Two Okinawa dates in April

As we earlier noted, Hikashu's Russia tour in April does not happen. So there's a big hole in their schedule around that time. But they acted swiftly and secured two dates in Okinawa, the southern island of Japan.

Okinawa has been popular for tourists, famous for its nature and culture but the band's fan there had been unfortunate for a long, long time because they had never have an opportunity to see the band.

That's no longer the case because Hikashu did pay a visit and perform in Okinawa last year, the first time ever for their 36 years of existence. The band enjoyed the island and expressed to revisit soon. And they are true to their words; Hikashu performs in Okinawa on April 1 and 3.


April 1, 2015
@ MODS
Chatan, Okinawa
open 19:00 - start 20:00
adv 3,000 yen - at door 3,500 yen
livehousemods.com

Mods, Chatan, Okinawa



April 3, 2015
@ Output
Naha, Okinawa
open 19:30 - start 20:00
adv 3,000 yen - at door 3,500 yen
outputop.com

Output, Naha, Okinawa

Current: March 2015 - The Russia Tour, Dance Music Series, Faith No More

Hikashu in Russia, 2014
The Russia Tour is to be rescheduled

The Russia Tour, originally scheduled in April, has been postponed for some reasons.

But it's NOT entirely cancelled. The band says it slates for this fall. Russia has been an important country for them because there's a solid fan base which is gradually but steadily growing.
The decision must be hard one to make but seemingly inevitable. Anyway, the band is looking forward to visiting the great northern country again.


Reissue project continues

Right now almost all the albums of Hikashu has been available as remastered edition, but some are still not see the light of day unfortunately.

For example, in middle 1980s the band recorded some music for ballet, fashion show, and contemporary dance, but unfortunately, just a portion of them were released on vinyl - "Nanimo Kamo Odore"  "Soba de Yokereba" and "Watashi No Tanoshimi." Among them, only "Watashi No Tanoshimi" [My Pleasure] was reissued on CD in 2012.

So how about the other albums, moreover, unreleased material? It has been known there's a ton of them in the vault.

And maybe it's high time to say rest assured because, although there's no official announcement yet, the band has been saying that they're working on the material for reissue on and off, and it will be released later this year at last.

The remastered edition of "Watashi No Tanoshimi" was a great example of reissue. The sound quality has been vastly improved (and the vinyl edition was picture disc - very enjoyable for eyes but sound quality-wise it's simply inferior). And as bonus tracks, it has some leftovers from the same period - all very interesting, from the viewpoint on both music and the band's history. For example, one of them is from the very first studio session of the line-up including bass player Sakaide Masami who then just joined the band.

And easily we could expect that the rest of the material receives similar treatment - remastered, re-sequenced, and includes related outtakes. Just can't wait.


Makigami and Faith No More

In February, Makigami made an appearance at a Faith No More gig in Tokyo. When the band hit an encore, Mike Patton announced there's a special guest. Of course it was Makigami and he did some khoomei. It was quite a surprise, and the audience went frenzy.

New album cover art and track list

It's official. Hikashu's new album "Ikitekoi Chinmoku" [Silence Be Alive] will be out on April 24, 2015. Its cover art and track list are as follows:

track list
(original Japanese / English titles)

1. Ikitekoi Chinmoku / Silence Be Alive
2. Naruhodo / Naruhodo (I Got It)
3. Jiyuu de Iindayo / It's all right to be free
4. Iroha Moyou / Iroha Tapestry
5. Magma No Tonari / Next to the Magma
6. Meron wo Narase! Beluga / Ring that Melon, Beluga!
7. Tenguri Kaeru / Return to Tengri
8. Hateshinai Okusoku / A Never-Ending Speculation
9. Konna Hito / Such a Man
10. Shizukana Shaboten / Quiet Cactus
11. Altai Meisou / Tangled Drive in Altai
12. Okitekoi Densetsu / Legend Be Awake

Total running time about 51 minutes.


The album was recorded at EastSide Sound NYC on November 2014. The engineer is Marc Urselli whom the band speaks highly of.

The cover art is made by the manga artist Sakabashira Imiri, who also did a splendid work for the "Ikirukoto" album. As you can see, his artwork incorporates the meaning of the lyrics, like his work for "Ikirukoto."

The recording session for the album was held shortly after the band's appearances at the Stone NYC.

The selections from the album has been performed at recent gigs, so regular attendees already know the album is going to be great, well up to our expectations. It's different than "Uragoe" or "Ban-Kan" but still retains Hikashu-esque.

Just wait, get it as soon as possible, then you will be gratified.


HMV Japan, which has English interface and accepts foreign orders, has already listed the album:
Hikashu - Ikitekoi Chinmoku