Pocky Rock

I think it’s day four, but everything is kind of a blur now, so it’s hard to tell. All I know is that we’re having a blast.

We had the day off after our first show and I used most of the day to catch up on sleep. Then I met up with Masa and the rest of the band in Shinjukuh, where we went to the Imperial Palace and did some random shopping. It was raining all day, which sucked, but I’ve noticed that things seem to suck less when you’re in Japan. Everyone seems so damn happy that’s it’s hard to be in a bad mood.

That night we had some great Korean food, then went to a cozy bar where all they played was a great mix of American pop music from Olivia Newton John to Elvis Costello. After a few White Russians we headed to see a Japanese Reggae band. Just like every band I’ve ever seen in Japan, they were amazing. Japanese musicians do not fuck around.

I spent day three catching up on even more sleep and when I finally met up with the rest of the guys I finally felt normal again. After pre-show drinks with our promoter Sakamoto, we headed to the gig for our 1:30AM show.

The venue was small and narrow, but it made it feel like the wildest house party ever. Masa was DJing and got the party going, and then Sakamoto’s band Elekibass took over the room with some of the most endearing pop I’ve ever heard.

Despite some technical difficulties, when we finally played, we killed it. The crowd was enthusiastic, and quickly caught on to some of the choruses and was singing along. I can’t say I’ve experienced many things as surreal and rewarding as having a room full of Japanese people singing along to our songs.

After the show, Masa had the best idea I had heard all day; Japanese barbecue. All I can say after cooking meat on our own grill at 3AM is fuck the Waffle House. Drunk, early morning Barbecue eating is the best.

We finally made it back to our hotel at 5AM and today we have an eight-hour drive to Kobe. I sure hope we get some Kobe beef when we are there. Oh yeah, we are also playing a wedding after party now for 100+ people. This will be immediatly after our show in Kobe tonight. Should be an interesting night.

We left Atlanta Tuesday morning at 7:30AM. When we finally got to Japan, it was Wednesday at 4:30PM Tokyo time, which meant 3:30AM Atlanta time. Make sense? In other words, we were tired. Luckily we flew business class and were able to sleep a couple hours, because as soon as we landed we headed to the city for our first show.

When we arrived at the venue, I realized I was still tired when I fell asleep on the couch during one of the opening bands. I didn’t want to be rude, so I went to sleep in the van until just before showtime. This, was showtime…

Why, yes, I did include a solo picture. It’s about time the drummer was shown some love!! Anyway, despite being jet lagged, the show was rocking. We weren’t showered with gifts, like the first show on our last Japan tour, but no one threw things at us either, so we win. We had a small after party with some of the other bands and met Masa, a great local DJ, who let the band stay at his house and would become our guide on day two. You’ll meet him in the next post. In the meantime, say hello to JP, Sumiko and Yoshiko.