Sorry folks, but the picture uploading takes longer than I thought. I only got through about 20 pictures last night before it was midnight and I decided I better hit the hay. I'm playing (hopefully) at another open mic tonight, so I'm not sure I'll have time to upload more photos tonight, but I promise I will get them up ASAP.
I'm at work now, and it's really bizarre because there is nobody here. I think Shino may be out of town, actually, and Ted sent me a text message saying he had some personal errands and would be in around noon. I didn't get the message, though, until about 10:00, so I was here for about an hour before that wondering where the heck everybody was and was there some national holiday that I didn't know about. I went to my old friends' live last night. It was quite good. I was able to talk to them a little bit afterwards, too, but not as much as I would have liked because it was really crowded and various people kept coming up to them and talking. The live house (that's what they call them--there are a ton of live houses in Tokyo, where a band can pay to play a very professional-style show), was pretty small but really neat. Also, I feel really cool when I'm the only foreigner that goes to things like this and doesn't just do the touristy stuff. Is that bad of me? hehe. The show was actually a line-up of about 6 bands, and it was the 7th of a series of shows called "pure acoustic." The thing I did like about it was that it started at 5, so I didn't have to leave early so as to not miss my train or anything. Most of the bands were pretty good. On the bad end of the spectrum was this woman who, while she did have a good voice and the actual band was fairly rocking, all she did was sing covers of American songs (Stevie Wonder, Jackson 5, etc.). I mean, to do a cover or two in your show is one thing, but to do an entire show of covers--of songs that aren't even in your native language? No, it didn't work for me. I felt like I was watching Karaoke. I really wanted to step outside at that point (also, because it was really hot in there and I was wearing like 3 layers), but I was talking to Haruka, so I stayed. Everyone else there seemed to really love it, though. Different cultures...
On the good end of the spectrum was the group I went to see: Spring-roll. It's a group of two girls, one, Maki, plays piano while the other, Haruka, sings. Maki is a monster on the piano. I mean seriously, she can really wail on that thing. And they had a baby grand in the live house, so it sounded great. And Haruka's voice is pretty good. Most of the time she sings like most of the other bubblegum-pop-style Japanese pop stars, but when she did the more blues-y songs, those were my favorites. The other band that I thought was fantastic was a 3-woman string trio (violin, viola, cello) of all electric instruments (the cellist had the exact same one I have), called "rush!". They played really up-tempo--almost dance-style--music over pre-recorded techno beats. They were incredible, so skilled with the instruments, playing insanely fast tunes that really rocked. I, of course, mainly watched the cellist most of the time and I was just blown away. AND, by the end of the show, she was standing and dancing while playing the cello at the same time. It was pretty amazing. I really wanted to buy their album, but I didn't have enough money on me. I need to find out where I can get it, though. I also wanted to talk to them afterwards, but they never came out from backstage. Probably because if they did, they would be barraged by all us men. They were absolutely gorgeous--like, model-style, drop-dead gorgeous--and wearing these very sexy, sleek black dresses.
So yeah, tonight it's off to another open mic: this one is at the Rock Factory (it's a bar) in Roppongi. They have an acoustic-style open mic every Monday. Perfect for me. Hopefully. Yuki will also be going and playing, and we're gonna meet up for dinner beforehand. Then the rest of the week goes as follows:
Nothing big at work, I don't think. At least, nothing like last week, with all the meetings and shows and the OECD conference. I do want to go to that interior design show at Big Sight, which is going on Wednesday through Friday.
Wednesday night I got invited back to the Ruby Room open mic again, and I have some new friends coming to see me, so I will be doing that for sure. Haruka and Maki said they might come, but I don't expect them to. I think they're a little too big-time to come see me play. But Yuta and Yutaka and Kie should be coming. Other than that I don't have plans until Saturday, where I'll be going to an Oxfam charity event (I believe it's a used items sale--clothing, books, etc.), which will be good because I could actually use another pair of jeans here. I only brought two and I wear them pretty much every day. Nobody wears shorts here. Aside from the very obvious method of picking foreigners out of a crowd, another way is from clothing. t-shirts and shorts; it's a good bet they're a foreigner. Everybody is so fashionable here all the time, it's pretty intense. I like it, though. And I've noticed that people will approach/talk to you much more easily when you're dressed nicer (i.e. dressed like they are).
Then on Sunday, I think I'll be going to the Ghibli museum with Kie, which is really exciting. Studio Ghibli is the Studio owned by Hayao Miyazaki, the genius behind the animated films Princess Mononoke, Howl's Moving Castle, Spirited Away, and many other (Japanese) classics. Studio Ghibli is oft referred to as the Disney of Japan, but the two are hardly comparable. Disney, while creative in its own rights, (in my opinion) doesn't even come close to the creativity of Studio Ghibli's creations. Anyways, I wanted to go to the Ghibli museum last time I was in Tokyo, but you have to get tickets about a week in advance, which I didn't know and I didn't know how to reserve the tickets either, so I was unable to go. Luckily, now I have a Japanese friend who can take care of that for me, so Kie said she would get tickets and take me. Yay!
Well, that's all I've got for now. Stay tuned for reports on tonight's open mic! Much Love.
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