Nice to hear from you, I’ve been meaning to send you an email but have been busy organizing the move from my apartment into heath’s last one.

I’ve read the posts on your blog site & they’re well written & entertaining, so keep them coming.

As expected Thrice were great. They started out with 2 or 3 older songs from the Artist & the Ambulance (Cold cash & colder hearts) & The Illusion of Safety (The Red Death) which really got the crowd going. They then followed up with most of the heavier tracks from Fire including Firebreather, The Arsonist & Backdraft which were all fantastic. The rest of the set contained a mixture of songs from Vheissu and the Air & Earth EPs (Daedalus,The Earth Isn’t Humming, Come All Your Weary & Broken lungs). I really didn’t like their Water EP but thankfully they only played a couple of songs from that one (The Whaler & something else). Overall the later part of the gig had a more relaxed vibe & didn’t quite build upon the energy & momentum of the earlier songs. There were a few old school fans that didn’t know what to do when they couldn’t mosh to the Air & Earth songs and most of them kept coming & going from the pit, The highlight of the night were the Vheissu tracks Image of the Invisible & Red Sky but Broken lungs was also outstanding. Overall the show just left me wanting more and I wouldn’t have minded seeing them play the next night as well. While it wasn’t the best show of the year (mind you I’ve seen about 25 or so gigs so far), I would rate it a 7.5 / 10

Great to hear that the punk scene is alive & well in Japan. Whenever I think of japanese punk I always picture Mach Pelican, even though they’re from Australia.

The couple of tracks you uploaded of Hawaiian6 are really good, so I’ll have to track down the rest of their stuff.

You’re spot on about the comparison between Nicotine & NoFx. I’m not quite sure if I’ll get into them as their style of punk i.e, juvenile doesn’t really appeal to me anymore.

I’ll have to give a bit more of a listen to the other bands as you can’t really tell much about a band from just 1 song. I’ll let you know what I think when I give their whole albums a listens.

Keep rocking in Japan & keep the stories coming.

What’s the lowdown on the Thrice show? Did they play a mix of old and new?

I was damn disappointed to miss them, but I have to say the live scene in Kobe completely makes up for it! While we don’t get so many international acts (No Use is playing Osaka next Friday….but unfortunately sold out so can’t see them), there are so many local punk, ska and rock bands around here that the 7 or 8 “live houses” have full line-ups most nights a week! I still can’t believe you can pay around $12 on a Monday or Tuesday to watch a 6pm to 10pm gig and be back home at a reasonable hour.

I’ve made friends with a Japanese guy who fronts a wacky J-Ska band called “Big Bonus”, and through him have gotten free access to a couple of shows at a cool place called Blue Port. If you think the Corner is a good venue, this place is so tiny and intimate it feels like going to someone’s garage. (Plus you can grab onto the ceiling when crowd surfing!)

The crowds are so different to back home too…people don’t jump around with fists flying trying to be all macho. Skank circles are fun and the whole pit is filled with funny Japanase guys doing crazy dances. Saw one guy bowing continuously while jumping up and down on the spot with his arms pressed against his sides (Riverdance style).

They’re theatrically wacky in typical Japanese style but also extremely technically skilled…which surprised me as many small backup bands you see in Australia sound and look average. I think even the amateurs here could make a lot of money outside of Japan.

Getting involved with the Kobe punk scene has been a definite highlight of my time here so you guys should definitely come and experience it. Last weekend me and and another Aussie went out drinking all night after a show with all the bands…around 30 of us took up a large room of an “izakaya” (place where you sit with bare feet at low tables and pay $20 for all you can eat and drink) and taught each other insults in our languages. Needless to say it’s not something you can easily do back home…some of the guys there were pretty famous throughout Japan and another was telling me about trying with Fat Records in the US. But being foreigners, we are a novelty (it seems not many other English teachers or expats here like punk anyway)

Now onto the music….there’s so much good stuff coming out of this country I’m amazed we don’t hear more of it!

I’ve uploaded a few samples for you and have the links to the full albums:
http://www.mymiddlenameisross.com/mp3s/

Hawaiian6 (my favourite J-band) – the vocals really stand out with these guys. Check out “Without a Sound” for the biggest, most kick arse chorus I’ve heard for a long time, and “The Betrayal” which is equally catchy.

IQ20 – Slightly harder-edged than H6 and the vocals reminds me of Wilhelm Scream. Love the gang backup vocals also and their live show is intense.

Nicotine – the NOFX of Japan! I think they’re actually touring buddies when NOFX come over here.

Over Arm Throw – so catchy but not too poppy. Reminds me of something but I can’t tell what….

69Bug – http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9iJ9iKlC6E
This is like No Use for a Name with Millencolin vocals! Download Skate first if you like it.

Here are some download links:
http://megaupload.com/?d=1ULFTWC0 (password is “sharpensyouup”)
http://www.foropunk.com/topic/20961/sid/e9e983766bb0eb4bff54d04747f30721
(Other good bands I’ve tried so far from this page are Ellegarden, Parking Out, Hi-Standard, and search for “Labret” and “No Mean the Three” on myspace)

cheers, let me know what you think of it

Yes I agree with the Anberlin and why the fuck would they put a track from 2 albums ago on this release?? Then it hit me. They are now on universal and as this is a major label they have made them use this song as the single as they think it will sell well.

Anyway I have been in to anberlin since Scotty gave me their first CD and then me Scotty and Josh went to see them for the first time live at the everlyn and ever since then I have never missed them live or missed a Cd from these boys as they are just fantastic.