n°6, 15th of October, 2009
Dear friends, fans and passing smiles,
the surprise wasn't good. The lead singer of Boyzone passed away this month. Oh sure not many, apart from the fans of course, really knew his name before he was in the news, but dying that young is never a happy news.
Happier is the way Peter Criss, a true Cat, fought and won against cancer. That man released his best album in 2007, "One For All", still available. Long live the ol' Cat!
OK, time to jump into Awa-news number 6!
Artists sometimes say very smart sentences, with or without knowing.
It's rock'n'roll philosophy time!
All the sounds of the earth are like music. (Oscar Hammerstein)
It was when I found out I could make mistakes that I knew I was on to something. (Ornette Coleman)
Writing about music is like dancing about architecture. (Elvis Costello)
What are the hottest news in Awaken's Universe?
Smile at the camera for today's weather is quite uncertain
It came suddenly, without any warning. Busy recording a few news songs, the urge of releasing some covers was a surprise for me too. Smile At The Camera For Today's Weather Is Quite Uncertain is not an album, not a single, but most likely a bootleg for fans, as a reward for your support and sense of... magnetism. Charlie Chaplin, the Buggles, George Harrison and Genesis may not have been in the Awa-studio then, but something of their spirit was flying around. Or was it just the wine?
Smile (originally from Charlie Chaplin)
I Am A Camera (originally from the Buggles and, in a way, Yes)
Just For Today (originally from George Harrison)
Uncertain Weather (originally from Genesis)
Links: http://rapidshare.com/files/291325634/snowcat-camera.zip.html
How to make your life more meaningful:
How to travel in Japan? (part 1)
That's the day, pal. After having spent hours listening to Beppu Nights, you finally decided to travel in Japan too. But some questions are surely crossing your mind, don't you admit? What a coincidence, your nine questions will find their nine answers here. Although Japan is one of the safest country to travel, a few advices are always welcome.
1. Passport, please. It may seem a bit obvious, but have a updated passport to show the immigration office when you arrive there, otherwise you'll be forbidden to enter Japan, without any question. Visa depends on the country you live in, some have made an agreement with Japan to let you stay up to 3 or 6 months without any other document than the passport, some othe are more or less strict. Ask your own consulate before departing.
2. Return ticket, anyone? At any moment, you must absolutely be able to show a proof that you have a return ticket, or at least a ticket proving you have the intention to leave Japan. It might not necessary be a return ticket to your own country, you can decide to visit Viet Nam from Japan, for example. Some plane companies will not even let you board if you can't fulfill Japan requirement, but some are more let-go and you could face a rude awakening at the Japanese immigration desk if you don't have any proof that you don't plan to be an illegal alien. You know it's no fun, being an illegal alien.
3. Sex, rock'n'roll, but no drugs. When in some European countries like Holland, cannabis is allowed, it is considered as a crime to bring any trace of drug in Japan! Although it is always questionable to know what can be seen as a drug or not, be aware that they won't tolerate any trace of marijuana, even the slightiest! Don't even try, cause the troubles you'll get will be enormous: cannabis is ranked the same way as cocaine or heroin, to give you a clue. It would lead you to jail before you could even count to three. Just go there with nothing like that in your pockets and enjoy meeting the good dogs from drug-control at the airport.
4. Nihongo? Despite the image of modernity that Japan gives, English-speaking Japanese people are not that frequently seen. In most of the cases, they will try to help you the best they can, even though you don't speak a single word of Japanese, but communication will be kept to basics, even less. Talking with hands can be fun but having some notions of nihongo (Japanese language) will work wonders for you.
5. Paying the price. Japan is known to be an expensive country. This is partly true, but you can make your stay a bit cheaper than you might think by getting to know some interesting places. Once again, some notions of Japanese language will allow you to get off the touristic circuit, always painfully expensive. Japan has a lot of those wonderful 100-yen-Shops, where almost everything costs 105 yen (100+tax). Some stuff can cost 210, 315, 420, 525 or even 630 yen, but it's written in big on thestand, so you hardly have a bad surprise in those shops. Moreover, quality is better than the price let you think. Living cheapluy in Japan has another good side: you really live the Japanese life, eat in family restaurants or chains like Joyfull and Sushi Meijin.
6. Rendez-vous 4:02. If the train is scheduled for 4:02, it will arrive at 4:02. Not 4:03, not 4:01. 4:02. Period. If ever it would arrive late, the staff would make lots of announcements full of apologies in a way you never saw in your own country! Also, when the train makes "a brief stop" in a station, the stop is really short. Be prepared to board (or get off) as quickly as you can, cause it will never wait for you. Ponctuality is the rule.
7. Police. You might be surprised to see so many police offices in big cities of Japan. Almost one each street corner. Kôban (that's their name) contribute to the citizen's comfort of life and security. Policemen are respected and liked, since they're always helpful and kind. Don't hesitate to ask them your way (in nihongo) if you're lost.
8. Shy? Difference of cultures, again. Japanese are not used to public signs of affection, you won't see any kissing hello-goodbye in the street. You can expect a handshake if you are gaijin (stranger), but you'd better get used to bow. On the other hand, Japanese are never afraid to sing in front of everyone, the success of karaoke will confirm this impression. Also, wearing flashy colours is common (except for salary men and office ladies) and having lots of cute straps for cell phone or bags is the rule. Japan, thanks to its symbol Kittychan, has become the country of the cute.
9. Japan makes manga, but is NOT a manga. Although manga and anime carry some perfumes of Japanese culture, it would be a mistake to think you know the country of the Rising Sun just by reading / watching them. To go in Japan is a complete experience that will make you 5 (even 6) senses work full-time, so that you can almost forget the clichés from mangas, Lost In Translation and romans of Amélie Nothomb, so you can really discover Japan. More than an image.See you on part II to discover deeper treasures of Japan... Meijin, Joyfull, here we come!
Links: Yôkoso Japan
Our interview:
Nicolas Leroy: stay tuned, I'm back
-Nice to meet you, Nicolas. Please use three words to introduce yourself.
-Nicolas Leroy: Hello, Nawakène freaks..... So, you said "three words"? Eeerh... musician, independent, versatile.... I think these ones work quite well....
-What brought you to become an active musician?
-Nicolas Leroy: OK here's the story.... I grew up in a family where music had an important place. My parents had a great collection of vinyls with everything from classical, jazz, rock, folk stuff etc. As a child I used to spend a lot of time around the record player listening eagerly to all those records. By the age of 8, I was taking piano and musical theory lessons and one year later, I took my father's guitar and began messing around with the instrument and transcribing on the guitar everything I had just learned on piano, which was really easy for me since I had absolute ear. My first attempts at writing music go back to that era. At the age of 13 I began to play organ for services at church - which I still do to this day - then I got my first bands at school. Everything developed from there....
-You’re now an important member of Sousbock. How do you define your role, compared to the leader Seb?
-Nicolas Leroy: I'm very implied on the arranging and the playing on the albums, I didn't write anything except the music for one song which will be included on the fourth album, to be released within a month if everything works right... Basically, what I'm doing with the songs is putting some edge and detail to the arrangements. I also try to expand the sound library of the band, especially in the keyboard and synths field, where I spend time dealing with sounds and creating sounds that fits well with the songs. As far as the guitar field is concerned, I put a little more emphasis on improvised stuff, especially with guitar solos, which is something I feel Sousbock needed a bit more...
-Among your work, what is the piece that you think represents you the most, and why ?
-Nicolas Leroy: Last year, I wrote and recorded a tune called "Tightrope Walk" which will be released on the EOAIAO compilation called "Evidences" in a few weeks.... This one means a lot for me because musically, it contains some very controlled and arranged stuff along with some more improvised sections.... It was a personal challenge for me to come up with both forms in a single tune.... And it's also a musical meditation about some important and recent events in my life. I hadn't written anything in almost two years prior to that....
-Any song you’re ashamed of, and why ?
-Nicolas Leroy: I didn't write that much, and I'm really self indulgent with my early work. I'd rather say I feel tenderness about it. Among those tunes, there are some things here and there where references to the musicians I admire are too obvious and a little bit clumsy and naive in the way they were written.... I mean I'm not really ashamed because I feel those were sincere efforts but I was still learning to write....
-If you had a magic wand, in what band would you play right now?
-Nicolas Leroy: Peter Gabriel's band.
-What would you say to Awa-news readers who might not know you, to convince them to listen to your albums?
-Nicolas Leroy: Be patient, my time will come.
-We are waiting to hear your own songs. What prevents you to release them: shyness, perfectionism or just a lack of time?
-Nicolas Leroy: We'll it's a mix of all those things really. Another reason is that to this day, I played in bands where the writing was taken in charge exclusively by the leader and I hadn't the strength to submit my own songs, I wasn't self-confident enough....One of the reasons too is I've been away from music business for about three years because of illness, so I just had to take time for me at this point, sometimes life leaves you no choice. Anyway, things have turned far better for me in the last year and I'm much more confident than in the past, so I'm pretty sure I'm up to develop my own thing by now, and I must confess my family and friends have been a wonderful support for me in encouraging me to do so. So stay tuned, I'm back....
-Last but not least, would you openly admit that you are an Awaken fan ?
-Nicolas Leroy: I think I am. Snowcat is a madman, and I certainly am in my own sweet way. I have lot of respect for freaks like him and some of his songs stick to my mind since the day I heard them. That's my definition for "being fan", as far as I'm concerned.
Event: Organ concert, Friday, 23 October 2009, 20:30 - 23:30
Eglise St Joseph - 2bis avenue de la République, 69130 TASSIN LA DEMI LUNE, France (map)
Links: http://www.sousbock-fr.com
What happened on October some years ago?
Let's jump into Awa-news' time machine...
18/10/1988: Jeff Lynne, George Harrison, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison and Bob Dylan release the first volume of the Traveling Wilburys.
17/10/1972: Birth of Eminem.
16/10/1621: Death of Dutch composer, organist and pedagogue Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck.
You like Awaken? You *will* like this album:
MAURICE WHITE AND BILL MEYERS, Gatchaman (1994)
It's always interesting to hear some musicans when they are asked to do something different from what they're known for. Maurice White, then leader of Earth Wind & Fire, teams again with long-time collaborator Bill Meyers, to write and record the soundtrack of a Japanese anime, "Gatchaman". I never saw such an anime, being more into Doraemon, but the music is definitely worth the listen. It doesn't really sound like anything Meyers and White did together previously, except for the closing title "Let's Fly" that sounds more EW&F than EW&F. The sound is typical from the mid-90's digital keyboards, but the talent of songwriter from Meyers and White saves it from being flat. The themes are strong, sometimes close to arena-FM rock, with interesting melodies that keep us away from the idea that it is a soundtrack. Special mention for "Sad", a truly moving piece, and the already named "Let's Fly". Just to remind you, Bill Meyers has co-written gems like Donna Summer's "Mystery Of Love", Neil Diamond's "Love Doesn't Live Here Anymore", EW&F's "Can't Let Go", "New Horizons" and most of all: "Where Do We Go From Here". Among others. Hat tricks, guys. That's what I call cool music...
Links: http://www.anime-kun.net/animes/fiche-gatchaman-1708.html
What's hot on the web side? Awa-net surfed for you and found this:
Lotus Hoa Sen
Vietnamese community in Belgium is around 10.000 people. How to know about events, where to find contacts, help or offer help? Lotus Hoa Sen organises the biggest Tết Party in Brussels every Vietnamese New Year along with some charity events. The next one will happen on October 18th in Yakitori Bar, a Viet-Japanese restaurant in Brussels.
"Dans le but de soulager des foyers sinistrés, nous organisons un dîner en leurs faveurs le dimanche 18/10/2009 à 12 h. Nous comptons sur votre participation massive tout en passant un après midi agréable dans une ambiance musicale vietnamienne.
INVITATION -TYPHON KATSANA
Lieu: Restaurant YAKITORI, 353 Chaussée de Boondael,
1050 Ixelles
Dimanche 18/10/09 à 12h
Réservation souhaitée: 02/640 86 59
Fédération Hoa Sen & Cebelvi (Centre de promotion et développement des relations belgo-Vietnam)
contact: Nguyen Manh Hung : 02/535 38 83
Dr. Bui Kim Hai: 0477 455419
mailto: fhoasen@yahoo.fr
URL: http://users.skynet.be/fa062320/
An interview with songwriter and multimedia artist Allee Willis, a review of a Nakashima Mika album, suprises and whatever you can expect...
Enjoy life.....
email: awamail(at)hellokitty.com
Awaken main sites: www.awaken.be
© AWAKEN-Awanews-
[downloadable pdf version here]
