdoom Vol. 1 (most concerts have some stupid repeating moniker affixed to them) at Earthdom in Tokyo (Okubo to be specific, near Shibuya). Featuring Holy & Blight, and (most importantly) a little band called Dot [.] that really puts Bongzilla to shame, and probably has a serious chance in a fight with Weedeater. And their guitarist would slay Boris' Wata in a Smokin'-Hot-Lady-Guitarist competition (Wata's probably the better musician, though). It starts at 8, so I'll probably end up having to spend the entire night in the city (it takes about 1.5 hours to get to Okubo, and the last train should be sometime around 12:21 AM (it is from Kashiwa anyway)), which is totally OK by me. I'll try to take some pictures and eventually put them up here.
UPDATE: So I've been seraching for LSD March videos online, and strangely enough most of the ones I come across are super-psychedlic-freak-out ala Acid Mothers. Totally the same guys, just 100% not the same kind of music that's contained on the 4 albums I have by them. Weird.
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