And the beat goes on...

It's funny how things work out.

How the people you meet and the choices you make shape what is to come.  About six months ago, Takuya and I started playing together - just for fun, and because we both have the same taste in music.  Some of my friends wanted to hear us, so we set up a few performances here and there.  We've learned a lot of things these past few months  (Always bring a mic if you're gonna play at TK6), and we've met some great people along the way.

I'd say since December, we've been playing pretty regularly together, and it's interesting how other performing opportunities have opened up to us since then.  Two months ago, we started playing at a monthly open mic held at a cafe near our apartment.  The place is tiny, and can really only fit those people who are playing, but what a friendly bunch they are.  They've welcomed us with open arms, and always invite us to come back next month.

In fact, the owner of another cafe/bar was there, and he invited us to play at his bar called Legends.  Then, a few days later, Takuya received a call from a friend of that guy who'd heard about us and wants us to play his open mic as well.  Quite an interesting domino effect, I'd say!

But, perhaps the performance I'm most excited about is happening on April 1st, where we'll be opening for Wakaba at Brian Brew.  A huge shout out goes to our friend Sebastian who put in a good word for us with the band.  Again, another lucky connection!

Here's a couple of videos from our Bistro DEPOT open mic performance last week.  Bonus: me speaking Japanese!





And I'm not really sure how many Sapporo-ites read this blog (and if you do, you're probably my facebook friend), but for those interested, I'll put our April performance schedule on here for you.  We hope we'll see you at one of our shows!!

************

April 1st - Brian Brew

Minami 3, Nishi 3, FA-S3 B1 1F, Chuo-ku, Sapporo市中央区南3条西3丁目FA-S3ビル1F

Opening for Wakaba

Start time: 9:00

From the Brian Brew Blog:

4月1日は

『若葉』さんのパブライヴ

最近恒例になってきた

ゲストも登場しますよー

今回は

『Sarah & Takuya』

張り切ってどうぞー

時間はいつも通り

21時から

April 28th - Mellow
Cafe & Live Mellow

『アコースティック☆Night』

とき  4/28(土)

OPEN  18:00

START 19:00

*出演*

Sarah & Takuya

ZERO

佐藤 留美

鈴 音

Don't have the address yet, haha.

My top 5 songs for 2011

2011 was a year of discovering a lot of new music.  I was getting pretty bored with my iTunes playlists, and good music is a necessity for the long commutes I experienced throughout the year.

It seems that I always make a playlist for every change of season - there are just some songs that I only listen to during certain parts of the year, for whatever reason.  Does anyone else do this?  When an album just feels like summer?  Or fall?

Of course, there were other songs that were on every one of my playlists, no matter what the season.  And my 2011 playlists were definitely dominated by female artists this past year, which hasn't been the case in the past. Here's my top 5 of 2011:

• Florence and the Machine - Shake it Out

I only really started listening to Florence this year, and when her new album came out this fall, I devoured it.  I listened to this song almost every morning going to work.

• Little Dragon - Ritual Union

This was the song of the summer for me.  I really love that electro-funk sound.

• St. Vincent - Surgeon

I love Annie Clark's lyrics.  They're raw, and honest, and beautiful.  This song especially.

• Arcade Fire - We Used to Wait

Oh, Arcade Fire, you can do no wrong in my eyes.  I listened to this song almost every day last winter when commuting to Hokuyo.  

• Sufjan Stevens - I Walked

This album was quite a departure from Sufjan's previous, folky sound, but I like it.  I guess I'm going through an electronic music phase.  Anyway, it's still beautiful.

Tunes Tuesday

In an effort to make this blog more than my school experiences and more a part of my everyday life, I thought I'd share some music I've been listening to lately.

I've been a fan of Sufjan Stevens for several years, and was pleasantly surprised with his latest album, The Age of Adz. It's completely different direction from Illinois, but artists are allowed to grow and change, and I like the new sound. Check it out:

Harlem is a band that my friend Brandon turned me on to, and now I don't know where they've been all my life! They remind me of those bands me and my sister used to listen to in those seedy music venues in Amarillo (remember that Rachel?). Like music you'd hear coming from your friend's garage. Gotta love it.