Swivel Chair Kitchen Pipe

LiO - Episode 2 Yaki Niku

2009-10-15T07:14:00.000-07:00

Episode 2 of LiO. Enjoy!

LiO - Luis in Osaka Episode 1

2009-09-28T06:22:00.000-07:00

Sitting on a plane on my way back to Japan I was trying to think of a way to share my misadventures here with my friends and family back home. After a coulpe of red wines and a irish coffee, Luis in Osaka was I can come up with.

This my first episode of LiO. Enjoy.

Takedao Tunnel Art Event 2009

2009-09-12T21:30:00.000-07:00

Also on the 20th, I'll be taking part in the Takedao Tunnel Art Event. Brought to us by Charles-Éric Billard, a man who seems to have his hand in every art pie in town, this event takes place in the abandoned tunnels of the of the old JR line in the mountains towards the Sanda area. A couple of years ago I attended this event and came away with a great experience. Now I have the pleasure to participate in it. So if you're free, enjoy art and music and the avant garde, please come on down.

Starting at 1pm, check out the flyer. Check out the flyer attached.

Kansai Music Conference

2009-09-03T18:45:00.000-07:00

Friend and music promoter Duane Levi has been working hard hard in Japan the last few years to bring the best possible foreign music acts to the shores of Japan. The Kansai Music Conference is the spawn of his efforts and it will come to fruition Saturday, September 19 and Sunday, the 20 in Osaka. I will be performing on the 20th, at 8pm in the Blue Monk Cafe in Hommachi. Please follow the following links for more info onthe conference and acts that will be performing. Hope to see you all there!

www.kansaimusicconference.com

www.kansaimusicconference.com/program.htm

Hanibal in September

2009-09-03T18:30:00.000-07:00

After a nice long vacation, I'm back to the real world that is Nippon.

Some Hanibal Music dates for September:

9/20, Kansai Music Conference, Blue Monk Cafe, Honmachi, 8pm, doors at 7pm www.kansaimusicconference.com

9/25, Common Cafe, Nakazaki Cho, Umeda, doors and food at 7pm Common Cafe

Hope to see you there! Thanks!

Ginger Leek Chicken

2009-06-25T03:45:00.000-07:00

Even before my days in Japan, I’ve had a long affinity to ginger root: cookies, sugar cured candy, tea, in green curry and of course as a soft drink (natural, not the Canada Dry stuff). Recently, I set out to try to make an original recipe using a lot of ginger.

Ginger Leek Chicken

1 piece about palm size ginger, minced or sliced
2 cloves or garlic minced
1 leek, sliced
3 table spoons of olive oil
200-300grams (8-10 ounces) of boneless chicken thighs
1/4 cup of white wine
2 tablespoons of nanpura
2 tablespoons of oyster sauce
salt and pepper

In a medium pan, heat up the ginger, garlic and sliced leek with the olive oil until the leek starts to get a slight golden color. Cut the chicken into bite size chunks and season with salt and pepper. When the leek is ready(slight gold color), add the chicken, white wine, nanpura and oyster sauce, cover and lower the heat to a low flame. Let simmer for 10-12 minutes(internal temperature of at least 74/165 degrees C/F, stirring occasionally. Serve over salad, rice noodles, risotto or rice.

Burning Down the House!

2009-05-19T00:07:00.000-07:00

Friday was a blowout. The place was packed. New friends, old friends, non-friends (they became my friends eventually) and a birthday cake.

Happy Birthday again to Mikito. Thank you all for coming. And thanks to Atsuko and her pics on Facebook. If anyone else has pics, please post them.

For now this will be the last Hanibal Live night at Common Cafe until the fall. Thank you all for making it a great night.

Taste of the Caribbean

2009-05-07T04:59:00.000-07:00

Back at it next Friday the 15th at Common Cafe. Ayumi-san and her Caribbean cooking talents after a trip to, yep, the Caribbean. Come on down!

And now...

2009-04-28T19:36:00.001-07:00

...US beer and cola.

Sliding Doors

2009-04-13T10:07:00.001-07:00

I stepped on the train and doors closed behind me. As the train shook, I clung to one of the hand rings over head like Mitch Gaylord and shuffled my feet. A man, perhaps in his fifties, threw me smile. I smiled and nodded. He then leaned forward and with great clarity said, "Do you speak English?" and I again nodded.

He continued, "30 years ago I moved from Osaka to Tokyo for my job. The people from Osaka thought I strange too. People from Osaka speak very different. We use different expressions, different pronunciation and many local words. Don't worry, you will be okay soon".

Don't know what prompted him to say this but I smiled for the rest of the day. The sky was gleaming at 6pm, the start of the evening shade. Do I say "evening" or "afternoon"? I don't know.

And now...

2009-04-08T20:25:00.001-07:00

...$12 Grape fruits.

Today was their Birthday

2009-03-20T16:03:00.000-07:00

Friday was a blast. With a Japanese, French, American, and Spanish crowd, the UN feel was a buzz. Unfortunately my chef extradonaire Ms. Ayumi couldn't make to her jaunt through the Caribbean Sea for the next couple of weeks, but Dominoes filled in adequately to kill the hunger.

With Nishikubo-San on the skins and Eisaku "Isaac" Takami driving guitar lead and myself riding shot gun, we threw down "Happy Birthday", "Pagan", "13th Hour" and others for the crowds enjoyment.

Great Pics for Kicks

2009-03-02T04:23:00.000-08:00

Hiya folks. Quick post, new cruise spot. My buddy Jim Valencia has a great blog, showcasing his great eye for photography. Want to see how a pro does it? Want to see the Kobe/Kansai area of Japan captured on a Nikon? Please cruise on by. Cheers.

Good crowd, good times

2009-02-23T01:08:00.000-08:00

Great crowd at Common Café last Friday. Many new faces and all seats were filled. Ayumi-san was throwing down the Cuban/Puerto Rican food, and before the end of the night, it was sold out. Doing it all again Friday, March 13th. Hope to see everyone again.

Boozing it up in '09

2009-01-22T03:49:00.001-08:00

Well back in swing at Common Cafe in Umeda, Osaka next Friday, January 30th. To kick off the new year, bring a friend whose never been to CC before, get one free mixed drink!

Hope to see you there!

Ugly Sweaters and Reindeers

2008-12-26T04:31:00.000-08:00

Nice gathering of ugly sweaters at the Commons on the 26th. 1st prize for ugliest sweater went to Wisconsin/Minnesota/Iowa's own Lindsey, who took home cola flavored jelly bean defecating reindeer. Oh! and I played a couple tunes with nice audience participation on my rendition of Tom Waits' "Chocolate Jesus".

Thanks to everyone who came down and participated.

Common Threads

2008-12-22T16:11:00.001-08:00

This Friday the 26th at Common Cafe, I'll throw down my usual live set, but thanks Ms. Lindsey Kurtz's brain, we also have a theme going. The theme will be "Ugly Sweater" night There will be a prize for ugliest sweater. Hope you can make it.

Cold Season

2008-12-08T06:26:00.000-08:00

Common Cafe a couple Fridays ago. Bit of a cold but battled to a nice a crowd. Ayumi-san provided Cuban-Puerto Rican food to the delight of all our taste buds.

Comfortable, High End English

2008-12-08T01:14:00.000-08:00

Are you Japanese, enjoy speaking English but feel that your vocabulary is lacking? Satoshi Yamada conducts a two hour English lesson Tuesdays and Wednesdays in Minami Morimachi, Osaka. The lessons focus on vocabulary building, idioms usage and understanding how to express yourself better in English.

For more details, please follow these two links:

Mr. Yamada’s Blog

Lesson Page

Great Blue

2008-11-24T05:24:00.000-08:00

Very short set last night, but great local and a great singer, Alicia Saldenha headlined, with special guest Daryl Beaton straight from Sydney, Austrailia. Check him out here and here.

Week Ahead

2008-11-22T18:21:00.000-08:00

Warming up for a tonight. Opening for a great, young jazz singer from the states. Going with a bluesy set for myself. Been battling a bit of a sore throat the last few days gonna see how that goes over while covering Richmond Woman Blues by Mississippi John Hurt. This Friday, the 28th, will be at Common Cafe as usual.

October Live

2008-10-31T05:17:00.000-07:00

October 11th I was at my usual spot at Common Café, spewing out the anti-folk lyrics that decorate my melodies. A good crowd dropped in with guest appearances by some my new colleagues from the city of Amagasaki. My percussionist, Mr. Nishikubo was palpitating the rhythms on a cajon and shaking the maracas with his foot. It was a good crowd and a good set.

October 12th was a cold Sunday afternoon. It was the Midousuji Festival and before going on, I made the mistake of not going to the bathroom. Although a good group of friends were there for support, a full bladder, the cold breeze and a shy crowd contributed to my ever mounting nerves. Local audiences are not very warm even to their brethren, so I wasn’t expecting all out dancing, let alone clapping or toe tapping. I didn’t try reaching the audience and my disconnecting lead to a so-so set. Overall it was a good learning experience.

Hanibal's October

2008-09-23T21:22:00.001-07:00

End of September through October will be a busy month. Here's a list of upcoming live events on the Hanibal slate:

Friday, 9/26 Common Cafe, Umeda, Osaka, 9pm

Saturday, 9/27 Blue Fox Pub, Sannomiya, Kobe, 11pm

Friday, 9/10 Common Cafe, Umeda, Osaka, 9pm

Sunday, 9/12 Midousuji Kappo Arts and Music Festival, Shinsaibashi, Osaka, 2pm

Sunday, 9/19 Common Cafe, Umeda, Osaka, 9pm

Farm House Cafe 8/24

2008-09-23T21:16:00.000-07:00

Played at the hippy joint Farm House Cafe a few Sundays ago. Posted a couple of vids.

Common Style

2008-08-11T00:39:00.001-07:00

Couple of Fridays ago played at Common Cafe in Umeda, Osaka. Couple of days earlier, I was able to get a couple of friends to back me up on bass and drums. It had been a long time since I sang/played with a full band and the first time with my original material. The place was full of friends and acquaintances, but that didn't comfort my nerves too much. Although we had never played together before, overall it went pretty well.