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Dinosaur Jr. – A Band 65 Million Years in the Making
- May 14, 2022 ● Bands, From Fujirockers.org
Lou Barlow, J Mascis and Murph… Dinosaur Jr.
Dinosaur Jr. is one of those bands that most people have heard of, but fewer have really gotten deeply into. The name is familiar, maybe you remember the video for Feel the Pain when it was in heavy rotation on MTV, or their close relationship with bands like Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine, or in Japan perhaps from the YouTube algorithm quirk led popularity spike of 1994’s Over Your Shoulder in 2019 (strange, but true). If you fall into this ‘I know the name’ category, I highly recommend you spend the majority of your free time between now and Fuji Rock listening to lots and lots of Dinosaur Jr. so we can all enjoy what may prove to be the festival’s most earnest, most beautiful and presumably loudest shows together.
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Night Tempo Cranks Up the… Tempo
- May 7, 2022 ● Bands
Don’t call Jung Kyung-ho a DJ. Better known as “Night Tempo”, the self-described “retro culture curator” painstakingly handpicks and injects new energy into 80’s Japanese pop hits. At the forefront of bringing Showa-era Japanese pop music onto the world scene, Night Tempo has put his own glossy spin on classic hits, making the catchy even catchier. The huge return in popularity of Mariya Takeuchi’s “Plastic Love” can be attributed to Night Tempo’s own energetic rework, making it accessible to a new generation of social media users both in Japan and abroad.
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Heavy Math Rock Lifting at Elephant Gym
- May 4, 2022 ● Bands
Taiwan’s Elephant Gym are a perplexing mix of false labels and mischaracterizations. Going by their name and band photo alone, one might conjure up an ephemeral “twee” band playing light harmonies with vocal duets. In reality, just a few notes into their latest Youtube single instantly reveals the band as jazz-rock trio with just a little math rock influence from Japan. -
Tomorrow’s Stars at Rookie a Go-Go
- April 29, 2022 ● Bands
Unearth some gems at the Rookie a Go-Go stage
Folks may come for the massive headliners, but there are plenty of rising stars to be seen at Fuji Rock as well!
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Fuji Rock ’22 Announces Vampire Weekend as Opening Day Headliner – New International Artists Added to the Lineup
- April 27, 2022 ● Bands
After a three year hiatus, international acts return to join Fuji Rock once again. Jack White and Halsey were previously announced as Saturday and Sunday’s headliners, and just this week, Vampire Weekend was announced as Friday’s headlining act.
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Susumu Hirasawa and EJIN – Mad Science and Melody
- August 18, 2021 ● Bands
Hirasawa Susumu is perhaps best known to the west as the man behind the brilliant soundtrack to the 2006 animated film Paprika, but he is oh-so-much more than just that.
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Shintaro Sakamoto – Steel Guitars and Phantoms
- August 15, 2021 ● Bands, From Fujirockers.org
Shintaro Sakamoto is a true artist. And unlike many artists entering their 4th decade of performing, he shows no signs of slowing down creatively. His Friday Fuji Rock performance will no doubt prove him an artist still in his prime.
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The Rising Star “4s4ki” Makes her Fuji Rock Debut!
- August 13, 2021 ● Bands, Experiences, From Fujirockers.org, Interviews
Having started producing her own music at an astonishingly early age (in grade five or grade six, by her recollection) 4s4ki released her first full album in 2020, and makes her Fuji Rock debut this year. I caught up with her via Zoom, to get a feel for where she is headed. READ MORE
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Number Girl – Big, Bold and Back for More
- August 8, 2021 ● Bands
Number Girl was, and is again, one of the best bands in the Japanese rock scene.
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Any Predictions for Possible Fuji Rock 2020 Acts?!
- February 7, 2020 ● Bands
It’s always fun to make guesses about the upcoming lineup announcements. In the past, we at Fujirockers English have had a casual beer pool based on our predictions vs. which bands were officially announced to appear. Though we won’t be doing that this year, I still had a little fun speculating who might be added to the lineup this time around.
