Too Dangerous(Kiken Sugiru)

Asai Kenichi single-Kiken Sugiru(with eng sub)



For some reason this guy remind me a lot of Bob Dylan. Both are master of words, a natural story teller, born poet, similar love-it-or-hate-it vocal quality, Kenichi's face look a bit like a younger, asian version of Bob Dylan and both have stand their ground with their own brand of music without much help from mainstream media and survive the test of time.

Though if I really had to choose one, its really a no brainer. Kenichi got a major advantage, his god-given guitar talent. And time.

Chiba Yusuke Rare Discography

Chiba's work in the period between TMGE dissolvement and the kick start of The Birthday. This stuff become slightly rare outside Japan maybe because the facts that these bands are shortlived (1 album each) and lack of commercial succes i guess, so most people opt to post his more high profile band like Rosso and The Birthday instead. Most of this stuff sound very different from his TMGE, Rosso, The Birthday-more like an experimental phase, so consider yourself warned..

1. Raven

-Not much that I can find about this band other than it is actually a solo project of Terui Toshiyuki (ex-BJC) in which Chiba sung in all but 2 song.

Download

Raven-限り無く赤に近い黒(kagiri naku aka ni chikai kuro)

Single-Cherry Bon Bon PV




2. Midnight Bankrobbers


-Straight to my top 10 most awesome band name! After disbanding Rosso, Chiba and Imai Akinobu join forces and create 'Midnight Bankrobbers' duo in 2006. Most of the songs are instrumental and my personal favorite tracks are Shoplifter Runaway to Hell and Shoplifter Runaway from Hell, purely from the awesomeness of the titles. Just kidding, these tracks are great and would be the perfect theme for any midnight bankrobbing..

Download

Midnight Bankrobbers-Pinocchio in the winter

Himalaya PV





3. The Midwest Viking


Midwest Viking are: Lacoste, Arnold, Toroy and Hang Ten. In no particular order.

-Well this project is just for fun. All the members true identity never revealed, everyone wear shades, sombreros and hide their faces with bandana. And they wear footbal jersey. Their only output, a maxi-single 'Vamos Tokyo' is written in support of their favorite football team FC Tokyo. An ad from Tower Record reveal that it is "sang by original TMGE Chiba and Kuhara".

Download
Vamos Tokyo!

Vamos Tokyo-Audio only






Ah..what the hell. Lets get this out of my system. Since we're already here lets just have some Chiba-Yusuke-featuring-orgy.

You can convert the youtube video to .mp3, just use google.

1. Chiba Yusuke with Murder-All Day and All Night(The Kinks cover)


2. Rock n Roll Gypsies featuring Chiba Yusuke-Do The Boogie(The Rooster cover)


3. Katteni Shiyagare featuring Chiba Yusuke-Romeo single

4. Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra:
a) Kanariya naku sora(Canary crying sky)-hands down Chiba's best hairdo.



b) Rosie(the Rooster cover)



5. Star Casino-Stroll Around the World

-This one track is made solely for the ost of Lumines II videogame. And it is Chiba+ electro music, kinda strangely trippy too.



Now that is one long ass post. If anyone want to request anything J-Rock related, just ask and I'll try my best to find it or at least point ya to the right direction. And Visual Kei stuff is NOT in my definition of J-Rock, so all you squealing fangirls can get the hell outta my page. Peace out, hombre.

Dad Mom God, The Pontiacs

It seem that two of my bass gods finally get themselves some high-profile gig recently..




1. Ueno Koji( ex-TMGE, Radio Caroline), current bassist for the Hiatus and Muto Syohei solo project has join the band 'DAD MOM GOD'. It is a solo project from ex-TSPO Tatsuyuki Hiyamuta which featuring many veterans of Japanese rock scene like Junji Ikehata(Rock n Roll Gypsies), Masaki Mori (EGO-WRAPPIN’), and Dub Zombi (SOIL & “PIMP” SESSIONS). This might be a shortlived side project though, as Tatsuyuki Hiyamuta is currently..how do you say this.. only on hiatus from TSPO. He is focusing on recovering his leg injury that he got couple of years back in a Thailand car accident. Due to heavy local and worldwide touring schedule of TSPO, his leg never fully recovered. The band's debut album 'Poem Like a Gun'-produced by Asai Kenichi's Sexystones Record-sound a bit like TSPO familiar territory of highly energetic ska-rock-jazz. But with lesser member, the band's sounds appear less messy, simpler and more focused.

And more volume.

Download
Poem Like a Gun

First Single-'Kicking for Kicks'

"No one try to do something, anyway!!"

2. Terui Teshuyuki( ex-BJC, Rosso) is finally reunited with his old comrade-in-arm Asai Kenichi in a new band The Pontiacs. Thats right people, 2/3 of Blankey Jet City creative muscle once again resurrected from the depth of Hades to blow our mind with their destructive Rock n Roll tunes. WAHAHAHAHA!!!Okay..thats a bit overdramatic.
Unfortunately the band currently only produced one single-'Galaxy Head Meeting'- and I cant get my filthy-downloading-hand on them yet, so you guys just gonna have to wait.

The Pontiacs-Teaser Preview

"Do you ever wonder what you're doing with your life? Do you ever lay awake at night, and stare at the stars with your headphones on? Do you ever feel like you can do more with your life, and the rules are holding you back? If you wake up for your 9-5 just to come back home for beer and TV, then The Pontiacs are not talking to you.

The curve of the guitar body, the faded polish of the neck, the hum of the tube amp, the rattle of fingers sliding down the neck, the vibration of the kick drum hitting your chest, the glisten of sweat off the mic., the intense stare of three musicians losts in sound. These are....The Pontiacs."

Blankey Jet City

I cant believe I never put a post for Blankey Jet City. Even as a hardcore fan of TMGE that I am, I got to admit that 90's Japan belong to Asai Kenichi and his comrades. The trio-Asai Kenichi(vo/gtr) ,Terui Teshuyuki(bass) and Tatsuya Nakamura(dr.) first stirred the public when they won the Ikaten Grand Prix, a television show for amateur ' battle of the band' in 1990. They got signed with Toshiba-EMI shortly after and off to London to record their debut " The Red Guitar and The Truth".

Blankey Jet City bring the image of cool bad boys. . However Blankey's true strength is in their sound. Its core- a powerful, raw rock n roll spirit beautifully fused with a perfect portion of blues and jazz and rockabilly. Asai Kenichi is truly a certified guitar genius, nailing that sound unthinkable by others but a select few, the like of Jimmy Hendrix or BB King.
This was a fearless Japanese band with something to say. “Going to Disneyland”, was about “cold people” on what should have been a fun trip, captured the spirit of a dehumanized society. "

This band had been disbanded in 2000, with all member going different direction with their music. Asai Kenichi with his Sherbets, AJICO and Jude project, Terui Teshuyuki with Raven, Rosso and Joe Spider/Jim Brown, and Tatsuya Nakamura with his band Losalios.

Blankey Jet City - To Disneyland

r.i.p

The year 2010 just claim the life of two Englishman whose names are very big in rock music history.

"When I look in the mirror, I see an old bloke. But as soon as I strap on a guitar, I feel 18 again."

Michael Robert (Mick) Green
(February 22, 1944 – January 11, 2010)

This influential English guitarist died at age 65. Though never a household name, he is one of the first British guitar heroes. His unique playing style: able to play lead and rhythm line at the same time, inspired generations of great guitarist- most notably Dr Feelgood's Wilko Johnson, The Who's Pete Townshend and Thee Michelle Gun Elephant's Abe Futoshi.

Mick's eulogy( written by his son Brad Green)

Life is not a rehearsal.

This is something dad reminded us of on more than one occasion. If life is not a rehearsal then surely it is a performance and performing is something that encapsulated every fibre of dad’s being. In many ways it’s strange to hear people talking about dad as a legend, as a music icon because to Mum, Lloyd and me, he was above all a father a husband and a friend in equal proportion who simply happened to be a guitarist. I know those of us who knew him well will remember him for his humour, his sarcasm his razor sharp wit and his modesty. His ability to make even the most unlikely situation humorous will remain with us all.

Dad’s performance continued way beyond the realms of music industry prowess and achievement. As a husband, I know that he adored my mother Karen who was by his side every day of my father’s life and who stands by his side today. As a father-in-law he loved and was loved by his two daughters-in-law Alice and Hannah and of course by his granddaughter Isabelle.

The circle of life is as joyous as it is heartbreaking and only 24 hours after the birth of Lloyd’s son, and Mick’s new grandson Ashton Green, we were told that dad had passed away and his performance had come to an end.

My father has left the stage and for those of you waiting for an encore, go to the internet, search for Mick Green and you will see him how he wanted to be remembered.

Heaven just got a bit louder.

“Rock and roll doesn't necessarily mean a band. It doesn't mean a singer, and it doesn't mean a lyric, really. It's that question of trying to be immortal.”

Malcolm Robert Andrew McLaren
(22 January 1946 – 8 April 2010)

Dead at 64 from suspected asbestos-linked rare cancer mesothelioma , this punk mastermind have his equal share of admirers and haters. He claimed to have single-handedly created punk, and its partly true. He gave punk The Music( The Sex Pistols), The Look( his destructive fashion with his S.E.X clothing) and The Attitude( firing songwriter Glen Matlock to fit in Sid Vicious). This is the guy who predicted the rise of PCs, mp3s and that soon major record companies would be fucked, and once run for London city mayor and he was standing to legalised brothels and alcohol in libraries!
What else did you expect from a person whose grandmother feed the child with ideas that " being bad is good..being good is boring"?

The world just lost the greatest rock and roll swindler. But his name will be forever immortal.