Spacin' - Feb 23 2013 Johnny Brendas (photos)

Just some pics from the awesome Spacin' show last night at Johnny Brenda's.

Acid Mothers Temple @ Johnny Brenda's April 18 2009

The reports from this spring's Acid Mothers Temple "Lord of the Underground Tour" and the shows posted to archive.org had me super excited for this show. Once again, this was gonna be the only show of the tour that I was going to be able to catch, and damn I wish I could see more. Anyways for this one it was Prophase Trust, I mean, Mike and our pal Rob, an AMT virgin, with me, your humble narrator and driver. Plus we were extra extra excited because Prophase put out one of the CDs AMT are touring on, Are We Experimental? The super easy traffic on the way down was the blessing, the crappy parking and search for such was the curse. Luckily we got to hang with Fishtown socialite MissAmandaJones and her friends for a quick round of drinks before the show. I swear I have hung out with her and her dude before like half of the Philly AMT gigs, just, ya know, "tailgating." This time she made it as far as the bar downstairs from the gig... next year, she is going to the show! At least she got to meet Kawabata and Hiroshi outside during a smoke break. Woo hoo. Unfortunately with all this socializing we missed Sonic Suicide Squad, the opening deal that I am rather bummed I missed. Alas.

Headed upstairs for AMT and Johnny Brenda's was packed, not sure how much the Saturday/absolutely perfect weather helped, but damn, it was crowded. Another beer and a lil puff and we were ready to go. Things started out with an awesome Tsuyama intro, all about "Philly, Phillies, Pheelings, Feelings" and such. He was definitely in prankster mode for this show. As far as the set lists go... Wow, I don't even know where to begin/what exactly I remember. They started out with a chugging intro improv jam and went into the new intro to "Dark Stars In The Dazzling Sky" that should probably be it's own song, but I have no idea what it is... and then on to the meat of "Dark Stars...," that ultra heavy riff getting the heads bopping, things really started to take off at this point, the combo of the riff and effects and Tsuyama's throat singing was a head spinning psychedelic swirl.





At this point the set list gets a little hazy for me... I may need some help from the brothers and sisters on the AMT mboard. They definitely did another monster heavy jam... and then there was a breakdown into a blues jam... WTF!? Which led to more WTF? territory when it morphed into a few minutes of "Crossroads," haha. Insane. But so damn good. And then Tsuyama picked up an acoustic and did a gorgeous solo jam with some awesome Kawabata glissando guitar action. Beautiful. This lead to a short, acoustic with flourishes version of "La Novia." Ok, so things are even more out of focus for me at this point... The started out a super long, hypno version of "Pink Lady Lemonade" that was just ripples growing into waves and finally that huge wash when Kawabata breaks out of the main riff with a huuuuge guitar wooosh. This led to a version of "Cosmic Death Disco," another ultra heavy jam that is yet unrecorded (I think)... and then Tsuyama took off his bass and undid his pony tail and did an awesome Jim Morrison on the mic for a weird ass version of the Doors' "The End." They were laughing, we were laughing... it was fucking brilliantly hilarious. There was even a "Morning Dew" tease in there (and I heard someone else mention that after the show, cheers, dude!). "Father... please take me to baseball game... " that said, I couldn't tell what he did the for the "Mother..." line. Alas... He even did the fall down part of the Morrison shtick. And Tsuyama is a million times cooler because he did this all while wearing Crocs! Heads were freaking out, this was the most hippie audience I have seen at an AMT show since their first show at the Unitarian Church (there was even some making out in the audience!). Lots of hard dancing, too. God, please let them play Bonnaroo!






Then they started the initial notes to "Cometary Orbital Drive," which I was super happy to hear live. It is their most "danceable" jam in my opinion and super trance inducing, the simple 3 note riff over and over and over, it reminds me a lot of the Boredoms' "Vision Creation Newsun." They took out there, deeper and deeper. I love how on this tour (ok, at least this show), there is no rush to get to the meat of the songs, they let the riffs go on and on, totally hypnotizing. By the time "Cometary Orbital Drive" ran into "Speed Guru" my brain was paste. I know I say this almost every spring, but if not the best AMT show I have ever seen, very much up there. One of the weirdest, that is for sure. They came out for a super fast hardcore song for an encore which had an intro that lasted longer than the song! Brutal hardcore for about a minute. I wanted to see you in the pit!

After that, it was a sweaty, beat goodbye and merch session. Another incredible one, damn I hope it was recorded. Fingers crossed. There is nothing like an Acid Mothers Temple show. Whew!





Also... it was 10 years ago this month that I saw AMT for the first time at the Khyber and interviewed 'em. Here is a scan of the interview from Nice Pooper issue 23. And sorry for the lack of Kawabata photos, I was in the Tsuyama Zone!

UPDATE: Check out Doctor B's recording of the show here.

Acid Mothers Temple @ Johnny Brenda's March 24 2008

Another fantastic Acid Mothers Temple (& The Melting Paraiso UFO) show... Monday night in Fishtown with the best freakout/trip band in the world today, baby! Here are some pics. Full review forthcoming... but rest assured it was great! The best bet there is, always delivering. Yeah!



UPDATE: So I rolled down to the show with Prophase main man Mike and met up with Acid Mothers Temple vet Susannah and her dude Josh. Beers and such and blather about The Wire (tv show, not the mag). Caught some of Danava's opening set, about two songs... quite tight rifforama that seemed to give up the goods quite well.



This time around it was the core group of Kawabata, Higashi, Tsuyama and drummer Shimura Koji on their "Recurring Dream And Apocalypse Of Darkness Tour." The last few AMT tours I have hit at least two or three shows, but this time around, due to so many shows coming up, this one was the only one I was gonna catch. Anyways, since I drove, prob the most sober I have been at an AMT show. Johnny Brenda's is defintely a great place to see them, the sound was pretty good and with the balcony there are a lot of vantage points. They took off with a cool improvisational opening jam as they are wont to do. Some low mumble vocals from Tsuyama led to a little bit of "Douchebag."



For the last few years, despite releasing two, three or four full lengths a year, the band's live shows concentrate on basically three songs: "Pink Lady Lemonade," "La Novia" and "Dark Stars in the Dazzling Sky (aka Dark Star Blues)." That said, the jams and arrangements change regularly and new aspects are added and discarded, making their standards substantially different each tour, hell even each show. This show was no different. The heavy throb of "Dark Stars..." followed up and always feature some great vocals from Tsuyama... this one ended with a little bit of what may or may not have been "Pussyhead Man From Outer Space."




A new arrangement of "La Novia" was next, after some whistling and such. This seemed to be a more serious Tsuyama night, no puppet shows or Pete Rose impressions. There is definitely something to the "if Phil is on, the band is on" deal with Tsuyama and AMT. This arrangement was very quiet and subdued compared to the overwhelming riff of the usual "La Novia" and it also included a bit of "La Le Lo." The band interplay was really starting to gell and it was pretty easy to get lost in the spiral solos Kawabata was spinning against the almost dub bass action. By the time of the final "real" riff, the heads were bobbing and rocking out. Some hippies rocking out too... man, next stop Bonnaroo for AMT! Fingers crossed.



At this point the opening riff of "Pink Lady Lemonade" was unfolded to a nice cheer and I snuck out of the Tsyuamazone for a little awesomeness and a bathroom break. Some almost sound effect comic snorting in the stall next to me followed by some puking! Wow. Just like a Dead show! Where is overalls guy?




"Pink Lady Lemonade" was the highlight of the night, for sure. The main riff went on forever, totally hypnotizing, only to be taken over by a crunching (but with wings!) solo from Kawabata, swinging with Shimura perfectly. Things eventually got fuzzy and spacey... refocusing on a very Krautrock influenced jam: motor drumming laced in with a pummeling but simple bassline; Kawabata's three note climbing riff blazing in wah wah as the jam went faster and deeper... the music just flying off of his fingers. Incredible. One of thee best versions of the song I have seen ended with them slamming full on into "Speed Guru" with Kawabata spinning his guitar by the neck and then hanging it off the balcony in a wash of feedback as people flipped out and screamed and clapped. Finally everyone else fizzled out and left the stage. Whew. Alas, no crazy encore to report, but it was an hour and 20 minutes well spent for sure.



Always pushing the boundaries, always taking the frame up and out. Amazing. Here is a recording of "Dark Stars in the Dazzling Sky" from the Philly show. Thanks to Zappa Penguin for recording the show. While this jam is awesome, it is a lowish bit rate and I highly recommend you track down the full show on a torrent site or archive.org when it gets posted (posted now, along with three other shows from the East Coast tour, be sure to read ZP's reviews of the shows too)... And go see AMT!

Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso- Dark Stars in the Dazzling Sky live @ Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia PA March 24 2008.