GONZO CHICAGO
Documenting weirder and louder since 2007. Chicago is home base. Currently in Missoula, Montana. A new film on China's underground : http://theworldunderground.com
Thursday, February 11, 2016
"The Astounding Underground of Indonesia"
Hey all. Happy New Year from Northeast China.
I've finally published a staggeringly long piece on our time in Indonesia.
There's a lot to explore. I hope you like it.
You can read it on Impose Magazine by clicking here.
Lots in the works. Keep an eye on The World Underground.
Best,
- JY
Saturday, October 3, 2015
Indonesia is a wrap. Raising funds for post production. New preview reel!
Hi all. I've got quite a few things for you. First off, I am raising funds for post production of the next three episodes of The World Underground. These episodes will include Indonesia. Missoula, Montana. An East Asia tour through Japan, Korea, and more. Watch a new 5 minute preview reel and help us do it!
Lastly, there's now, finally. a new blog on the site, and I've spent hours and hours back posting the last 3 years of my life. All the way back to the first trip to China. Eventually, I'll go insane enough to hyperlink.
So there you have it. That's what's up. Cheers from the tatami bed of Takashi Kosaka in Tokyo, Japan. Much to come. Stay with it. Be safe. Cheers.
- John Yingling
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Next up : INDONESIA. Help us continue...
I am extremely excited to announce that Episode 4 of The World Underground will be INDONESIA. We'll focus on an extremely unique noise scene, as well as maniacal punk and hardcore. For your donation, you can grab anything from a spice rub from Silkworm's Tim Midyett. OBITS Japan Tour CD's. Local sweets from Montana. Posters, t-shirts, and cassettes from Chicago.
We cannot keep going without your support! Take a look, and spread the word!
Thursday, March 26, 2015
The World Underground has launched. Watch a feature-length film on China's underground scenes, and much, much more...
WE ARE LIVE.
Chicago, this project would not have happened without your support. Thank You. The World Underground is now live, with Episode 1, which focuses on China. Over 50 live recordings from artists around the globe. As well as a "connect" page featuring labels from China, Korea, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, and a slew of Chicago and American based artists. This will only grow with time.
"Episode
one begins on tour with one of Mainland China’s most legendary
bands, P.K.14. We delve into various cities along the way,
including Guangzhou, Chengdu, Beijing, and Wuhan. Over two
dozens acts make up the first new, cumulative feature-length update
on China’s underground in over half a decade."
D.I.Y films on music scenes across the globe, released online for donation, with the hope of funding the next. Below, you can watch the first episode, a feature length film on China, listen to over 50 live recordings, dive into an extensive connection page. The goal is global connectivity.
All the information you need is right here : It's already happening.
THANK YOU.
- John Yingling
Saturday, December 6, 2014
Rest in peace, Ray Ellingsen...
It has come to our attention Ray Ellingsen, a true spirit of Chicago, passed away in October. There will be a memorial by the DIY community in the new year. We will update you. Hope there's some good noise shows up there, Ray. The lighting is probably perfect. We'll all miss you, but we're all happy we had the chance to know you.
Ray probably spent more time in weird D.I.Y spaces than I did. He was at literally every single show, taking photos, talking to people. He was over double the age of most people that hung out, but that didn't bother him. His passion for music and photography was unmatched. We were often partners in crime, dodging each other while shooting. I am unclear of the details, but there may be a memorial show planned in his memory. Rest in peace to one of the most unique characters Chicago will ever see.
Please check back for more information. Thank You.
UPDATE : I remember Ray walking around with a little note-pad getting stories from people on what the DIY scene meant to them.
Don Pentaro said one of his last conversations with him, he said he wanted to make a photo book with quotes from the music community.
Obviously, we need to find this note-pad and do this. If anyone is going to speak with his family, please mention this, or ask if you could look for it!!!
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Eating souls in East Asia : A GUIGUISUISUI x Noise Arcade tour diary.
Yuki, Tokyo photographer
If you play your cards a certain way, Hell will come for you. If you choose to go on tour with a couple of noise-heads from Beijing, one of which has an alter-ego named King Necro, consider yourself asking for it. Aligning with South Korea born AWEH, I headed film a curated tour documentary across China, South Korea, and Japan.
Zaza (After Argument) + Sijiang (Hiperson)
I drop in at Chengdu, Sichuan province. Last year, while on tour with P.K.14, I caught these incredible young bands, Stolen, and Hiperson. They were both just starting to come into their own sound. I contacted them asking if they could play a show on the tail end of the trip. They agreed. So did Chongqing's The Maples. After 4 flights, I found myself a bit delirious, but being a glutton for punishment, I sent out texts to see if anything was happening. Both were practicing in the same space, the first in 20 minutes. Off I went. It was great to see them again. I didn't expect to see Xiaobin, a friend from Guangzhou. Nor did I expect Zaza, drummer of the incredible Beijing duo After Argument. Fellow Shellac lovers! After some acclimation, it was off to Xi'an.
Hiperson practice.
Xi'an
was my halfway point to Beijing. When considering a brief stopover
to break up the train ride, I was told to hit up a crew of DIY kids
called System Error.
After the bus from the airport almost killed 9 people on the way in,
I met Feng Fan. He's a scene supporter in this collective, alongside
a dozen or so people. We immediately sit down in the street for some
food, and a fight breaks out. Feng is quick to point out that this
isn't very common. He tells me of Xian's deep love of their cold
noodle. Tomorrow, there's a show. The collective's final show
before they all finish school and part ways, a common occurrence.
Feng gets me an ultra cheap hotel in a place right next to the venue,
which he says is really tough for foreigners who have no help. After dreaming of murder via bus, I
awoke, and continued to feel like Xi'an is a different world. Locals
in China are extremely hospitable, but the historic city was on a
different page these few days. Feng kept texting me throughout the
day to make sure I was alright. The show, “System Error Vol. 41 :
Graduation”, was a mix of noise via XBH ,
Qingling Resort, and Yang Zhongguo,
who is a singer-songwriter playing traditional Chinese instruments.
Kunjingkao
(锟斤铐) put
an I.P. Address on screen and had everyone dial into a noise program.
Put your phone on speaker, flick your finger around, and become a
part of the show. I'm not sure what will be happening now in Xi'an,
but I look forward to seeing it grow and mutate.
Xi'an : System Error 41
Beijing.
Perhaps due to my years of smoking and substance abuse, I was never
truly choked by the air here. This time, rolling in at midnight, I
could feel it in my chest. Excited to be back, and having a few days
before we embarked on the tour, I spent it seeing as much live music
as possible. A few more practice space sessions were lined up.
Hedgehog shifted
their rehearsal date so I could attend, and ended up working on new
songs for an hour. DIDERS rehearsed and played a couple new ones as
well. It was the night before the show I booked at Yugong Yishan.
Knowing I'd be back in Beijing, I figured it was the perfect
opportunity to book a show, and screen a rough cut of the film. I
asked some of my favorites. SUBS,
Residence A,
DIDERS,
Chui Wan.
After Stolen had issues with a European trip they were going to
take, they agreed to trek the 1,000 miles to play in Beijing.
Everybody brought it hard. Aurelian, a great photographer in
Beijing, has some excellent shots scattered throughout his
eye-popping blog.
People enjoyed the rough version of the film. Aside from some language barrier issues, all clarified, it was a great night. We made 300 copies of
a curated mix CD with bands from Chicago, Montana, China, and gave
them out to everybody who came. Before their original lineup
disbanded, they wrapped a final short tour in Japan. “Poppy”,
drummer of The DIDERS, has left China for school in New York City. She's
having fun. Xin, bassist, is forming another group. “Cookie”,
singer, will re-form the band and continue playing. Whatever else
those three choose to do from here, surely it'll be great.
DIDERS
Next,
a rowdy show at Old What Bar.
Steps away from the Forbidden City, with a BBQ grill near the front
entrance, the audience spills out into the sidewalk, listening
through the windows, drinking on the sidewalk. It's small. A hole
in the brick allows me to film while dodging the beer being thrown
everywhere. DIDERS play the final show I'll ever see that lineup
play. Free Sex Shop belts out classic covers with a few originals..
I had never caught Sochu Legion before. They were great, made more beers fly, and closed it all out
with what seemed like a 2 hour set. Hell of a night at Old What.
Free Sex Shop (a band)
The
tour kickoff show was at Temple Bar. Luvplastik opened. A 2 piece. Picture Matt and Kim with two dudes, writing
better songs and being more interesting. The excellent Bedstars,
who I caught more than a few times last year. Snarled out old-school
punk. I got zero sleep that night, and to say the least, learned a
few things I need to work on in my life. I wake up Jenna Caravello,
an amazing human and animator from Chicago. She runs a great site
called Dikarya, is wonderfully talented, trekked to north China with us to help document. We miss our
train, and barely make the one across town at the shit-show that is
Beijing station. The monopod I had for exactly two weeks is left in
the backseat of the taxi due to our exhausted state, and is gone
forever. If you don't get a receipt, you're pretty much sunk, especially in this case. Following in our company, GUIGUISUISUI and Noise Arcade.
Two solo artists living in the PRC, both lovers of DIY culture,
improv, and noise. Dann Gaymer leads GUIGUISUISUI. Originally from
Britain, he gripped onto underground ideals early, and tours harder
than most people I've met. Michael Cupoli is Noise Arcade.
Musically, a vibrant soundscape of improv noise from more pedals,
knobs, and switches than I'll ever be able to understand. He's been
called the “pedal master of Beijing”, and his room, littered with
gear, could confirm such a claim. It's danceable enough, with as
many layers as pedals, but definitely appeases noise kids.
Everything is done on the fly, so you get a different vibe each time.
It's really great. Read an in-depth interview here. Dann paints his face black and white, runs
around the crowd singing about blowjobs in bathrooms, and then it
gets weird. Out comes the evil. On goes the mask. When there's a drumset available,
Mike jumps on it and does the same. Out comes the one stringed
skateboard noise-guitar. The “diddly board”, so he calls it. To
the audience it goes. Go ahead, bang on it all you want. He wants
you to. This is King Necro, and he's going to eat your soul.
Bedstars
First
stop, Fuzzbox,
a very, very small live-house in Changchun. We're now in Dongbei.
People's eyes widened when we talked about where we were going, like
the Northeast was some mystical land of filth and debauchery. Not every band makes the trek to go to these
cities. I liked Changchun. Dirty, gnarly, you could feel the
constant transformation. Lin Lin, part owner of Fuzzbox told us
where we should eat, a restaurant catering to mostly local dishes.
He got us seats, ordered local, paid for us, and disappeared. Out
came an inspiring array of dishes. Incredible. The total capacity
of Fuzzbox can't be more than 50 people. P.K.14, who can easily draw
hundreds, played here. I found it hard to even fathom, but
supposedly the drummer set up on stage, and everyone else played on
the floor. There's about 12 feet of an open “pit” area until it
narrows even further due to the bar and couches. We meet Xiao Hai.
He's a beat-boxer who just so happened to recently open the first
cocktail bar in Changchun. Dann told me whenever he'd visit in the
past, Xiao Hai would always say he wished he had bar with the proper
equipment to craft his drinks. Now he did. Bar Trochilus. One side
held a giant class display case of toys, manga inspired and
otherwise. A beautiful bar for delicious, delicately prepared
concoctions. Another side, a proper whiskey bar. If you find
yourself lost and mulling around Dongbei some time, I'd say this
would make a good destination. Back at the venue, local lady Anqi sets up a guitar to kick off the show. It's a short set. She's
sweet, eloquent, and her songs calm our heads at the beginning of
what we know will be one huge shit-show of a tour. Zhang Jianfu
(JFI) and Noise Arcade rumbled the tiny bar with noise. I was surprised no
glasses fell off the shelves. GUIGUISUISUI runs around, trying to
freak out WeiMa, the cute bar dog, who remained cool, more curious as
to what the hell was going on. We head back to Trochilus, and Xiao
Hai feeds us his maniacally amazing creations. He also arranges some
pretty classic sleeping quarters next door. It cost next to nothing.
You wandered through a pitch black hallway, into your room, which
was simply a bed. There was a five inch triangular shelf with an
ashtray, and about 10 inches between the bed and wall. After zero
rest the night before, it was one of the best nights sleep I'd get in
the next few weeks.
Noise Arcade @ Fuzzbox
Shenyang
cruised by like a blur. A quick train ride over, you start to see
more Korean and Japanese influence. We ate Bibimbap, walked around a
bit, and headed to Feng Livehouse.
Not knowing what the turnout would be for these Northeast China
shows, we were pleasantly surprised by a group of 40 or so kids who
all went apeshit the whole time. Circle pits, excited hooting and
hollering, the works. When it was over, in an instant, the crowd was
gone. A toast to the coming unknown, we drank a bit and traded
contacts. Michael grabbed some mystery BBQ from outside, and we were
spent.
GUIGUISUISUI + Xiaohai
Dalian.
We gawk at the coastal surroundings of our inbound train, and trek
to the venue. Steps from the ferry we'll take to South Korea, EchoBooks and its connected cafe keep our mouths agape. It's proprietor, Xie
Yugang, just so happens to be in a very successful post-rock band
called Wang Wen.
It's a beautiful bookstore, bar, and balcony overlooking the harbor.
Floodlights bathe the surrounding cranes and skyscrapers in purple,
green, white, until they suddenly vanish. Never to reappear.
GUIGUISUISUI and Noise Arcade's sets went over better than I imagined
they would. A good crowd who stayed attentive. Afterwards, we went
into a music studio and rehearsal room to chat with members of Wang
Wen, Which Park, and Doc Talk Shock.
After the chat, we hung out, and I had them put on Paper Mice, one
of my favorite bands from the Chicago underground. Heads began to
bob. Back in May, the DanShen Festival was born. A festival by the
beach. The point was to closely curate it, and have the lineup be
all bands they loved. Easy to enter, listen, enjoy. Some of my
favorites I can't stop listening to played this year's lineup.
Hiperson and Proximity Butterfly from Chengdu. Duck
Fight Goose from Shanghai. The Dyne from Beijing. Our
friends at “Live Beijing Music” said the vibe had “basically
everything that Strawberry and Midi (festivals) lacks.” Definitely something to keep on your radar if you're interested.
GUIGUISUISUI
Before
we knew it, we said farewell to Jenna, and were on the overnight
ferry to South Korea. Xie left us with an expensive bottle of
whiskey, and Dann procured what would end up being one of countless
bottles of Makkoli, a type of fermented, milky Korean alcohol. Our vessel was comfortable, near luxury, seeing as how we didn't mind how we got there, and as Dann said, all you can carry for
baggage, and you didn't have to spring for accommodation. The
patrons of the boat sat endlessly staring at the waters before them,
feeding seagulls, and staring off into the darkness once the sun set.
First
show in South Korea. Yogiga.
A DIY style basement and exhibition space in Hongdae. I meet the
immediately bubbly Lauren Walker, who fronts a band in Seoul called
Nice Legs.
We head to an alley and she tells me why she loves Seoul. She's
been here a while, says foreigners should learn the language or
“You're completely missing out. Talk to old people. Hear their
stories. Go outside of the ex-pat areas." I would later find out she
is the cousin of a friend I've known since High School. I thought
they were joking, but it was true. Small world. Tonight's lineup
included Yamagata Tweakster,
GT Arpe,
and The Essence. Local band Les Sales had to cancel due to injury,
which was sad. Dann tells a story about when he lived here, how
there's a “Makkollii Man”. A wild-eyed joyful fellow who would
tow around dozens of bottles of this delicious elixir, and if he came
up to you, you'd play rock-paper-scissors. If you won, a free bottle
for you. If you lost, you had to buy one. It's super cheap anyway
so it's supposedly a win win either way just to interact with the
guy. Right before Yamagata Tweakster is set to play, in comes
Makkolli Man. Dann's eyes light up, I turn my camera on and film
what I can of this maniacally joyful fellow yelling “MAKKOLLI! I
LOVE YOU!”, not even bothering with rock-paper-scissors, and he was gone with a flash. Dann said he had the
exact same clothes on as the last time he saw him, four years ago.
One thing is for sure, Yamagata Tweakster wants to party with you.
He's dressed in neon, a one man dance party belting out words I'll
never know, making the audience kick the air. He leads everyone
outside to piggyback down a busy street, chanting. He's been doing
this for years.
Yamagata Tweakster
Jeonju.
Radio Star.
Who says you need a packed house to have a good time? Though six
people attended the show, I somehow managed to crowd-surf twice.
Almost immediately after they finished, a crew of kids show up. They're
break-dancers and hip hop artists. Their collective is called the
East Guinness Crew.
Jeonju locals. Dann makes one of them go on stage and spit some
shit, with Mike backing on drums. Naturally, I have to take them
outside and try to get something on camera. Dann translates a bit.
I still don't know what they said. One of them drops down to the
ground and spins around on one hand. I give them some of the
leftover mix CD's I had from the show in Beijing. We stay in a huge
common room of a gigantic bath house. Super cheap. I get zero
goddamn sleep again, and could care less. A great night.
East Guinness Crew (Jeonju)
Back
to Seoul. Dann lived here for quite some time, which is how AWEH was founded. Our
time in Seoul, we're being hosted by Patrick, Ollie, and Shai. A
wonderfully creative bunch, and endlessly kind. While we sleep,
newly born kittens use us “as playgrounds”, as Mike would say in
an album dedicated to the days of shenanigans, complete with a guy passed out atop some steep as hell stairs.
Their balcony has one of the coolest views of Seoul Tower. Ollie
and Patrick help run the label Loose Union.
It's got an impressive catalog. AWEH is a creative culture website
honing in on what's happening in Asia. Their goal : be creative.
Music, art, just push forward and do things to help the scene.
Tonight's
venue : Space Moon. Nice Legs kick it off. I loved them. Nice people. Poppy, spastic rock and
roll is always up my alley. We all circle pit, and I'm still amazed
this front-woman is my friends cousin. Dann had mentioned to me the
week prior, there was someone he demanded be a part of this leg of
the tour. That was Johny Q,
who now fronts Mineri. A shredder on guitar. The final song had him
flipping his guitar around on the floor. A near miss on slamming
into my camera. Gonguri belt out some harsh metal. GUIGUISUISUI and Noise Arcade invoke a
dogpile so inviting, I put my camera down and jump on top. Ollie
grabs my SLR and starts shooting photos. Really, a great night, with
exciting noise. There's a common area outside where people buy cheap
Soju and Makkoli, and that's when the busking begins. It's not a
'shitty covers and malnourished dogs' type of busking, but a tiny
amp, back on the floor, screaming and yelping. Dann carried a
singular drum around, beating against the cars whizzing by. It was
karaoke, Nice Legs style.
Johny Q (Mineri)
Daegu.
Communes. It's not only one of the last shows for local math
rock band Colours,
but the final showcase for their collective “I Like Many Records.”
I meet Ali, a British born guitar player with an Iranian upbringing,
he's been in Daegu for quite some times, but just moved to Seoul. He
says there's “fuck-all” happening in Iran. Colours sounds
reminiscent of Don Caballero, though none of them are very well
versed in their music. I give someone one of The World Underground
mix CD's, and he stares at it for a while. “Paper Mice? Dude! I
saw them in a gnarly warehouse in Chicago, 6 years ago.” That
gnarly warehouse was called The Mopery. I was there. It was Pussy
Pirates final show, right before it closed. I very likely have a photo of this guy, who six
years later, is standing in front of me in Daegu, talking about Paper Mice.
Wild.
Seoul Tower
Busan.
Basement.
Local band Genius kicks it off. Straight up catchy rock and roll with a punk spirit.
“Beaches” has been spinning a lot around here lately. Upon sharing it with a
friend upon my return, he says it's “like the Nirvana of Korea!”.
I can't disagree. The bartender, Xiaoshuang Du, is from China. We
chat, and since it's the last night in Korea before hopping another
ferry, all end up shit-housed. I tape Xi Yang Yang, a creepy, broad
eye-browed cartoon goat (or “Hello Kitty of China”) to the
stripper poles that spot the venue. The owner tells me of when
Juiceboxxx from Milwaukee, Wisconsin came to town. He's an old
friend, a scrawny American kid from the midwest who raps harder than
anyone I've ever seen live. It's punk-rap, with less awfulness.
Surely he was hanging off the balcony as much as Dann was. As most
tours go, you wish you had more time in these cities. The ferry over
is night and day from the one in China. There's an arcade, a sauna.
Smoking rooms. Dann passes out right away. Michael and I sit on
the balcony outside and gawk at Grand Gwangan bridge along Gwangalli
Beach, which is now lit up like a rave. I mull around a bit, dump
footage, and fall into a nice sleep. Mike wakes me, disoriented, and
in Fukuoka, Japan.
Not dangerous at all.
Japan
is a manic blur. It's cleanliness is almost disorienting. There's
no trash on the streets, anywhere, but it's difficult to find a garbage
can. Still unsure of how that one works. Buildings on top of
buildings. It's intense to take in, to say the least. First up,
Fukuoka. Utero. A small club on the basement level. Black pads of soundproofing
make you feel like you're enclosed in a fallout shelter somewhere. Another stacked bill. Bellbottom from 80's kick it off with screeching guitars. A wall of psych channeling
Hendrix, the lead guitar player clearly enjoying his noodling. Long
hair flipping every direction. He ends the set by jumping out into
the crowd, banging away on his back, noise bouncing off every wall.
A solo artist, Huduyangtai crossing pop, folk. I interview the singer of Jennifer Isolation,
a funk band. He seems optimistic about Fukuoka. He grew up in
Indonesia, and has heard the scene is amazing. I told him to talk to
Dann, who just wrapped a lengthy tour there. Hours later, Macmanaman surprises the hell out of everybody. Highly recommended. Fast
speed-core style instrumental craziness. They give us CD's, which
are scratched to hell burned copies. Punk. We sleep on the venue's
floor. The owner gives us the key the bar, and tell us to lock up
when we're finished. Wonderful.
Macmanaman
Oita.
At Hall.
The center of Oita is a long, domed shopping area. At Hall
is up a few flights of stairs, just steps away. Another huge,
eclectic bill with everything from sloppy noise laden freak-outs, to
a classical style pianist. Two women in kimonos show up, and I'd
later find out they are family of the elderly couple in attendance.
Everybody sits front and center for the whole show, and doesn't
leave. A local act Dann knew, Warsaw Pact, jabbers on in Japanese
telling jokes we'll never get. He kicks in a few electronic gizmos
and plays guitar over them. Ninja Man, calling themselves the “New
No Wave”, pound out some noise, and the singer freaks out in front
of all of these seated people. He and a friend run outside, the
guitar still squealing, and I do my best to follow. With a heavy
camera, I only make it down the steps and film them run away, but
apparently he went and jumped into a nearby pool of water. I wander
into the night on a hunt for rooftop b-roll. Able to get on top of
one building, the view yields nothing. On my way back down I hear
the screams of karaoke, but the door of the place... a wooden plank with ornate Japanese lettering.
I enter to a beautiful, tiny bar. Everyone's giddy, the proprietors are an older couple, dancing behind the bar. Everything stops and all eyes are on me. I motion for a drink, ask for whiskey, everyone amused. From what I understood was 15 dollars American for a round of something. I leave. Upon getting to the bottom of the stairs, a guy from the bar yells for me to wait. Come, drink with us, he says. It's on me. I'll leave most of this for the film, but picture a hot mess of karaoke. You're fed drinks, while a lady named Miho runs around with a giant wooden pineapple, spoon-feeding you a mysterious Japanese fruit liquor. Eventually fed up with the slow pace, she begins to simply stalk the bar, making people drink directly out of the giant pineapple. Every time someone does it, the whole place cheers. They take me to a wine bar after karaoke closes, and buy me a glass. It's time like these I wish I knew more Japanese. Nearing 4AM, I finally force myself to leave. We would stay on the venue floor yet again, this time for two nights. Bar key in hand. Free to come and go as we please. Thank You, Japan.
I enter to a beautiful, tiny bar. Everyone's giddy, the proprietors are an older couple, dancing behind the bar. Everything stops and all eyes are on me. I motion for a drink, ask for whiskey, everyone amused. From what I understood was 15 dollars American for a round of something. I leave. Upon getting to the bottom of the stairs, a guy from the bar yells for me to wait. Come, drink with us, he says. It's on me. I'll leave most of this for the film, but picture a hot mess of karaoke. You're fed drinks, while a lady named Miho runs around with a giant wooden pineapple, spoon-feeding you a mysterious Japanese fruit liquor. Eventually fed up with the slow pace, she begins to simply stalk the bar, making people drink directly out of the giant pineapple. Every time someone does it, the whole place cheers. They take me to a wine bar after karaoke closes, and buy me a glass. It's time like these I wish I knew more Japanese. Nearing 4AM, I finally force myself to leave. We would stay on the venue floor yet again, this time for two nights. Bar key in hand. Free to come and go as we please. Thank You, Japan.
Kobe.
We trek toward Helluva Lounge.
It's nowhere to be seen. Slotted streets behind streets. We ask,
and everybody has a different answer. After an hour of messing
around trying to find the place without lugging gear around, the
venue owner comes and gets us. It's a great looking space, and the
opening bands seem excited. Tero Tero open it up with dance punk.
The front-man does one of the weirdest performance-art style dance
routines, like an comedy from the 1980's, then banging away on the
electronics in front of him. Blond New Half were my band of the night. Bowie meets Jesus Lizard meets that
non-shitty EP by The Rapture. Really great stuff. They only have 4
songs up publicly, but this live recording sounds entirely different.
Have a listen and get them on your bill if you go to Kobe, which you
should seriously consider. Jigokuhen brings a harsh noise guitar
session with furious energy for a one-man act. It sets the stage for
GUIGUISUISUI and Noise Arcade tearing it up. Kobe rules.
Blond New Half
Sometimes,
somebody shows up to the venue and says they're going to play a
vacuum cleaner. Back in Osaka, we head to Mizutama's space, FIGYA.
Not only does he run this, which is also his home, but also a gallery housed
in a much older building. His wife Megumi brings out a dozen
chirpy motion sensor birds, and a noise making stick from Taiwan.
Satoshi, who's playing tonight, brings in a guitar. It all melds
into the strangest afternoon improv noise set I've seen in quite some
time. The sunlight peeking through the traditional style doors.
Birds chirping. The bug stick moaning away. It's a great night for
improvisation. Go Tsushima brought his project called Psychedelic Desert.
He'd make a good tour mate for Noise Arcade. Waves of guitar
feedback. Harikozue is Megumi and Harico. Opposite in age, one
hooks mics up to a vacuum cleaner, the other puts them in a metal
pot. “Now we will clean.” ...and they screech out one of the
more interesting noise sets I've seen in a while. Dann and Mike have
spent the day procuring a bunch of cardboard boxes to make buildings
out of, and army men. What will they do with this? Re-enact
Godzilla, of course! Mike's set delves from layered bloops to a
harsher ending, in which Dann then tries to light the buildings on
fire, and then stomps it all into oblivion. It really goes without
saying that Figya is also highly recommended.
Figya
Yokohama
is a jam. In the outskirts of Tokyo, El Puenten is steps away from the train station. We roll into a bunch of noise
kids sound-checking. Shigeru, the owner, greets us and immediately
asks if we want a beer. That doesn't stop all night. Empty cup?
Let's fill it. He spent a long time living in America, and returned
to start this Spanish influenced tapas bar that also has punk rock
and noise shows. He liked underground shows and wants to do his part
to reverse this pay to play system that's so prevalent in Japan. He
says Yokohama is a ghetto area, but he loves it here. Punk Disco kick it off with street punk. Their front-man has “FUCK YOU”
tattoo'd on his chest, and runs around messing with everybody the
whole time. Climbing on tables and getting in everyones faces.
Taura Yorihisa and Elephant Noise Kashimashi plug in, blast out
squealing noise with a traditional set up that included plastic tubes
and hand-made objects. As a lover of noise music, I'm really happy
to see Japanese kids still bringing it weird and harsh.
Punk Disco
Tokyo.
At this point, my roller bag is well over-weight from all the
fundraiser perks I've collected, and 15 pounds of vinyl await me in Sichuan. Exhaustion
starts to set in, but I'm excited as hell to be here. After so many
cities my brain can't even put my finger on Tokyo. More buildings
upon buildings. There's four shows in three days. Gamuso Chroma is first.
GUIGUISUISUI open. Children are running around, unsure of what to do
with themselves. E066 follow. Front-woman Sawa Kato clearly has a few fans in the
audience, and they yell and scream, and tell her she's a rock-star.
Android Beach Party is a local surf band. Their founder tells me his
bandmates are really good at following directions. He writes
everything. The next day, two shows. Shinjuku Jam is a double-staged basement level space, and this show started at
10AM. There's 7 bands, most of which we miss because there is just
no way in hell we are getting there by 10AM. One act plays while the
other sets up, and they swap immediately. I wander to the backroom
and everybody's already hammered. They tell me Shinjuku Jam is the
“best venue in the world”. An extremely loud, maniacal fellow
brings a guitar out and screams songs, and we'll never know what the
hell he was talking about. Despite afternoon wasted-ness, everyone
is super nice. Somebody puts on a bald cap and again tells a bunch
of jokes we'll never know, followed by manic drumming, with a break in
between each piece to do something ridiculous like slip on a banana
peel, throw toilet paper around. Ah, Japan. The third show is a last
minute addition. A blues bar with the capacity of about 30 people.
No openers. There's people lined up outside for a meet and greet
with a J-Pop star. The bar owner isn't there, so when the famous guy
walks out I ask to use his phone. Dozens of excited girls laugh. I
ask for an interview. He says a few sentences and everybody screams
and claps. It'll be interesting to get that translated. Zacharie
Gao, who's originally from Chongqing comes and hangs out.
Hello, Tokyo
Final
show of tour, DOM Studio.
Steps away from our truly awful hostel, it's one of the only DIY
style places they played in Japan. Essentially, it's a recording
studio they have shows in. Sadly, the excellent Gravegrinder had to pull out of the show. It's a bill heavy on noise, but “Raging
Blast” kick it off raw and fast. Samm Bennett wails
out old school punk blues vocals over some traditional instruments.
Nobs turning for some harsh noise. Collaborations between Darklaw + Facial Mess. L'eclipse Nue and
Kan.
GUIGUISUISUI. Noise Arcade. After three weeks, countless trains,
two boats trekking three countries, my head is twisted. Booze kept
the shoulder pain at bay, kept apprehension away, but it catches up
to you eventually. Dann left to continue his tour back to China,
heading south. Michael had one more night. We headed to some music
shops so he could geek out at synthesizers. Afterwards, we meet
Takashi of Black Hole records. Upon bailing to get drinks and bid Mike farewell, he
leaves his backpack at the restaurant, and I never see him again.
Years ago, Andy Junk, an old friend from Milwaukee ,called me and
told me I needed to host a bunch of Japanese kids in Chicago. It was
part of Tokyo's Your Pest Band,
and a crew of other people, including Takashi. They offered to
return the favor when I was in Japan, and half a decade later, I took
them up on it. Takashi ended up letting me sleep in his extra room
for the final few days in Japan. Your Pest Band were unable to play,
but little did I know they would come to Missoula, Montana only weeks
later.
DOM Studio
The
final show I'd attend in Japan would be NYC's OBITS, a
band with members I've been following for over a decade. Hot Snakes,
Drive Like Jehu, Girls Against Boys. They just so happened to be
playing two shows in Japan. Both were with Tim Midyett of
Silkworm and Bottomless Pit. Tim grew up in Montana. What a strange
year. Watching him play in Japan was surreal. I met Sohrab Habibion
years ago in Chicago, and we've kept in touch. It had been years
since I'd seen them. Crypt City helped kick it off. Sapporo's DISCOTORTION had
two drummers. Neither were messing around, but this lady on drums,
she hit so hard that she nearly blacked out on her snare drum. The
final note sent her head into her arm. She tried to get up, but fell
back on the ground, against the wall, only to crawl off the stage.
Should be some heavy video.
Discotortion
The
tour over, I headed back to Chengdu to re-align with Stolen,
Hiperson, and await the second show booked in China. I cannot
properly state my love for Sichuan. Chengdu is lush, muggy, and slow
paced for a major Chinese city. The vibe is different, and you feel
it daily. Stolen's front-man said last year that “Chengdu makes
you lazy.” After a dozen plates of 回锅肉
(twice
cooked pork), I couldn't disagree. The Maples have agreed to come
from neighboring Chongqing to open the show. They're great. Snappy
pop fueled rock and roll. Both Hiperson and Stolen's new material is
excellent. Stolen continue on to sounding more and more like a David
Lynch movie meets the Unsolved Mysteries / X-Files opening theme
songs. I recorded Stolen's Beijing set that summer, Noise Arcade
mixed it, and you should listen to it HERE.
We
wrecked ourselves the best we could, heavy spirits, heavy hearts.
Three foreign countries, building connections, spreading noise. As
Dann said to me after leaving that morning, with no grand farewell :
“It's never goodbye, but see you later.”
STOLEN
The World Underground is set for a Winter launch. I hope to include live recordings from
Korea and Japan in the audio archive when it all drops. You'll be
able to watch last year's trip to China, and get a sneak peek at
what's to come in 2015. These trips are funded by donation. For
donors, I've been putting together record packs from the local scenes
I visit, to help spread the noise. The point is global connectivity,
spreading good music to good people, and capturing proper moments in
time. Reach out. The next episode's production is planned for
April, and I couldn't be more excited. Much to come.
OBITS
Hiperson
Kang Mao (SUBS)
Yuko Tumino (Harikozue)
GUIGUISUISUI + Noise Arcade
Goodbye, System Error.
.........................................This story is also adapted on IMPOSE. Enjoy!
Monday, September 8, 2014
Watch : Toupée - Live at Total Fest 2014
One of my favorite bands of all time, Toupée, finally made the trek from Chicago to Missoula, Montana. Though I had just gotten back from Asia, it was my mission to film a rather stellar video of them. You see, back in 2011, they were the first band I filmed on what was then new gear. It was a song called "Slowski" in a spot called "The Dustbowl", and it still gets like 10 hits a day on my website, which I'm glad for. They deserve it. Figured I'd bring this full circle.
Total Fest is a stellar music festival, held yearly, in Missoula Montana. Enjoy.
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Listen : STOLEN - Live in Beijing, China.
Stolen are a young band from Chengdu, China, in the Sichuan province. I caught their act in October 2013 while on tour with P.K.14. It blew me away, so I asked them to play me a set in their rehearsal space. I'd catch them again in Beijing filming for The World Underground series. Upon my return to film the GUIGUISUISUI / Noise Arcade tour in East Asia, I screened a rough cut of my film, and booked a 5 band bill to coincide with the night. Stolen trekked 1,000 miles to play for an audience at Yugong Yishan. This is a recording of their set. The first 3 songs are new, and unreleased. The show was July 2014 and included SUBS, Residence A, DIDERS, and Chui Wan. Listen below :
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