"Japanese punk documentary awarded Japan Foundation Grant"

(Image borrowed from Live House Movie.)

From Japan Today, 18 May 2009.

“Live House,” an upcoming feature-length music documentary on punk rock clubs in Japan directed by Kevin Mcgue, has been awarded a grant by the Japan Foundation, a non-profit organization that carries out arts and cultural exchange programs to enhance mutual understanding among countries throughout the world.

The title of the documentary, “Live House,” is a term used in Japan to describe small live music venues featuring underground rock and punk acts. “They are different than bars in other countries that feature music,” says director Mcgue, an American-born journalist based in Tokyo for eight years. “In other countries, most people will be drinking at the bar while a band plays in the corner. In Japan, the focus is firmly on the music, and the fans really get into it. It is a unique kind of venue, and a unique way to enjoy music. It is a culture that has developed in Japan.”

The documentary focuses on the fans and music who fill the nearly 1,000 live houses across Japan every night, as well as delving into the lives of the musicians behind the music. As the underground music scene is not lucrative, many musicians must struggle to balance their music activities with their lives in the Japanese workforce, where conformity is valued.

Read the whole story at Japan Today:
http://www.japantoday.com/category/entertainment-arts/view/japanese-punk-documentary-awarded-japan-foundation-grant

The movie opens in Japan in the fall. See the movie's web page for more info:

Link to Live House Movie:
http://www.live-house-movie.com/index_en.html

Click here for a previous post about an anthropologist's experience at a live house in Osaka.