It’s been really cold lately. I’m moving slowly. Today was the last day of work. I plan to practice more Japanese here and try to write longer sentences! Let’s get motivated! I’m listening to my favourite singer Tori Amos at the moment “To Venus and Back”. She sings about really amazing things. Sometimes I don’t know what the hell she’s singing about but every time I listen I hear a new story. Has everyone been enjoying their end of year parties? Next week the Sinners will get together for theirs and listen to the new tracks we’ve been recording. It’s been an interesting recording process thus far. Arda, Dan and Aaron and I will all meet and plot some holy hell for next year… A CD party is in the works for Spring. Happy Solstice everyone. Bless the Sun God who has been born and who has been slain. Here it is the Emperor’s birthday. And as the story goes here he is the Descendent of the Great Sun goddess Amaterasu. Elsewhere in the world Mary is about to be revered… Blessed Be… whisper words of wisdom… Blessed Be

xx

That said I’d like to move onto a topic that may put a smile on your face amidst all the doom and gloom. As some of you may already know I have been working as a children’s entertainer with a company called World Family here in Tokyo. Since March I have been travelling the countryside with my partner in crime Ian – a fellow South Aussie with a wicked sense of humour, and a rock star penguin named Elvis. We have been on tour for the XYZ Basket show “Rhythm and Blues” – a rollicking, action packed romp that has us searching for Elvis’ blue shirt after he wipes out after going for a surf. As you do. The show is all about colours, (especially blue – hence the title of the show) and we employ the kids to help us find Elvis’ shirt. After consorting with blue parrots, big bananas, guitars made of bells, a pink and blue giraffe and a sorcerer’s magic hat, we find his shirt after rockin out to the ABC song Slayer style. Its awesome. Here are some pics:

The kids are just too cute and it’s great to get the parents in on it too. For the most part its all gone very well and its great to be able to play the guitar in the show and show off my chops a bit. The Bell-tar has got to be the best invention. Ian is a riot and one of these days I hope he’ll record his Bob Dylan version of “The Different Giraffe” song… but that’s another story.

Later gaters!

SO Its been a busy past month of music wild and wonderful. Juno was indeed generous. Piano dates, Cabaret hijinks and rocking out with da Men. Love it! Of considerable note were the lads of Inside Neon. We had two gigs with them and it was awesome stuff. Great venues too. The Golden Egg was very cool. Great stage and atmosphere, odds and ends here and there. The owner Aoyagi san was cool and the mojo was there for sure. Next two gigs were at Crawfish and this place was UNREAL. Carole and Rick are the coolest cats and the atmosphere So much to process but there’s no rest for the wicked I guess. I know I’m probably not every one’s cup of tea here but hell how boring would the world be if everyone was?!

“Ganbatte” in Japanese means “Do your best or good luck” but it also carries with it “I believe in you, you’re doing great”. I know I need to get back on the Nihongo wagon and its a mighty beast that is a challenge with which to grapple I tell ye… もちょっとがんばります！ずっとがんばります！日本語が大好きから！日本野生はとても面白いですが、とても複雑です！ほんとにもっとがまんするとしゅうちゅうしたほうがいい。I just need a good leg up… 手伝ってね！Living in Japan is living on the edge right now. Live as though it were your last days…. or maybe its just a good leg up. There’s a typhoon battering away at the West Coast of the country and the North East area is still far from stabilised. Fox News is saying the nuclear threat is now under control but then, thats what they said the day after the bloody thing had a MELTDOWN. I’m here with all of MY PEOPLE. Stay aware…. now onto something more POSITIVE!

The band has a blessed name at last. It all made sense really. Dan sent us some Danzig and Arda pitched in some Type O Negative and that really got the party started. I’m yet to make my contribution – I’m thinking Lydia Lunch. So it’s Sorcha and the Sinners if you please. We have some new sounds up on Soundcloud. Bless me Father for we have chosen our own path.

I’m here in your month and its been a really fine ride so far. The rain outside is making everything lush and I’m feeling ready for Summer to enter from Stage Left. Here comes the Sun. The Summer Solstice is upon us, the height of the season and we’ve just had the first of two lunar eclipses for this year. Lily spent the morning performing for the kids with Ian and they were really rockin it on the ABC song at the end. I came home, slept for a luscious hour and then revisited “The Neverending Story” on DVD since I hadn’t seen it for a while and I just needed a little guidance…. so I’m calling out Your Name and making as many wishes as I can to make sure the Nothing doesnt even get a foothold on this world. I also just found this amazing article by Tennessee Williams. It’s helped clear my mind of the Fame Drug and has inspired me to take a stand against Comfortable Mediocrity.  I hope I can continue to inspire myself and others and stay true to the Artform that has chosen me. After all “to know your own self worth is to pass through the First Gate of The Southern Oracle” – Engebuk the Gnome

This week has been incredibly fun and inspiring and good for my health! Go Girls Tokyo at the Pink Cow last Sunday, wine and song at Kimono Wine Bar on Wednesday night and hijinks at the Glitz and Glam Cabaret Benefit Show on Thursday. Phew! So many talented people in this town I feel so honored to work with them all and I hope I am not driving too many people crazy with my constant self PR… sheesh! But all in all I am most proud of my latest song adaptation. Unfortunately no sound bytes yet but everyone should know the melody anyways!

My Ichiban Suki (sung to the melody of “Favourite Things”)

So much to love about this country!

Japan is a mighty fine place to be living Juno… or should I say、 Amaterasusama　天てらす様 ? ありがとうございました！The band and I are getting back to business next week on two nights and then it’ll be time for Julius.. oops I mean July. What will the great Caesarian month bring I wonder?

Her teaching style is great, personally oriented and she has given me the confidence to keep at it. My body type isn’t exactly willowy or flexible but over the time I’ve been doing this I have noticed my posture is better and also my clarity of mind. I think it may also be helping my body’s equilibrium too! Last week was Golden Week here in Japan and for the most part it was all about imbibing as much good Golden Ale as one could…. so now it’s getting back to business and restoring some balance to my overworked liver. I told Jamie yesterday I was feeling a bit on the saturated side and by the end of it I felt as though it had somehow been burned away. We focus on maintaining a steady breath whilst doing the poses and activating the core stomach area. After the yoga session Jamie made me the most delish smoothie with banana, mango, blueberries, flax, chia and hempseeds. Then she made me these little date and cashew balls that she’d just whipped up in the blender! Turns out Jamie’s also a foodie expert and is offering cooking classes that focus on simple healthy recipes that encourage everyday nutrition know-how. If you are interested in experiencing a better relationship with your mind soul and body check out her website here.

http://lokallokas.wordpress.com/english/

And on the topic of core strength – here is a link to a 15 minute chakra meditation I created recently. It has affirmations that strengthen each chakra and some lovely new agey BGM just to get you there. Feedback welcome!

Chakra Affirmations

The second song was inspired by a guy I met at a party in Melbourne on my recent visit there. It was 3am and we were high as kites sitting in the backyard celebrating the birthday of a lovely lady named Katie. The man in question, Rain, started up this number but it was completely random, “just because you’re…..”  which basically takes a cheeky dig at whoever the song was being sung to (No name calling allowed – be creative)  but also a reminder that that person was in essence “beautiful”  inspite of their idiosyncrasies. Try it on your friends at your next soiree. It’s great freestyling practice – but be careful – you might end up saying more than you should!

The final song is classic Pink Floyd. It was the first one I ever learned on guitar and it has always reminded me of Mum and Norm and the familiarity of home.

Enjoy!

The Ballad of Norm and Nancy

You’re Beautiful

Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd cover)

“Lily” sensei, in the meantime, is working hard bringing home the bacon. World Family shows resumed this month and our show, “XYZ Basket – Rhythm and Blues” starring Elvis the penguin, went down to Osaka last weekend. My partner Ian and I brought some happy smiles to the kiddies which was great and just getting away from Tokyo for a night was something – I even felt confident enough to take a bath at the hotel! I’ve heard a few stories from unfortunate individuals who were bathing at the time of a tremor – not a comfortable situation to be in I’m sure. Across the board I think the constant feeling of vulnerability here now is just giving us all the willies.

Tomorrow I’m meeting up with Abertronix to polish “Highest Height” – the next song to be recorded. I took some time today to tweak it here and there on Garageband. There’s so much to arranging a song. For the most part I know how to write lyrics and come up with a decent melody and chord sequence on the keys or guitar, but the creation of the atmosphere is something else entirely! That’s why I really appreciate Abe’s ear and professional training in this. We have a dialogue about the song and I might describe to him the scene, the background and the light and scent that exist in the song. He then translates it into something more vast, like there’s a house in which the song exists with all these rooms. I have built the house and the rooms and know how they connect but its technically empty until the furniture and flowers arrive. Then it comes alive. The recording process really is like making a time capsule. Playing live is so in the moment and it’s relatively open to interpretation. The power of music can reside in the texture of  it’s original recording. Hearing a song that pinpointed a moment in your life sends you back there almost as quickly as when a familiar scent thrusts you back to a certain time, person or place. Music is Quantum Physics.

I wrote a song a number of years ago entitled “Earthquake City” to offset my fears of such a thing happening here. It was a tongue in cheek thing to do and I’ve noticed when I’ve played it in public people have become noticeably distressed. Here are the lyrics in question:

Deep deep underground there’s no light and there’s no sound and no air to breathe
The monster purrs in its dream the monster stirs and makes the buildings tremble like autumn leaves

Its just a tremor a little reminder of how we all toe the line in this little Tokyo town

It could’ve happened yesterday walking through Shibuya to hear the band play it was such a simple pleasure
I sure hope I’ll be having fun cause when it comes the sound of drums will be heard in equal measure

How easy we forget what the Earth wants It will get after all our flesh is so tender
All the fruits and all the suits entertaining their pursuits suddenly have a new agenda

Earthquake City I’ll make you a deal I’ll give you my number to let you know when my time is near

I know it’s tempting fate to play this song but then in a way it reminds me to live every single day
I’m here all alone in a city difficult to call home but it might call me

Yes its a bit of a suffocating song and some of you out there might think I’m being insensitive but I honestly wrote it so I could somehow put it into a place where I could make peace with the possibility of it happening. Songwriting is kind of like packing up demons for me. Some people express theirs differently – art is a great outlet for them. Other try to drown their demons in alcohol, some in food or sex or they embrace them freely and are somehow fueled to live a fearless life. I like to put em in pretty coloured bottles. Kinda like a genie maybe. When I sing them they have their freedom for a while – though they sometimes don’t sit so well with the listener. That’s OK. They aren’t your demons. Or maybe they are.

So I’m here with a different kind of demon tonight. His name is Entropy and he’s a bit thirsty. He guzzles up Fear and right now its flowing on tap. I don’t want to give him any more of mine so perhaps we can write another song together.

My friend Wednesday came shining through especially this week. I met up with Abertronix at his home studio and laid down the beginnings of “House on the Hill”  - a song that’s going to feature on the forthcoming CD “Shells Rocks and Bones”. I told him the background to the song and how it needed “atmosphere” so we closed up the windows and burnt incense and got into the “zone”. His wife came home and asked us if we’d been smoking something. lol. Now the fun part begins… finding shells, rocks and bones to accompany the music somehow…

Later that night my glamourpuss friend Stacy and I dolled ourselves up for our debut “Living Room Live” act at a home in Meguro. The story goes like this. Stacy was contacted by a woman named Ayca who had recently given birth to her second child, a son. She wanted to give her husband a special gift to thank him for all his wonderful support during her pregnancy and so upon hearing Stacy was a singer asked her if she could perform some songs with guitar at their house as a surprise. Stacy asked me if I could provide the guitar to three of Ayca’s husband’s favourite songs “While my Guitar Gently Weeps”, “All of Me” and “Wild Horses”. We got together and rehearsed them with harmonies in between noshing on blue cheese and red wine last Saturday… So Ayca tells Stacy in the email to just walk in the house and start playing, which we did. Glynn, the husband, was suitably chuffed at the gesture and even the new baby was lulled by our dulcet tones After we played they graciously invited us to have a drink and some nibblies and we proceeded to chat away like old friends. I even played my song “Hungarian Men” for Ayca on their daughter’s kiddie piano. Lovely people. Romance is alive and well that’s for sure.

Today was the first day of my new job as a wedding singer. It took place in the Crystal Chapel at the Sheraton out at Disneyland. It was a sunny day and since the chapel is literally built like a glasshouse it got surprisingly warm… and its not even Spring here yet – I dread what it’ll be like in the Summer! Maybe because it was a Friday, who knows, the only guests were the bride and groom’s parents, the mothers dressed immaculately in kimono while the bride and groom donned typical Western confection. I was terribly nervous and even my hands were sweating! I wasn’t pitch perfect but I think I can be happy with my first effort. Can’t be too hard on myself. Gotta “squeeze that (Kewpie doll brand) mayonnaise” as my operatic musical mentor friend Akiko would say…it’s very different to the style of singing I’m used to – I’m using my upper register a lot and having to switch from chest to head voice suddenly. Quick! Where’s Brett Manning when you need him?!

So all in all this week I’ve been rocking in a band, recording the ineffable fire, serenading a family in their living room and ululating for a newly wedded couple. There’s something poetic in that. I reckon I’m enjoying Existential Musical Application 101.

Yesterday was another split-shift day, Lily sensei spent all day rehearsing for the new World Family show “XYZ Basket” which was a lot of fun. My partner Ian and I polished the script, the songs and the dance moves and I got up close and personal with “Elvis” the penguin puppet. There’s no business like sticking your hand up a puppet’s rear end. At least he’s not shy about it. So I get home, skype with me mum over a glass or two of red, then fish out the hot red mama corset my friend Kai gave me the other week and get Sorcha ready for the live show. I met Arda and Dan there and met up with a lot of the JMW crew, and met some of the other performers, namely TRE-S (or トレイス depending on your preference) who were on before us and gave a passionate performance. Loved their dark melancholy. The Mootekkis were on after us and got the crowd all riled up, Mike Hannah sure knows how to work the people.. he’s such a lovable floosie. Our set went very well and Arda and Dan were in fine form. Not a bad effort for our first time as a band. Onwards and upwards I say.