Let’s meet the scott vegetables

ザ・スコット・ ベジタブルズ

It’s interview time here at JPop Today. Last month we talked about an up and coming three piece punk band based in Saitama and Tokyo. The scott vegetables are a great band. Bob Vielma of keikaku.net calls them the best band with the worst name around. (Click here to see their youtube video!) I recently contacted Kyō, GK, and Aokids.   The following brief interview was conducted through myspace.  Many thanks to Kyō san and the guys. Let’s get to it..

ディビッド (Dave – JPT): こんにちは。 Thanks, KYO-SUKE, for agreeing to do this interview.

Kyō: Hello, Thank you for the interview. This is my FIRST interview. (Dave edit: Kyō is the lead vocal/guitarist)

D: Kyōsuke, you are a great guitarist. I am soooo impressed with your video at Daigassoukai. What exactly is that event? きょうすけさん上手なギターです. 大合奏会は何ですか?

K: Thank you for seeing movie. The guitar that I play is unskilled. It is a sound like the mosquito.

DAIGASSOUKAI is FOUR TOMORROW’s music event. Its very fun!

<– Daigassoukai 2008

D: When did the scott vegetables begin?  バンドはいつ始まりましたか。

K: We had played the band named DAWN. Oneday, DAWN’s bassist “TAKU-LOW” had gone to Tokyo to work. Ao-kids joined our band. It is completion of the Scott vegetables.

D: You met Aokids & GK in school?  バンドは学校で会いましたか。

K: I met them in the Music club at Hirosaki University (S.P.N POWER, ebi, Fat”FUCKING”Seminar, and DEADSTOCK also belongs). GAKU is a schoolmate, and Aokids is a senior.

D: You have a new CD? What is the label?  新しいCDがありますか。ラベル何ですか？

K: Yes! “Vegetables for…” ￥500 Yellow label

D: These days you’re living in Saitama prefecture. You’re from Hirosaki, Aomori prefecture? Is it far from Tokyo?  きょうすけさんはこのごろ埼玉県に住んでいますね。青森県の弘前市からですか？東京の遠いですか?

K: Omiya in Saitama is far from Tokyo. However, I move to Saitama for BUSINESS. I did not come to Saitama to playng the ROCKNROLL. HA HA HA…

D: So you know bands like the Cheaps?

K: No. Whats the Cheaps?? (Dave Edit: The Cheaps are a band from Aomori prefecture.)

D: When did you become a fan of Fifteen and Crimpshine? (いつファンになりましたか。)

K: I got to listen to THEM at the age of 18. When I listened to them, “Its AMAZING!!! That unbalance is COOOOOOOOOOOOL.

D: Jeff Ott (member of Fifteen & Crimpshine) still writes wonderful antiwar songs. Do you also write political lyrics?  あなたも政治的な曲を書いていますか？

K: There is no political songs in ours. But we write songs about “My war”. Just like a “SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY”. HA HA HA…

D: Jeff wrote wonderful songs like “Food Not Bombs.”

K: OH! This song is existence in BUZZ. I like it. Bombs means BAKERATTA in Japan.

D: Did you see those bands in concert?

K: No. However, I wanna see those bands. …But it’s impossible…

D: I saw both the Ramones and Bad Brains in concert. Were you influenced by them?  影響でしたか?

K: Yes, I like them. I was always watching their movies in my childhood.

D: What bands do you like now? The scott vegetables のメンバーの好きなげんざいのバンドは何ですか?

K: GOD’S GUTS !!

GK: Ben folds.

Aokids: Fridayz

D: I live in, Cleveland Ohio.  Have you heard of the Spudmonsters? They were an influential hardcore band here. 私はオハイオ州に住んでいます。スパッドモンスターズというハードコアのバンドを知っていますか？

K: No. Sorry…

D: Have you played in Yoyogi Park? Any outdoor shows? 東京の代々木公園で歌いますか。(Dave edit:  Tokyo’s Yoyogi Park is known for free concerts every Sunday.)

K: No. I went to Yoyogi-koen in this spring. I do not like it so much. It is NOT formed with nature .

<– a lot of unsigned bands play in Yoyogi Park

D: Have you been to the states? あなたたちはアメリカに行ったことがありますか？

K: No, I wanna been the United States. I have been to London and Paris.

A: No.

GK: I have been to Australia

D: Miyu Hoshino is also from Aomori prefecture. Do you know her? ほしのみゆちゃんという女優を知っていますか？ 彼女も青森県からです.  If you meet her please tell her I said hi!

K: Oh! She is PORNO-STAR! OH YES!! OH YES!! I love Nana Aoyama.

Miyu Hoshino

D: How about the name? 「the scott vegetables」の名前「ことば」の意味いかがですか?

K: Actually, I want to name “Fresh vegetables” But it’s NOT COOL. So, we must replace Fresh with Scott.

D: Do you guys like natto? Is it good? 納豆が好きですか？ おいしいですか?

(Dave edit: Natto is a traditional Japanese dish made from fermented soybeans.)

K: I love natto ramen.

A: Yes!

GT: Yes!

D: それでは thanks for the chat, guys!!

K: Thanks a lot!!

A: Thank you!

GT: Thank you! NANDEN-KANDEN!

Dave’s notes: I think the boys are scheduled to appear at the 2009 Daigassoukai in Akihabara, Japan. I stumbled across this year’s schedule but can’t find the link now.

For a review of Daigassoukai ’08 please go to http://www.keikaku.net/features/81

For more info on obtaining their EP  “Vegetables For..” contact the band directly at http://www.myspace.com/thescottvegetables

Get Flash now!

Soldier Of Fortune

ラウドネス

Wow! What a band. LOUDNESS is still kicking. I saw these cats in Cleveland a couple of years ago.  Minoru Niihara is the vocalist again and lead guitaist Akira Takasaki – 高崎 晃 – is still awesome as ever. He’s seriously one of the best technical musicians in the world. Sadly drummer Munetaka Higuchi passed away last year.

Copy and paste the live video below. From their 25th Anniversary tour.. LOUDNESS with “Soldier of Fortune.”

In the meantime here’s a band called HARD ROCK SESSION, with a female vocalist, doing the same legendary tune. Anybody out there know this band?

See-Saw

『あんなに一緒だったのに』

<!–フルバージョン試聴用 リンクも変更 –> ■あんなに一緒だったのに ■君がいた物語

D

Here’s the ending theme to “Mobile Suit Gundam SEED.” How many of you kids remember this one?

ユニットの前身は、高校時代の梶浦と西岡を中心とした「15 SAND（いちごさんど）」で、メンバーの妹である石川が、後にボーカルとして加入した。メンバーが大学に進学しても、活動は続けられ、プロデビューの話もあったが、方向性の違いで挫折し、残ったのが梶浦・西岡・石川の3人になり、ユニット名を現在の「See-Saw」に改名して、シングル「Swimmer」で、デビューを果たす。その後に西岡が作家活動に専念するため、脱退することになる（1994年4月）。また、シングル「またあえるから」リリース後はそれぞれのソロ活動に専念していたが「Indio」を担当したのがきっかけで、活動を再開することになる。そして、シングル「あんなに一緒だったのに」が、大ヒットになったのを機会に名前を知られるようになる。現在は再びそれぞれのソロ活動を展開中である。

Tastey Drink with tastey co-star

The co-star is none other than omnipresent Aya Ueto – 上戸彩 - the commercial queen/ actess/pop singer. I can dig that. She will make more appearances in this site assuredly.

℃-ute

暑中お見舞い申し上げます

Here is the cover of  ℃-ute’s latest single, a remake of the Candies hit 「暑中お見舞い申し上げます.」

Well, you have to copy and paste the link below to see the V but you can check the original version by Candies:

°C-ute Best 1

°C-ute will release their first best album, “°C-ute Best ①“, in both limited and regular editions on August 12, 2009. It consists of all their singles:

Tracklist:

1. Massara Blue Jeans (New Ver.)
2. Soku Dakishimete (New Ver.)
3. Ookina Ai de Motenashite (New Ver.)
4. Wakkanai (Z)  (New Ver.)
5. Sakura Chirari
6. Meguru Koi no Kisetsu
7. Tokaikko Junjou
8. LALALA Shiawase no Uta
9. Namida no Iro
10. Edo no Temari Uta II
11. Forever Love
12. Bye Bye Bye
13. Shochuu Omimai Moshiagemasu

福原美穂 HANABI SKY

eleased yesterday! It’s 「HANABI SKY」 by Miho Fukuhara – 福原美穂 – the young lady who sang a tune from Fullmetal Alchemist – 『鋼の錬金術師』 last year.

This latest single debuted at # 76 on Japan’s Hot 100 from Billboard Japan,  ten spots behind Van Halen.

Dave’s notes:  Aaargh! The video was removed for copyright infraction! If I had known that none of her videos are allowed to be copied I would have bypassed this singer (I am definitely not covering YUI here for this very reason.. fickle?)

Man this girl has some pipes!

At the age of fifteen Fukuhara was featured on a Hokkaido based TV karaoke competition and sang a cover of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” and was recognised by the show’s judges for her talent.

Three years later after finishing high-school, she debuted as an indies artist on the Hokkaido’s Yumechika Records label with the Stevie Wonder cover “The Roots.”

Fukuhara’s single “Change” was the number ninety-two yearly song on Billboard’s year-end charts for 2008. With her single “Let It Out” she had her first major anime  tie-in with Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.