Catching up and unwinding

Hi! I know I haven't blogged in a while, it's been pretty busy since I came back to Japan.

First I had all my exams at school, and even now that the holidays are finally here I still have a lot to do!

We've already played two concerts since I've been back, and we've made the first part of the music video for Goodnight, Cruel World.

Lol, my head is enormous (°_°)

Yeah, I actually went to the hairdresser, they didn't have the unsifisticated pink haircolor I wanted:p

The video was shot in Yokohama. I wanted to make a lot more out of it, but this one is Kentos project so...

Takajis dog came to staff for us ^^

Just look at that!

I also found tacos in the lunch break!

Tacos are not that easy to come by in Japan (except in Okinawa) and it's one of my favorite foods!

This is another picture from the shooting day:

The sign reads "no skateboarding inside the cup noodle museum park".

Seriously, is this Japan or just some parody of an Asian country? ^^;

The day before yesterday Tomoya and I had an interview in Shibuya. It's for a project by a company called Willsgate. I was a bit scared at first when I saw the building, cause it was so proper and glossy, but the interviewer was really nice and friendly!

Tokyo has been incredably cold the last few days! We even got snow the other day! Real proper snow!

Yesterday we had band practice and worked some on our new song. That's right, the mini album isn't even out yet, but we have to start making the next one now^^;

I have the whole weekend off from today, so today I'm going to a friends live performance in Shibuya, unwind and party a little :D

See you!

It's that time of the yarr, mates!

Hey there, where were you yesterday? I was at the Dog Pirates Banquette vol.2!

Dog Pirates Banquette is an event that my band arranges. We dress up as pirates on stage, the last time we had Norwegian candy and alcohol, this time we didn't have the time to have anything sent to us so we made do with the free Tequila that is always offered at Headpower.
This was also the last live performance we will have in 2013.

Unfortunately I didn't get a good picture of my pirate costume this time.
The guys wear the same outfit every time, but I really love dressing up, so I've made a new outfit for each time so far. The hat I've even made myself, out of a cowboy hat from the 100yen shop, because believe it or not it's not easy to find a pirate costume hat in Japan!

The first band out was 過剰装飾人形楽団 ( I think it's pronounced Kajousoushokuningyougakudan, everyone in the house were breaking their tongues trying to pronounce this XD)

They were a visual kei band that I didn't know from before, I'm not sure if they were friends with Tomoya or Takashi, but they were really nice people! They're music was also pretty good, though the wierd anime voice actor intros were a bit too nerdy for my tastes ^^ The vocalist had a really good voice though, and the guitarist was amazing!
They had this one guy in the front who was his own little otaku freak show, it was hilarious. He had dances to all their songs, like a visual kei fan girl, except he was just a very normal looking office worker in a suit and glasses. He also had a glow stick.
It made me laugh, but I actually think it's pretty amazing when people can come all alone and just be that into the music that they're just completely oblivious to their surroundings and don't give a fuck.

We had told our guests they could dress up as pirates too, someone only heard the part about dressing up and not as what...

I also have no idea why he's sitting at our merch table XD

 For the one kid who did come as a pirate, he got some pirate make-up done by Cat (https://twitter.com/SALTYDOG_staff), who also did the make-up for the boys in the band that day. I just realized I didn't get a picture of her pirate outfit either :(

This is Make Money For the Fixtures, a band basically made up of employees at Headpower.

Lol, DJ Saburo looks like the Grim Reaper in the background XD
They've changed their vocalist. Wierd coincidence that both the former and present bartender at Headpower have extremely good, deep voices. I was also super impressed since I didn't even know that Ojou was a singer!

Here's Liquidz Edge, the ikemen band XD

Also very very good, and very nice guys!

Ever wondered what's going on backstage at a live? Here's a taste of what you could be missing...

The drummer of the next band, Crisis Slave.

First time I heard them too, and I really liked them! Also, I'm so in love with the vocalists t-shirt.
I couldn't watch their whole show though, because we were next!

At first we had kind of a hard time, because one of Tomoyas friends who had come was way way too drunk to be there, but I think we more or less handled it. And luckily, one of the guys who came to see us handled him after a little while and took him outside ^^
Other than that it was so much fun though my pirate costume was so fucking hot I felt like I was singing on the sun and sweating like a pork roast.
I forgot my hat when I first came on stage, so Cat had to go grab it backstage for me, it was a very busy day for her too, thank you for the hard work!
 

For the encore we changed into 塩犬(Shio-inu, literally means salt dog in Japanese), supposedly a cover band of SALTY DOG, where Tomoya and Kento switched roles, so Tomoya played guitar and Kento played bass. We played two songs off the old album, Petra and Melt Down. We haven't played Petra in a long long time and it was so much fun for me since I know it so well and also since it's a lot less challenging to sing than out newer songs (though ofcourse our new songs are a lot better, I have to say^-^). It was not easy for Kento and Tomoya though XD

We had a well deserved after party with the people who could stay behind. I haven't really been drinking-drinking for almost a month now, so I was very careful, only having Malibu since it has a lot less alcohol in it than normal Rum, which is my usual favorite. Oh, and I smoothly avoided the free Tequila, that stuff is satanic.

We kind of look like drunk cartoon characters in the pictures, being all green in the faces. Or zombies XD

My friend Alex and my new friend Junya. He had a Chunk! No Captain Chunk! sweater on so we kept calling him Captain Drunk, by some miracle I actually remember his real name.

Some people had been enjoying the free Tequila from quite early on. It can be a little dangerous to make friends with the staff at Headpower XD

I was sooooo sleepy when going home in the morning. Getting too old to party all night^^;
Luckily today was Saturday, so I could just chill aaalll day, sleeping, waking up, sleeping, listening to Norwegian radio and finally watching the Walking Dead mid-season finale. JHC, what the hell are they gonna do for the actual season finale??!O__O
I cried, I screamed a little without even realizing until afterwards XD I almost had to pause it to catch my breath, like I did a lot in the first season. I guess that's gripping television ^-^ Is it almost February yet? I can't waiiiiit!!

Since I also have the first day of recording for the album tomorrow, I'm trying to be nice to my body and eating stuff that's good for me. Drinking a looot of water too!

I'm eating way too much though, alcohol gives me munchies, but it is a Saturday, right?^-^

Here are some bonus shots, it you can call it that XD

Trying on my pirate costume the day before. With my beautiful Norwegian wool tights!
And using fake lashes as a fake mustache...

Cat bought these lashes for the day and she let me have a pair. I'm not used to wearing fake lashes (I think it can look real good, I'm just way way too lazy for that stuff) so I kind of felt like my eyelids were half closed all the time XD

Gonna have a cuppa hot ginger water now and some supper. I'm wondering if I should pack a lunch box for the studio tomorrow...:P

Byesies!

Sleep is the greatest gift of all

First! A picture from the live on the day after Osaka. It was actually Tomoyas birthday...

It is Japanese culture to smash the birthday cake in the birthday boys face... don't get me wrong, it's hilarious, I just can't help feeling that it's a waste of cake^^;
Tomoya was a little miffed at having to play the last song with a face full of cake, but it worked out alright.
We were all so tired on that day that none of us managed to stay for the afterparty to continue the birthday celebration. I think going to sleep was the best gift any of us could think of that night.



This weekend was Alcohol Maria vol.4, arranged by Rayto and Yukki from Stand Maria. And we were on the list:

I was thinking I'd wear short pants, for old times sake, and then this happened...

I figured it was fine for stage though, punk rockness up!!
But then the others were like "Inger, why are you not wearing skinnypants! The Gekirock people are here!!"
Ofcourse I'd brought pants to wear for the night, so I gave in and changed, though I personally trust that the Gekirock people don't mind people who wear shortpants :P

In the background are my friends Alex and Cat.
Cat is my best friend and she's finally come to Japan again! She's also staffing for us (and she writes our English twitter: https://twitter.com/SALTYDOG_staff ). Alex is an old classmate who's been living in Japan for a while, but he's been pretty far away. Lately though, he's been coming to Tokyo a lot more and I'm so glad we get to hang out again!

Cat and me backstage at Headpower:

Enter Tomoya:

The live was pretty good I think, though I did fuck up at the end of the ballad.
Rayto complemented me on hiding it pretty well. I always thought I was pretty good at covering when I screw up, but maybe that's just 'cause I don't really care so it doesn't have a huge impact on me.
Anyway, Rayto called me out at my tendency to laugh when I screw up, and said I did really well this time when I just pretended it was part of the song (actually, the only rule we have for the performance of this song is that we're not allowed to smile. If you smile you have to buy doughnuts for all the members, so it's pretty serious business).
Let me mention that I also down right dropped the mic on the floor on the last chorus of Meltdown, and Tomoya didn't even notice ^-^b
See? I'm good!

Here's me dressing for autumn yesterday. Today i was wearing the exact same outfit only with the sweater in black. I just want to stay warm, ok? That's all I want.

Nevertheless, I managed to cath a cold on the night of Alcohol Maria 4, when I was going home. It's the real nasty throat scraping type T_T
I need to knock it before our event, Dog Pirates Banquet vol.2 on December 6. It's not only our own event, but also our last live for the year.

So I'm eating apples, like my friend Anouk always advice me to do to beat the cold.
It's got to be gone within two weeks, right?
I'm gonna eat an apple a day (keeps the doctor away, you know?). Japanese apples are hugenormous too!
Wish me luck...


At the end, let me add this:

It's a picture that Kento posted of his bunny, Rum-chan, watching a Crossfaith video. This pic went kinda viral among our twitter followers for two days^^
If you don't know Crossfaith, do check them out!

My favourite is still their cover of Prodigys Omen. I was obsessed with that song.

Well, I've got school tomorrow!
Goodnight, Cruel World!

Some decisionmaking and changes!

Hi! I haven't updated in a while, and today when I was in the car coming home from our first gig in Osaka, I made a decision.
First of all, I'm going to be writing this blog in English from now on (most Norwegians understand English anyway) and secondly, because I don't have much free time lately I'm going to prioritize writing about band stuff. Not exclusively, but mostly.
Both these things mean that mean that my blog will probably be a little less personal than before (which might be a good thing anyway) but I will definitely take the opportunity to keep writing things that I can't put in my Japanese blog or on twitter.
I really hope that you will keep following me, and also hope to make some new blog friends in the future!

Hilsen Inger

Here's a few little clips from the live at Osaka Club Drop:

This is us right before going on stage... these are the guys' go to-poses :P
It's stagetime!!

It was a pretty good live, even though we were all a little nervous. It wasn't just the first time playing in Osaka, but also the first time performing our new song THE BALLAD (　ﾟдﾟ)
That's not the name of the song, it's just kind of a scary thing to do the first ballad ever. It's called Phantom Pain, and I'll post the lyrics later, we're not sure if they will be changed a little bit^^
It actually went really well and everybody loved the song.

 There were, of course, a lot of other cool bands playing as well. Amongst them Phonicline, who are now on the tour for their first single, Daydream.

They were great, as always!

The boy who drew our fanart came to the live. He had originally said he might not be able to make it, I'm so glad he did. We signed his drawing, and then he gave us these laminated little cards that he'd made of the drawing.

 This is now in my wallet (^-^)
He also brought some chocolate cake thingies for Tomoyas birthday.

Lol, Kentos chewing face.
I know he won't read this, but thank you so so much!

Ofcourse we had to get some Osaka specials while we were there. It seems like Osaka is kind of famous for just any food being delicious, but I always hear about takoyaki. I don't like tako(octopus), but fortunately okonomiyaki is also an Osaka special, so we got one each with different fillings and ate it outside the live house. It was so good!

 I know it doesn't look very delicious XD It looks like a mess, but it was really good!

Afterwards we went inside to catch the last performances and see Dj Tekken end the show.
Everyone were so drunk, including the DJ XD

And then it was the afterparty.
We were all pretty exhausted, plus we had a long car ride home, so we couldn't party as much as we wanted to, but I think we made some new friends.
This guy who works at Club Drop wanted us to come back and play at his birthday event. It made me so happy, 'cause it's the first time he sees us and he liked it so much he wanted us to be one of his personally chosen bands.
Unfortunately it's in January, and I will just be back from Norway with almost a month without practice, so we had to decline :(
But we are planning to go back next year, probably after the new album is released.

I just made so many good memories this time, it's too bad we have so little time. The car ride is truly a bitch, even for me who doesn't drive, but it was really worth it! Can't wait to go back!

Now I have to get ready to go to Headpower, because we thought it was a good idea to have another concert on the same day we came back from Osaka.... Have to gather some streanght. And put on some clothes.

Peace!