Kyushu Tour March 2015

While we're anxiously waiting a new album, Hikashu will tour Kyushu, a southern part of Japan, in March. Of course, you could expect the numbers from the forthcoming album be performed. The dates are as follows:


March 13 - AT Hall, Oita
March 14-15 - Space Terra, Fukuoka


March 13, 2015
@ AT Hall
Oita
Other acts: BID, Teiamato, and others
open 19:00 - start 19:30
adv 3,000 yen - at door 3,500 yen
www.athall.com

AT Hall, Oita



March 14-15, 2015
@ Space Terra
Fukuoka
open 18:30 - start 19:00 (March 14)
open 17:30 - start 18:00 (March 15)
adv 3,000 yen - at door 3,500 yen
(one drink order minimum)
www.spaceterra.net

Space Terra, Fukuoka

Currents: February 2015

Hikashu continues to work on the forthcoming album, tentatively called "Ikitekoi Chinmoku" (Silence Be Alive), which is going to be released in April.

So naturally they are kinda busy these days, preparing for the major release, and that's the reason why there is one Hikashu gig this month. It's held on February 20 at La Mama of Shibuya, Tokyo. Needless to say, the gig is interesting since the band surely plays the selections from the new album, as the last gig at Star Pine's Cafe in Kichijoji. (They did four.)

Right now the band is mixing the album. What we can do at this point is to wait . But no need to be too anxious - it's nigh.

There are other acts. Bin Hakase (Doctor Bottle) is a singer-songwriter who is also a huge collector of bottle himself. Oedo Sukeroku Taiko is an ensemble of Taiko, Japanese traditional drum.



Bin Hakase (Doctor Bottle) - The Hurricane of Bottle



Oedo Sukeroku Taiko performing at the famous crossing of Shibuya


February 20, 2015
"The Scenery of Snow Color"
@ La Mama
Shibuya, Tokyo
Other act: Bin Hakase (Doctor Bottle), Oedo Sukeroku Taiko (Taiko Ensemble)
open 18:30 - start 19:00
adv 3,000 yen - at door 3,300 yen
(one drink order minimum)

La Mama, Shibuya, Tokyo

Gigs in January 2015

This month Hikashu will perform two gigs in Tokyo. One is Shubuya with other musicians, and the other is solely their own, in Kichijoji.

The Shubuya gig is an interesting one - there are other two acts who has been active for years. Endo Kenji, nicknamed En-Ken, is a singer-songwriter who's been around for quite some time, even longer than Hikashu. He debuted in late 1960s as a mellow folk singer, but later reinvented himself as a power rocker. At this gig he will appear as a solo act - just himself and an acoustic guitar - but last time he performed, as a solo, along with Hikashu, he said "trying to be louder than Motorhead" on stage. Well, he performed fiercely and everybody were impressed. Also Yamada Koji, the other act, has a long career and his own style, which is very interesting.

The Kichijoji gig is billed as commemorating Makigami's birthday, actually it's a few days later, but anyway it's going to be interesting because they are likely to play selections from the forthcoming album, like last time.

Trailer of the movie "En-Ken vs. Nippon Budokan" (2005)

January 15, 2015
"Endless Legend"
@ La Mama
Shibuya, Tokyo
other act: Endo Kenji, Yamada Koji
open 18:30 - start 19:00
adv 3,500 yen - at door 3,800 yen

La Mama, Shibuya, Tokyo




January 23, 2015
"Makigami's Birthday Party"
@ Star Pine's Cafe
Kichijoji, Tokyo
open 18:30 - start 19:30
adv 3,900 yen - at door 4,300 yen

Star Pine's Cafe, Kichijoji, Tokyo

Happy New Year 2015

season's greetings from the band

 This new year looks pretty promising for Hikashu fans. First of all, new album is coming soon, even sooner than we all expected.

The album, tentatively titled "Ikitekoi Chinmoku," [Silence Be Alive] was recorded last November during their stay in New York. The two-days session turned out very well and the result is, according to Makigami, "very satisfying." The band is still working on the recording, but it's just adding little tweakings and no need more than that. Yes, it's supposedly almost completed right now.

Unfortunately, we cannot tell about how it sounds like. But the band premired two songs from the album at Kichijoji gig last November. One is a ballad, and the other is a utterly complicated song structually. The latter even reminded us of Captain Beefheart. Very interesting indeed.

So when it's out, you ask? Well, the band says it's April. Anyway, you're not supposed to wait so long.

Speaking of April, Hikashu is going to tour in Russia that month. It's a very long one - two weeks throughout the country. The audience in Russia has been very supportive to the band. And Hikashu is looking forward to meeting them again.

Regarding touring, the band plans to do a tour of Kyushu, southern part of Japan, in March.

As of the member's solo activities, guitarist Mita Freeman will be 60 this summer and he says he will hold a special concert series for commemorating that. As well as being a great musician, he's a quite character so it's going to be fun.





Other than that, right now the band announced only two other gigs in January - both in Tokyo which we'll cover later - but the band will be pretty active this year. You can count on that.

We wish this new year will be a pleasant one for all the fans.

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Hikashu Christmas Concert 2014 @ Daikanyama Unit, Tokyo on December 23

Since 2008, Hikashu has been holding concert series late December every year. Now it becomes a kind of ritual where fans throughout the country come to attend.

It draws crowd and it's understandable because a lot of bright moments happened there. For example, last year the Plastics appeared. They did a full set, 90 minutes with an encore, and their performance was utterly impressive. And this year's event also has a special guest; Togawa Jun.

Togawa Jun

In 1980, Togawa came to the scene as a vocalist of Guernica, a group led by a noted composer and keyboard player Ueno Koji. Her presence was outstanding, and she became one of the representative chanteuses of Japanese new wave movement, along with Phew (of Aunt Sally) and Ogawa Mishio (of Chakra).

Actually, Hikashu and Guernica used to mingle. In fact, both Ueno and Togawa have participated in recording sessions of Hikashu. Unfortunately, Guernica ceased to exist in 1982 and Togawa went solo. (There was a short reunion in late 80s.)

This year's event is special because this is the first time for Hikashu and Togawa performing together in public since 1982. 32 years ago! There was a double-bill concert of Hikashu and Guernica at Studio Alta, Shinjuku, Tokyo on December 31, 1982 so that is the last time, until now.

Studio Alta is located at the 7th floor of

 a shopping mall called Shinjuku Alta built in 1980, still in operation

There is one more important thing about the Shinjuku Alta concert for Hikashu's history because it is the first gig ever bass player Sakaide Masami performing in the band. Since then, he's been with them.

Sakaide Masami

 jurgenlehletc.jp

Regarding this year's concert, there are other notable guests. Okuma Wataru is a clarinet player who's also the leader of an ensemble called Cicara-Mvta.

Tatsumi Kogoro is a trumpeter who has played with Shibusashirazu Orchestra and others.

Hayashi is a guitarist-vocalist of an electro-pop band Polysics.

Moreover, there is a DJ set by Nanawo.


This year's event is billed as "Hikashu's Christmas Expedition of the Terra Incognita." Surely it sounds like a pretty exotic and exciting place to be. Let's join the ride.



"Hikashu's Christmas Expedition of the Terra Incognita"
December 23, 2014
@ Daikanyama Unit
Daikanyama, Tokyo
guest: Togawa Jun (vocals), Okuma Wataru (clarinet), Tatsumi Kogoro (trumpet), Hayashi (guitar, vocals), Nanawo (DJ)
open 17:30 - start 18:30
4,000 yen
ticket available at Ticket Pia, Lawson Ticket, eplus, ganban


Unit, Daikanyama, Tokyo

The Peggies invite Hikashu

 The Peggies

On December 4, Hikashu will perform at WWW in Shibuya, Tokyo. They are invited to play, as a guest, at a gig of the Peggies, a girls band just released their first album.


December 4, 2014
@ WWW
Shibuya, Tokyo
open 18:30 - start 19:00
adv 2,500 yen - at door 3,000 yen
ticket available at Lawson Ticket, and eplus

WWW, Shibuya, Tokyo