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J-Rock Fridays Vol. 41: SXSW Spotlight

March 18, 2011

If you’re reading this you’re probably not down in Austin watching a ton of great bands and films. Like me. But don’t fret, this week’s J-Rock Fridays is SXSW themed. This is not a complete list of all the Japanese bands playing at SXSW. Just the ones who had their video uploaded to SXSW’s YouTube page. Plus a few I’d be remiss not to post.

Tornado Boyz- “Ich Bin Auslaender”

German rap? Really? I don’t know how foreigner Daisuke met up with this Berlin-based band but this video is endlessly amusing.

Vampillia- “heyoah”

Amazing. There’s nothing about this band that isn’t full of win. This will require further analysis.

Nedry- “Dusk Til Dawn”

If you’re into English bands with hot Japanese vocalists, Nedry is for you.

Ydestroyde- “Promo”

If you ever wanted to learn how to make yakisoba, “Promo” has you covered.

Peelander-Z- “E-I-E-I-O”

Enjoy Peelander-Z’s cover of “Old Macdonald” from their children’s album P-TV-Z. I saw them live at an anime convention once and it’s a must see show!

oh sunshine- “Beautiful”

Emily Connor’s Japanese is pretty good. Beautiful, you could say šŸ˜‰

White White Sisters- “imperfect conflict”

This is the third time I’ve had to post this video on J-Rock Fridays. What can I say about this that I haven’t said twice before? Whatever, best electronic track of 2010. It’s a shame they won’t be coming to Japan Nite Chicago. I probably won’t be able to take off work anyway.

Takashi Kamide- “Dreaming”

Takashi Kamide provides a wistful accordion solo. Be sure to read his moving story about losing his foot to cancer on his SXSW page.

Puffyshoes- “Lazy”

Not Puffy AmiYumi. But just as cute.

The Suzan- “You Know Nothing”

I already posted “Home” several times so I thought I’d post their first PV. It’s a bit more raw than their Poco Beat stuff but still captivating.

Lolita No. 18- “Bye Bye Joey”

These girls have been a staple of Japan Nite since it’s inception in 1996. This song is a tribute to Joey Ramone, who produced their fourth album.

sonodaband- “Soul River”

So there’s a band of pretty boys who make chill instrumental music. Cool.

Cubismo Grafico Five- “Green Monster”

I’m more of a fan of Cubismo’s DJ stuff but this is pretty great too.

Mo’some Tonebender- “Green & Gold”

Our Japan Nite headliner. Mo’some Tonebender is the band that got me into undergroundish Japanese music. With this video in fact. So you can thank “Green & Gold” for the existence of this blog.

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Pick which bands you’ve seen live, or would like to. No limit!

Band Links:

Cubismo Grafico Five: SXSW page, CD Japan

Lolita No. 18: SXSW page, CD Japan

Mo’some Tonebender: SXSW page, CD Japan

Nedry: SXSW page, Amazon.com, CD Japan

oh sunshine: SXSW page, Amazon.com, CD Japan

Peelander-Z: SXSW page, Amazon.com

Puffyshoes: SXSW page

The Suzan: SXSW page, Amazon.com, CD Japan

sonodaband: SXSW page, CD Japan

Takashi Kamide: SXSW page

Torpedo Boyz: SXSW page, Amazon.com

Vampillia: SXSW page, Amazon.com

White White Sisters: SXSW page, Amazon.com, CD Japan, Play-Asia

Ydestroyde: SXSW page, Amazon.com

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