LiveHouse☆Map

I recently discovered a very handy website called LiveHouse☆Map which shows videos of people walking to livehouses from the nearest train stations.
Livehouses are often difficult to find and the maps are hard to decipher, so if you watch one of these videos before you go to a livehouse for the first time, you should feel more familiar with the route. Remember, you can also check Google Street View too.
LiveHouse☆Map is in Japanese but isn't too hard to follow even if you don't understand the language.
It seems to have some connection with the pop band Cosmic Airplane whose music can be heard in the background of the videos. I think the guides are members of the band too.
There are currently guides to 67 livehouses and while that is only a fraction of the venues out there (for example, Tokyo Gig Guide lists 340 venues), it is quite an achievment and includes all the main Tokyo clubs. I have added links to them on the livehouse pages of Tokyo Gig Guide.

Here is my favourite video. It's directions to Fever, which is directly in front of Shindaita station. He just crosses the road!

Tenniscoats and The Pastels

Two of my favourite bands, Japan's own Tenniscoats and Glasgow band The Pastels have been recording together over the last couple of years. Finally, their collaboration album is finished and was released yesterday, September 2nd in Japan!

The album includes a Jesus and Mary Chain cover which you can download here.

Let's hope they tour Japan together.

Free advertising? No thank you!

I had posted two videos of small Japanese bands playing at Fuji Rock Festival here, but both of the artists' record labels asked me to remove them from Youtube.

Having such videos on Youtube and posted in a blog like this seems to me to be a great way for more people around the world to have a chance to hear those labels' artists, and therefore sell more CDs and have more people attend their gigs.

It's a real wonder so much great music continues to be made by some wonderful musicians in Japan when the record labels have no idea, not to mention the other ridiculous difficulties they face such as the live houses ripping them off.

Anyway, enough ranting from me.