the brothers crow

I collect towels.

Not just any towels, but concert towels. You see, one of my more recent hobbies over the past several months has been going to see various musical acts, usually about two to four per month.

I think of it as the logical progression from my hobby of renting and listening to about five CDs per week. Because Fukuoka, the closest major city, actually has something of a reputation for being a breeding ground for musicians, it tends to attract a wide variety of famous and fledgling performers.

Most recently I saw Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, a hugely influential and fantastic band that has been performing for over twenty years. Though I got stuck in the back of the concert hall, their sound was impossible to escape and everyone was moving from start to finish. They were incredible performers that knew how to work a crowd and maintained a high energy pace for two hours nonstop. Even though we were all drenched in sweat and quite stinky by the end of it, as one of the members said, “being exhausted and drenched in sweat is true to the Ska spirit, isn’t?”

Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra

Several days before that I saw Kusuo, a Japanese reggae singer from Nagasaki, which is not too far from here. Believe it or not, reggae is actually a thriving genre of Japanese music with quite a number of popular, successful acts. Kusuo is a personal favorite of mine because of his incredible voice and his lyrics, which often utilize Nagasaki dialect and touch on Kyushu culture. He was also selling maybe ten different varieties of towels which, as an avid collector, was an awesome thing to see. That said, I only buy one each time, so I’ll have to wait until I see him again before I can continue collecting them.

Kusuo

Another personal favorite of mine, who I’ve seen twice live, is Kimaguren. This acoustic duo has a refreshing, ocean-like sound that conveys warmth and nostalgia, so much so that I can’t help but feel a strange sensation of contentment and accomplishment every time I listen to them. They always bring a large supporting band as well, and their last encore went for over an hour. I can’t wait to see them again!

Kimaguren

There are other wonderful acts I’ve seen aside from this, but I figure these are some of the better ones I’ve seen within recent memory. If there is interest, I could tell you all more about some of the others as well.