Jyoubachi - Japan's Best New Rock Group?

The band's name is Jyoubachi. In Japanese it is: 女王蜂　That translates to "Queen Bee" but George Williams, the top Vee Jay in Japan tells me that he doesn't think the Japanese name is queen bee... Oh well, if George doesn't know then I don't know who would. 

Jyoubachi

From what little I know about this band is that they are fronted by a trans-sexual lead singer. Their online biography mentions nothing of this and says:

Ziyoou-vachi is a 4-piece rock band from Japan. They

formed in Kobe in 2009, and after playing together 
for about a year they were chosen to play on the 
extremely selective "Rookie a Go-Go" stage at Japan's 
mammoth Fuji Rock festival. Their performance there 
caught the ears of Japan's rock fans, but what really 
brought them to prominence was a landmark gig at 
a secret party held by the fashion brand Hysteric 
Glamour last November. After that night, they became 
the talk of Japan's fashion cognoscenti.

In March of 2011, they started selling their first  self-recorded CD-Rs at live shows. Those discs, "The  Mad Princess" and "The Wrath of the Royal Family",  quickly sold out, and allowed the band's label Ziyoou  Records to release their next recording "Witch Hunt"  nationwide. And now they'll put out their major-label  debut on Sony Music Associated Records in Fall 2011.  The night she announced their decision to sign with a  major, bandleader Avu-chan decided to share the

band's reasoning, which was basically that they'd "get 
to wear way more awesome clothes" and "push to even 
further levels of excess." That should give listeners some 
clue as to what sort of debut to anticipate.


The song I've picked for you today is called 待つ女 (Woman in Waiting)

Jyoubachi - Woman in Waiting

The shooting and violence reminds me of the Dead Weather's "Treat Me Like Your Mother" but it is different and fresh enough not to bother me with too much similarity. I hate it when I can say, "This band reminds me of (this or that) band."

Dead Weather - Treat Me Like Your Mother

Thanks to Ken Nishikawa

I Wish I Could Remain a Child Forever

I suppose it always happens like this for everyone. My father died last night. 


Last night, when I came home from work, I got a message that said, 


"Mike, 

I am so sorry to tell you this, your father passed away last night. I don't know the details, I am waiting for your brother to get home. Now he is at peace. 

Please call if you need to talk."

I don't need to talk about it. Just write, I suppose. 

When I heard the news, I wasn't shocked, but thought, "Gee, I just talked to him the other day and he seemed fine."

Well, maybe he wasn't fine but he sounded better than he did several weeks ago.

Before he died he told me that the only three things that ever mattered to him were the US marines, my mom and us three brothers.

My mom died about 16 years ago.

Hopefully, his spirit can reside with my mom's now. I said a prayer for him.

I have missed my mom all this time. I'll miss my dad. 

From today, now, I must take the position in my immediate family that my mom and my dad took. I must try to care for the children and make sure they are happy.

I used to be "the children" now I am the "grandfather."

I don't want to do the grandfather role. 

I wish I could remain a child forever. But I can't.


Today? Hug your parents if you still can and hug your kids... 


It seems like just yesterday that it was the 1960's and my parents had a house and a car. My mom was young and beautiful and she cooked, cleaned and took care of our school stuff... 


Dad was working, like all dads do... He also had black hair... He wrestled with us kids, took us to baseball games and he cooked barbecue... Like all dads do... 


One day, tomorrow is tomorrow and in the far-flung future... Then, one day, tomorrow is coming soon.... Then, out of the blue, tomorrow is here.


Soon, way too soon, tomorrow will be yesterday... Live it while you can!


NOTE: This is pretty weird, and I just realized it, but this is my 1000th posting on this blog. I was planning to write something profound for my 1000th... But all I got was this news that made me write this post about death... Weird, no?


Once again, in my life, with how these "coincidences" keep happening, I just have to throw my arms in the air and shrug my shoulders and say to the world, "Don't tell me that there's no God!"... (And I'm not even a Christian!)