I had played at Mad Kafe once before, with some other friends of mine who set up this show. Pauley and boys of KJ rockin the place out last December, shortly after I came back from our visit in the States. I remember, though, I had a bad first gig there because my sound was for shit and I wasn't gettin' the vibe, so I never expected to come back. Just chalk one up, I thought, but out of the blue the other week I got a contact from the owner of Mad Kafe to see if I wanted to join in on a live event that was happening the upcoming weekend. After a bit of pondering, I agreed, and hoped to redeem myself from my first appearance there.(note, I don't think I played a horrible show the first time, 'cause people were digging it, the negative vibes is just me criticizing myself) Now, whenever I have a gig in Osaka, there comes the inevitable decision of whether or not I can or should pull and all-nighter(since trains stop running by around midnight: our last train to go back home being 11:32pm) Throwing caution to the wind, and it being warm weather, I decided that I'd party all night. One deciding factor was that I had to be back in Osaka on Sunday morning for a film shoot, where I was asked to be an extra before hand by a good friend of mine. So, with plans for Sunday, I figured staying up in Osaka all night till Sunday morning would be the best, and most interesting, course of action.
I got to Mad Kafe about 8:30pm, located in Amemura, a central hub of nightlife in Osaka named after I guess the "American" style which permeates the stores, bars, and shops there. It's short for American village; mura means village in Japanese. They were setting up the sound, and I noticed a drum set, two guitar amps, a few mics on stands, and a highway of cables. Yay, I thought, maybe I'll play some drums tonight too. It's not very often I get to these days in Japan, for lack of space as well as the noise factor. The headlining band, １★狂 ／ ICHI BANG BOSHI CREW, came in about a half hour later and did their sound check. The whole night was to be arranged around their set, which didn't start till 1am, so I asked Will, the owner, whenever is cool with me. There were also to be various DJs of various styles spinning all night(and eventually morning) in between live acts. I was the first live act to play, my set started at 11pm for about a 30min-40min.
I did a live looping set with my guitar, vocal, portable drum machine, and also jumped on the drum set. It was a great set, I thought, the highlight for me being an improvised jam that was a mix of Middle Eastern, Indian raga style and surf music. Don't ask me where that came from, my fingers just decided that's what they wanted to play. Wish I had a vid or recording of that. Since this small club was geared for dance music, the system was bass heavy, which is not very friendly to acoustic instruments, but I took advantage of this feedback phenomenon and shaped some rather metallic, pulsing sounds through out my set and integrated those into the soundscapes I was creating. I watched the people there, it wasn't a full room yet, eyes watching me, some heads bopping, phones taking pics, and after each song... silence. I think they didn't know how to react to what I was doin' because I probably looked like a man possessed, but after a few seconds cheering and applauding would ensue. So, that was a good sign. Closed the set with an accapella version of Redemption Song I've been known to do, while beating out a rhythm on my guitar. The sound in the room was real nice.I packed up my gear, and headed out to catch a subway train down to Tennoji. I wanted to catch a friend's band who were playing at Tin's Hall, and also get my pay from my last gig.(I had to leave so quickly last time I played at Tin's, I forgot to get paid!) I was also courting the idea of possibly playing a set at Tin's tonight too, if possible, so I took my guitar with me just in case. I left Mad Kafe a bit after 12am, and got to Tin's just in time to catch the tail end of the last song. Rising Sons are a power trio and perform all their own original material. Nice sounds. I hung out for a bit, talking to the drummer and his brother, ordered a hamburger and drink a few drinks, then talked to the lead singer, Danny, for a bit. Since we're both musicians with our own gigs, we rarely get to see one another because of conflicting schedules, but it was nice to be able to chat with him. He decided to come back with me to Mad Kafe and join in a jam session. We left Tin's around 2am, walked in the rain to catch a taxi back to Amemura.
When we got there another live band was playing; piano, vocals, drums and bass called The Geminaic. Kinda singer songwriter type of music. Then this cat Dan Kane joined them, doin' a few bluesy numbers. He had really good voice, played acoustic, and blew a pretty good harp. I was getting antsy, so I asked Danny if I could borrow his Strat(I only had my acoustic guitar) so I could join in and jam with them. He said go right a head, and I waited to catch the eye of Dan the singer, to see if it was okay if I could jump in with them. Got the green light, so I plugged in Danny's guitar to an amp and we did a few tunes. His Strat was real nice, but his strings were heavier than I'm use to. Good sounds though, and the people were diggin' the music.
After that jam, Dan stayed on and did a few solo original songs. On this last song, a cover that I can't remember at the moment, the piano player joined in, and I grabbed my sticks and brushes and jumped on the drum set. Good times. I stayed behind the drum set and we played a bit more, then it was just me and piano player, Derron, and Danny jumped in and starting playing bass. We got a sorta Medeski, Martin, and Wood groove going on, but I'm so outta practice on the drums my endurance is lacking. I kept it was tight as I could, no doubt. Then, the original Japanese bass player guy grabbed the bass, and Danny picked up the acoustic guitar, and Dan the singer rocked the vocals. It was good jam session, especially since it was the first time we all played together. We didn't even know each other's names at that point.
We got the crowd cookin' and decided to hand it off to the next DJ. Finally, introductions were made, drinks were drunk, and the music pumped on and the room was dancin'. My friend Louis, who also lives in my neighborhood of Goido, showed up with a few friends of his. We happened to take the same train into the city, and I told him where I'd be playing and to stop by. We all danced and drank and had good ole time. Consequently, last time I hung out with Louis in Osaka all night was the night of the yakuza incident which I posted awhile back, Kicked in the by Yakuza.
Hours zipped by like minutes in the non-stop music, as the DJs handed off each set to the next DJ like relay runners passing a baton in a race. Even Will the owner pumped the grooves at one point, bringing the Chicago house flava into the mix. It's an environment I haven't recently found myself in, dance clubs, that is. Not that I don't like dancing or dance clubs, just never went to them on a regular basis. There were those off nights in my younger days we'd head up to Chicago to clubbing. It was great to see people dancing and letting loose, voyeurs and exhibitionists mingling in the electricity generated by bodies jumping, shaking, slithering, and twisting to an ever increasing tempo. I traded my beers for energy drinks, which kept me going strong as the evening progressed to dawn, and dawn turned to morning; all hidden from our senses in this little club, with no windows or clocks. At one point, a few of us were chillin' in the lobby area, taking a break from dancing, and one girl insisted that we NOT tell her what time it was after some else asked the question. You think if Cinderella didn't know it was close to midnight, she could've stayed later and wouldn't have had to go through all the trouble to get the prince? I looked at my watch, nearly 6am. Still over two hours before my meeting at 8:30 for the film shoot. Louie was pretty wasted at this point, but had a trio of very nice English girls taking care of him. The girl who didn't want to know what time is was kept telling Louis she was a Russian spy, or some other kinda of nonsense... hahaha. I went back in, got another drink and talked with Dan the singer for awhile about music. And the DJs played on.Before I knew it, I checked my watch again and it was 8am. The crowd had dwindled to about half a dozen, but still goin' strong. The music was ever more intense and the DJ was also free styling over the heavy, heavy beats, steadily flowin' a blur of indecipherable words and phrases. It was quite impressive. A Japanese couple, who I noticed had been there for a good portion of the evening, had been trolling the scene for what I deduced a late night lover to take home with them. I didn't know if they were looking for a boy or girl, I wasn't sure, but I saw them leave with a young, Middle Eastern looking guy, that morning. I caught Louis attention, as he was nearly falling asleep on one of the speakers, and told him that I was heading out. He left with me and we headed to the nearest subway station, and was pondering the notion of joining in as an movie extra, but by the time we got Shinsaibashi Station he decided it would be best to just chill out and sleep in one spot. So I left him there just outside of the staton, where he picked a quiet, unobtrusive spot on the sidewalk to sleep. He does this quite well, sleeping in public. It's kinda like his super power. And, fortunately, in Japan it's safe for such behavior. Not many people, other than homeless or drunk people, do it, but it's reassuring to know you can be fairly safe in public slumber.
I got to Fukushima Station, which is just West of Umeda, around 8:45am. I was late, but Shizuka and a guy from the film crew where waiting patiently for me. That short subway ride seemed to drain me, or maybe it was the sun, or all those energy drinks were crashing my will. Whatever it was, the world had that haze you get when you've pushed your body to its limits, everything looked softer and the sounds around you are muted, and your body is a heavy bag of sand. I jumped in the waiting car, and we drove a few blocks to the wine bar cafe where the shoot was taking place.
I met some of the crew, a few other actors, and was briefed on a scene I would take part in. I was to play a chef's assistant, so they gave me a costume(chef's jacket) and informed me that I had a line... well, sorta. I was supposed to mumble "Bochi bochi" over again five times, like I was trying to find the meaning. Which, honestly, is not far off. It means something like, "so so" in Kansai-ben. And, my character, Mike, is supposed to be kinda daydreaming and talking to himself while peeling a potato. Then, they told me to talk to the potato. Mixed with my smoldering fatigue and melting delirium from a night of dancing and music, talking to a potato seemed quite the right thing to do. I guess I nailed it... I honestly don't remember.
I took a very brief nap on a couch, maybe like 15min-20min, and woke up remembering that I had invited a bunch of people to come to the set to also be extras. Erin was suppose to arrive at 1pm with Doc and Emily. I was told my friend Genny was already at the station. So, Shizuka and I walked back to the station and waited around, then went to a nearby deli to get a bite. Erin and crew met up with us, and we were off back to the cafe for the party scene. We walked in the rain and it felt good to me.
The next few hours were spent sitting at made up tables as if we were at a party. It was still very surreal, with all the directions in Japanese, and the crew buzzing around with lights and cameras and mics and big pieces of styrofoam to deflect and control the lighting. My directions were simple, keep day dreaming about the potato... which I did. I was so engrossed in my potato dreams that I made a face with the potato wedges, a mound of mashed potatoes on my plate, and halved cherry tomatoes on the table. Apparently, the director was inspired by the honest channeling of my delirious state of mind into my character that, at the end, he had me talk to my potato based face plate for an improvised shot. Oh, potato man, where are you from?
We left the shoot around 5pm. So, let's see, I worked Saturday afternoon, starting at 2pm. After work, came home to get my gear and went to Mad Kafe by 8:30pm... 12 hours later, I was on a train to Fukushima for the shoot which all ended by 5pm. I think I was up for around 30-35hours. Not my record, but who's counting? I had a good time exploring the Osaka night life, sharing good music, dancing, meeting cool people, and have my debut on film. Even though I'm not as young as I used to be, it's still nice to know I can be from time to time(it just takes me much longer to recuperate).
