Latest news with #TheKidsAreAlright
National Geographic
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- National Geographic
A music lover's guide to Tokyo, the city that moves to its own beat
If you're a record collector, a guitar nerd, a jazz head, a garage rocker, or a karaoke crooner, Tokyo is possibly the best place on the planet for music lovers. Before planning a trip to Japan's capital city, here's what you know about its diverse music scene for all types of musicophiles. Shop for your favorites at a record store Ask anyone who has visited Tokyo about record shopping and they will all mention Disk Union. The behemoth music retailer has been around since 1967 and has multiple stores across the city. In Shinjuku alone, we're talking four separate buildings within a three-block radius, containing various levels that cover 18 different genres. Music lovers will need a map—and fortunately, you can find one online or at the front of any of their stores. Tokyo is also home to several independent record stores. Shimokitazawa is a neighborhood revered by crate-diggers, and you'll find plenty to peruse at Pianola Records, Jet Set, Flash Disc Ranch (featured in the Wim Wenders' film Perfect Days), and City Country City—a bar, café, record store, and small venue owned by Keiichi Sokabe, the frontman of revered Japanese band Sunny Day Service. (Everything you need to know for the perfect Tokyo trip.) Perform onstage at a live music venue In Tokyo, music venues are called 'live houses.' Tthe best of them reside in neighborhoods such as Koenji (SUB Store and Sound Studio DOM), Asagaya (Club Heavy Sick and Forestlimit), Shinjuku (Space and Shinjuku Loft), and Shimokitazawa (Shelter and Live Haus). At Heaven's Door in Nishi-Ogikubo, I was the only non-Japanese patron. Within 30 minutes, I was onstage behind a mic with a guitar around my neck, performing The Rolling Stones' 'The Last Time' and The Who's 'The Kids Are Alright,' accompanied by regulars on lead guitar, bass, and drums. I received high-fives from everyone in the room and swapped Facebook and Instagram details by the end of the night. (Some of the nicest gardens in Tokyo are hidden behind hotels.) Attend a popular music festival Music fans can plan their vacations around Japan's music festival calendar. One of the biggest and most famous festivals, Summer Sonic was established 25 years ago and is held over two days every August in Tokyo and Osaka. Recording artists featured at previous festivals have included Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Strokes, Blur, Kendrick Lamar, and popular Japanese bands such as Babymetal. Electronic music fans flock to Ultra Japan, which is held on a man-made island in Tokyo Bay and has hosted all the biggest dancefloor-fillers, including David Guetta, Tiesto, and deadmau5. If you're a garage rock music fan, you should plan a trip to attend Back from the Grave's annual Halloween Ball. This is like a United Nations summit of the best acts in this wild, loud, and sweaty genre. If jazz is more your thing, then Asagaya Jazz Streets transforms the bars, venues, parks, and streets of Tokyo's Asagaya neighborhood into jazz nirvana at the end of October. All outside events are free of charge. (Don't leave Tokyo without these must-do experiences.) Relax at a listening bar Jazz kissatens are cafés or bars devoted to listening to vinyl records. In a city as fast paced as Tokyo, it's a contrast to step into one of these places, slow down, and immerse yourself in music, whether it's classical at Lion Café in Shibuya or soul, disco, and R&B at Little Soul Café in Shimokitazawa. Tokyo has approximately 100 listening bars—some have a no-talking policy during the day and become more convivial at night. In the heart of Shinjuku, Dug was opened in 1961 by photographer Hozumi Nakadaira, whose pictures of jazz greats, including Miles Davis and John Coltrane, grace the walls. This listening bar was also featured in Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood, the best-selling novel published in 1987. Visit a guitar lover's oasis in Tokyo Just 10 minutes from Shinjuku Station on a rapid express train, you'll find yourself standing on Meidai Dori also known as Guitar Street. The strip is lined with more than 50 musical instrument stores. Meanwhile, a temple to the guitar opened in 2023 in a building near Harajuku's popular Takeshita Street. Fender Flagship Tokyo is the renowned U.S. company's very first flagship. Every Fender instrument and amplifier is artfully displayed on four floors, and you can go in, point at anything you like, plug it in, and play. The store also features a custom shop (named 'The Dream Factory') for made-to-order instruments, a café (from California company Verve Roasters), and an apparel store. (8 family-friendly things to do in Tokyo.) Street musicians perform in Tokyo's Harajuku neighborhood. Photograph by Igor Kisselev, Alamy Stock Photo Visitors at Cozy Café in Tokyo can peruse its vinyl collection and listen to music. Photograph by Izumi Oki, Alamy Stock Photo Sing at these popular karaoke spots Karaoke is a popular pastime in Japan—after all, it started here. Unlike karaoke in the West, which is generally found in a bar or pub, most Japanese karaoke joints are hosted in private rooms for a half-hour, allowing amateur crooners an opportunity to sing along with friends, or even solo, also known as hitokara in Japanese. One of the most popular karaoke chains is Karaoke San, and their outlet in Shibuya is featured in Lost in Translation, where Scarlett Johansson sang a sassy version of The Pretenders' 'Brass in Pocket' and Bill Murray did a melancholic, jet-lagged take on Roxy Music's 'More Than This.' (How to eat your way through Tokyo.) Enjoy the nostalgia of The Beatles The Beatles's Japanese tour in 1966 is still spoken about in reverential tones. Fans can relive the nostalgia and phenomena by visiting vintage clothing shops to easily find Beatles t-shirts, and many record stores in Tokyo have an impressive section devoted to them. Be-In Records in Koenji is one of those must-visit places. This record store has every Beatles album, including versions from different countries, and also has full bins with the solo work of John, Paul, George, and Ringo. To witness the pinnacle of Beatles fandom, music lovers can book a ticket to Abbey Road, a club in Roppongi where The Parrots, a Japanese band, do note-perfect renditions of the legendary band's entire catalogue. The Parrots play four sets a night, five nights a week, and provide a joyous evening of nostalgia that's a must-see for any fan of 'The Fab Four.' (10 of the best hotels in Tokyo, from charming ryokans to Japanese onsen retreats.) Barry Divola is a journalist, author and musician from Australia, and his latest book is the music-infused road novel Driving Stevie Fracasso - follow him on Facebook.
Chicago Tribune
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Homewood Arts Council bringing rock veterans together for birthday tribute to The Who's Pete Townshend
Homewood Arts Council describes itself as being dedicated to supporting and showcasing its community's already deep passion for the visual, literary, musical and performing arts. One way the 501(c)(3) volunteer-run community organization does this is by presenting events such as Who's Birthday – A Tribute to Pete Townshend for ages 21 and older on May 10 at Homewood Izaak Walton Preserve's Senior Hall. 'I'm friends with Chris Casteneda, who put this together. He knows me through a couple mutual friends and has seen me play,' said Phil Angotti, one of the event's performers. 'Besides writing original music I play a lot of '60s things. I'm a huge fan. He knew that so he asked me to part of this show.' Castaneda, president and director of the Homewood Arts Council — which he joined in 2021 after moving to the village from Chicago's Mount Greenwood community, curated the celebration of Townshend's 80th birthday with sets featuring the musician's solo material and songs with The Who. Who's Birthday also includes Homewood resident and longtime Townshend fan Dolph Chaney; Northbrook native Rick Rizzo, a founding member of Chicago-based band Eleventh Dream Day; and Sam Vicari, a northwest Indiana native and Chicago resident who is lead singer and guitarist for The Feeders. 'It will be interesting to see what everybody is playing. We're all such fans,' said Angotti, who will be making his Homewood Izaak Walton Preserve debut. 'It's going to be interesting to see what everyone brings. I'm looking forward to that.' Born in 1961, Angotti will play acoustic guitar on and sing 'Blue Red and Grey,' 'However Much I Booze,' 'Slit Skirts,' 'Sea and Sand,' 'The Acid Queen' and 'I'm a Boy,' which were all written by Townshend. Angotti, who has been the lead singer of Material Issue which is also known as Material Reissue since 2011, recalled being a teenager in his first band, The Fleas, when someone in high school gave him a copy of The Who double record featuring the 1967 albums 'The Who Sell Out' and 'Happy Jack.' 'Like everybody else I knew 'Quadrophenia' and I knew 'Tommy,' but I didn't know their early stuff. I just went crazy over that stuff and went looking for every Who album I could find. When the movie 'The Kids Are Alright' came out, that was when I really turned into a monster Who fan,' Angotti said. Written and directed by Jeff Stein, the 1979 documentary 'The Kids Are Alright' starred The Who members Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle, Keith Moon and Townshend, who was born on May 19, 1945, along with Ringo Starr, drummer of The Beatles — another of Angotti's favorite bands. In addition to musical performances, Who's Birthday includes soft drinks and pizza slices for purchase and mixed cocktails provided by Family Wine & Liquors, of Homewood. 'There's so many great Pete songs,' said Angotti, who cites 'Pure and Easy' from Townshend's 1972 debut solo album 'Who Came First' and The Who's 1974 compilation 'Odds & Sods' and 'Keep Me Turning' from the 1977 solo album 'Rough Mix' with Ronnie Lane as top Townshend compositions. On March 28, Universal Music Recordings released 'Pete Townshend: The Studio Albums,' an eight-CD set of his complete solo catalog of seven studio albums through 1993's 'Psychoderelict' with sleeve notes by Who archivist Matt Kent and an exclusive Townshend interview. 'Quadrophenia, a Mod Ballet,' which is written by Townshend, is in rehearsals for its world premiere and its United Kingdom tour begins May 28 at Theatre Royal Plymouth's The Lyric. The dance production features his wife, Rachel Fuller's orchestration of music from The Who's 1973 album 'Quadrophenia.' Angotti called Townshend, the principal songwriter for The Who, 'a musical genius.' 'He actually demoed all of those songs before The Who recorded them. His songs are his children,' he said. 'My Generation' from The Who's 1965 debut album of the same name; 'Pinball Wizard' from 1969's rock opera 'Tommy;' 'Won't Get Fooled Again,' 'Baba O'Riley' and 'Behind Blue Eyes' from 1971's 'Who's Next;' and 'Who Are You' from the 1978 album of the same name were written by Townshend. 'He always wrote about interesting subjects. That appealed to me as a young guy and his obvious talent of writing great melodies. It was a combination of those two things for me, and there's his acoustic playing, which is super innovative and influential,' Angotti said. After Phil Angotti & Friends were featured at Beatles Brunch with String Section on May 4 at FitzGerald's in Berwyn, the man known as 'THE Beatles guy' will return to the venue on June 1 for the monthly Beatles Brunch. Angotti also is booked with original bassist Ted Ansani and original drummer Mike Zelenko for a Material Issue concert on Sept. 27 at Schubas Tavern in Chicago. 'I was a big fan of the band when they came out,' said Angotti about Material Issue, which Jim Ellison fronted until his 1996 death and was reformed as Material Reissue in 2011. 'Mike ended up playing drums in my original band before he asked me to be the new lead singer of Reissue.' Angotti plans to release his next solo acoustic album, 'Notebook Head,' in late May or early June and the Phil Angotti Band album 'Sentimental Hogwash,' which will feature his single 'False Alarm,' in November or December. Established in 2018, Homewood Arts Council welcomes people interested in joining its artist network, which includes visual artists, musicians, media artists and theaters. 'Our mission is to bring people together for powerful shared experiences and to enrich and inspire artists and audiences of all ages,' Homewood Arts Council states on its website. The not-for-profit group, which also welcomes volunteers and donations, is collaborating with others to establish a performing arts center in the village along with exhibition and gallery spaces. Who's Birthday – A Tribute to Pete Townshend
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Writers Guild West Names Members Who've Been Expelled or Disciplined for Breaking Strike Rules
The Writers Guild of America West has gone public with its discipline of six union members for allegedly writing during the labor group's 2023 strike and one for a purported constitutional violation, a move that four writers have appealed, with one saying he was 'punished for being transparent.' Writers Julie Bush, Tim Doyle, Edward Drake and Roma Roth have all sought to overturn disciplinary rulings from the union's board of directors, which followed hearings before five-member trial juries and investigations from a committee aimed at uncovering authorized work during the strike. The union announced the discipline and appeals to members on Friday. More from The Hollywood Reporter Staffers at L.A.'s Natural History Museum and La Brea Tar Pits Form Union At "Stay in L.A." Rally, Working Hollywood Fights to Improve Incentives for Southern California's Signature Industry SAG-AFTRA Commercials Contracts Expiration Date Extended Again The appeal materials show that Bush, a consulting producer on Manhunt, was suspended from WGA membership until 2026 and was barred from holding 'non-elected guild office' due to alleged writing during the strike for a non-signatory company. Schooled and The Kids Are Alright executive producer Doyle was publicly censured for a Facebook post deemed 'a racist and offensive depiction of a lynching,' as THR previously reported. Guns Up writer-director Drake was expelled from the union for allegedly 'writing during the strike and failing to cooperate with the Strike Rules Compliance Committee' and Sullivan's Crossing and Virgin River executive producer Roth was also expelled for allegedly writing during the strike for a non-signatory company. In a statement, Drake called his discipline unjust and the process that led him there flawed. 'The Board disregarded the findings of their own Trial Committee, as well as the Chair of the Strike Rules Compliance Committee, both of whom said I did not deserve to be expelled. Even the Supreme Court has upheld that directors are allowed to make script changes during a strike.' Drake added, 'As someone who doesn't yet have a manager or agent, and has only worked on low-budget indies, the Board thought I was an easy target. But, isn't protecting the most vulnerable the very the point of having a union? Instead, I was punished for being transparent, denied due process and a fair trial, and pressured to 'name names' without protection against legal threats.' Bush and Doyle likewise call into question the board's decision to hand them harsher punishments than the recommendations of their trial committees. The trial committee recommended that Bush receive a confidential letter of censure and a ban from serving as a strike captain for three years. In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Bush said, 'A jury of my union peers found me innocent of breaking the Strike Rules in an eight-hour trial, but the guild decided to ignore their recommendation and punish me as though I did. To make matters worse, when I let them know I wanted to exercise my right to appeal the punishment at a private membership meeting, they denied me that right, instead passing a resolution to change the appeal process — in violation of the Guild Constitution and violation of federal labor law — presumably to make this appeal as public and punishing as possible.' She added, 'I love my union but not the actions that they have taken. Our union does not stand for illegal witch-hunts and kangaroo courts. I love the Guild, and I believe that standing up for my due process makes our Guild better and stronger.' In his position statement, Doyle claimed that the union's trial committee recommended a confidential censure for him after he underwent a disciplinary hearing. Instead, the board 'decided to be harshly punitive with this very public shaming – a wildly disproportionate punishment for an offense which the Board's own investigative committee concluded had been unknowing and unintentional.' For her part, Roth called her excommunication from the guild 'excessive and disproportionate' because she was not working for a signatory company, but for an independently financed Canadian TV series. She alleges that after a defective disciplinary process, the chair of her trial committee, a former public defender, 'refused to sign the committees report, resigned and then wrote a four-page letter to the Board outlining her deep concerns over how flawed the discipline process was.' THR has reached out to all who were accused for comment. Per the constitution of the writers' union, disciplined members can appeal the board's decisions and call for a vote from members in good standing with the union. If the majority of members vote to keep the ruling in place, the discipline remains; if not, an 'alternative action' proposed by the accused person will be undertaken. The vote will take place online between 10 a.m. PT on May 6 and 2 p.m. PT on May 9. Best of The Hollywood Reporter How the Warner Brothers Got Their Film Business Started Meet the World Builders: Hollywood's Top Physical Production Executives of 2023 Men in Blazers, Hollywood's Favorite Soccer Podcast, Aims for a Global Empire
