Monday Michiru
Mar 3 & 4

Raised in the US, now residing in Tokyo, American/Japanese Monday Michiru began her performing career in 1987 when Japanese director Shinji Somai scouted her as an unknown to take the leading role in his movie Hikaru Onna (a movie about an opera singer). This led to other roles and offers, including commercials, hosting her own radio show and becoming a television personality.

Music has always been Monday Michiru's main passion though and before her acting roles she studied flute and singing at Interlochen Arts Academy in the US. She released her first solo album in 1991 and has conti- nued in both her own solo work since as well as featur-ing on numerous other artist's recordings.

]Her music is a mix of jazz, funk, Latin and dance. Best known as a pioneer of acid jazz in Japan in the early nineties she is also one of the few Japanese artists to actually produce her own work.

Singer/songwriter/actress/personality/producer, the list goes on; Monday Michiru, backed by accompli-shed musicians in their own right Trumpeter Alex Sipiagan and pianist Henry Hey, will be promoting her new album Routes with two nights at Osaka Blue Note.

Osaka Blue Note
Entry: ¥5,000-¥7,000 • Time: 6.30pm/9.30pm
Genre: Jazz/ Female Vocal • Tel: 06-6342-7722

Cave In

Mar 23

Formed in 1995, Cave In is a band that has certainly paid their musical dues over the years. They spent their formative years plugging away at the local live circuit, gradually expanding their horizons and building a small but loyal following. At one point they even lost all of their equipment when their van caught fire. Many bands would have thrown in the towel and found real jobs but not Cave In.

In collaboration with another unsigned band they released singles independently as it wasn't until 2001 that they managed to get their first real record deal. This was with RCA and although still with this label they also continue to release independently; maybe a sign that at heart they really enjoy the life of a struggling band.

Cave In started out as a punk band though over the years their sound has changed from time to time from heavy and metal-like, to more catchy 'Green Day-ish' tunes. Described by UK music magazine NME as 'A band of staggering scope', Cave In (Stephen Brodsey-Guitar/Vocals, John Robert Connors-Drums, Adam McGrath-Guitar, Caleb Scofield-Bass) play Club Quattro, Osaka on the 23rd March.

Club Quattro Osaka
Entry:¥4,500 • Time: 7pm
Genre: Rock • Tel: 06-6535-5569

John Butler Trio
Mar 8

Californian-born blues singer-songwriter, guitarist John Butler released his self-titled debut album John Butler in 1998. Since then he's releas-ed Threes (2001), Living 2001-2002 (2003) and Sunrise Over Sea (2004) and won three Aria Awards (Australian equivalent of a Grammy) for Best Male Artist, Best Independent Artist and Best Blues and Roots Album.
Butler has worked with a number of musicians and quite often finds himself with a different band on tour to the people in the studio. The Australian based trio (Butler's father is Australian and relocated the family from the US to Australia in 1986) currently comprises Butler on vocals and guitar, Australian Shannan Birchall on Bass and New Zealander Michael Barker on drums.

Butler's music is traditional blues to the core though his lyrics are far from traditional. As opposed to the time-honoured practice of acou-stic blues players to sing their hearts away about loose women, drinking bourbon and catching the midnight train many of his songs carry political or environmental messages such as 'I got a couple of friends up in a tree in North-Cliff, You know they're doing their part' and 'They're stopping all of that Government Corporate Greed!' from the song Treat Yo Mama on the album Sunrise Over Sea. On his website you can also find an extensive list of links to environmental organizations such as Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace. Butler himself could quite easily pass as an eco-warrior himself with his long dreadlocks and beard.

Having played a number of dates in Australia during January, Butler took a restful February in preparation for hitting the road once more. The trio play two nights at Club Quattro, Osaka before jetting off to Switzerland for the Caprices festival and from there it's on to France, Germany and Portugal.

Club Quattro Osaka
Entry: ¥5,800 • Time: 7.30pm
Genre: Blues • Tel: 06-6535-5569

The Bouncing Souls
Mar 20

The Bouncing Souls are a US Punk band, which usually means a bunch of friends who started playing loud and raw punk whilst at high school and then changed their style fur-ther down the road to a softer catchier sound to accommodate the requirements of success- ful commerciality. Fortunately, The Bouncing Souls haven't fallen in to the commercial
trap and are still, after almost twenty years together, playing loud and raw punk. Listen to The Bouncing Souls and you are instantly drawn to comparisons with the roots of punk, British bands like Slaughter and The Dogs or The Buzzcocks.

The band were formed in 1987 in New Jersey and although never hitting such heady heights as the likes of Green Day or The Offspring have continued to slog away on the road and in the studio. Their first vinyl release was a self-financed seven inch and although they've released three albums through Epitaph they still produce recordings through their own label Chunksaah Records. They have a new album out in the summer, 6th June 2006 to be precise 6/6/6, and the band are well aware of the dangers they are inviting by releasing on this date though they would like to make it clear that they are not Satanists should any over excited preachers want to start destroying copies of the album.

But before then The Bouncing Souls are playing three dates in Japan, catch them at Osaka Muse on March 20th.

Muse Osaka
Entry: ¥3,500 • Time: 7pm
Genre: Punk • Tel: 06-6535-5569

Live Listings March

3/1

Dinosaur Jr. @ Namba Hatch. ¥6,800. 7pm. Tel: 06-6535-5569. Rock
The Alkaline Trio @ Club Quattro. ¥5,500-¥6,000. 7pm. Tel: 06-6281-8181. Rock

3/2

Ken Yokoyama @ Big Cat, Osaka. ¥2,000. 7pm. Tel: 06-6535-5569. Rock

3/3

Monday Michiru @ Blue Note, Osaka. ¥5,000~¥7,000. 6:30pm/9:30pm. Tel: 06-6342-7722. Jazz Female Vocal
The Rasmus @ Club Quattro. ¥6,000~ ¥6,500. 7pm 06-6281-8181. Rock

3/4

Char @ Namba Hatch. ¥6,000~¥6,500. 7pm. Tel: 06-6882-1226. Rock/Blues Guitar

3/6-7

The Great Jazz Trio @ Blue Note, Osaka ¥6,400~¥8,400. 6:30pm/9:30pm. Tel: 06-6342-7722. Jazz Piano

3/8

John Butler Trio @ Club Quattro. ¥5,800 7pm. Tel: 06-6535-5569. Blues Guitar
Dream State @ Osaka Sunsui. ¥3,000. 7pm. Tel: 06-6535-5569. Rock

3/9

The White Stripes @ Zepp, Osaka. ¥5,500 7pm. Tel: 06-6535-5569. Rock

3/10

Kings Of Convenience @ Club Quattro. ¥5,500. 7pm. Tel: 06-6535-5569. Soft Pop/Folk/Rock Duo

3/11

Light Headed @ Blue Note, Osaka. ¥4,300~ ¥6,300. 6:30pm/ 9:30pm. Tel: 06-6342-7722. Hip Hop

3/14

Cake @ Club Quattro. ¥5,800. 7:30pm. Tel: 06-6535-5569. Punk

3/15-18

Makoto Ozone Big Band @ Blue Note, Osaka. ¥6,400~ ¥8,400. 6:30pm/ 9:30pm. Tel: 06-6342-7722. Big Band Jazz

3/18

HIM @ Club Quattro. ¥6,300~¥6,800. 6pm Tel: 06-6281-8181. Metal

3/19

Likkle Mai @ Club Vijon, Osaka. ¥3,800 6pm. Tel: 06-6535-5569. J-Female Vocal

3/20

The Bouncing Souls @ Muse, Osaka. ¥3,500. 7pm. Punk
Jessie Harris @ Taku Taku, Kyoto. ¥5,000-¥5,500. 7pm. Rock
Radwimps @ Club Quattro. ¥2,500. 7pm Tel: 06-6341-3525.
J-Rock

3/22

Jimmy Scott @ Blue Note, Osaka. ¥6,400~ ¥8,400 6:30pm/ 9:30pm. Tel: 06-6342-7722. Jazz

3/23

Cave In @ Club Quattro. ¥4,500. 7pm. Tel: 06-6535-5569. Rock

3/24-25

The Kingston Trio @ Blue Note, Osaka. ¥7,000~¥9,000. 6:30 pm/9:30pm. Tel: 06-6342-7722. Folk

3/24

Core of Soul @ Club Quattro. ¥4,000. 7pm. Tel: 06-6342-3525. J-Rock Female Vocal

3/27-28

Crystal Kay @ Zepp, Osaka. ¥5,500. 7:30pm. Tel: 06-6344-3326. R&B J-Pop
Chen Mein @ Blue Note, Osaka. ¥5,500-¥7,500. 6:30pm/ 9:30pm. Tel: 06-6342-7722. World Music

3/29-30

Human Soul @ Blue Note, Osaka. ¥6,000-¥8,000. 6:30pm/ 9:30pm. Tel: 06-6342-7722. Soul

Compiled by Phillip Jackson