Two weeks from today at Zepp Tokyo.

the pillows STROLL AND ROLL TOUR Final.

I caught Mitski last week at a small venue--very nice. There's something calming and somewhat mesmerizing about her songs. Just her and a drummer, they're very minimal, but just enough.

My body is exhausted from three nights in a row of Brand New rocking my face off. Got Porter Robinson tomorrow night. Two nights of Frank Turner in a row at the end of the upcoming week.

[quote="Marekenshin"]My body is exhausted from three nights in a row of Brand New rocking my face off. Got Porter Robinson tomorrow night. Two nights of Frank Turner in a row at the end of the upcoming week. [/quote]

Sometimes rock shows are the best form of aerobics for me. Good for you for getting to so many shows--it's good for your health!

Cornelius in Oakland, CA. Mind melt

[img]http://i.imgur.com/QvSMiAi.jpg[/img]

must have downloaded fantasma around 04/05. crazy to see it in person. oyamada rockin the mustang. chick from buffalo daughter on bass. yuko araki on the drums. some other dude idr lol

Some of our friends were at that show, sounds like it was really awesome. Maybe he'll do a broader tour in the future.

My last show was a killer lineup of Giraffes? Giraffes!, LITE, and This Town Needs Guns. It was math rock madness, and while all acts were incredible, I think LITE was my favorite of the night. I see they're doing a west coast tour with Mouse on the Keys, I'm so tempted.

Wow, didn't realise all these Japanese math rock bands were popular enough to tour the US now! Mouse on the Keys will definitely be worth seeing, man! As for TTNG...was thoroughly disappointed with their new album (no pun intended; I take no joy in saying that).

Just saw Jeff Rosenstock, solo acoustic in a Chinatown bar. Rammed straight through his set; very little chitter chatter; played a couple of Bomb! classics ("Stand There Until You're Sober", "Future 86"); also played a couple off the [i]I Look Like Shit[/i] mixtape ("The Internet is Everywhere", "Bonus Oceans"; was very satisfied that I got to hear the latter) in addition to the typical [i]We Cool?[/i] cuts; no [i]Summer Seven Club[/i] tracks or impromptu random covers. Bought a shirt afterward and he complemented my Ging Nang Boyz shirt. Also saw a ton of local punk celebrities.

[quote="dimsim3478"]Wow, didn't realise all these Japanese math rock bands were popular enough to tour the US now! Mouse on the Keys will definitely be worth seeing, man! As for TTNG...was thoroughly disappointed with their new album (no pun intended; I take no joy in saying that). [/quote]
Speaking of Japanese math rock bands, a bunch of my friends really like Toe. Looks like they're only touring Europe right now, but I'd love to see them if they swing by the US!

They came over here the past two years, so hopefully they'll be back again next year.

We saw Hop Along on Friday night, which was super amazing in spite of their short set (they were opening for Saves the Day, and the venue had them cut off so early that the stage was sitting silent for almost 20 minutes after all the gear changing was done...). Was hanging around to see if Saves the Day would open with the song my wife was hoping to hear and to see if I couldn't catch a chance to talk to the guitarist a bit/ask him about his setup, and by awesome chance noticed him right by the soundboard right before we were heading out. Praised his guitarwork and said I'd never heard anyone get such a fierce tone out of a telecaster, got an "aw, thanks so much; you get a hug!" in return. Whole band seems super chill, and they always look like they're having the times of their lives playing together. Go see them the next time they roll through your city, seriously.

Not sure what the next next show we're going to is, but we have another round of Brand New in November (with Modern Baseball, which is also super exciting) as well as Porter Robinson (with Madeon).

As much as I want Bill Ward to play with them, it's their last tour so I'm going to see Black Sabbath Wednesday.

I went to the Guided by Voices show last Wednesday, but I was less than impressed, mainly due to the audience being a bunch of losers. In a post-back-injury-and-also-slightly-under-the-weather state, I was highly paranoid that the people moshing would involve me and injure me further. They ended up getting in a fight and being escorted out, but others continued throwing beer in my hair and a strung out girl kept hanging on me, so I left early. I understand that a rock show by its nature isn't going to be a gentle place, but I feel some people push their luck.

[quote="yaro"]I went to the Guided by Voices show last Wednesday, but I was less than impressed, mainly due to the audience being a bunch of losers. In a post-back-injury-and-also-slightly-under-the-weather state, I was highly paranoid that the people moshing would involve me and injure me further. They ended up getting in a fight and being escorted out, but others continued throwing beer in my hair and a strung out girl kept hanging on me, so I left early. I understand that a rock show by its nature isn't going to be a gentle place, but I feel some people push their luck.[/quote]

Sorry to hear that. That stuff always get to me so bad - usually the kinds of shows I go to, it'll just be "That Guy", but when you're surrounded by a ton of rowdy drunken jerks, it can be such an alienating experience. I wonder what Japanese bands who tour the US think of our audiences. On one hand I wonder if they feel even more like rock stars, but I also wonder if they think "God guys, calm the F down, you're gonna hurt someone".

[quote="Orochi"]Speaking of Japanese math rock bands, a bunch of my friends really like Toe. Looks like they're only touring Europe right now, but I'd love to see them if they swing by the US![/quote]
I'd say they'll almost definitely be back. They've got a pretty good working relationship with Topshelf and have toured the U.S. twice since 2013 (with the 2015 tour being a full 15-date run). Might not be until the next album that they come back, though...

[quote="GoldenRhino"]I wonder what Japanese bands who tour the US think of our audiences. On one hand I wonder if they feel even more like rock stars, but I also wonder if they think "God guys, calm the F down, you're gonna hurt someone".[/quote]

I wonder about that too. Honestly, the atmosphere of the Japanese rock show was one of the biggest culture shocks to me when I went there. I wonder what Japanese audience members might feel, too, being at a US show...I brought one Japanese person I know to see Bully earlier this year, but I don't know how to consider the results because he had promptly gotten very drunk and fit right in with the chaos. I suppose it must depend on the person, like everything else.

In the vein of Japanese bands touring the US, I bought a ticket to see the Japanese band the Let's Go's who will be stopping by in a few weeks--I know next to nothing about them, but after watching a few videos, they seem like they might be fun, and tickets were very cheap. Sometimes I like to go try out new bands when admission is affordable.