Rhett Miller

6/10 (Tue) 19:00 @Club Quattro ¥5500
Tel: 06-6361-0313

A roots singer-songwriter from Texas would hardly seem like a hearthrob to mobs of young girls, but welcome to Japan, Rhett! Regardless of the young female following, Rhett Miller has earned critical acclaim and surprisingly substantial radio airplay since his alt-country band the Old 97s formed ten years ago. His recent major label solo album, The Instigator, has left women on both sides of the Pacific swooning and these performances should do too.

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion

8/3 (Sun) 10:30 @ WTC Open Air Stadium ¥13000 www.summersonic.com

If you've only either seen Jon Spencer live or only heard their, often very different, recordings, you do not totally understand. Amidst the chaos of Spencer and Judah Bauer's lead guitars (no-one plays bass), Russell Simmons' frenzied drumming and the literal reminders that you're experiencing 'the blues explosion', you can find genuine blues and some fine rock and roll magic. Theirs is always a show with attitude and sometimes fascinatingly hard to comprehend. If this isn't your reason for going to Summer Sonic this year, then make it your reason, and remember to listen to the recordings beforehand.

Folk Implosion

6/11 (Wed) 19:30 @Club Dawn ¥3000
Tel: 06-6373-4919

Being kicked out of Dinosaur JR in '89 was probably the best thing that ever happened to Lou Barlow. It pushed him back to his earlier formation, Sebadoh and on to becoming a hero to thousands of aspiring indie-alt rock musicians worldwide. Remarkably though, Folk Implosion, which started as a side-project with John Davis, might actually be his most well-known group, thanks to the 'Kids' movie soundtrack, for which they wrote most of the songs, and the success of Natural One which hit 29 on the pop charts in '96. In typical Folk Implosion style, they're playing four dates at small, almost live house style venues, so this is not one to miss. Singer-songwriting by the masters of masters.

Ron Sexsmith

6/19 (Thur) 19:00 @Club Quattro ¥6000 Tel: 06-6361-0313

Even without a promotion machine behind him, Ron Sexsmith's earnest, melancholy songs have captivated just about everyone who has had the uncommon chance to hear them, including Paul McCartney and Elvis Costello. Based in Toronto, he regularly hauls his guitar to Europe and Japan to play for small but appreciative crowds. He should sing plenty of songs from his latest record, Cobblestone Runway.

Shonen Knife

7/11 (Fri) 19:00 @Club Quattro ¥3000 Tel: 06-6361-0313

With fans like Sonic Youth and Nirvana, these J-alt giants need no hype. Made up of three girls who started off as Osaka OLs and made it big overseas after getting on a Sub Pop compilation in '96, they've followed up with great releases in '97, '98, and 2001 and are now sharper than ever. Although they've become quite popular over the years in the US though, they've never achieved the level of success that many expected. Under-appreciated and overlooked by a lot of people, don't let yourself be one of them.

The Go Betweens

6/12 (Thu) 19:00 @Club Quattro ¥6000
Tel: 06-6361-0313

Inspired by the New York punk scene while studying at university in Brisbane, the Go Betweens headed to London to have a crack at making the big time. They quickly signed a deal with Rough Trade and released a string of unconventional pop records that have since become cult classics. In the late 80's founders Robert Forster and Grant McLennan decided to part ways and go solo, but after the back catalogue was re-released in '96, new fans lured them back together. Their new material has yet to disappoint.

Quick listings

THE ATARIS Discovered by Vandals member Joe Escalante at a Vandals concert. They were taken in and given room and board at Kung-Fu Records until they were abducted by Sony last year. Now sounding like they came directly from the pop punk cloning factory, you'd better not Blink 182 or you just might miss them. 6/1 (Sun) 19:00 @ Club Quattro ¥5000 Tel: 06-6361-0313

HALL AND OATES Although mostly remembered as an 80s act, Temple University mates Daryl Hall and John Oates were making music together since 1967. Their modern take on Philly Soul eventually topped the pop charts, and briefly the R&B charts in the US, which was a feat almost unheard of for white singers. This could be your last chance to see the blue-eyed kings of the doo-wop. 6/1-2 (Sun, Mon) 17:00 +19:00 @ Festival Hall ¥8000/7000 Tel: 06-6341-4506

STRATOVARIUS Finland's power metal boys are back in Japan, or maybe they never left. 6/3 (Tue) 19:00 @ Club Quattro ¥6500 Tel: 06-6367-6000

YKZ Rap rockers from Japan. 6/5 (Thu) @Club Quattro ¥2800 Tel: 06-6361-0313

CHARA Multi-talented girl from Saitama scored Japanese Academy Awards for best actress and best soundtrack for her work for Shinji Iwai's film, Swallowtail Butterfly. Her latest album is called Yoakemae (Before Dawn). 6/18 (Wed) 19:00 @ Festival Hall ¥5775 Tel: 05-6357-4400 www.digi-chara.com

PAUL GILBERT Many ex-pats in Japan are mystified as to why Mr Big has more songs in the karaoke machine than the Stones. Paul Gilbert, a graduate of the influential shredder band Racer X, was key to that success. In the land where the fifty-note-per-second guitar solo is still cool, Gilbert couldn't resist coming out here on his own in the late 90s to play for his loyal following. 6/18 (Wed) 19:00 @ On Air Osaka ¥7000 Tel: 06-6341-4506

SUGARCULT This band took their name from a group of lesbians and claim to be influenced by Elvis Costello and Joe Jackson. More prosaically, they broke into the elite California power-punk scene a couple of years ago and ever since hitting the big time with the National Lampoon's Van Wilder soundtrack they haven't looked back. 6/13 (Fri) 19:00 @Club Quattro ¥5000 Tel: 06-6281-8181

AL KOOPER AND THE FUNKY FACULTY There's almost nothing the highly respected Al Kooper hasn't done. Able to work in almost any genre, he penned soul and R&B hits in the early 60s. As a session player, Kooper found himself in the studio with Hendrix, the Who, and Dylan's first electric band, going on to form his own influential unit, Blood, Sweat & Tears. He's never stopped playing and producing, so expect a top notch group for this show. 6/20 (Fri) 19:00 @ Club Quattro ¥6500 Tel: 06-6281-8181

MARIAH CAREY For all you fans of Glitter, now's your chance to see the princess live. 6/24,26 (Tue, Thu) 19:00 @ Osaka Jyo Hall ¥10000/8000 Tel: 06-6362-7301

YOSHIDA KYODAI Not since the Edo era has the shamisen been so hip. These two young brothers have almost single-handedly revived the art of the banjo-like instrument with their wild and aggressive picking. If Japanese traditional music has a cutting edge, this is it. 7/13 (Sun) 17:30 @ Kyoto Kaikan Daiichi Hall ¥5000 Tel: 075-211-0621

PATTI SMITH An important figure in the early New York punk scene, Patti Smith melded poetry and music so innovatively that she still commands respect. The closest she came to commercial success was with a duet she once did with Bruce Springsteen, but her best material is for refined ears. 7/14 (Sun) 19:00 @ Namba Hatch ¥6000 Tel: 06-6361-0313

Live section compiled by Dan Jury and Scott Mintz .
Japanese by Terumi Tsuji.