New Video from The RockNRoll HiFives

Honey, you make the SAME. MIS. TAKES. I. DO.

"Same Mistakes"

Life can really pile some shit on you, you know? A very dear friend of mine just said to me, "What a rollercoaster year it's been." Damn if that ain't the truth. I've experienced some of the lowest lows over the last twelve months -- as I'm sure many people have. But I have also had some of my most joyous experiences.

Today, in the midst of more of that shit that life can pile on, I got a beautiful reminder of some of those highest highs in the form of the latest video from The RockNRoll HiFives. "Same Mistakes" is a standout track on the exuberant Re-Introducing The RockNRoll HiFives. It's a crowd favorite from the boardwalks of Asbury Park to the rock clubs of Tokyo and Osaka.

The band combed through video footage -- live footage shot by fan and dual-smartphone rig operator Tsuyoshi Hashimoto, Facebook Live videos, various and sundry clips shot by all of us as we toured Japan together -- and photos to assemble an amazing document of the time we all spent bringing New Jersey rock to gracious and adoring crowds in Japan.

I think the clip gives a real sense of the warm and loving welcome The RockNRoll HiFives received at every stop. That was thanks in no small part to the efforts of Custard Core, the band's Japanese label.

Check the video out below, and watch as I mouth the words "octopus balls."

The RockNRoll HiFives will be playing the Hoboken Fall Arts & Music Festival on September 30th. Go give the band a like on Facebook while you're thinking about them. Re-Introducing The RockNRoll HiFives is out now via our friends at Little Dickman Records.

As for me, I've got a lot of stuff piling up around here that I just haven't had the energy to get around to telling you about. I think this might have been the little kick I needed.

The RockNRoll Hi-Fives Japan Tour, Nights 5 & 6: Nagoya, Kobe, 4/14 & 4/15

The RockNRoll Hi-Fives at Alchemy

Livin' the Lost Boy Life

We woke up on Saturday morning in Tokyo, got all of our stuff together, and loaded up the van for the 4.5 hour ride to Nagoya. The RockNRoll Hi-Fives had a show at Bar Ripple there that night; and, then, we'd head straight to Kobe for the final show of the tour.

We pulled up to the tiny bar right at the time that the band were supposed to do their soundcheck, so we all headed inside and got things set up right away. Ripple is a tiny spot run by the gracious and jovial Nobu with punk rock memorabilia all over the walls and a large collection of amps taking up a good amount of space.

The RockNRoll Hi-Fives ran through their soundcheck. I got a little nervous about what the lighting situation was going to be like (I ended up pretty impressed with the Sony A7r II's performance at ISO 12,800). Then we all headed out to find some coffee. When we got to the street, we ran into the five women of teto-pettenson, one of the other bands on the bill. Their bass player presented the Centenos with a gift of some snacks from her native Okinawa and then walked us over to the nearby Starbucks.

teto-pettenson and The RockNRoll Hi-Fives

Sufficiently caffeinated and ready, we headed back to Ripple for the show. In addition to The RockNRoll Hi-Fives and teto-pettenson, the bill featured Catholic Girlfriends (the project of Custard Core co-honchos Maki and Isseki) and Manchester School (a pop punk band fronted by Harurou).

Catholic Girlfriends were first up. They played fuzzy, 90s-inspired indie rock; and I found myself saying, "This band clearly likes the same music as I do."

Catholic Girlfriends

teto-pettenson were next and had to be one of the most interesting bands we came across on the whole tour. The "five sisters" as they called themselves employed a wide array of instruments from xylophone to recorder to melodica to keys in the least-"rocky" set we'd seen. That didn't make it any less mesmerizing, though.

teto-pettenson

Manchester School are straight-up, high-energy pop punk. It's fast, loud, and anthemic not unlike a lot of what we hear around here in the Garden State. The band totally own it, and I'm sure they'd be a big hit around here.

Manchester School

Once again, the crowd went wild for The RockNRoll HiFives. A nice moment came when Eilee passed Maki the tambourine during "Livin' the Lost Boy Life," which is Maki's favorite song. After the set, the band chatted with everyone, signed more shirts and CDs, and fielded more pleas to return to Japan. Just another amazing evening with supportive fans in Japan. We couldn't hang for too long, though. It was a three-hour drive to Kobe for the final stop on the tour.

The RockNRoll Hi-Fives

The RockNRoll Hi-Fives

The RockNRoll Hi-Fives

We pulled up to Bar Alchemy at around 3am. Alchemy is just one part of the business that also includes apartments, a hostel, and a language school all housed in the same building. We would be staying in the hostel / dorms for one night. Owners Jacob and Paul waited up for us and got us situated in our bunks. Check out Eilee's and Evren's journals over at JerseyBeat.com to see what that night was like.

The next day saw us move over to an AirBnB where we'd spend our final two nights in Japan. After cleaning up and getting ready, we all held up and crossed Pocky in honor of the final show of the tour and headed out.

Alchemy is a teeny tiny bar with a small cocktail drum kit. We'd been warned that the police may show up at the show. Bands were asked to keep volumes as low as was reasonable.

Syuogo designed the tour poster / t-shirt and played in The exkilll

People packed in shoulder to shoulder and Fashion Keys, another band fronted by Custard Core's Isseki, kicked things off. Their sound was definitely in a similar vein to Catholic Girlfriends'. They hit us with a cover of Guided By Voices' "Teenage FBI" (kind of foreshadowing for what Joe and I would be doing in a couple of days), and Isseki delivered an impromptu rendition of Tom Waits's / Bruce Springsteen's "Jersey Girl," substituting "I'm in love with a Jersey band" in the chorus.

Fashion Keys

Kobe is relatively near Osaka, and it's the home base of our new friends from Piggies; so there were lots of familiar faces from the early portion of the tour in the audience. Piggies' Tetsu was front and center fist pumping and joining Eilee and Joe on the mic.

Tetsu!

The police did come, and there were a few (not really) tense moments as we waited for them to leave. They did eventually leave, and the rock continued with Maki pounding the tambourine once again for "Livin' the Lost Boy Life."

Livin' the lost boy life

And, so, The RockNRoll Hi-Fives' Japan tour barreled to a close. We met so many wonderful people over the course of our 12-day adventure. Maki and Isseki of Custard Core did an amazing job making sure that everything ran smoothly and, most of all, curating unbelievably great shows. The enthusiasm and genuine love of music from everyone we met gave me new inspiration and a fresh outlook on covering music. We made new friends that we'll have forever and, hopefully, see play again.

I want to thank The RockNRoll Hi-Fives for having me along on this journey. The time we spent together and our experience exploring Japan are things I will cherish forever. The Centenos are a wonderful and generous family. Eilee and Evren are two amazing kids whose talents and great personalities will carry them very far. Joe and Gloree are examples to all parents of how to bond with your kids through shared experiences. Special thanks to Gloree for doing an amazing job planning all the logistics of the tour for us. And everyone absolutely rocked at every show. Now, it's back to reality after 12 days of livin' the lost boy life with some of the best people that CoolDadMusic.com has given me the chance to get to know.

The RockNRoll Hi-Fives Japan Tour, Night 2: NOON+CAFE with Piggies, Foodie, and The exkilll, 4/9/18

Osaka

On Sunday 4/9, The RockNRoll Hi-Fives played their second show in Japan, this time at Osaka's NOON+CAFE. Joining them for this show were The exkilll, Foodie, and Piggies. NOON is a restaurant / coffee shop with a large music venue and a large disco ball in the back. It's near a busy shopping district in Osaka, and we did some exploring after soundcheck.

The exkilll were playing their second show ever. The entire band wore matching prints and played with an infectious energy. A Walter White action figure stood sentry at the end of the keyboardist's microphone. Covers of Bikini Kill ("Rebel Girl") and The Ramones ("Sheena Is a Punk Rocker") got the crowd singing and bouncing along.

The exkilll

Foodie are one of the bands that feature our host, Maki (bass, vocals, guitar) of Custard Core. She's joined by her husband, Harurou (guitar, vocals, beats), and drummer / bass player, Happy. Foodie play a unique brand of pop full of interesting loops and beats. They really brought home to me one of the things that's been great about the trip so far: seeing brand new (to me) bands every show who are doing interesting things.

Foodie

Piggies are a trio from Kōbe who had a solid and enthusiastic base of fans at the show. I could see why. They played super-catchy garage / punk highlighted by some stage heroics by guitarist, Tetsu. I loved this set.

Piggies

The reception for The RockNRoll Hi-Fives has been amazing so far. Once again, the crowd already knew several songs and sang along. Covers of "We Got the Beat," "Do You Wanna Dance?" and "Surrender" went over big as well. Tetsu was right up front toasting Joe. Maki led the charge for "Livin' the Lost Boy Life," while Eilee bashed a tambourine gifted by The exkilll.

The RockNRoll Hi-Fives

About halfway through the set, I ran across the stage and up the stairs behind the band to get some shots from the green room overhead. Joe told the crowd to "Welcome Papa to the stage!" which is a story for later. Check one of the band's recently archived Facebook livestreams if you want the background on that.

Following the set, The RockNRoll Hi-Fives signed tons of CDs and took pictures with fans and all of the other bands. Everyone here has been incredibly welcoming, and we've all been having a blast at the shows together.

The RockNRoll Hi-Fives, Maki, The exkilll

After two off-days of exploring and logging — literally — about 20 miles on foot all around Ōsaka, we've pulled up stakes and are driving to Tokyo for a pair of shows. We're all pretty excited to see the city and all the bands. It's been the experience of a lifetime so far, and it's only getting better.

The RockNRoll Hi-Fives Japan Tour, Night 1 at Nega-Posi w/ N-16, Fight Club, and キーマカリーズとチチワシネマ

The RockNRoll Hi-Fives

Live & Sake

On Saturday night in Kyoto, The RockNRoll Hi-Fives -- America's finest family rock and roll band -- began their string of shows in Japan. The band were kind enough to invite me along to help document their adventure; and, after two days of starting to get acclimated to a new time zone and a new culture, we were all ready to begin the musical part of the tour. Custard Core, a Japanese indie label and music promoter, organized the entire tour; and they put together a show on Saturday that was an explosive kick-off.

Custard Core's Maki Morita has been a wonderful host and guide during our stay, and we met her at the train station for our trip to Kyoto. The venue, Nega-Posi, is a beautiful space on a quiet street in Kyoto. Their slogan is "Live & Sake," and the bar is adorned with a wide selection of sakes and beers artfully arranged among paper lanterns and other items. The RockNRoll Hi-Fives did their sound check, and then we all headed out for a pre-show coffee.

Maki of Custard Core

Shows seem to start quite a bit earlier here than they do back home with the first band hitting at around seven and things being wrapped up just after 10. It's pretty nice, I gotta say. On Saturday, the first band was キーマカリーズとチチワシネマ, which translates to Keema Curries to Chichiwa Cinema (Maybe? That's what I was told.). The bass player came out in a kewpie doll mask, and the lead singer wore an umbrella hat. Then they proceeded to blow the room away with a short set of amped-up punk.

キーマカリーズとチチワシネマ

Fight Club followed them with some loud and fast hardcore-with-a-sense-of-humor. The lead singer and guitarist hoisted one of the cinder blocks from which the stage was built over his head, ripped his shirt off, and gave the sweat-soaked garment to Joe of The RockNRoll Hi-Fives. It was great.

Fight Club

Things took a more melodic turn during N-16's set. Their sound was somewhere between garage rock and poppier punk. The bass player's husband was filling in on guitar, so the couple had no sitter for the evening. That meant that the whole family was in attendance; and, a couple of times, young children made their way onto the stage. Made perfect sense for a night headlined by a family band.

N-16

The RockNRoll Hi-Fives closed things out with a set that was split between new songs and songs from the back catalog with a couple of covers thrown into the mix. Custard Core, in conjunction with Little Dickman Records, have released a Japan-only RockNRoll Hi-Fives compilation; and the label did a great job getting the word out. There were people in the crowd wildly singing along with songs like "(You Got Me) Tongue Tied" and "El Sueño."

The RockNRoll Hi-Fives

The RockNRoll Hi-Fives

The RockNRoll Hi-Fives

There are no confetti cannons on this trip, but that didn't dampen the party. Eilee was in hair-tossing overdrive. Joe pogo-solo'd. Gloree egged the crowd on during "We Got the Beat" between bass parts. Evren went at the drums as hard as I've seen him go. I think the first-show adrenaline rush combined with the energy of the other bands on the bill motivated The RockNRoll Hi-Fives to go all out.

As for me, I did my best to get some shots that captured the energy and good vibes of the evening. I loved catching -- and really enjoying -- three bands to whom I was coming absolutely "cold," having never heard a single thing from any of them before last night.

We said our goodbyes and made our way back to Osaka (with Maki's help), grabbed some yakitori on the way back to our apartment, and tried to get some rest for doing it all again today. Then we did it all again today, but that's a story for another time.

Stay tuned.

It's Almost Here! Japan with The Rock N Roll Hi-Fives!

Going On Tour

It's easy to get discouraged here sometimes. I'm grateful for every, single moment that anyone ever chooses to spend here; and, if I really stop and think, I do love going to shows and taking pictures and all that. That's why I do this. But, sometimes, when my feet are killing me in Austin or when I'm at another show alone away from the CoolFamily or when I spend hours putting together a post that only a few people ever see, I find myself asking, "Why?"

But... but... I have made some of my very best and dearest friends through this website. Through my work here, I can honestly say, I've become friends with some of the people making and putting out my favorite music right now. I never imagined that just throwing my thoughts up on the Internet would result in some of the most fulfilling friendships I've had in my whole life.

I never imagined that my little vanity project would introduce me to people like Joe, Gloree, Eilee, and Evren Centeno. They are The Rock N Roll Hi-Fives, the world's rockingest and most inspiring family band. They've become great friends of the CoolFamily, and they've been there for me through some of my happiest as well as some of my most trying times.





When they told me that they were going on tour to Japan, I thought it was amazing. They mentioned wanting someone to document their travels, and I half-jokingly said, "Hey. I'm home all the time. I could probably do it." Well, they ran with the idea and -- amazingly -- invited me to join them on their very special family trip to Japan. We leave on Wednesday, and I guarantee you that we and Japan will never be the same.

Make sure you follow @rnrhifives and @cooldadmusic on Instagram to keep up with all of our adventures in real time. I'm sure the band will be doing several Facebook Live sessions. And, if you know anyone in Japan, tell them to come out for a show.

The good folks at Custard Core in Japan booked the whole tour. Here's the schedule:

I, honestly, can't believe this is even happening!