Courtesy of Vintage Rock

For rock fans who just can’t wait any longer to get sloppy in the mud, Vintage Rock has what looks to be a worthy event slated for a park in suburban Saitama next weekend. Based in beatnik hub Shimokitazawa, Vintage Rock produces tours for the cream of the J-rock crop, a handful of which will be appearing at the two-day Tobu Ongakusai (“Flying Music Festival”).

Topping the bill on day one are psychedelic rock warriors Yura Yura Teikoku (left). Led by low-key singer Shintaro Sakamoto, the trio have a bewitching stage presence, and their latest set of songs on Hollow Me were some of the most spartan the band has released to date. Formed in 1989 with a friend in art school, “Yuratei” remain a testament to the ability of Japan’s underground to throw up some of the most unlikely but interesting acts around.

Another band to watch on the first day of the event are Ogre You Asshole, a young Japanese post-punk act that takes its name from a line in the movie Revenge of the Nerds. Led by Manabu Deto, the band joyfully distill influences ranging from the Talking Heads to their favorite band, Modest Mouse.

Providing an island spin to the second day of the festival will be one of Okinawa’s most important young voices, Yasukatsu Oshima. At a time when many of the islands’ artists are blending Western and contemporary sounds with traditional minyo, Oshima has been heading in the opposite direction, trying to create a new repertoire of songs for the piquant style. Hailing from Ishigaki Island, the biggest of the Yayama chain that comprises the southwesternmost part of Okinawa prefecture, Oshima has a supple voice and mastery of the snake-skinned sanshin that has earned him consideration as one of the leaders of the young generation of minyo artists...

Meanwhile, the music of Japan’s southern isles is also in focus at another festival next weekend. “Live Image 7 Sept” will see a performance by Chitose Hajime, the young songstress whose 2002 hit debut album Hainumikaze has, perhaps more than anything, put renewed focus on the region.
Hajime comes from Amami Oshima at the top end of the long chain of islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu toward Taiwan, and the tradition there is distinct from that of the Okinawan islands further south. Instead, the Amami style of singing is renowned for its falsetto effects, of which Hajime is a consummate master.

Tobu Ongakusai@Tokorozawa Kokukinen Park, May 10-11. Live Image 7 Sept@Tokyo International Forum, May 9-11. See concert listings (popular) for details.

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