BBQ Party with BAD company

A night to remember. 

Angela Aki: a mother and turning enka

Good news for Angela~! Jpop star Angela and her (music director) husband revealed just a day after Angela's birthday that they are expecting their first child. It is due this February, but she still pushes through her annual performance in the Nippon Budokan. The new hair is a good change, but somehow I miss her messy yet classy hairdo. lol

Anyway, I'm happy for her~!

AND a new single from Angela. It is a cover of Ishikawa Sayuri (enka singer), "Tsugaru Kaikyo Fuyugeshiki." When I first heard her song, I was screaming "ENKA". This may be a change for Jpop lovers out their who adored Angela's covers. But this enka cover is really GOOD, and I'm afraid, it can only be appreciated by people who likes enka (like me). 

I love Ishikawa Sayuri's vocal prowess and a cover can be a hit or miss for any Jpop artist who dares to cover her songs. Well, this cover really proves Angela's good voice control. Enka is known for its very complex voice techniques and for Angela Aki to pull it off in a classy way (with her piano), it is really an achievement. Her soothing voice mixed with Enka gives the song a more personal emotional impact. Most Enka song gives very heavy emotional content (most of the time lamenting) and the mixes can be sometime very dated. A new approach on enka can be a good change ever since Sakamoto Fuyumi's hit in the 2000's , "Tada Kimi ni Koishiteru" (despite the decline of enka industry). It's enka with a contemporary beat and sound. It somehow reminds me of Maki Hino's enka with piano accompaniments. I actually want Angela to cover more enka songs since she might attract younger audience for enka.

Remember, this is from someone who love both Angela and Enka. :)

Sayuri Ishikawa:

Angela Aki:

Oh, My Land!

Gorgeous and classy, that's Nanna for you. Known as "Oh Land", Nanna is a talented singer-songwriter from Denmark. She was born into an historically rich and music-oriented family with a theater organist as a father and an opera singer as her mother, which contributed a lot in her music. With her physique and beauty, one could have mistaken her for a model rather than a musician and this is because of her previous passion: ballet. Before she would have been known as Oh Land, Nanna was a promising ballerina. Because of a serious back injury, Nanna had ended her career as a ballerina. That was one of the saddest events of her life, but not long after, music became her savior. She made her bedroom her studio and music her playground. Now, Nanna has made her dreams come true.

What is 'Taishu Engeki'?

Picturesque photo captured from a Taishu Engeki performance. This is my wallpaper. Beautiful shot indeed.

If you ask me what is my current muse, it would be Taishu Engeki.

Try asking people about traditional Japanese theater and the most common answers would be Kabuki, Noh (masked theater), or  Bunraku (puppet theater). These traditional Japanese theaters have been practiced over hundreds of years and today, these became the highest art forms in traditional Japanese theater. However, what most people don't know is the existence of a particular kind of theater in Japan that have been practiced also for over hundreds of years and survived as traditional theater and  at the same time also a modern theater. 

Colorful Videos

These are two of the recent videos released this year from Brooke and Ingrid. These videos are my recent favorites, because of their color themes. Yes, they are both modern folk songs. :D

Parachute

Ingrid Michealson

Ain't she lovely? Ingrid Michealson is an Indie Folk singer-songwriter from New York, USA. She was born from artistic parents: her father is a composer and her mother is a sculptor. She became known through Grey's Anatomy since the series have used many of her songs in some of its episodes. Like Angela Aki, Ingrid's most notable feature is her eyeglasses which suits her well, btw. 

There is a particular song that I like that was just recently released. Through knowing the song, I actually was able to identify what I prefer when it comes to music from today's mainstream industry.

Music and Mission

Brooke Fraser

There are many people asking why didn't she become a model. She's tall (over 6ft), pretty and stylish. However, Brooke Fraser already chose her career path and she chose to be come a musician. This pretty singer-songwriter hails from New Zealand. Before she was known as a Musician, she was a writer and became the editor of Soul Purpose, a youth Christian magazine. After three years of service, she pursued her music career. At the age of 19, she became one of New Zealand's most celebrated recording artist with her album "What To Do With Daylight." She also have collaborations with Hillsong United from time to time by singing and writing songs. After three years, she released her follow-up album, "Albertine" which became one of her most life-changing experiences. Before the release of her album, Brooke went to Rwanda, Africa for an immersion which let her see the world in a new light.

Going Folk on Music

I have very varied taste on music. I like classical music, trip hop, rock, metal, anti-folk, new wave and so on and so forth.  However, I have grown a dislike on pop music, especially today. I do not hate pop entirely however, I just do not like how the music industry's way of presenting pop music. Somehow, I mostly see pretty faces, but no talent. It seems like image is more important than the music they produce. I rarely see artists with talent that's why I am so picky when I choose pop artists. And...auto-tune...

One of the reasons why I do not listen to pop music nowadays is because of the digitally-enhanced voices on I hear. Most singers have their voice digitally enhanced to sound more pleasing. Through this, many artists can mask their lack of vocal quality and can only be good in studio music. It is one of the aspects of the progression of technology which I do not really like. So instead of listening to mainstream music, I stepped back and looked for artists in the indie and folk music industry.

Modern Folk Artists

Brooke Fraser: Folk Rock and Contemporary Christian Artist

Because of this, I found myself looking checking modern folk music artists like Ingrid Michaelson and Brooke Fraser. Ingrid Michaelson is an indie artist who I discovered accidentally, when I randomly downloaded her song in LJ. Her indie folk songs are fun and upbeat which brings a very contemporary sound. This kind of style is very apparent in her song "Be OK" which I like.

Brooke Fraser, on the other hand was introduced to me by my mother. The first time I heard of her was when she performed "Age to Age" with the Hillsong United. I loved her voice immediately. Brooke is the one who introduced me to Folk Rock which is more upbeat and playful. Her voice blends well with her sound and she really got some fun videos. One of my favorites from her songs is "Something in the Water" which has very prominent folk elements with a touch of rock.

Japanese Folk Music

Atari Kousuke: Folk Jpop Artist

What I like about the Japanese music industry is that their sound is very varied and somewhat edgey. I have been a fan of lots of their musicians, because of their uniqueness and individualism. Still, I do not go for their mainstream music. Because of this, I was reintroduced to Japanese Folk Music.

Honestly, when I heard a Japanese folk song before, I cringe. It is not likable at first. One example of this is Sakura Taisen's 2nd ending theme. I think the Ryukoka style of singing kinda disturbs me since in my young ears, it sounds like a drunk person singing...somewhat. However, as I listened to the song more often, I grew a liking to it. Not long after that, it became one of my favorites. That was ten years ago.

In 2005, when I watched Samurai Champloo, an insert song caught my attention. It was a song sang by Ikue Asazaki which conveys strong feelings of longing and sadness. I was wondering why I was moved by a weirdly sang song. I never thought that such music could be so vivid in expressing such emotions despite not understanding the lyrics. From then on, the Ryukoka way of singing became one of my favorite vocal techniques.

Not long after, I discovered a rare gem amidst all Miku Hatsune songs in youtube lol. A Jpop artist who sings in  Ryukoka style caught my attention, Atari Kousuke. He has Jpop melodies in his songs, however his voice pays tribute to his roots by singing it more like a Japanese folk song. This kind of fusion made me interested in listening to his music. His songs are like lullabies...they make me sleep.

These Japanese folk songs then made me appreciate Enka than before...which later became one of my favorite genre of music.

When I think about it, these folk songs are songs that are not auto-tuned or digitally manipulated. These artists make their own music, play their own music and sing their own music to the rawest sound possible. No digital enhancements and you can clearly hear their voices and message well. Their images are not also manufactured not like most of our artists today. Most of the time, their image emerge naturally when they make music in which you can see them enjoy and become comfortable in what they are doing. AND their lyrics make sense. lol

This is the reason why I got into folk music though I know this kind of music doesn't really interest most people. This kind of music is not for everyone, however, I enjoy them and that's what really matters. :)

Miitaro

Olivia and Leonard in "Romeo and Juliet"

Her medium. :D

So I've known the artist ~ 

Her username is Miitaro. She is an artist from Japan. Recently, she was one of the people who were affected by the great eastern earthquake, but she's safe. It's amazing that she only uses pencils for her artworks.

More of her works:

Anne Hathaway and Ingrid Bergman~ ♥

Unknown Artist

Superb Colored Pencil Skills

I just came across his/her artworks. His/her main medium are the pencils (colored or monochromatic). I loved his/her rendering skills, however, I never really knew his/her name. 

Perhaps, I will find out sooner or later.

REAL

Abbreviated Description: Kawajiri, a former wrestler, stated that after his ankle was broken, he considered giving up fighting. Inoue Takehiko, a legendary mangaka who created Slam Dunk introduces Wheel Chair basketball as cool and intense sport for the disabled. As the narration progresses, many of WC basketball players share their stories about losing their power to walk. All have questioned themselves, "why me?"   Kawajiri then discovered REAL and left an impression on Kawajiri. He is currently practicing WC Basketball.


The Real manga's concept is about the survival of people who have disabilities. Inoue Takehiko feels that when a person loses one's legs, it is as if one has died. REAL focuses on how people with disabilities are able to persevere and survive through hardships. And as they face their own demons, they will discover what true strength is.

This short video was from the 10th anniversary  of one of my favorite works from Inoue Takehiko, REAL. Takehiko's work inspires, motivates and moves people. That's what I love about his works...simply moving. Simply genius. 

My current theater influence...

I adore this pair. They are the epitome of love and hate. Guess who is the love and who is the hate. 

Watching and observing their performances actually stimulates my artistic motivations. They really are top stars of the stage. Aside from being hailed as Hesei era geniuses, these two are best friends despite the four-year age gap. Being known as heirs of the two most successful and popular theaters in Japan, they have grown so much.  Now, they are respectively the chairmen of their own troupes and I salute to both of them: Nidaime Zacho and Sandaime Zacho. :)

I give them credit for making me read some kanji.
They are the real Mary Sues/Marty Stus, actually. lol

Photo: Tai and Dai