Feb 23rd
  Musicians get quite attached to their gear, which is not surprising, as it often costs a lot of money and is the means of expressing yourself musically. But playing live and touring takes its toll on the gear and sometimes it breaks or doesn’t work properly. Playing live can be frustrating when suddenly your experiencing ‘technical difficulties’ as it’s known in the music business. Some of these we have encountered are amplifiers blowing up (yes, it does happen), guitar cables getting caught on feet and then pulled out of the amps − has happened to both Dave and Aaron, and usually happens when the music is reaching a climax and suddenly  - nothing! You’re playing but no sound is coming out!  Not a good experience….. Also straps coming off guitars mid song is another unpleasant surprise. Then there’s guitar cables crackling or not working (the curse of musicians everywhere), drums that just won’t stay still and keep moving steadily forward during the gig; drum clamps that won’t hold, resulting in toms and cymbals that go out of place or fall down during songs; even microphones that give you a static electric shock to the lips when you use them. There’s also collapsing keyboard stands, broken strings, drum skins suddenly breaking and amps that refuse to make sound. Then, of course, there is the human error, but this only happens to other bands….lol.
And as always, there’s the unexpected… every gig seems to have it’s own pleasant surprise. For example, last week, after a great gig in Morph, Tokyo, we were sitting in the van at about 1 a.m. waiting for our manager to come back from a meeting with the venue. It was a long wait, and we were ready for the 4 hour drive back to Nagoya, so we were entertaining ourselves listening to the van stereo and watching a fight develop across the street. The fight fizzled down when the police turned up and then our manager turned up, and we were ready to hit the road. Only thing was, when we hit the ignition, we discovered the battery was dead, the last of it’s juice being used up playing tunes on the stereo.
Given SCC band history, we feared the worst, and were preparing ourselves for a long, long, long night. However, the God Of Rock granted us a reprieve and Mike had actually had the foresight to pack some jumper leads into the van. Thanks to the help of a couple of guys and the van from another band, ASIAN 2, we were able to get the engine going and were on our way home by about 2 a.m. So, instead of it being a really long night, we got home just as the sun was coming up. Not too bad, really.
SCC

Feb 6th
Being in this band we experience many things  −  both related to music and otherwise.
Of course, playing music involves us having equipment - instruments and amplifiers, loading and unloading it from the van, packing it properly in the van, so it doesn’t all bang around all over the place (it does sometimes anyway), setting it up on stage, actually using it (playing!), carrying it up and down stairs and loading it into lifts (elevators). Of course, then there’s the further bonding a musician must do with their instrument, such as practicing, maintenance, sleeping with it, etc, but I won’t go into that this week.
   So, as I was saying, sometimes, the total unexpected can occur. Just when you thought you’d seen everything and had prepared for every possible thing that could go wrong, good old Murphy and his law return. So, elevators… Some of the places we play have small elevators for equipment, so we load it up, with what we can (the keyboards, which are the heaviest thing we have, of course, never fit!) and send it up to the floor we are playing on. Well, just last week, we experienced some of our equipment somehow finding its way out of the lift on the journey, getting lodged between the lift and the wall of the lift shaft and finally, falling a couple of floors to come crashing down on the bottom of the lift well. Believe me, the banging, grating and crashing sounds we heard when this was happening caused us just a little bit of concern. But, it could’ve been much worse − the equipment was 1 headphone amp in a case, which sustained quite a bit of cosmetic damage, (but miraculously still seems to be functioning) and both the keyboard stands − heavy metal contraptions that also got a bit bent and twisted but are still usable. We were fortunate that we could finally get the lift to move and recover the rest of our gear, especially as we had a gig the following day!
 Anyway, we did end up having a good gig at ELL the following day and thanks to all who came. Next week, we’ll continue on the theme of musical equipment with some interesting anecdotes about being on stage when it doesn’t work!
Ja, mata, SCC

Jan 17th
A (somewhat belated) Happy New Year to everyone! Sushi saw out the new year with an acoustic live-to air gig for Radio −I in Nagoya. The last month has been a well deserved break for us, with Mike, Aaron and Dave F taking some time out to travel back to our home countries, returning to Japan refreshed and invigorated. Of course, this is understandable when your home towns are Sydney and Santa Cruz, California: lands of sunshine, warm weather, beautiful beaches…. But Manchester….??? We guess it was all the black puddings, fish and chips and outdated British comedy….
Last year was pretty hectic for us, racking up around 70 gigs, as well as releasing Band In My Head and starting work on the new (no title just yet) album. This year looks like its gonna be more of the same − plenty of gigs, more recording and an imminent world tour. Oh, maybe that’s in the band in my head….
Anyway, the recording for the new album is about half finished, and so far, so good…we are really looking forward to putting the finishing touches to this baby. We’ve also got some great gigs lined up in Nagoya. Sun Feb 4th at Electric Lady Land, Fushimi, as special guests for ‘Momoiro Honey’ and the big, big one − June 2nd at Diamond Hall.
Take it easy,

SCC.

 

Nov 28, 2006
Well, it’s been a while since the diary got updated…. Our apologies, we’ve had a lot of other things going on in the world of Sushi Cabaret Club. October and November were really busy for us − we played in Okazaki, Hamamatsu, Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Nagoya. We had many great gigs but the highlight for us was Nov 17th at Heartland studios in Nagoya. Thanks to all who came − it was great to see sooooo many people there having a good time. We had a special guest, Maki, who sang backup harmonies on some songs, to great effect. We also had a chance to play quite a few new songs which we’d been wanting to play for some time.
Finally, we have also started recording our new album. The release date isn’t set yet but it’ll probably come out next May. The last 2 weekends we have been laying the drum and bass tracks, and although it’s nowhere near finished, it’s already sounding great. We’re confident the next album is going to surpass anything we’ve done to date.
Take it easy!
Dave, Dave, Aaron, Mike.

 

October is gonna be over ! Things have been busy as usual in SUSHI CABARET CLUB.
We’ve been playing almost every weekend, in Osaka, and also a lot in the Mikawa region in Japan. We’ve been rehearsing a whole bunch of new songs, that we are planning to record soon. Also we will be playing some of these new songs at our Heartland gig on Nov 17th. It’s gonna be a great show, we are even going to have a special guest…. Tickets are almost ALL GONE. So, if you want to come, send us a mail now!

Anyway,
People are always curious how it came to be that 4 guys from different countries wound up in Japan, playing music together. We often get asked questions about it and our life in Japan, so this week, we did a series of Questions and Answers. So, hopefully, this might answer some of the questions we often get asked…..
Questions
Aaron

1. Why did you come to Japan?

　I first became interested in Japan when I was a kid, because I started doing karate and was really into samurai and ninjas and that kind of thing! I became interested in Japan again when I started aikido in about 1996. I thought it would be an interesting place to visit. I originally wanted to visit just on a holiday, but it was too expensive so I decided to get a job in Japan. At that time I was taking a break from playing in bands in Australia and I had no idea I’d end up in a band in Japan.

1. What’s your favourite Japanese food?

I like almost all Japanese food but my favourite would have to be miso soup. I prefer red miso too!

1. What’s your favourite sushi?

Anago. (eel) I’m also quite partial to maguro. (raw tuna)

1. What are 5 of your favourite bands?

Hard Question…. All time favourites would be…. AC/DC, Blur, U2, The Who, The Beatles.

1.  Favourite Japanese artist.

I like a female singer called uA.

6.  What is the best thing about playing in The Sushi Cabaret Club?

It’s really cool to be good mates with 3 other guys from different countries and be playing in Japan. Kind of surreal….  Also…..ROCKING OUT! Nothing quite like it…

　Dave Wallace

1.  Why did you come to Japan? 

     Got a phone call from my agent offering me work in Japan , i thought why not.

2.  What is your favourite Japanese food? 

            donburi

3.  What is your favourite sushi?  

            Ebi (shrimp)

4.  What are 5 of your favourite bands? Pink Floyd, Pearl Jam ,Feeder, Foofighters and AC/DC

5. Favourite Japanese artist?

 Air, Grapevine, Band Apart and Envy

6.  What is the best thing about playing in The Sushi Cabaret Club?

       Playing live, playing live and playing live!!!

 

Mike
1.  Why did you come to Japan?
 Destiny brought me to Japan. My life in Hawaii was at a turning point. After a great surf session I sat on the beach I gave Japan a good hard thought. I thought Japan was where I could find my dream.
2.  What is your favorite Japanese food?
I have always loved sushi. In California I often went to the local sushi bar. (The Pink Godzilla) I learnt to love wasabi. I also like ramen, udon and soba. 
3.  What is your favorite sushi?
My favorite sushi has to be Octopus, Squid, Yellow tail tuna and tuna.
4.  What are 5 of your favorite bands?
This is always a hard question. Music is so much what you are feeling at that time.
But if I must.....
 Dave Matthew's Band, Primus, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Van Halen, Metallica
5.  Favorite Japanese artist.
I will say Shino Ringo. Because the first gig I played in Japan I played a lot of her songs in a Shino Ringo copy band.
6.  What is the best thing about playing in The Sushi Cabaret Club?
The best thing is to look out to our yearning fans and to give them great music and big big smiles. Energy!!!! This is why I play music!!

 

Dave Freeman
1.  Why did you come to Japan?
I got an offer to play to play keyboards at a bar in Nagoya (the location shall remain nameless to protect the innocent) and the fact that I saw ‘Shogun’ (story by James Clavell) on TV when I was a kid. From then on I wanted to meet a real life samurai, but when I did, unfortunately he turned out to be a salary man instead (not that I’ve got anything against salary men − it was just a shock, that’s all).

1. What is your favorite Japanese food?

That’s a tricky one. It depends on my mood, I suppose, anything healthy. The majority of my diet consists of Japanese stuff − miso soup, rice….I’ve been eating quite a lot of eel, too. On the other hand, there are also times when I could die for a bowl of ramen (noodles in soup) − maybe it’s Japan’s equivalent to fish and chips.

1. What is your favorite sushi?

That’s easy…. Maguro (raw tuna) for sentimental reasons. It was the first piece of sushi that passed my lips when I arrived here in Japan. Kaiten zushi (sushi surved on a conveyor belt where the customer’s can select dishes) is a poor peoples’ paradise.

1. What are 5 of your favourite bands?

I don’t really have favourite bands because I believe that every form of music has something to teach us. The bands that most influenced me when I was growing up were Emerson Lake and Palmer, Yes, Pink Floyd, Billy Joel, Elton john and Bill Evans. Recently I’ve been listening to Little Richard and The Band.
6.  Favorite Japanese artist.
Again, this depends on my mood. When I first arrived here a friend bought me Anzen Chitai’s greatest hits….. I used to fall asleep listening to it. Also Inoue Osui. Spitz are another one of my favourite bands.
6.  What is the best thing about playing in The Sushi Cabaret Club?
Umm… I’d say that no matter what else is going on in your life at the time, when we all meet as a band on stage, something bigger than all of us takes over… and the results are usually spectacular.

 

Sep 10
It’s been a while since our last entry − our apologies to readers. We’ve had a few technical difficulties recently.
We’ve certainly enjoyed the sweltering Nagoya summer. We had a number of gigs around the place − Nagoya, Osaka, Gifu and Ibaraki, so we did quite a bit of traveling. We especially enjoyed playing at Zepp Nagoya, because it’s such a big stage, and we had many staff to help us lug the gear (move the equipment from van to stage) and set up. The Apple Store in Sakae was also a great gig for us, mainly because many of you guys came down and checked it out.
Our recording schedule has been moved back, so in the meantime we’ve been busily rehearsing a lot of new material. Dave W had some amp problems last gig, which prompted him to buy a new amp, so you can expect to hear a bigger and better than ever guitar sound next gig.
Also, if you don’t know, you can now find us on My Space website. We’ve been slowly but surely building up our fan base in Japan via this website. It’s still not so well-known in Japan, but seems to be growing rapidly. So, check it out, become a member and add us to your friends list. Just go to http://www.myspace.com/thesushicabaretclub　
Itsumo Arigato!
SCC

 

 

July 14th
Last weekend saw us back in Osaka, where we did a gig at Tin’s Hall and another at The Hard Rock Cafe´. It was good to see our Osakan fans again, and there seems to be more every time we play there. As usual, the Osakans lived up to their reputation as a very friendly and fun-loving lot. Tin’s Hall and Hard Rock Cafe´ were likewise very good to us, and we got given some very cool T-shirts courtesy of The Hard Rock.
Our road trip was otherwise rather uneventful except for fact that we we didn’t get lost in Osaka (definitely a first) and we also didn’t drive around in circles on the Osaka city loop looking for the turnoff.  It was a pretty sweaty trip but we’ll take summer anytime over winter, especially for road trips. One of our least favourite memories is our trip to Osaka for New Years 2005. It suddenly started snowing when we left Nagoya and what was meant to be a 3 hour journey turned into a 9 hour odyssey. We only just got to the gig in time. Coming back was even better − it took us something like about 12 hours to get home. That’s a long time to spend in the van with 4 guys…..
Anyway, that’s all for now.
D,D,A,M.   

 

June 29th 2006
Well, the last couple of weeks Japan has been gripped by world-cup fever. For the game of Aus. Vs. Japan, we went to Red Rock, the Aussie bar in Sakae and watched it amongst the throng of Japanese supporters. For Aaron, it came as a pleasant surprise when Australia won, however like most Australians, he doesn’t really know anything about soccer. But the highlight of his night came after the game, doing a little head banging to AC/DC. Strangely AC/DC is not well-known among Japanese people. Anyway…
What else have we been up to? Lately, we’ve been working on a swag of new songs that’ll be released as singles or go on to our next album. It’s always great to work on new material and we are looking forward to playing these ones live. We guarantee you will love ‘em!
And this week, we have part 2 of our musician jokes. Many of our Japanese readers have been testing their English ability trying to understand these….good luck again!

Why did they throw the guitarist in the ocean with a boulder attached to his leg?
Because, deep down, guitarists aren't that bad.

What do you call a keyboard player without a girlfriend?
Homeless...

Son: "Daddy, I want to grow up and be a drummer"
Father: "Son, you can't have it both ways

What's the difference between a bass player, and a large pizza?
The pizza can feed a family of four!

Anyway, see you next time!

June 9, 2006
Thanks to all the came to our CD release party on the 3rd.
For us, it was great to play to such a fantastic crowd – YOU GUYS!!!
We’ve said it before, but honestly, we really appreciate your support.
It was awesome to look out into the crowd of smiling faces and see
so many people having a good time. It’s what keeps this band going.
Well, this week, the two Daves have been in the studio,
working on pre-production. Don’t actually know what they’ve been doing,
but they tell me it’s good. We are also gearing up to play this weekend
at Hamamatsu and Toyohashi.
And to end this week’s diary entry, here is a little humour. Although,
jokes are notoriously difficult to translate into another language,
so to our Japanese readers, and our translator….gambatte kudasai!

This ones about Mike ….
How do you know if the drum riser is level?
The drummer’s got drool coming out both sides of his mouth.

This ones about Aaron.
How many bass players does it take to change a light bulb?
Only one, but no-one notices.

This is about Dave F. Actually, this is the funniest, cos it’s true.
Person to Dave F: Hey, aren’t you the roadie for
THE SUSHI CABARET CLUB?

This ones about Dave W.
What do you throw to a drowning guitarist?
His amp.

Have a good one!
Dave, Dave, Mike and Aaron.

May 31, 2006
Well, finally the new CD is in the shops. We are pretty stoked about it
, as it's been quite a process ?we started recording in last August
and finished in February this year, so it's great that it's out at last.
Nagoya's Radio ?I have been giving us some decent airplay too.
We played the Nagoya walkathon a while back
and we were blessed with a beautiful day.
It was the first time we had done a big stage live for a while
and now we're itchin to play this Saturday's CD release at the Apollo.
If you got tickets, prepare yourself for a rocking show ,
we are truly rearing to go.
Thanks to all those who have already bought the CD,
and if you haven't......
GO AND BUY ONE RIGHT NOW!!!! Or even 2 or 3!
That's all for now,
Dave, Dave, Aaron and Mike.

May 2
LIFE FROM A HI-ACE VAN.
Another eventful weekend for The Sushi Cabaret Club last weekend.
4 gigs in 2 days, in Osaka and Nagoya. Osaka was very cool
it was a beautiful day, the people were friendly,
we met many cool people at Sam & Dave's and generally,
had a great time. Likewise the Nagoya gigs were also very cool,
we had a great turnout of fans at the Nagoya Apple Store.
But traveling and playing those gigs takes quite a bit of time
infact it took about 32 hours all up. Forget hotels,
groupies, tour managers, roadies, and rock and roll excess,
this is do-it-yourself grass roots touring,is perhaps best
described as 4 guys spending a lot of time together,
with their equipment in a rather cramped Toyota hi-ace.
(No disrespect to our van intended).
So, what exactly happens during that 32 hours it takes to do 4 gigs?
That's a good question,
so we broke down the time (approximately) to give you an idea.

Total playing time = 3.5 hrs
Unpack,setup,soundcheck,packup,pack the van = 8 hrs
Travelling time = 9 hrs
Time spent waiting = 7.5 hrs
Sleep time = 4 hours

A labour of love? I guess so, we love it and wouldn't
have it any other way.Well, maybe hotels, groupies,
tour managers, roadies, and rock and roll excess
would be nice after all!Till next time,
Dave, Dave, Aaron, and the other guy.

_____________________________________________________________________

April 18th
Twice to Tokyo in two weeks!
Our trips to Tokyo are usually pretty tiring,
leaving Nagoya fairly early in the morning to reach Tokyo
usually early afternoon, for a sound check,
then a few hours wait until it’s time to play. After the show,
it’s usually a hurried pack-up, say ‘hi, and goodbye’ to the fans,
followed by the drive back to Nagoya. We’ve always got plenty
of time to kill, which is mostly spent drinking coffee, eating,
listening to music, sleeping, and of course, talking shit.
This week however, we were lucky enough to meet
a couple of lads from Tokyo Metropolitan Police Force.
These guys were fine examples of the hardworking boys
in blue that tirelessly uphold law and order in the mean
streets of Roppongi.It all started when we decided to go
back to the van after sound check for a rest before the gig.
As we lay there, trying to get to sleep, we were interrupted
by them wanting to know what we were doing.
So, we explained who we were, what we were doing
(we even invited them to the gig!) but they obviously
had a different idea.
Even though we weren’t doing anything wrong,
they told us that Roppongi was a dangerous place
and they wanted to search us and the car. Just routine,
mind you…. Routine??? Yeah, right..
Anyway, after a fairly long debate,
they still couldn’t give us a reason why they wanted to search us,
and our patience with these guys was wearing thin. Eventually,
they realized they had no grounds to hassle us and left.
But they didn’t routinely search or even talk
to anyone else …. arghh, the trials and tribulations of the touring musician! At least it gave us something to talk about on the way home!
Thanks to all who came down to the Apple Store gigs
on the 9th and Morph on the 15th. See you next time!
Dave, Dave, Aaron, Mike.