W♥M

One OK Rock at Fillmore, Minneapolis (09 Oct 2022)

One OK Rock Setlist Save Yourself Wonder Let Me Let You Go Renegades Neon Vandalize Stand Out Fit In Wasted Nights -- Encore -- Always Coming Back American Girls You Me at Six Setlist Loverboy Straight to My Head Bite My Tongue No Future? Yeah Right What's It Like Deep Cuts Give Take on the World SUCKAPUNCH Beautiful Way Fame On Fire Setlist Welcome To The Chaos Her Eyes Emo Sh** Rotting Away Ketamine Plastic Heart Numb (Linkin Park cover) HEADSPACE Read More One OK Rock Japanese band One OK Rock will be headlining the Fillmore in Minneapolis this October 9th. The Fueled by Ramen band’s latest single “Let Me Let You Go” is a precursor to their new album Luxury Disease … You Me At Six According to the poster, You Me At Six and Fame on Fire to open. Tour dates: 09/19/2022 Austin, TX - Emo’s 09/20/2022 Houston, TX 09/21/2022 Dallas, TX - House of Blues … Fame on Fire The Ohio electronic/prog metal band has been around a decade now, out on their Horizons Tour from the album of the same name. The tour starts in KC with support from Red, Fame on Fire, and Smash into …

Japan’s One OK Rock is currently on tour in support of their new album Luxury Disease (Fueled by Ramen), selling out the Fillmore in Minneapolis on October 9th.

Fillmore Marquee

Opening the show was Florida’s Fame on Fire (Bryan Kuznitz - vocals, Blake Saul - guitar, Paul Spirou - bass, Alex Roman - drums). The band was originally a covers band, who gained fame when they covered Adele’s “Hello”. So it made sense that they covered Linkin Park’s “Numb”…. and based on audience feedback, this was the most popular song on their set.

They ended their brief 30-min set with “HEADSPACE”, which required audience’s participation by shouting back, “I’m okay!”

You Me At Six Setlist

Next up was English rock band You Me At Six, featuring lead singer Josh Franceschi, guitarists Max Helyer and Chris Miller, bassist Matt Barnes and drummer Daniel Flint. The band first hit success in 2008 with the release of their debut album Take Off Your Colours, which had the singles “Finders Keepers” and “Kiss and Tell”. By 2014, their fourth album, Cavalier Youth, landed at #1 on the UK charts.

Line for One OK Rock

The waiting line for the sold-out, all-ages show for One OK Rock was one of the longest line I’ve seen in a while. The line stretched around the block. This has to do with the strict security at the Fillmore venue, which requires you to remove all metal objects when you pass through the metal detectors. This includes removing your hat, watch, and belt, which is uncommon for many venues in the area.

Vuart: One OK Rock

I was inspired to do a quick doodle for one of my favorite ‘kick in your face’ photo that I took at the show. As you can see, the band has a lot of energy and really fun to watch.

>>>
10/09/2022 Sunday

One OK Rock
with You Me At Six and Fame on Fire
at Fillmore
livenation.com

Japanese band One OK Rock will be headlining the Fillmore in Minneapolis this October 9th. The Fueled by Ramen band’s latest single “Let Me Let You Go” is a precursor to their new album Luxury Disease (which arrives September 9th).

According to the poster, You Me At Six and Fame on Fire to open.

Tour dates:

09/19/2022 Austin, TX - Emo’s
09/20/2022 Houston, TX
09/21/2022 Dallas, TX - House of Blues
09/23/2022 Orlando, FL - House of Blues
09/24/2022 Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle*
09/25/2022 Charlotte, NC - The Underground
09/27/2022 Philadelphia, PA - Franklin Music Hall
09/28/2022 Silver Spring, MD - The Fillmore
09/30/2022 New York, NY - Hammerstein Ballroom
10/01/2022 Boston, MA - House of Blues
10/02/2022 Montreal, QC - Club Soda
10/04/2022 Toronto, ON - Rebel
10/05/2022 Detroit, MI - The Fillmore*
10/07/2022 Cleveland, OH - House of Blues
10/08/2022 Chicago, IL - Concord Music Hall
10/09/2022 Minneapolis, MN - The Fillmore
10/11/2022 Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
10/12/2022 Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex
10/14/2022 Portland, OR - Roseland Theater
10/15/2022 Vancouver, BC - Harbour Event Centre
10/16/2022 Seattle, WA - Showbox SoDo
10/19/2022 Oakland, CA - Fox Theater
10/20/2022 Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Palladium

Fame on Fire

Fame on Fire

Fame on Fire

Fame on Fire

You Me At Six

You Me At Six

You Me At Six

You Me At Six

One OK Rock

One OK Rock

One OK Rock

One OK Rock

One OK Rock at Fillmore, Minneapolis (09 Oct 2022)

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Asian invasion: Pinoy Joy! Filipino heritage musicians taking over music

Read More Beabadoobee The Truman. $20-$25 aka Beatrice Laus, this Filipino/British breakout bedroom-pop artist put out a new EP, Our Extended ....

Read more Asian Invasion

In a mini-musical revolution of sorts, artists of Filipino heritage are enjoying their best year to date, dominating this year’s GRAMMY Awards (as the LA Times had noted in a detailed article here) and are amongst the best-known and popular performers of today.

Dozens of artists of Filipino heritage include Apl.de.ap of Black-Eyed Peas, H.E.R., Kirk Hammett of Metallica, Bruno Mars, Neal McCoy, Olivia Rodrigo, and Toro y Moi (among many many more).

Here are a few others we put in the spotlight:

BEABADOOBEE

https://www.beabadoobee.com

After five previous EPs and a successful debut full-length, aka Beatrice Kristi Laus released her sophomore effort, Beatopia this July, to even greater acclaim. The UK artist was born in Iloilo City, Philippines before moving to London as a small child.

We caught her live this summer as part of the final :( Rock the Garden concert and she starts a mostly sold-out UK/IE Tour Oct 4 in Dublin, before returning to the States for a few shows, including Minneapolis in November. Don’t worry KC fans, Bea plays there in early April 2023 (shhh)!

(Arrive early on those UK/IE dates to catch NYC [London-based] four-piece Pretty Sick, grunge leaning alt-rockers whose debut full-length, Makes Me Sick Makes Me Smile is out 30 Sept on Dirty Hit, and they'll be in the US headlining club shows in Oct/Nov.)

2022 Tour Dates:

OCT 4 Olympia Theatre Dublin, Ireland OCT 5 Ulster Hall Belfast, UK OCT 7 O2 Academy Bristol, UK OCT 8 UEA Norwich, UK OCT 10 Rock City Nottingham, UK OCT 11 NX Newcastle upon Tyne, UK OCT 13 Manchester Academy 2 Manchester, UK OCT 14 Foundry Sheffield, UK OCT 15 Barrowland Ballroom Glasgow, Scotland OCT 17 CHALK Brighton, England OCT 18 Engine Rooms Southampton, UK OCT 19 o2 Academy Brixton London, UK OCT 25 9:30 Club Washington, D.C. OCT 26 9:30 Club Washington, D.C. OCT 28 Brooklyn Steel Brooklyn, NY OCT 29 Union Transfer Philadelphia, PA OCT 31 Variety Playhouse Atlanta, GA NOV 1 Underbelly Jacksonville, FL NOV 2 Jannus Live St.Petersburg, FL NOV 3 The Beacham Orlando, FL NOV 5 Republic NOLA New Orleans, LA

NOV 6 White Oak Music Hall Houston, TX NOV 7 Granada Theater Dallas, TX NOV 8 Emo's Austin Austin, TX NOV 10 Sunshine Theater Albuquerque, NM NOV 11 The Van Buren Phoenix, AZ NOV 12 The Novo Los Angeles, CA NOV 14 The Observatory Santa Ana, CA NOV 15 The Regency Ballroom San Francisco, CA NOV 16 The Regency Ballroom San Francisco, CA NOV 21 The Moore Theatre Seattle, WA NOV 22 Commodore Ballroom Vancouver, BC NOV 23 Roseland Theater Portland, OR NOV 25 The Depot Salt Lake City, UT NOV 26 Summit Music Hall Denver, CO NOV 28 First Avenue Minneapolis, MN NOV 29 Riviera Theatre Chicago, IL DEC 1 HISTORY Toronto, ON DEC 2 Club Soda Montreal, QC DEC 3 Empire Live Albany, NY DEC 4 Roadrunner Boston, MA

FANNY

https://fannyrocks.com

Early 70’s legends, Fanny was the first all-female rock band signed to a major record label with a multi-album deal, recording five albums, but never truly breaking through.

The four-piece band was co-founded in the Bay Area by June and Jean Millington, sisters born in the Philippines to a Filipino woman and an American naval officer.

Film Society KC in partnership with Midwest Music Foundation and the Filipino Association of Greater Kansas City on Oct. 5 hosts a live performance at recordBar from Fanny+ featuring June Millington, Brie Howard-Darling, Patti Quatro, and Mia Huggins

Additionally, a Kansas City screening of the documentary Fanny: The Right to Rock will be shown at Screenland Armour on Oct. 4^th with bandmember Q+A following.

More info/tickets:

Fanny+: Live in Concert Tickets, Wed, Oct 5, 2022 at 7:00 PM | Eventbrite

 

 

EZ MIL

https://ezmil.com

aka Ezekiel Miller was born and raised in Olongapo City, Philippines and is a rising Filipino American rapper/singer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer and is the first Filipino artist to sign a contract with Virgin Music Hollywood | UMG.

Second studio album DU4LI7Y (Duality), was released to wide acclaim, but he was forced to recently cancel his Panalo Homecoming concert in Olongapo City, due to promotor issues.

Latest singles are “Will You” and “27 Bodies” and he was a featured performer at the Filipino-centric London music festival, 1MX this past July.

grentperez

grentperez (komi.io)

The indie DIY soul singer-songwriter grew up as the youngest of three kids in a Filipino family based in Sydney and at 12 years old, posted his first video to his YouTube channel and has been releasing his own music ever since.

His new project, the genre-blurring compilation, Trail Mix Tape (out Sept 30 via Fast Friends) includes recently released single "Ego” and he has shared the bill with K-pop artist Eric Nam, mxmtoon, and more.

Tour Dates

SEP 30 *Adelaide, Australia
OCT 01 *North Fremantle, Australia
OCT 04 supporting mxmtoon Melbourne, Australia
OCT 05 *Sydney, Australia
OCT 06 supporting mxmtoon Sydney, Australia
OCT 08 *Auckland, New Zealand
OCT 09 supporting mxmtoon Newstead, Australia
NOV 01 *Berlin, Germany
NOV 04 *Paris, France
NOV 05 *Amsterdam, Netherlands
NOV 06 *London, United Kingdom
NOV 07 *London, United Kingdom
NOV 14 *Los Angeles, CA
NOV 15 *Los Angeles, CA
NOV 16 *San Francisco, CA
NOV 17 *San Francisco, CA
NOV 19 *Toronto, ON
NOV 21 *New York City, NY
NOV 22 *New York City, NY
Dec 31 - Jan 01 nye in the park Chippendale, Australia

* = i'm cool, i promise World Tour dates

John C (johnc@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Remakes and Reboots

Read More Zatoichi The Zatoichi series ran 26 movies (1962-1982) and a television series ran for five years (1974-1979). Twenty years later, Takeshi "Beat" Kitano reinvented Zatoichi with his version of the character. ....

DEFIANT (2022)
douban.com

Defiant (目中无人), aka Blind Sword, a 2022 Chinese movie, is clearly a rip off of Zatoichi. You know me, I love Zatoichi, I own all of Toho’s films on DVD and Bluray (thanks to the Criterion boxset), and even owning the television series and later stories: Zatoichi (2003), Ichi (Zatoichi’s blind daughter!), and Zatoichi: The Last (the final film in the official Zatoichi series).

Of course, the new Chinese film isn’t the first to copy Zatoichi, in America, we had Blind Fury in 1989, about a blind Vietnam Vet with a cane sword and in Italy, we had Blindman, a Spaghetti Western about a blind gunman.

Defiant is about a blind master swordsman and ex-military general. It has all the traits of Zatoichi, for example you find him in a gambling den at the start of the film. Of course, he has the advantage, despite being blind. Then you have the goons at the establishment trying to rob the blind gambler of his money - big mistake!

The whole thing really felt like a Chinese version of a Zatoichi movie. The only difference is that instead of a pretense of a bumbling blind masseur, the Defiant character is a blind bounty hunter by day. And he seems sure of himself, walking around, with his horse, like a normal person.

I think the writer/director of the film counted on their audience to not know Zatoichi, so when Defiant reveals the swords in the cane, it was no surprise to me… but I bet everyone in China thought that was a really cool reveal.

Defiant has some cool fight scenes, especially the big throw-down finale, but it also has some typical, cheesy moments (any scenes with the young bride).

There’s nothing wrong with Defiant, especially if you know it’s a Chinese version of Zatoichi, but I wish it would do a little more to set it apart from the source material. For example, a few years ago, South Korea released The Swordsman, about the country’s best swordsman, who became blind. No one could accuse the film of copying Zatoichi, as the South Korean film is very different than a typical Zatoichi adventure.

My other complaint about Defiant is that the main character is so sure of himself, so confident in his Kung Fu abilities, that, you, as an audience, never thought he could be in any real danger. Even during the scenes with him being hit with arrows… I never thought he could die. With the original Zatoichi, he let others thinks his blindness is a disadvantage… so he plays the bumbling idiot. It’s only in a real fight does Zatoichi shows his true deadly sword skills… and by that time, it’s too late for the villains.

Maybe it is unfair to compare Defiant to Zatoichi, but given how much material the Chinese film stole from the source, I think it’s fair game to criticize it a little.

Read More Stephen King Anyone captivated by the latest Stephen King adaptation to hit the screen, Lisey’s Story (currently streaming on Apple TV+) will undoubtedly notice the soundtrack music and second single ....

FIRESTARTER (2022)
firestartermovie.com

Like Carrie and Pet Sematary, no one asked for a remake of Firestarter… yet, here we are, with the 2022 horror film, based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King.

I actually like and enjoy the original 1984 film starring a young Drew Barrymore, so I was highly skeptical that this new version could be better than the first film. The main problem is that it was produced by one of the worst writer/producer, Akiva Goldsman. Goldsman is responsible for the terrible Batman & Robin, and he’s also responsible for ruining Star Trek. Yes, I used to be a massive Star Trek fan, but the modern Trek stuff is absolutely terrible.

Anyway, due to the pandemic, Blumhouse Productions and Weed Road Pictures put Firestarter on hold until Universal Pictures finally released it in May 2022, simultaneously in theaters and on Peacock.

Naturally, the film received negative reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes, shows only 10% of critics’ reviews were positive.

I think the worst part of the movie are the villains. The new person in charge of the government tracking down Charlie the Firestarter is now played by a woman. While women can be as evil as men, I didn’t understand why it was necessary to make the original white man into a black woman? The bounty hunter is now played by an American Indian named Michael Greyeyes (the original 1984 film featured an assassin named John Rainbird).

Perhaps you’re not meant to “hate” the villains, but, to me, to make the film effective, you have to make the villains evil, so you don’t feel bad when they are nuked by Charlie.

Read More Liam Neeson Based on Lawrence Block’s bestselling series of mystery novels, A Walk Among the Tombstones stars Liam Neeson as Matt Scudder, an ex-NYPD cop who now works as an unlicensed private investigator operating just outside the law. ....

MEMORY (2022)
memorymov.com

Liam Neeson plays a hitman with a heart of gold in Memory. The hitman, suffering from early stages of Alzheimer, decides to make things right after declining a contract to kill a young girl. The 2022 film is based the Belgian film The Alzheimer Case.

Maybe it is because it is based on the film (turned novel De Zaak Alzheimer by Jef Geeraerts), but I did not like any of the characters in the film (except, of course, the incredibly smart hitman). Guy Pearce plays a really dumb detective/policeman, Monica Bellucci plays a wealthy mother, covering up her son’s crimes.

What I do love about Memory is just how amazing Liam Neeson is on screen. Even though the actor is in his 70s, he was still an action star, to me. For example, his brutal, brutal fight scene with the hitman in the parking lot is just so gritty and real. I really did believe Neeson could destroy a man with his bare hands.

As amazing as Neeson is, he really couldn’t save the movie. The story is predictable, and all the other characters, such as the cops, are portrayed as idiots and not well written.

As a big Neeson fan, I really hope this is not his last film, as his career will end on a bad note.

I’ll just say that Memory is a forgettable film.

Read more Movies and Television.

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

4Mix at Minnesota Songkran Festival, St Paul (29 May 2022)

Read More 4Mix Thai boy group, 4Mix (stylized as 4MIX) is making their American debut appearance at the Minnesota Songkran Festival at the State Capital in St Paul, Minnesota. ...

Making their American debut appearance, Thai pop group 4Mix was one of the main attractions at the Minnesota Songkran Festival, at the State Capital in St Paul, over the weekend (May 28-29).

The Songkran Festival, which means “water festival”, celebrate Thai New Year. The free event, by the Thai Cultural Council of Minnesota, was originally scheduled in April, but due to bad weather, the event was postponed to the last week of May. According to the news, the event attracted over 20,000 attendees.

In addition to the various entertainment, from parades to eating contest to dance to music, there were also street food vendors, as well as souvenir vendors.

We caught the Papaya Salad Eating Contest, which featured contestants of Vietnamese (from Wisconsin) to Hmong to India. India won the 1st place of $500 cash.

Next were various dance troops (K-Moves, Sweet and Spicy, Daybreak, Finesse, Spam) represented by Minneapolis-based group Asian Media Access.

We also saw popular Thai songs, sung by Bang with the Miss Grand Drag Queen as dancers.

The MC from Philadelphia had to vamp for time, when a last-minute change in the main schedule, moved 4Mix from 3:30pm to 4pm… and their performance would simply close out the event.

After a few songs, 4Mix, featuring Ninja, Mcka, Folksong, and George, mentioned that they also perform with Yean Papitchaya, who showed up to sing a three-song set, in between 4Mix’s set. Then she would later join the group to help conclude their set.

The weird thing about this Thai music show is that the audience would often run to the stage and hand money to the performers. This must be a cultural thing, this kind of thing doesn’t happen in normal American concerts.

4Mix played their debut single, “Y U Comeback”, as well as their new single, “Roller Coaster”. They mentioned that they had a new single coming out, which they played for us, and it’s called “Fang Fang”.

By the time the LGBTQ-friendly group record and release their debut album, you can expect a promotional tour for the record. Hopefully, we’ll hear from them again. As far as this being their American debut, things are looking positive for the band.

Minnesota Songkran Festival

Crowd

Giant Inflatable Tiger

Siam Niramit Thai Parade

Papaya Salad Eating Contest

Winner of Papaya Salad Eating Contest

Asian Media Access

Asian Media Access

Asian Media Access

Asian Media Access

Asian Media Access: Daybreak

Bang

Yean Papitchaya

Yean Papitchaya

4Mix with Yean Papitchaya

4Mix

4Mix at Minnesota Songkran Festival, St Paul (29 May 2022)

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Asian Invasion: K-Pop, T-Pop, V-Pop, J-Pop

Read More Oneus Oneus, Liberty Hall. $55-$75 Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway, Bottleneck. $25 Lil Tecca, Uptown POSTPONED - To Granada-Lawrence, April 23 …

Read more Asian Invasion

ONEUS
twitter/official_ONEUS

“K-Pop Act To Watch” boy band, Oneus (stylized as ONEUS), have released their highly anticipated 7th Mini Album, [TRICKSTER].

[TRICKSTER] appears to be a companion release for their 2021 debut album [DEVIL], with its motto of “do whatever you really want”.

As usual with these K-Pop release, a lot of effort was put into the packaging of the Mini Album. It looks like a pack of playing cards, and you can get two variant edition: a Poker version or a Joker version.

Track listing:

01. INTRO : WHO GOT THE JOKER?
02. 덤벼 (BRING IT ON)
03. SKYDIVIN'
04. 두 눈 빠지도록 (FIREBOMB)
05. 취급주의 (FRAGILE)
06. MR. WOLF
07. 덤벼 (BRING IT ON) - English Version

4MIX
khaosanentertainment.com

Thai boy group, 4Mix (stylized as 4MIX) is making their American debut appearance at the Minnesota Songkran Festival at the State Capital in St Paul, Minnesota.

The KS Gang-signed group features consisting of four members: Ninja, Mcka, Folksong, and George.

We will be making our way to St Paul today (May 29) to check out the band… and to enjoy some Thai food.

Minnesota Songkran Festival Schedule:

Sunday, May 29th, 2022 | Colors of Siam

11:00 AM Traditional Thai Instrumental | Featuring: ranad ek, khim, saw u, saw duang, ching, thon-rammana, mhong

12:00 PM Kids Songkran Fashion Show | Local children display popular Thai fashions.

12:20 PM Khon: Hanuman in Pursuit of Spanna Matcha | A form of Classical Thai dance drama from the Ayutthaya period of Thai history, dating from the 14th to 18th Century. The dance drama is based exclusively on the Ramakien, the Thai version of the Hindu epic, the Ramayana.

12:30 PM Kinnaree | Traditional dance of South Thailand, this advanced dance is performed only on important occasions, with a female protagonist playing a legendary creature who is half woman and half-bird.

12:40 PM Siam Niramit Thai Parade| 9 gems grand dance.

1:00 PM Papaya Salad Eating Contest | 15 brave participants compete for a $500 cash prize in a race to finish their spicy papaya salad first!

1:30 PM Asian Media Access Performance| Multicultural performances from Minneapolis-based group Asian Media Access.

2:30 PM Luk Tung Performance | Luk thung, or Phleng luk thung often known as Thai country music, emerged after World War II in the central region of Thailand.

2:40 PM Colors of Siam Dance | A combination of Thai instrumental music and dance.

2:50 PM Thai Sword Dance | This dance demonstrates how the Lanna people defended themselves using swords. The dance is the harmonization of rapid and gentle movements. The current style of Lanna's sword technique is mainly focused on battle tactics.

3:00 PM Miss Grand Drag Queen Fashion Show

3:30 PM 4MIX: T-Pop Music Group | International Thai-Pop stars 4MIX make their American debut, with members Ninja, Mcka, Folksong, and George bringing their signature sound and LGBTQ advocacy to the stage.

4:30 PM Ram Wong & Bar Slop | Popular Southeast Asian folk dance where men and women dance in a circle incorporating graceful hand movements and simple footwork.

5:00 PM Thai Folk Song Dance | Dance with popular Thai songs.

6:00 PM Program Ends

Son Tung M-TP
mtpentertainment.com

The “Prince of V-Pop”, Vietnamese superstar singer Son Tung M-TP debut his English song, “There’s No One At All” recently (on April 28, 2022)… and promises more to come.

Son Tung talked about his American song: “Every one of us, even the strongest ones, can sometimes feel lost and trapped in loneliness… I really want to encourage every young soul out there to dare and chase their dreams. Because nobody knows what lies behind that thick fog, and if we don’t take a step forward, then we will never know what truly lies ahead.”

Son Tung M-TP already has close to 10 million YouTube subscribers and won MTV Europe Music Award for “Best Southeast Asian Act”.

YOASOBI
yoasobi-music.jp

Fast-rising J-pop act Yoasobi (stylized as YOASOBI) released their first-ever English album, E-Side.

The album features previously released songs “Monster,” “Into The Night,” “RGB,” “Romance” and “Blue.”

Yoasobi already enjoyed as wearing the “Most Streamed Songs in Japan in the Last Five Years” crown.

Usually with these English-language release, it means that they are trying to break into the coveted English music market… and that would translate to touring promotion. It’s just a prediction, but expect to see the duo (composer Ayase and vocalist Ikura) to do a short promotional tour for E-Side. At least that’s what we can hope for.

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Asian Invasion: Japanese Breakfast, Alice Longyu Gao, Bella Poarch, and Rock of Asia

Read more Asian Invasion.

Read More Japanese Breakfast Opening will be singer Michelle Zauner, of Philadelphia indie punk band Little Big League, under the solo moniker of Japanese Breakfast. The music showcases Zauner's dark ...

JAPANESE BREAKFAST
japanesebreakfast.rocks

Our favorite Korean musician Japanese Breakfast (stagename for Michelle Zauner) is back on tour in support of her new album Jubilee (Dead Oceans Records).

She’ll be headlining First Avenue’s mainroom. Toronto native multi-instrumentalist and producer, Luna Li (aka Hannah Kim) will open the show.

We saw Japanese Breakfast headlined the now-defunct Triple Rock Social Club in Oct 2017 and said, “This was Japanese Breakfast’s first headlining show… We’ve gradually seen her feel more comfortable on stage, and, personally speaking, she was at her finest hour at the Triple Rock Social Club show. The spotlight was finally full focused on her, and she was ready to shine.”

Bonus – enjoy her photo at the Triple Rock below.

For full tour listing, please head over to her website. We’re only listing up to October 2021.

8/28 - Lexington, KY @ Railbird Festival
9/9 - Boston, MA @ Royale *
9/10 - Boston, MA @ Royale * - SOLD OUT
9/11 - Asbury Park, NJ @ Stone Pony SOLD OUT
9/12 - Harrisburg, PA @ Harrisburg Midtown Arts Ctr *
9/14 - Columbus, OH @ The Athenaeum Theatre *
9/15 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall * - SOLD OUT
9/16 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall * - SOLD OUT
9/17 - Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall *
9/18 - Madison, WI @ Majestic Theatre * - SOLD OUT
9/19 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Ave *
9/21 - Ogden, UT @ Ogden Twilight + - SOLD OUT
9/23 - Boise, ID @ Treefort Festival
9/24 - Eugene, OR @ WOW Hall *
9/25 - Seattle, WA @ Neptune * - SOLD OUT
9/26 - Seattle, WA @ Neptune * - SOLD OUT
9/27 - Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre *
9/28 - Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom * - SOLD OUT
9/30 - San Francisco, CA @ Regency Ballroom * - SOLD OUT
10/1 - San Francisco, CA @ Regency Ballroom * - SOLD OUT
10/2 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent * - SOLD OUT
10/3 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent * - SOLD OUT
10/4 - San Diego, CA @ Observatory North Park * - SOLD OUT
10/5 - Las Vegas, NV @ Brooklyn Bowl *
10/7 - Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf * - SOLD OUT
10/8 - Denver, CO @ Ogden Theater *
10/9 - Lawrence, KC @ Granada Theater *
10/10 - St Louis, MO @ Delmar Hall *
10/11 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall * - SOLD OUT
10/12 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall * - SOLD OUT
10/14 - Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel * - SOLD OUT
10/15 - Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel * - SOLD OUT
10/16 - Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel * - SOLD OUT
10/17 - Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel * =
10/30 - Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
10/31 - Austin, TX @ Levitation 2021

^ w/ Mannequin Pussy
* w/ Luna Li
~ w/ Spirit of the Beehive
+ w/ Portugal. The Man = w/ Charly Bliss

Japanese Breakfast at Triple Rock Social Club, Minneapolis (02 October 2017)

Read More Rebecca Black If you haven't heard Rebecca Black's "Friday" song, then clearly you've been living under a rock. This 13-year-old girl got over 135 million views for her youtube song. Everyone loved the song, even Conan O'Brien made a parody video for his song "Thursday". ...

ALICE LONGYU GAO
alicelongyugao.com

Chinese-born, New York-and-LA-based producer, songwriter, DJ and multidisciplinary artist Alice Longyu Gao is about to head out on her USA tour (some dates with Rebecca Black). To celebrate, she’s releasing her latest single, “Kanpai” (the word means “Cheers” in Chinese, Japanese and Korean).

About the single, Gao shares, “My best friend Madison Emiko Love and I wrote this song three years ago. Her grandma is a Japanese immigrant and we always want to champion & plug our culture everywhere we go. We’ve been waiting to put this song out, cuz back then no one with power in western music realized the power of Asian pop culture, no one really cared to put Asian talents on the table. The material world was asleep cuz they didn't see the money-benefits. 'Kanpai' means cheers in Chinese, Japanese and Korean; the joyful vibe translates perfectly throughout the song. The braggy-docious, rap-y bridge part in the song is what I wish for, it's not my reality yet. Last year was dark for me, and for everyone. But now it is time to regroup and restart, this song wakes me up in the morning, it reminds me that I came to this earth with a mission. I aspire to inspire and benefit other people’s lives. I do that through my art.”

Tour dates:

Aug 20, 2021 - Elsewhere - Brooklyn, NY* (SOLD OUT)
Aug 21, 2021 - Soho House - New York, NY ("Kanpai" release party)
Sep 3, 2021 - Berlin - Chicago, IL
Sep 4, 2021 - DNA - San Francisco, CA
Sep 11, 2021 - Club Quarantine @ Knockdown Center - Queens, NY
Sep 16, 2021 - Mahall's - Lakewood, Ohio*
Sep 17, 2021 - Elsewhere - Brooklyn, NY (w/ Cupcakke)
Sep 23, 2021 - Cornerstone - Berkeley, California (w/ Terror Jr)
Jan 13, 2022 - Union Stage - Washington, DC**
Jan 14, 2022 - Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY** (SOLD OUT)
Jan 15, 2022 - Velvet Underground - Toronto, ON**
Jan 18, 2022 - Lincoln Hall - Chicago, IL**
Jan 20, 2022 - Rickshaw Stop - San Francisco, CA**
Jan 21, 2022 - Troubadour - Los Angeles, CA**
Jan 27 2022 - The Coast - Fort Collins, CO
Jan 28, 2022 - Hi-Dive - Denver, CO

*Food House as supporting act
**Alice supporting Rebecca Black

BELLA POARCH tiktok/bellapoarch “Inferno” is the new song from breakout superstar Bella Poarch and alt-pop visionary Sub Urban. The cover art is obviously a nod to the famous “American Gothic” painting. If you’re on TikTok, you know that Bella Poarch is the #3 most followed creator and the #1 Asian-American influencer in the world with over 77 million followers.

ROCK OF ASIA rockofasia.com Japan’s Rock of Asia is the rock, folk, fusion project by musician Nikki Matsumoto. His latest release is called Asian Anthology. Matsumoto spent 15 years in Los Angeles playing and writing rock music professionally. Rock Of Asia was created in 2010 and it toured in US in 2010, the Middle East in 2012 and 2019.

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com

Riot Grrrl 2019

Read More Bikini Kill I misspoke on the show saying that Kill Rock Star was releasing the 20th anniversary single - it is being released by Bikini Kill Records. This is a brand new label that was formed in 2012. …

Read more Riot Grrrls.

BIKINI KILL
bikinikill.com

As you know, we’re big fans of 90s Riot Grrrl music, so we were very excited to see that the legendary group that started it all, Bikini Kill will be reuniting to play a few shows for 2019. It’s been over 20 years, it’s probably about time.

Bikini Kill is the most influential band when it comes to grrrl punk music.

The reunited BK will feature the iconic lineup of the Rebel Girl herself, Kathleen Hanna on vocals, with Tobi Vail on drums, and Kathi Wilcox on bass. For these upcoming live shows, Erica Dawn Lyle will be playing guitars.

Assuming these California and New York dates are successful, expect the band to return to Olympia or Washington... but we’ll see.

Bikini Kill Reunite:

April 25: Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium
May 31: Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel
June 1: New York, NY @ Terminal 5

Read More Bratmobile Jen Smith from Bratmobile inspired the name "riot grrrl". The short-lived band reformed in the 2000 with Ladies, Women and Girls and I finally got to see the band live! When they first started in 1993 .…

BRATMOBILE
killrockstars.com

Girl Germs is a five-episode podcast miniseries, talking about the recording and release of riot grrrl band Bratmobile’s album Pottymouth.... perfect timing for the re-release of Vinyl Me, Please’s 25th Anniversary of Pottymouth (limited to 1,000 copies only).

Kill Rock Stars president Portia Sabin interviews key players in the scene to look back at how an underground feminist punk movement set off a global music revolution. Get the podcast at hyperurl.co/girlgerms (various links).

Featuring:

• Allison Wolfe (Bratmobile, Cold Cold Hearts, Sex Stains)
• Erin Smith (Bratmobile, Cold Cold Hearts)
• Molly Neuman (Bratmobile, The PeeChees, The Frumpies)
• Corin Tucker (Sleater-Kinney, Heavens to Betsy, Filthy Friends)
• Katie Alice Greer (Priests)
• Daniele Daniele (Priests)
• Rachel Aggs (Shopping, Trash Kit, Sacred Paws)
• Marissa Paternoster (Screaming Females)
• Slim Moon (founder, Kill Rock Stars)
• Tim Green (Nation of Ulysses)
• Evelyn McDonnell (music journalist)
• Tae Won Yu (Kicking Giant)

Read More Shonen Knife Material from the band’s earliest releases to the edgier sound of today's Shonen Knife. Shonen Knife’s latest album Adventure is available now on Good Charamel Records. ... …

OTOBOKE BEAVER
otobokebeaver.bandcamp.com

Kyoto’s Otoboke Beaver (おとぼけビ～バ～), a four-piece all-girls punk/rock band (singer/guitarist Accorinrin, guitarist Yoyoyoshie, bassist Hirochan, and drummer Kahokiss), reminds me a bit of Shonen Knife and girl-gang riot grrrl punk.

Currently, the band is getting a lot of attention in the UK, touring in support of their new upcoming album Itekoma Hits (Damnably Records). The record comes out April 26, 2019.

GOLDEN WEEK UK TOUR 2019
w/ Say Sue Me & Drinking Boys and Girls Choir

04/29 Manchester - The Deaf Institute
04/30 Leicester - The Musician Pub
05/01 Bristol - The Fleece Bristol
05/02 London - Scala
05/03 Leeds - Brudenell Social Club
05/04 Glasgow - CCA Glasgow

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Asian Invasion: K-Pop

Read More K-Pop You know we like Psy, check out the review on Psy's album 6甲 (Six Rules). It is still pretty amazing that for a non-"pretty boy" Korean singer rode his phantom horse to the top …

Read more Asian Invasion

H.U.B.
daum.net/H.U.B

Most Americans only know K-Pop (Korean Pop) music through Psy, who blew up with ‘Gangnam Style’... but he’s not a represented of a typical K-Pop band. Since K-Pop heavily borrow their looks and sound from J-Pop (Japanese Pop), usually bands are all pretty girls or all pretty boys. They are performers, they have dance routines and they put on a fun, pop concert.

If you want to see an upcoming K-Pop show, there is a brand new band called H.U.B. (“Hope U Bounce”), who is making a stop at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis tomorrow. This is an all-ages show, so show up a little early than usual to see a K-Pop show (normally these bands don’t tour the Midwest).

We cover mostly indie-rock music, but when we saw this show, we knew we had to take this rare opportunity to see this group.

The Minneapolis date is only one of four debut U.S. tour from the “Girl Gang” group.

Rio de Janeiro, by the way of South Korea, JC Park will open the show.

JRE will be MC / host.

H.U.B 1st US Tour 2017

06/30 Miami (The Filmore-Miami Beach)

07/01 Atlanta (The Tabernacle)

07/06 Minnealapolis-7/6 (Cedar Cultural Center)

07/08 NY/NJ (The White Eagle Hall)

G-DRAGON
ygbigbang.com/gdragon

K-Pop rapper G-Dragon (formerly of hip hop boy band Big Bang) is currently touring the U.S.A. this Summer.

To give you an idea how big this guy is, his 2013 World Tour “One of a Kind” attracted over 570,000 fans in 13 cities, 8 countries and 27 shows. Now with the new 2017 “Act III, M.O.T.T.E.” tour, he promised another spectacular performance. Incidentally, M.O.T.T.E. (母胎) is the abbreviation for Moment Of Truth The End.

G-Dragon’s first solo album Heartbreaker topped the South Korean charts and made him male solo artist for 2009.

G-DRAGON TOUR DATES

7/11 - Seattle, WA - Key Arena
7/14 - San Jose, CA - SAP Center
7/16 - Los Angeles, CA - The Forum
7/19 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center
7/21 - Chicago, IL - United Center
7/25 - Miami, FL - American Airlines Arena
7/27 - Brooklyn, NY - Barclays Center
7/30 - Toronto, ON - Air Canada Centre

BTS
bts.ibighit.com

Popular K-Pop boy band BTS recently changed their name to “Beyond the Scene” from “Bulletproof Boy Scouts”. I personally don’t have a problem with this, because it makes sense to me with the “T”.... and I didn’t quite like the bulletproof imagery of guns and bullets. Unfortunately, longtime fans who grew up calling them the Bulletproof Boyscouts are upset about the name change.

Fortunately, it’s only in America. Korean still know BTS as 방탄소년단 and Bangtan Sonyeondan.

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Asian Invasion: Paris by Night, Bo Ningen, and Jessica Domingo

Read More Asia Like the Paris by Night series, these Asia releases are produced and recorded live with a live event director and video switcher and live editor. It's incredible, especially considering that as soon as the show is done....

PARIS BY NIGHT
thuyngashop.com

Celebrating their 20th Anniversary, Paris By Night is taking place this weekend (April 4-5) at Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, California. There are a few of these Vietnamese-variety shows, but Paris By Night is the original and the best ... thanks to its massive talent pool and stage productions. Entitled Thuy Nga Productions Presents - Paris by Night 114: 1975-2015 - Toi La Nguoi Viet Nam, with the most important words that translates "I Am Vietnamese".

This year's 100+ performers will include singers Bang Kieu, Mai Thien Van, Minh Tuyet, Nhu Quynh, Ngoc Anh, and Quang Le. Longtime hosts Nguyen Ngoc Ngan and Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen will return once again to emcee the four-hour live concerts.

I've own a few of these Paris by Night DVDs, which are typically sold at various Vietnamese stores, or you can purchase direct. They usually come with two DVDs and will sometime have behind-the-scene special features. They have a phenomenal video production team, which includes a live director and large video crew.

Additional details:

In addition to the performers, nearly two dozen special guests who are renowned internationally in their respected fields will grace the stage in person or by previously recorded message. VIP guests include Bill Mathis (US Navy Rear Admiral [Ret.]), chef Khai Duong (gold medalist in the 2012 International Beijing Culinary Competition), Hubert Vo (Texas State Representative), Hung Cao (US Naval Training Center Commander), Janet Nguyen (California State Senator), Nha Khanh (fashion designer), Ta Duc Tri (current mayor of Westminster, CA), Thuy Vu (news anchor), Trinh Tien Tinh (NASA Hall of Fame Engineer), and others.

Paris By Night 114 is directed by the Emmy Award-winning Ron De Moraes (XIX Winter Olympics Opening, Miss Universe, Miss USA, Celebrity Apprentice, Whose Line is it Anyway?, Entertainment Tonight, Soul Train), with production design by David Edwards (Jimmy Kimmel Live, MTV Video Awards Pre-Show, Masters of Dance), choreography by the Emmy Award-winning Shanda Sawyer* (Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey, Dancing With the Stars, Siegfried & Roy, Miss America, Motown Live, The Keenan Ivory Wayans Show), and lighting design by Simon Miles (Miss America, World Music Awards, Dancing with the Stars, American Idol, CMT Music Awards).

* Sawyer has been choreographing Paris By Night for 20 years, since 1995.

Read More Savages UK post-punk band Savages electrified a sold out First Avenue crowd last night with a set that stabbed, slapped and gnashed. Those who missed Savages in July at the Triple Rock (like myself) were pleased to find that the larger ...

BO NINGEN
boningen.info

London's Bo Ningen (by the way of Japan) will be heading back to the USA this May, supporting TV on the Radio on their tour. Named by both Jon Pareles (The NY Times) and Bob Boilen (NPR) as stand-out favorites at CMJ 2014, their live show is absolutely not to be missed.

Bo Ningen will be playing tracks from their latest III, which featured Jehnny Beth of Savages guest-singing in English on the new album.

US Tour Dates

05/08 – Toronto, ONT @ Canada Music Week

05/11 Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel*
05/12 Louisville, KY @ Mercury*
05/13 St. Louis, MO @ Ready Room*
05/15 Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall*
05/16 Nashville, TN @ Ryman*
05/17 Atlanta, GA @ Vinyl
05/19 Washington, DC @ Echostage*
05/20 Brooklyn, NY @ Kings Theatre*
05/22 Allston, MA @ Great Scott

05/24 Pontiac, MI @ Crofoot Pike Room

*w/ TV On The Radio

Read More Selena Gomez Disney pop princess, Selena Gomez is currently on tour in support of her solo debut studio album Stars Dance, stopping by the Target Center in Minneapolis last night, November 21st. …

JESSICA DOMINGO
jessicadomingo.com

YouTube pop singer-songwriter Jessica Domingo recently released her new single " "Everything Just Wasn't Enough" off her upcoming EP, Masterpiece.

Additional details about Domingo:

BuzzFeed says that Domingo “has made a name for herself with her soulful voice.” Fanlala calls her style “a toe-tapping beat that still puts us at ease.” With such praise, it’s no wonder she was a world-wide semi-finalist in the Unsigned Only Music Competition 2014, a top 3 finalist of Asian American Singing Idol and a multi-time performer at the Bite of Seattle Festival. She released her first EP, Take A Chance in 2010 and in March followed up with her debut full-length album, Just Vibe, on which she wrote, performed and produced all the tracks.

Domingo has also been featured in the New Artist Spotlight of You Know I Got Soul, as well as outlets such as GroundSounds, Solo Vibes Music, Pen’s Eye View and many more. Examiner.com recently premiered her latest video release, “Masterpiece,” raving about her “superb vocals” and the way the video “brilliantly blends live action and beautiful animation.” “Masterpiece” is also in the  finalist round for the International Songwriting Competition.

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Japanesey: Peelander-Z, Shonen Knife, and the Clover

With the recent Cibo Matto Tour Announcement, here are a few other Japanese bands.

Also, read more Turning Japanese, Turning Japanese 2, Better in Japan, W♥M118: Big in Japan, Asian Invasion II: Japan, and Japan: Guitar Wolf, Otonana Trio, and Yoshiki.

Read More Peelander-Z Superhero Japanese punk band Peelander-Z is currently on tour in support of their latest album, Metalander-Z, stopping by the Turf Club in St Paul last night, September 19th. …

PEELANDER-Z
peelander-z.com

Peelander-Z just announced their full nationwide tour for Metalander-Z. We previously saw them tour last year, and I noted that they didn't play that many songs from the album. I guess that was just the preview, I'm going to expect to hear more Metalander-Z on this upcoming show, because I have to tell you: their new album is good (if you like hair metal)!

We have been covering Peelander-Z since 2009 and we've seen them a million times. One thing is always a constant at their shows: fans have fun, dancing and singing and interacting with Peelander-Z. If you have never been to a show, you really need to check them out.

Peelander-Z On Tour:

03/08 Club One Savannah Stopover Festival
03/18 Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald's Upstairs
03/19 New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks
03/20 Birmingham, AL @ The Bottletree Cafe
03/21 Athens, GA @ 40 Watt
03/22 Knoxville, TN @ The Bowery
03/24 Atlanta, GA @ The Drunken Unicorn
03/25 Chattanooga, TN @ JJ's Bohemia
03/28 St. Louis, MO @ The Demo
03/29 Springfield, MO @ Outland Ballroom
03/30 Tulsa, OK @ Mercury Lounge
04/01 Norman, OK @ Opolis
04/03 Lincoln, NE @ Knickerbockers
04/05 Kansas City, MO @ Middle Of The Map Fest
04/09 Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater
04/15 San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
04/16 West Hollywood, CA @ The Roxy Theatre
04/17 San Francisco, CA @ DNA Lounge
04/19 Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre Lounge
04/21 Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
04/22 Boise, ID @ Neurolux
04/26 Billings, MT @ Railyard
04/29 Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St. Entry
05/01 Chicago, IL @ Reggie's Rock Club
05/03 Toledo, OH @ Frankies
05/08 Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter
05/14 Providence, RI @ Fete Music

Overdrive Good Charamel Records Read More Shonen Knife Let's get one thing straight: Shonen Knife is still adorable, they still try and sound like the Japanese Ramones band, and, yes, they still love singing and eating food. Shonen Knife is all that at the 7th Street Entry …

SHONEN KNIFE
shonenknife.net

I love Shonen Knife. The Osaka band announced their new album Overdrive to come out April 16th, 2014, via Good Charamel Records (for North America). The American market will get a yellow cover version, while the UK and Japan will get Green and Blue covers, respectively. The new album is said to be influenced by 70s rock.

Expect the all-girl trio to 'ride the rocket' to America sometime this year, after they play Europe and Japan, of course:

04/30/14 Ruby Lounge Manchester, UK
05/01/14 Brudenell Social Club Leeds, UK
05/03/14 Handmade Festival Leicester
05/06/14 Whelans Dublin, Ireland
05/07/14 Dolans Limerick, Ireland
05/08/14 Crane Lane Theatre Cork, Ireland
05/09/14 Cathedral Quarter Festival Ireland
05/10/14 CCA Glasgow, UK
05/11/14 Electric Circus Edinburgh
05/12/14 Cluny Newcastle, Australia
05/14/14 Fleece Bristol
05/15/14 Clwb Ifor Bach Cardiff
05/16/14 Sticky Mikes Frog Bar Brighton
05/17/14 Craufurd Arms Milton Keynes, UK
05/18/14 Dingwalls London, UK

The Clovers Read More The Beatles In case you haven't noticed, early next month mark The Beatles' 50th Anniversary in America. The two surviving Beatles members, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, will likely 'come together' on David Letterman …

THE CLOVER
facebook.com/theclover.beatles

It's been Beatlesmania again this whole week in February, as Americans celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Beatles in America. I have previously mentioned, I didn't understand why this was "a thing". I've backtracked a little now: the Beatles experience in America is unique to our country and 50 years ago was indeed an important landmark in American music.

If you have nothing going on tonight (February 8th), head over to the Cake Shop in New York at midnight to catch The Clover, an all-girl band that exclusively just cover The Beatles' music. The Japanese band recently just played Freddy's Bar in NY as part of the Beatles celebration.

Details at cake-shop.com.

LATTER: 12:00am: THE CLOVER
[ALL-FEMALE JAPANESE BEATLES COVER BAND]

$4, 12am-2am, 21+ (please bring your ID!)

NOTE: As Lara previously mentioned, the Cake Shop is a tiny, tiny venue. She showed up to a show for CMJ and couldn't get in because it was easily at full capacity with fifty people.... So show up early.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com