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Cam Lindsay
For Cam Lindsay's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 16, 2017
Phoenix readies for 'unique' Summer Sonic and some sweet sake sessions
In an age where almost every piece of historical information is available at our fingertips, Thomas Mars and Laurent Brancowitz of the French band Phoenix surprise me with a fact that doesn't seem to exist anywhere on the internet.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 26, 2017
Figuring out who to watch at this year's Fuji Rock Festival
The 2017 edition of Fuji Rock Festival boasts one of the more eclectic lineups the long-running gathering has had in recent years. The headliners tell the tale: Cartoon rockers Gorillaz share the same font size as electronic pop star Bjork and dance music weirdo Aphex Twin. Dig deeper and you'll find everything from big-stage EDM to Japanese "group sounds" legends. To help you navigate three days up in Naeba, here are some of The Japan Times' music writers' insights into this year's Fuji Rock.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 1, 2017
Purity Ring is bringing some interesting instruments on its return to Japan
Purity Ring is sorry for not coming to Japan since 2012.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 4, 2016
Ryan Adams set to show Japan fans new material at solo show
When Ryan Adams performs at Studio Coast on Dec. 9, it will mark his first ever headlining gig in Japan, after playing Fuji Rock twice — in 2005 with the Cardinals and 2015 with the Shining. On his third visit to the country, he's hoping this one goes better than his first.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 14, 2016
Dinosaur Jr. to bring Tokyo a glimpse of life in 'ear-bleeding country'
Lou Barlow is looking forward to his trip back to Japan. It's the cuisine, more than anything that has him anticipating his return to the country, but it's not what you might think.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 24, 2016
Pop star Carly Rae Jepsen really, really, really likes Japan
Carly Rae Jepsen has a major crush on Japan. Proof of this came last summer when she released her latest album, "Emotion" (rendered "E• MO• TION"), in this country a whole two months before anywhere else in the world. That kind of exclusive isn't common for an album as anticipated as "Emotion" was, but she feels it was an important gift from her to the country she considers her home away from home.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 13, 2016
Ash prepares to celebrate a special anniversary
Pop-punk veterans Ash are in the mood for celebrating. This year the band's 1996 chart-topping debut album, "1977," will turn 20 years old, and frontman/guitarist Tim Wheeler says he and his bandmates — drummer Rick McMurray and bassist Mark Hamilton — are looking to plan some festivities.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 3, 2016
The Pharcyde to bring live band to Japan shows for a 'golden' dose of hip-hop
Every few years or so, an argument surfaces that hip-hop has reached a new "golden age." Think-pieces are written, panel discussions at industry conferences are held and major artists write self-aggrandized raps supporting the claim. Yes, we are currently being rewarded with envelope-pushing music from Drake, Kendrick Lamar and Kanye West, but the history books will show that there has only been one golden age of hip-hop.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 19, 2016
The Jesus and Mary Chain are set to give Japan a taste of 'Psychocandy'
When The Jesus and Mary Chain reunited nine years ago, it was both as a way to celebrate the past and the future. Immediately after getting back together in 2007, Jim and William Reid announced they would record a new album. And while that album still hasn't surfaced (it's recorded but not mixed), the pair have found ways of keeping their fans happy.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 21, 2016
Grimes is set to challenge your definition of pop
No matter how hard her fans and the music press campaign to make it happen, Grimes will never become the true pop star they want her to be. Although her otherworldly, Ableton-assisted music is crammed full of hooks fit to sit alongside Rihanna and Taylor Swift in the Top 40, the Canadian musician/producer born Claire Boucher feels her place is and forever will be as an outsider.

Longform

Historically, kabuki was considered the entertainment of the merchant and peasant classes, a far cry from how it is regarded today.
For Japan's oldest kabuki theater, the show must go on