i am pretty hopeless at facebook, i don't keep track.
but here are 3 recent invitations we should help spread the word about,
i thought. this post is for melbourne peeps, see you there,























claire's nine-on-seven latest show: ula













minimum chips (melbourne via brisbane) support deerhoof (usa and japan) on wednesday night.

edit: i posted this too late! it was a nice show, very great.
deerhoof members also play tonight (thursday) with tenniscoats' one one (japan) -
highly recommended if you in melbs...
and if not, i recommend you should listen to all of them on their myspaces:)

























simon and many others are involved with this ....

i found it. that place made around an existing shed.
i happened across it in the depths of my poorly filed picasa albums.
so therefore sorry, i still can't recall where i got these from,
or who made it. please enlighten me if you know?
i think this is super wonderful space.

edit: a big thanks to tudor who emailed me more information on this house:

the house is by tonoma architects and it's located in hyogo:

www.archdaily.com/49490/usuki-house-tonoma/

sorry i have been a bit haphazard with posting lately.
been very busy at work and at home.
my mum celebrated a landmark birthday,
and my folks are celebrating 40 years of being married.
i am also getting ready to go to japan,
which is keeping me busy.

kes band played yesterday,
at the brunswick festival.
i am going with them on their tour of japan.
they are playing with japanese band my pal foot foot.
fun times!
if you like music and are anywhere near the cities below at the times listed,
it would be great to see you at a show:

::KES BAND Japan Tour 2010::

Wednesday 17 March at U.F.O. CLUB, Tokyo

w/Suisho no Fune, Eiji Mitomi, and more

Friday 19 March at UrBANGUILD, Kyoto

w/MY PAL FOOT FOOT, Maruo Maruko, Suzmenba

Saturday 20 March at Chika-ikkai, Osaka
w/MY PAL FOOT FOOT, jenny on the planet, jugz

Sunday 21 March at Helluva Lounge, Kobe
w/JUG JUG FOOT FOOT (MY PAL FOOT FOOT + jugz), Eddie Marcon, and more

Monday 22 March at K.D Japon, Nagoya
w/MY PAL FOOT FOOT, and more

Thursday 25 March at Nana Hari, Tokyo (KES solo)

Saturday 27 March at Penguin House, Tokyo

w/MY PAL FOOT FOOT, PUKA PUKA BRIANS (Ueno of tenniscoats)

my pal foot foot/suhaak-haaksu
www.suhaak-haaksu.com

we saw mick, jim and warren play at the forum last night.
they are from melbourne and they are the dirty three.

these pictures are from a quick look around.
i hope someone took some nice pictures of last night,
because the set looked really great:
basic and stripped back in the coloured light and shadow.


and on the way we went to the opening of
adam cruickshank's exhibition at craft victoria.
so great!

kind of strange film clip, but very nice song: i remember a time when once you used to love me

this is an awesome, awesome documentary

studios and music videos

i am going on a little spring break for a week. we will have no internet, so a blog break!

have a nice week:)

another creative space.
studio @ rose street, home to both minimum chips and mum smokes at times.
minimum chips are playing at the tote in collingwood tonight.
below is a filmclip nice for spring. (visit the minimum chips myspace to hear more.)
japanese band tenniscoats are also playing saturday.
and for extra strict adherence to my rules of engagement,
spot the moomin merchandise purchased at the
wonderland that is kiddyland in tokyo in the picture below...

below are all images from the mum smokes double album easy/house music.
mark rodda is the artist, julian took the photos.

my pal foot foot, kes band and fabulous diamonds

tomorrow (wednesday) night in melbourne at the toff, kes band play with japanese band my pal foot foot. a nice way to spend a mid-week evening.

kes band myspace.

my pal foot foot myspace.

my pal foot foot blog-type diary.

they are pals with tokyo band the tenniscoats.

and see the threethousand preview.

i like this font

kitchen.label

april lee and rika m form part of kitchen.label. they both seem highly talented ladies and take beautiful photographs. above top is by rika m, i like the subdued quality in her photos. above bottom is by april lee. utilitarian, spartan kitchens always look good in japan i think. about kitchen.label:

'kitchen. is the heat of home. based in singapore, we are a label focussing on releasing engaging art books and music from emerging creators from around the world. the studio site of kitchen also delivers paper and web design.'

april lee's site kitchenweb.daily. rika m's site. april lee is also a muscian: aspidistrafly myspace.

ps: whatwedoissecret does it again: this contemporary meets traditional teahouse post and this abandoned houses post.

by april lee from kyoto set

by april lee from kyoto set (this is called '忘れ物' - forgotten items)

by april lee from kyoto set

by april lee from kyoto set

by april lee from kyoto set

by rika m

by rika m

sing hey jude

after toyota, sony and sushi, is losing yourself in a late night booth on a modular leatherette couch singing out of tune with friends and associates to a backbeat, bouncing ball and video straight out of the 80s, japan's next biggest export?

above: hasisi park's karaoke

below: stills of karaoke scene from lost in translation via cuboidal.org; the movie i watch whenever i want to remember the way japan just knocks you flat with awe and wonder. (and to hear jesus and mary chain set to cinema)

end: great, great karaoke shots from trout factory flickr

OOIOO

some more music.

animated film clip for OOIOO song umo. directed by shoji goto.

OOIOO are great. they release records via the thrilljockey label.

still of film via cartoonbrew.

kes band and vampillia

if you are in melbourne and at a sunday night loose end, 

kes band and vampillia (japan) at the tote in collingwood.

cibi wonder

oh me oh my.

cibi brings a little bit of the best parts of japan to the backstreets of collingwood, and for that i am so very thankful. tasty, homestyle set menu breakfast and lunch plates with grilled salmon for those inclined toward meat, or kabocha nibitashi (pumpkin cooked in a broth seasoned with soy and sugar) and tamogoyaki (rolled omlette) for the herbivores. a beautiful daikon, wakame and cucumber tsukemono flavoured with shiso (see the glossary there on the side bar for the english versions of these) was a taste sensation and the miso soup so hearty.

and then there is the sun pouring through the massive warehouse windows in the semi-industrial space. and to top it all off, the artisan japanese items for sale in the rear. one discovery amongst the carefully edited items on sale was cochae. cochae are an 'origami graphic trio' whose collage origami i really like. they also have wonderful works in printed design and their flyer designs are great. in a serendipitous spotting when looking through their graphic works, i saw they did a flyer for a tenniscoats gig in japan; tenniscoats are a japanese duo who recently played in melbourne at the toff, and they were wonderful.

happy days.

ah-yi and grand salvo

1st night, Rabbit and Moon

ah-yi makes beautiful prints and publishes one of the most endearing blogs. these are some of her most recent prints, you can see these and her words in accompaniment at ah-yi's blog.

these pictures reminds me of the narrative album called death by melbourne musician grand salvo.

at  the grand salvo website and you will see the lyrics to the album that features birds, bears and rabbits in a story-telling narrative. you can also see pictures from the album booklet. i quote the opening lyrics:

In the dead of night
Running side by side
Keeping up with bear
A rat and a rabbit

In the light of dawn
Parents find them gone
Running quick and quiet
To the river side

In the sky above
Wind is growing rough
Wings are very tired
Far below a fire by the river side

grand salvo plays with oliver mann at the thornbury theatre in melbourne on friday march 20.

3rd night, Mushrooms

5th night, Roots

2nd night, Orchid Yard