Japan - Day Five

Now that we were done playing shows, we could get down to business and act like tourists. We started out in Shinjuku, which was a little too Yorkville meets Yonge Street for our tastes (although Chris did manage to spend another wad of cash in Disk Union). We saw a lot of nice bikes that were, for the most part, unlocked or free locked. It blew my mind that in a city of 13 million you don't have to worry about having your bike stolen.














After Shinjuku lost its allure, we hopped on the train and went to Harajuku and Shibuya, which was way more our speed. Chris bought his dog a kimono. Sick!








We went back to the hotel after not being able to get a seat at any of the bars in the Golden Gai (which was a disappointment, but predictable -– it’s a row of tiny bars that hold between four and twelve people each) and grabbed some beers on the way. They come in all sizes!




Then, after a quick recoup, we went to a darts bar in Naka Meguru (where our hotel was). This might sound lame, but it was awesome. Electronic darts games, amazing bar food (nachos where the chips were made from fried cheese, plates of chorizo and so much more) and drunken salarymen. The part where Jon kept winning all the games (and our money) sucked though. I can’t believe we didn’t take any photos while we were there.

Speaking of things we didn’t take photos of, we went and got some tacos after from a tiny little Mexican place. They were awesome, which was a pretty great surprise.

Chris and I went to bed, but Jon and Derek decided to go to a bar that was basically in someone’s apartment. It held maybe fifteen people. I think it was called Sex Gorilla, but I’m not sure. Guess what they forgot to take pictures of?

All the upcoming posts will feature lots of photos, I swear. We learned our lesson.

Japan - Day Four

Chris and I woke up early and went out to Shibuya to check out some record stores and had our first encounter with Disk Union (the first of many for Chris). Holy shit! It’s floors and floors in multiple buildings of awesome records, all organized by someone with severe OCD. And this was just the Shibuya location ... there’s another in Shinjuku.


We also tried out the teriyaki burger at McDonalds. Wow, it’s gross. The melon soda was pretty good though. After that, we went to a few guitar shops, which made us wish we were rich. 1960 Jazzmaster in mint condition? Sure, I would love one.










We got back to the hotel, grabbed our gear and took the train out to Kashiwa. It’s sort of like York Region.


Drunkard’s Stadium is a great venue ... it was designed by a recording engineer and features doors that look like they were taken from a submarine. Weirdly, the sound guy lived in Toronto for a while and used to work at the Reverb from time to time. After soundcheck we went for some noodles and gyoza, which like almost everything else that we put in our mouths in Japan, were really good.


Back at the venue we had a small bowing in ceremony between all the bands. It was a nice way to meet and pay your respects to everyone else on the bill. We also met some of our new best friends, a band called Wicked. They were, in fact, wicked guys.






The show itself was fun times. It sounded amazing on stage and Derek tackled Jon at the end of the set. Afterwards, we took the subway back to the hotel. Gross.

Japan - Day Three

We left for Tokyo at seven in the morning, which sucked, but what ruled is that a bunch of people from the show were waiting outside to say goodbye to us. How nice is that?


The five hour drive from Niigata to Tokyo wasn't the best hangover remedy that I've ever come across, but on the way we did discover the amazing fast food chain Mos Burger, which, despite the name, is one tasty place. I will happily trade all of the McDonalds in Toronto for just a couple Mos Burgers.




We got to Toyko, dropped our stuff off at the hotel, did soundcheck, then wandered around Shibuya for a bit. It was like sensory overload after the relative quiet of Niigata. Chris made a new friend, with a new face, at a place called Baby Doll (it's totally not the same thing as the one in Toronto).
















After some really good Thai food, we hung out at the hotel then went back to O-Nest for an interview with Crossbeat. Things were weird for a bit when then asked us about Toronto bands that we like. I think when we said Fucked Up, it made them feel fucked up. I guess they thought that was a bit too punk rock for us, and the interview focused on that for a while. Overall, it was a good interview and very thorough.




O-Nest is a really great venue. There’s a bar with floor to ceiling windows where you hang out, then you walk down an outdoor staircase to get to the venue, which is plain old fantastic. Good sound, lighting, decent band rooms and great staff all seem standard in Japan, even in smaller venues.

We took some photos with a pretty rad guy named Jun. We were feeling pretty scrapey from jet lag and no sleep at this point, so I’m not sure how well they’ll turn out.

Anyhow, we watched some of the other bands on the bill, who were all really good, then we played a rock show really loudly and then we drank with some nice Australian folks we met. They’re everywhere, no joke.






We capped off the night with some late food at a place that looked really mobbed out to me. It was delicious. It also featured a vertigo inducing glass elevator that smelled like pee pee. On the way home, Jon found his namesake restaurant.

We're Nominees

Along with 5,000 other Canadian bands, we've been nominated in The Verge Music Awards. Long story short, vote for us so we can get $25,000.

Click here to make us rich!

Advance Copy

I did an interview with a swell chap by the name of Kenyon for the blog Advance Copy, and they posted it today.


Click here to read it

The interview was a total pleasure to do, so much so that I sent this message along with my answers (which Kenyon was too modest to post):

This is literally the best set of questions I have ever been asked in an interview. It's almost as though you've interviewed bands before, acquired a sense of humour, got smart, learned to enjoy music, listened to our record, did research, then tried to think of original questions, specific to us.

That said, he did edit out one of my more "charming" moments in the last question (the line about Burger king):

For serious, before you play a show what are you thinking about? Do you ever think, "oh man I am totally gonna rock the hell out tonight"?

It depends on the show. Sometimes I'm thinking "oh god, I hope I don't fuck up," sometimes I'm thinking "we're going to crush these people with volume," sometimes I'm thinking "fuck this place, I want to destroy it," and sometimes I'm thinking "I wish I didn't eat that double stacker from Burger King, I'm going to barf."

Ps Look for "Japan - Day 3" early next week.