hunter::gathering

or at very least, i wish i was in japan this weekend.  friday is the start of the world famous (and wet) fuji rock festival held at the base of mount fuji at a ski lodge an hour and a half from tokyo (thanks steve).  the image that's indelibly etched in my mind about fuji rock is thousands of typhoon soaked, mud splattered, stringy haired japanese kids dancing their asses off.  but despite the inevitable soak, it seems like one of the memorable music festivals in the world, up there with the glastonbury, woodstock ('60s, not '90s), and coachella.  definitely more of a tribal, global village feel a la burning man, as opposed to the stadium radio fest anti-vibe. 

a few of my asian-based friends are heading out there for the three day festival and i'm quite jealous.  here's my must see list (that is, if i was there): sonic youth, raconteurs, happy mondays(!), wolfmother, madness, yeah yeah yeahs, buffalo daughter, scissor sisters, gnarls barkley, broken social scene, rinocerese, junior senior, killing joke, afra, bidy nam nam, soulwax, digitalism, nightmares on wax, scratch perverts, 2manydjs, ooioo, refugee all stars of sierra leone, tiga, damian lazarus, franz ferdinand, the strokes, red hot chili peppers…

the list goes on and on.  and mine excludes all the japanese artists on the bill.  anyways, it's gonna be an epic weekend for kim, steve, and grace, complete with all night raves every night of the festival.  just bring an umbrella…