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Thread: An All Girl Arsnova reunites for Japan Concert.

  1. #1
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    An All Girl Arsnova reunites for Japan Concert.

    Keiko Kumagai
    13 hrs ·
    AN ALL-FEMALE VERSION OF ARSNOVA HAVE REUNITED
    and have been rehearsing once a month since March.
    We will play a concert at Sanctuary in Tokyo on October 11.
    The members are: Akiko (drums) Panky (bass), Mika (piano & synthesizer) and me.
    More details will be announced later.
    We are looking forward to seeing you all at the concert!
    — with Akiko Takahashi and Mika Nakajima.


    https://scontent-sjc2-1.xx.fbcdn.net...b8&oe=5616C84A

  2. #2
    Member Mythos's Avatar
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    Saw them back in the day at one of the LA Prog Fests.. kinda prog meets the Cure, as I recall...

  3. #3
    I have a sample I grabbed of them counting off a song at ProgDay that I will use in a song someday.

  4. #4
    Member Lopez's Avatar
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    Never got a chance to see them the few times they've been to the states. Have some of their CDs, which I like. Hope they make it back to America some day.
    Lou

    Looking forward to my day in court.

  5. #5
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    Saw them at ProgFest and in NYC in the day. Fun shows.

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by trurl View Post
    I have a sample I grabbed of them counting off a song at ProgDay that I will use in a song someday.
    Are you sure you're not thinking about Deus Ex Machina? They did a crazy countdown to start their set...

    Peter

  7. #7
    2nd time Ars Nova played Progday, their manager came up to introduce them: "Hi, I am not in band because I have penis."

    Ah, good times...
    If you're actually reading this then chances are you already have my last album but if NOT and you're curious:
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  8. #8
    For all the times they came to the US in the 90s, I never did get around to seeing them. I kinda regret that.

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Proglodite View Post
    Are you sure you're not thinking about Deus Ex Machina? They did a crazy countdown to start their set...

    Peter
    That was a good one too, I remember that (I mixed that set for the cd box Pete put out). No, it was Arsnova. I just liked the sound of "1! 2! 3! 4!" by a Japanese girl.

  10. #10
    Member Paulrus's Avatar
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    Yes, but what prog dudes really want to know:

    Will Keiko be performing in leather thong and fishnets?
    I'm holding out for the Wilson-mixed 5.1 super-duper walletbuster special anniversary extra adjectives edition.

  11. #11
    Yeah, probably.

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    Quote Originally Posted by battema View Post
    2nd time Ars Nova played Progday, their manager came up to introduce them: "Hi, I am not in band because I have penis."

    Ah, good times...
    I remember that too. We were just kind of looking at other like "Did he just say that?"

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by SteveSly View Post
    I remember that too. We were just kind of looking at other like "Did he just say that?"
    Yep...I remember turning to my friend and being like "yep, that just happened."

    I like Ars Nova, and certainly all the right ingredients are there (dark, keyboards, a bit of the symph thing like ELP meets Goblin)...somehow they never became a "love it" band for me though. Excellent performers, interesting angle (not a ton of goth S&M female prog bands on the circuit), but...meh, maybe it's just me.
    If you're actually reading this then chances are you already have my last album but if NOT and you're curious:
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  14. #14
    Member LASERCD's Avatar
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    Will I be drummed out of the Progressive Ears community if I admit that having seen them twice I thought they sucked royally?

    First time I saw them was at Progfest. During their soundcheck Keiko was having technical problems so my friend went up on stage and got it squared away. She was lost. The drummer was not so great. Bass player pedestrian. The "sexy" outfits didn't do a lot for me. It was ELP by numbers. Really passionless performance.

    Second time was at Progday. That was sort of creepy. The Ars Nova ladies were following Tomas Bodin around all day like little puppies. Even that felt choreographed to me. It was like Shingo Ueno (their manager) was pulling the strings on marionettes the whole time they were there.

    Go ahead...kill me.

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by LASERCD View Post
    Will I be drummed out of the Progressive Ears community if I admit that having seen them twice I thought they sucked royally?
    Myself being someone who collected and wrote enthusiastically about all things Japanese in rock during the 90s and up until about 2011, I can say that Ars Nova were one of the single worst bands I ever heard from there. No power, no finesse, no edge, no artistic "self", only the bland daftness of mechanical instrumentalism wrapped in a skirt. I remember seeing them a few months after a gig with Ruins and Koenjihyakkei and just being completely shellshocked at how intensely horrible they were by comparison. I particularly remember this occasion because I was with a buddy whom I'd tried to convince into believing that contemporary progressive rock had something going for it, bringing the guy to Koenjihyakkei and then - stupidly - to see this terrible robot-troupe (never having caught them live earlier), and my pal was standing there laughing at it. And it wasn't because they were "females with chops".
    "Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
    "[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM

  16. #16
    Member Sputnik's Avatar
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    Bummer to hear they weren't so good live. I never saw them. I own and enjoy their first four albums. They aren't my super favorites, but I like a lot of what they do on these, particularly Book of the Dead which I thought was their strongest effort.

    After these four, they sort of lost me, getting heavier and to my ears a bit more simplistic.

    Personally, I've heard far worse from Japan than Ars Nova, but I've also heard far better.

    Bill

  17. #17
    Member Paulrus's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Scrotum Scissor View Post
    No power, no finesse, no edge, no artistic "self", only the bland daftness of mechanical instrumentalism wrapped in a skirt.
    I do share some of this opinion. They seemed to be at least as much about the "schtick" as the music.

    The 3-piece Japanese band that also made the rounds in the 90s -- but had the chops -- was Gerard. I wonder whatever happened to them?
    I'm holding out for the Wilson-mixed 5.1 super-duper walletbuster special anniversary extra adjectives edition.

  18. #18
    Member Steve F.'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Scrotum Scissor View Post
    ...only the bland daftness of mechanical instrumentalism wrapped in a skirt.
    laugh. great line.
    Steve F.

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    “Remember, if it doesn't say "Cuneiform," it's not prog!” - THE Jed Levin

    Any time any one speaks to me about any musical project, the one absolute given is "it will not make big money". [tip of the hat to HK]

    "Death to false 'support the scene' prog!"

    please add 'imo' wherever you like, to avoid offending those easily offended.

  19. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by LASERCD View Post
    Will I be drummed out of the Progressive Ears community if I admit that having seen them twice I thought they sucked royally?

    It was ELP by numbers. Really passionless performance.
    This from the same guy who unleashed Manticore's "Time to Fly" on CD? Hmmmmm....

    Peter

  20. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by battema View Post
    2nd time Ars Nova played Progday, their manager came up to introduce them: "Hi, I am not in band because I have penis."

    Ah, good times...
    I thought he said "I am not member because I have member"... but I was playing an intense game of wiffle ball with Mike Prete and Sean McFee at the time...

  21. #21
    Add that to the list of activities I don't do well. Can't hit the curve ball. Or anything else.

  22. #22
    Member LASERCD's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Proglodite View Post
    This from the same guy who unleashed Manticore's "Time to Fly" on CD? Hmmmmm....

    Peter
    Peter you know what? I'm more than happy to own that. I released Manticore and it sold quite well at the time. Not our best release and I have no problem admitting it. Feel free to take a shot at me about Manticore whenever you like.

    You seem to feel compelled to respond to any post I make that is even tangentially related to Progday. Don't take everything so personally. Ars Nova was a shit band and I guess you must be the one who booked them. You should own that too.

  23. #23
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    The first CD I bought by them was "The Goddess of Darkness" and I really enjoyed it. I bought the other 3 early albums and thought that everything seemed to run together. Still like Goddess probably because it was the first thing I bought.

  24. #24
    Member Mr.Krautman's Avatar
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    I remember being intrigued by this japanese female ELP clone and watching some live performances on YouTube just helped convince me to never go to see them live... not musically nor visually appealing.

  25. #25
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by LASERCD View Post
    Will I be drummed out of the Progressive Ears community if I admit that having seen them twice I thought they sucked royally?

    First time I saw them was at Progfest. During their soundcheck Keiko was having technical problems so my friend went up on stage and got it squared away. She was lost. The drummer was not so great. Bass player pedestrian. The "sexy" outfits didn't do a lot for me. It was ELP by numbers. Really passionless performance.

    Second time was at Progday. That was sort of creepy. The Ars Nova ladies were following Tomas Bodin around all day like little puppies. Even that felt choreographed to me. It was like Shingo Ueno (their manager) was pulling the strings on marionettes the whole time they were there.

    Go ahead...kill me.
    Somebody pull out a 90s LE catalog and see if the write-up there agrees with the above.

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