check

Final check; recording starts tomorrow!

whoops

forgot the pictures!

hmm

That sure was a live...

Not great. New outfits always throw you off the first time. And the stagehands were frustratingly inattentive.

But the crowd was great so who cares really :D

The contacts are new too; from 9mm Sfx in the US. Pricey but look great. Theyre much bigger than regular lenses, which is a little daunting at first.

Crypto said I look like a drum major; I think I look like a wild west barkeep.

Next is photoshoots AND RECORDING

asia

Weh heh heh〜

KOREA

Chemical Pictures
&
D=OUT

TWO-MAN LIVE in KOREA

June 12 & 13, Seoul LiveclubSSAM

info:
http://blog.naver.com/violetlive

secret

Today is a secret live at Cyber, suckaz

the 314 day

One-mans are relaxing and yet busier at the same time.

We all met up in the 'Book (that's "ikebukuro" in bilingual brat slang) and drove on to Black Hole, which is a small live house that's gotten some more use lately as bands are trying to branch out and break away from the typical model of a floundering business. We hung up some decorations ourselves, tested the video projector, and did a nice lengthy sound check.

We have a few songs with lots of bells and whistles and we're using a cumbersome multi-track and mixer that Shiun has to control himself. We had been so, so strapped for time, what with building two of the three songs that use the douki from the ground up, that we were re-programming and re-mixing levels basically on the fly that day.

We got into makeup, took zillions of polaroids which I hate taking because they're time-consuming and I never know how to pose or what I should write on them, but they sell like drug-laced hotcakes so take them I must.

some Askew staff came to report and shoot, and Tomo from echostream also came, which was cool because I've only ever chatted with him over our Japanese blogs. Our one-time support guitarist Jun came, as did Jojo from Gyaro and shoot what was the crazy guitarist from Backdrop Zero-shiki's name...? And Musha and the accessory craftsman we work with and a bunch of other people. We're doing a 4-man with Satsuki at Black Hole later on and that'll suckkkkk because the backstage area there is practically non-existent.

Anyway. The show went really, really smoothly. There's something about having 200 people in a room that came JUST TO SEE YOU that pumps you up. I was drenched with set merely a few songs in, and we still had an hour and a half or so to go, and I thought I'd keel over any moment. And it was one of those situations where, keeling over would be awesome and SO rock 'n' roll, haha. Or so you think, in the moment.

Highlights I suppose would be "Planetarium", the clip of which I linked to Tenten's blog earlier. That's from the ending section, and I'm typically never really impressed with my staging when I re-watch videos, but I think it looks really cool.

Joe's strap broke right at the end of Kanjou Kuzubako Kyoukaisen, so the beginning of Yamusora was a bit anemic, but that's why we have lotsa gear waiting backstage. And two roadies!

I found myself reflecting on the lyrics to Reincarnation as we played it. On the surface, they are very deep, and to hear Tenten explain it, it really is a deep message, but when reminiscing on the high I felt during the performance, I remember the lyrics were inspired by Tenten's chihuahua back at home, and I laugh a little bit.

I should translate the lyrics and put 'em here, actually.


The first encore was a song we'd written in the week leading up to the show, based on guitar and keyboard parts Joe brought in. I haven't seen the lyrics yet, but Joe tells me he was impressed by them. It's a ballad, and it drags on quite a bit for my taste, but I'll help tighten it up if we decide to lay it down on wax. (hey youngsters, masters used to be pressed on wax discs. also we used to store data and play music via magnetic tape! DO YOU BELIEVE ME? it was just a metaphor anyway)

The second encore, which we hadn't really planned for, was Praparat. By this point I was seriously at the end of my physical rope. We went off stage and collapsed in a collective heap.


Oh, and what set the mood for the whole night? The curtain was closed, lights go down, an electro number we made starts playing, and the announcements come up...

Dr SHIUN Official Member
Crowd: yaaaaaaaaay
2nd Maxi Single
Crowd: Heeeeeeeeeeh!?
3rd Maxi Single
Crowd: Heeeeeeeeeeeeh??!!
4th Maxi Single
Crowd: HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHH?!??!?!?!?
All the way up to the 6th, and then the one-man announcement, great applause, and then the curtains whip open and we busted into My Harlot Broker.

As we were standing there, quivering with nervousness, listening to those surprised cheers at the news... we were grinning like idiots.

...It feels kinda, almost wrong writing a live report about my own band that's as gushing as this might read to be, but there was definitely something good about the event that'll always stick with me.

Thanks to Cryptomayhem, Biju-Ska, and all the other white dudes and ladies who were there, because it's so nice to know that I have supporters, in spite of the disjointed junk I write all up on this blog. You're all lovely friends.


I mentioned in an earlier entry that I don't like music much these days, and Silv knew exactly one of the interviews of which I spoke, in which an annoyed Patton interrupts himself to complain about Wolfmother on the next stage over. (The other one, in which he makes the same sentiment regarding new bands, is much older, and he is eating a sandwich.)
I was having a very spirited discussion with my best friend about my recent artistic apathy when I realized that even when nothing else thrills me, I can throw on my post-rock/metal mix and totally get into that. And though they often get lumped with prog rock, Porcupine Tree's older, long, super-ambient stuff relaxes me. But recently I'd also been getting into Deftones, and now with new songs coming out, watching their recent live performances and everything, they're really the sort of band that makes you want to join a band. I can't place a finger on what I like about their vibe.




SECRET SHOW THIS FRIDAY

Stuff I forgot

So our "new member" "Rudolf", its blog is over here.

A very short clip of last night's performance of "Planetarium" is here.

Also...

We are going to be releasing 5 singles, 1 each month, starting from May, culminating in a ONE-MAN at Shibuya O-WEST on September 17th, and the whole dealio is called "The Man who Sold the World".

:)

oh hey

you should very probably click right here

real quick

hey whiteys and other english-speakers who blessed me with their presence tonight:

You make me SO HAPPY. And you have a knack for incredible gifts.

Goodness gracious I love you all.

haha who says goodness gracious

placeholder

Amazing. DEFINITELY writing more tmr.

1 year

One year ago today I played a fun show.

Only 3 of us remain, but we have new friends on board to mark the occasion.

Should be fun.

One-mans are surprisingly relaxing for me.

Itinerary

Here is our mission for March 14th, 2010:

1. My Harlot Broker
This is, at first glance, a typically heavy soaring VK anthem made distinct, in my opinion, by the tons of interesting vocal and guitar layers. New song, and one a friend worked on with us.

2. 笑うピカソ / Laughing Picasso
We've been playing this song a lot this year; very Thee Michelle Gun Elephant-ish.

3. 溺れる魚　/ Drowning Fish
Weird dancey riffs that go into a fast punky chorus. Debuted live with Warau Picasso.

4. Human Rubbish
One of the first Chemical Pictures songs. Masami helped out with this one.

5. Bluesmen -MC-
A competent, slow and smoky blues jam, because Tenten hates MC'ing over silence. It does mean, though, that I get very few breaks. :-P

6. 闇に降るプラネタリウム / Planetarium
Another new song; Tenten plays guitar live for this, which he enjoys all too much.

7. 翼を下さい / Give Me Wings
The heaviest we get without being outright metal.

8. 感情屑籠境界線　/ Emotional Boundary Wastebasket
I have no idea how I should translate that. (don't tell anyone but this isn't going to be my favorite song anytime soon if you catch my drift)

9. 病む空 / Sick Sky
This song's been around since before CPS.

-MC-

10. 奈落に咲く / Blooming in Hell
My first songwriting contribution to Chemical Pictures I've done all on my own. I've been sitting on this song since I was 17, and I'm afraid it will show...

11. Black Box
Another old song.

12. Reincarnation
You should know this one.

13. 素晴らしき忌々しさ / Beautiful Stupidity
Another old song.

14. Walking Ashland
Good ol' country rockabilly craziness, I dunno.

15. Stand By Me
Another old song, and our standard closer.

16. (music)
If anyone remembers the old old CPS site, there was a flash intro that started with Schwarzwald and after a divebomb squeal went into a 6/4 groove; that's what this is. We should probably name it one of these days.

Nervoussssss and now I will sleep!

314

Tomorrow marks the first anniversary of Chemical Pictures.

Sorry I haven't written much these days. I'm still in that process of REEVALUATING MY LIFE and stuff.

Do you ever find yourself hating music? I'm in that boat right now. I saw an old interview with Mike Patton recently where they asked him what new bands he thinks are good, and he says he hates music. I could definitely relate. I find myself listening to free lectures on my iPod far more than music, except outside of CPS stuff I have to learn.

We've got a huge setlist tomorrow and lots of shenanigans so it should be really cool, actually.

In other news, I just fixed some hardware and electronic problems on my 5-string and I haven't felt this manly in years.

NHK MJ

No closeups of me but still there it is. I was sort of waiting up to watch it, as it had been pushed back to 1:30am because of figure skating, but then I fell asleep. Thank goodness for the internet.


Oh and by the by, KuRt's revival show was amazing. Humbling and invigorating at the same time.


One-man on the 14th, some shows after that... I think we've got a new website in the works so we can all finally read what the heck is going on with us. Good news coming up as well.