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Rookie Round-up Day 3
- July 18, 2016 ● Bands
If you’re still full of beans after the Red Hot Chilli Peppers on Sunday night, here’s a run down of the bands playing the Rookie stage.
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Guide to the Small Stages: Naeba Shokudo
- July 16, 2016 ● Bands
Naeba Shokudo literally means “Naeba cafeteria.” The stage is a wooden deck at the back of a large noodle stall in the food court area. Most people encounter it while walking at night between the Green Stage and the Red Marquee as music coming from behind an improbably large clump of people half standing, half slipping on a miniature muddy-sloped ampitheater. It’s a little wall-less juke joint in the middle of the woods. Each night, 5 to 6 bands will perform from 6:45pm till 12:30am. They are (mostly) Japanese groups and tend to be well known professional performers — new or mid-range artists on major labels, TV personalities, veterans of esoteric club circuits, popular indie goups and so on. They also tend to be small, tight groups — hardly more than three people can fit on the stage — as well as upbeat purveyors of instant entertainment. In short, they’re a bunch of great acts who are too experienced for the Rookie-A-Go-Go, too raucous for Gypsy Avalon and for various reasons couldn’t fit on the festival’s bigger stages.
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Memories of the First Fuji Rock
- July 11, 2016 ● Experiences, Interviews
20th Anniversary Special: An Oral History of 1997
By Dave FrazierThis year we will celebrate the 20th ever Fuji Rock Festival. The first year, 1997, was legendary both as a triumph and a disaster. Held at the Tenjinyama Ski Resort on the slopes of Mt. Fuji, a typhoon struck during the first day’s headliner set by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and the rest of the festival was cancelled. Several of the bands that performed that year will now return for Fuji Rock’s 20th anniversary, including headliners Red Hot Chili Peppers and three acts that never made it to the stage, Beck, Squarepusher and Lee “Scratch” Perry. Several other acts from Fuji Rock #1 have become Fuji Rock regulars, returning to the festival over and over again, such as Foo Fighters and Boredoms. Still more music legends were there behind the scenes, like The Clash’s lead singer Joe Strummer, who was a Fuji Rock regular till his death in 2002 and leaves us the marvelous legacy of the Palace of Wonder, which grew out of the campfire parking lot party he started in Naeba in 2000. -
Korean Reggae! Interview with NST & The Soul Sauce
- July 8, 2016 ● Bands, From Fujirockers.org
Or should that be the “Seoul” Sauce?
Japan has had a strong reggae and ska scene for decades, and Fuji Rock has always been one of it’s major showcases. But Korean reggae? Yes, it exists. And now Fuji Rock has that too.NST & The Soul Sauce is an eight-piece band based in Seoul, South Korea, will make their first visit to Fuji Rock this year, playing on Saturday 7/23 at the Cafe de Paris (1pm) and Crystal Palace tent (3:15am). Though the band was formed last year as a recording project for Korean recording industry veteran — and a man with a silky smooth voice — Noh Seon Teck, the sound they came up with had so much style and swagger they couldn’t just call it a day. So they kept going, gigging around Korea, and now making their first visit to Naeba. To find more about the band, the Korean reggae scene, and the state of Rastifarianism on the Korean peninsula, I caught up with the guys over email for this interview. -
Jimmy’s Jazzy Sunday
- July 7, 2016 ● Bands, Essentials, Experiences
Allow me to kick off the start of a (possible) day curating series here at Fujirockers. Let us plan your day for you. We know the festival is massive and the lineup is daunting. Planning a day is often confusing and the lineup often conflicts. So, let us do the dirty work for you. This (possible) series is a way for us experienced Fujirockers to guide you through a day, taking you through which bands to see when and why.
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Rookie Round-up Day 1
- July 6, 2016 ● Bands
This year’s Rookie A Go-Go bands have been announced so to take the hard work out of deciding who to go catch in action, we’ve done it for you. Scroll down to grab a quick look at the young band’s vying for your votes at this year’s festival on Friday night.
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Packing in, and packing out!
- July 4, 2016 ● From Fujirockers.org
The most lively discussion on my Facebook page right now is where to buy this collapsible wagon? As you can imagine, it will be a terrific help when it comes to lugging camping gear, and even more importantly, hauling your stuff out of the festival. Don’t be a bad camper and leave your tent and sleeping pad behind for others to clean up! Now that you’re gonna pack in and pack out, lets go over what to bring.
We’ll start with the basics which i distilled from the official website:
Raincoat (no umbrellas allowed on the festival site)
Hand towels (good for sweat, bathing in creek, etc.)
Extra clothes (band t-shirts only take you so far)
Hat (fashionably keeps sun/rain away)
Portable ashtray (Smokers only) -
Chatting with Cellos
- June 21, 2016 ● Bands, Essentials, Experiences, Interviews
When thinking about which bands to check out at Japan’s premiere rock festival this summer, a pair of classically trained cellists might not be at the top of your list, but they should be. 2Cellos are no ordinary cellists and their main stage set Sunday should be a sight to behold. This pair of young men hailing from Zagreb, Croatia are taking the cello places no one ever thought possible. They’re bringing the instrument out from behind the stuffy, often pretentious atmosphere of the orchestra setting and showcasing it on the main stage, attracting millions through the Internet and rocking summer festivals around the world. READ MORE
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Yukisasa-no-Yu: Naeba’s 24-hour Hot Spring
- June 20, 2016 ● Experiences
There’s not much else I can think of that will more effectively cure a mid-festival sore lower back and tired set of legs from trekking across the wide grounds than a quick (or maybe not-so-quick) soak in a hot-spring bath. Luckily for Fujirockers, nearby “Yukisasa-no-Yu“, a Japanese natural hot spring located right in Naeba-town extends its hours of operation to remain open around the clock during the entirety of the festival. This means you’ll be able to enjoy a relaxing hot bath even after catching a 3am set at the Red Marquee or partying until sunrise at the Palace of Wonder.
