I know these are the Maiko songs (or the one original Maiko song and a Maiko version of a Maid song), but this really just goes to show you that these ladies genuinely do have just a seldom matched variety in their music.
Akashimahen....this is the most amazing orchestration and arrangement of any piece of music that I have ever heard. And I am 70 this year. That drum....!!!!
Only a few times has a band successfully pulled off the "What if we were a completely different band?" idea. The Beatles did this with "Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band" and many would say that it was their masterpiece. But the Beatles did SPLHCB to fight the ennui they were experiencing. OTOH, Band-Maid did the "MAIKO" songs just for the sheer fun of pulling an elaborate April Fool's Day prank. They had FUN doing this: rewriting the lyrics in old Kyoto dialect, rearranging to include the traditional instruments, and you can't tell me they didn't enjoy getting dressed and made-up as apprentice geisha. They all looked gorgeous! Both videos feature Easter eggs for their fans: Akane wolfing down ramen, Miku coyly mugging for the camera, Kanami staying stoic faced instead of a wide smile, etc. The best of course was Miku writing out "World Domination" at the beginning of "Secret Maiko Lips". This is a band that isn't afraid of having fun even when they're being serious!
BM - how is it possible to pack so much super sumo sized talent and charisma into such petite frames ? Surely these are wondrous beings from another dimension that are here to grace us with their presence and how the fck can they take my emotions from straight up rock drive to teary eyed idiot, what a fcken band, Viva the Maids peace and love Po 🙏🎼🥁🎤🎸🍻
I actually discovered Band-Maid when researching our first (but hopefully not last) trip to Japan. Looking at tourism related YT vids, it kept trying me to watch Thrill. I finally did, and in trying to confirm it was really them playing that cool sh*t, clicked on Real Existence Live and I was toast. Butter me up, I said - and 4 years later I'm not only still here but I just keep loving them more and more. And kudos to you Mr. Dunk for not being afraid to do a song without a video. As awesome as their videos are, there is no drop off whatsoever when you just listen to the audio of all their other awesome songs!
A couple of early Maids songs w/o videos that I love are Freezer and Arcadia Girl. Crazy good riffs and crazy good back-and-forth between Saiki and Miku on vocals.
Also check out Band-Maid Anemone and the Band-Maiko version Ansan. Then if you can find it, the Acoustic version of Anemone from the 2018 Zepp Tokyo concert. The full versions are also available in the playlists on their channel, the Acoustic, well I'm pretty sure someone can send you a link.
"Akasimahen" is the song "Akward." They have four different renditions of Akward. The studio version, live version, acoustic version, and the Band Maiko version. This is my favorite. That sigh gets me every time.
The 'making of' video of Gio Cho is fun, demonstrates the difficulties of their costumes, some funny moments and Saiki's birthday and I am reliably informed that when the crew saw Saiki in the Rickshaw, well I think thay were lets say a tad overwhelmed.
I'll only see Japan through the eyes of YT. About 3 years ago I found a channel called Japan Walk, a 1 hour video is posted everyday of a walk through various areas of Tokyo but sometimes Kyoto, Yokohama etc. Kyoto is so beautiful especially during Sakura season and many people wear traditional clothes which adds to it and of course all the amazing temples. It is however a massive tourist place unsurprisingly and it often looks overwhelmed by visitors. I am sure that it was my daily visit to the Japan Walk channel that led to the Thrill MV popping up in my recommendations, which I ignored for a couple of months because I judged the thumbnail incorrectly. I don't know why I eventually clicked on the Thrill MV, but safe to say I was instantly hooked and now less than 2 years later I have at least 1 version of all their Cd's, Dvd's bar Love, Passion, Matador which is sadly unobtainable.
I am the other way around, Japan Walk came up on my recommendations due to all the Japanese music I was looking at. I found BAND-Maid in 2018 and got to see them both 2018 and 2019 in the UK. I am going to Japan in a couple of months including stays in Tokyo and Kyoto so have found Japan Walk very useful. The trip was originally to tie in with BAND-MAID at Budokan 2021, but has been cancelled several times due to covid. I too have a fair collection of stuff, the highlight being the concert at Zepp Tokyo on Blu-ray before the prices went stupid!
A lot of people associate Gion with Geisha - which is correct. But it is also the entertainment/music centre of Kyoto as well. So very fitting for BAND MAIKO. I spend an inordinate amount of time there with my Japanese friends in the music industry.
Next I'd recommend some acoustic performances from them. They did an online acoustic concert as a Christmas gift to the fans a few years back. Any song you can find from it is worth a listen.
"Gion-cho" is my favorite song from these ladies whether they're maids or maiko (pronounced my-koh). I feel it's Saiki at her best and most emotive and the song itself is such a brilliant composition. MISA, as always, is doing some wonderful work. If you'd like to see a visit with an actual maiko in/near the Gion district of Kyoto, here's a link to a channel called Let's Ask Shogo where he and his friends visit a wonderful maiko. Covid protocols are still in effect, but it's a wonderful video. I'm not requesting a reaction to it, this is simply an FYI kind of thing. Here's the link. ua-cam.com/video/LB3SHW0WqrU/v-deo.html
Miku's harmonies at the end of Gion Cho give me goose bumps every time I hear it and I know it's coming having heard it so many times. Simply beautiful.
If you put in a extreme of a line Rinne and in the other Akasimahen you will find the vast possibilities of songwriting that Kanami´s matchless mind offers. Nobody cover as much field as Band Maid nowadays.
After an amazingly large amounts of listening to "Gion Cho", it suddenly occurred to me why the song sounds so familiar. The chorus of "Gion Cho" reminds me of the bridge in Aurora's "Running with the Wolves"!! I just could not put my finger on it the first few hundred times I listened to the song. I don't think it was intentionally copied in any way, mind you, but I guess with more than 130 songs under the belt, quite a few of them would inevitably sound similar to other songs (or even other songs from their own catalogue). Still totally love "Gion Cho" though.
No subtitles that I can find but who cares, its Band-Maid. The filming of Gion Cho behind the scenes. Guess it was Saiki's birthday too. What a perfect place to celebrate. ua-cam.com/video/M4LuyZ6WYow/v-deo.html
Nice to meet you. I always enjoy looking at your works. I am Japanese and I would like to explain the lyrics used in this song. (I try to comment on Band-Maiko's reactions with this explanation, so I know some of you who read this comment section have already read it somewhere else, but I'll post it here as well.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ In all the songs of BAND-MAIKO, Saiki uses the word called "京ことば Kyo-kotoba(Kyoto dialect)". The Kyo-kotoba has many special phrases that are different from the so-called "Kansai-ben(Kansai region dialect. Kyoto is included in the Kansai region)", and even if you are from Kyoto, it is not a word that ordinary people other than maiko and geisha use on a daily basis. Many maiko are not from Kyoto, but when working as a maiko in Kyoto, it is not desirable to use the dialect of the region in which they were born and raised. Therefore, the training content of Maiko includes the acquisition of this Kyo-kotoba. The Kyo-kotoba is, so to speak, a "common language" for maiko and geisha. ※ "Maiko(Pronunciation is my-ko)" means a person in the apprenticeship stage of Geiko (Geisha).
The Maids are not only masters at genre melding, transitions, riff production, structure and execution... they are also masters of cultural melding. Maidiacs are MAIKOACS, too! 😆 Thx, JD!
Apparently..Gion Cho is going to be closed to tourists because of the Geisha and Maiko continually being harassed by tourist...even assaulted...Only Geisha, Maiko and residents will be allowed in.
Worth noting that this only applies to the "private" streets (which were being invaded by tourists despite the signage posted in multiple languages). The majority of Gion is still available to tourists. Respectful tourists will still be able to experience Gion and may even still see Geisha and Maiko on public streets or in entertainment establishments.... but, even so, should never be hassled because if they are out in their official makeup and clothing they are working or travelling to/from work.
Based on your comments on this video, you *_need_* to see Wagakki Band. I'd like to recommend "Overture + Amenochi Kanjouron," the opening to their 2018 Dai Shinnenkai (New Year's Party). The first part is a brief intro to each of their eight band members, and the second part is their first single. It's not their most popular song, but it's a great introduction to Wagakki Band at the height of their considerable powers. Here's the link. ua-cam.com/video/bUdtx2GJcVQ/v-deo.html
There's an 11 minute video about the making of Gion-Cho and it's a great behind-the-scenes look at the band - ua-cam.com/video/M4LuyZ6WYow/v-deo.html . 2:56 -"They look so comfortable" - as the video shows, those costumes cost about $75,000 and were hired for the filming of the Band-Maiko MV's and so hard to move in that when Kanami drops her pick at one point, one of the crew has to pick it up as she cannot bend in her costume. Maiko were trainee Geisha and have things like the hairstyles they all use and the headresses, which Geisha do not have.
That Saiki sigh . . .
For Akashimahen, you should definitely check out the original song “Awkward” by BAND-MAID, if possible from the Sinkiba Studio Coast live version
^^^THIS^^^
Don't forget the Christmas acoustic version
@@Sylaous CRUD!! You're Correct. I forgot about that one.
They are a special group of musicians.
Indeed they are!
I know these are the Maiko songs (or the one original Maiko song and a Maiko version of a Maid song), but this really just goes to show you that these ladies genuinely do have just a seldom matched variety in their music.
Very well said, Parker.👍
@@GaryHolloway-810 Gary! Thank God you're back, my friend!
@@Parker-- I couldn't leave you on your own could i. 🙂
Akashimahen....this is the most amazing orchestration and arrangement of any piece of music that I have ever heard. And I am 70 this year.
That drum....!!!!
Only a few times has a band successfully pulled off the "What if we were a completely different band?" idea.
The Beatles did this with "Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band" and many would say that it was their masterpiece. But the Beatles did SPLHCB to fight the ennui they were experiencing.
OTOH, Band-Maid did the "MAIKO" songs just for the sheer fun of pulling an elaborate April Fool's Day prank. They had FUN doing this: rewriting the lyrics in old Kyoto dialect, rearranging to include the traditional instruments, and you can't tell me they didn't enjoy getting dressed and made-up as apprentice geisha. They all looked gorgeous! Both videos feature Easter eggs for their fans: Akane wolfing down ramen, Miku coyly mugging for the camera, Kanami staying stoic faced instead of a wide smile, etc. The best of course was Miku writing out "World Domination" at the beginning of "Secret Maiko Lips". This is a band that isn't afraid of having fun even when they're being serious!
Another little thing I noticed last night for the first time: in the first shot, Saiki doesn't bow as low as the others 😅
BM - how is it possible to pack so much super sumo sized talent and charisma into such petite frames ? Surely these are wondrous beings from another dimension that are here to grace us with their presence and how the fck can they take my emotions from straight up rock drive to teary eyed idiot, what a fcken band, Viva the Maids peace and love Po 🙏🎼🥁🎤🎸🍻
Yes, Let's go to Kyoto ⛩️ and enjoy Japanese tea ceremony🍵with our Maids, oh sorry, with world famous Maiko-san 👘✨🥰🤘
I actually discovered Band-Maid when researching our first (but hopefully not last) trip to Japan. Looking at tourism related YT vids, it kept trying me to watch Thrill. I finally did, and in trying to confirm it was really them playing that cool sh*t, clicked on Real Existence Live and I was toast. Butter me up, I said - and 4 years later I'm not only still here but I just keep loving them more and more. And kudos to you Mr. Dunk for not being afraid to do a song without a video. As awesome as their videos are, there is no drop off whatsoever when you just listen to the audio of all their other awesome songs!
A couple of early Maids songs w/o videos that I love are Freezer and Arcadia Girl. Crazy good riffs and crazy good back-and-forth between Saiki and Miku on vocals.
Yes to both and also Why why why and Moratorium.
Freezer is my favorite one not written by them.
Also check out Band-Maid Anemone and the Band-Maiko version Ansan. Then if you can find it, the Acoustic version of Anemone from the 2018 Zepp Tokyo concert. The full versions are also available in the playlists on their channel, the Acoustic, well I'm pretty sure someone can send you a link.
I loooove all versions of Anemone!!!
Anemone and Puzzle acoustic together but you have to listen to the originals first
Acoustic Band-Maid next! There is a whole concert ❤️🔥🤘
"Akasimahen" is the song "Akward." They have four different renditions of Akward. The studio version, live version, acoustic version, and the Band Maiko version. This is my favorite. That sigh gets me every time.
The 'making of' video of Gio Cho is fun, demonstrates the difficulties of their costumes, some funny moments and Saiki's birthday and I am reliably informed that when the crew saw Saiki in the Rickshaw, well I think thay were lets say a tad overwhelmed.
Akasimahen - that sigh, and yes it's too short
Really good, especially considering this whole Band-Maiko thing started as an April Fools joke. Just a gorgeous video in so many ways.
I'll only see Japan through the eyes of YT. About 3 years ago I found a channel called Japan Walk, a 1 hour video is posted everyday of a walk through various areas of Tokyo but sometimes Kyoto, Yokohama etc. Kyoto is so beautiful especially during Sakura season and many people wear traditional clothes which adds to it and of course all the amazing temples. It is however a massive tourist place unsurprisingly and it often looks overwhelmed by visitors. I am sure that it was my daily visit to the Japan Walk channel that led to the Thrill MV popping up in my recommendations, which I ignored for a couple of months because I judged the thumbnail incorrectly. I don't know why I eventually clicked on the Thrill MV, but safe to say I was instantly hooked and now less than 2 years later I have at least 1 version of all their Cd's, Dvd's bar Love, Passion, Matador which is sadly unobtainable.
I am the other way around, Japan Walk came up on my recommendations due to all the Japanese music I was looking at. I found BAND-Maid in 2018 and got to see them both 2018 and 2019 in the UK. I am going to Japan in a couple of months including stays in Tokyo and Kyoto so have found Japan Walk very useful. The trip was originally to tie in with BAND-MAID at Budokan 2021, but has been cancelled several times due to covid. I too have a fair collection of stuff, the highlight being the concert at Zepp Tokyo on Blu-ray before the prices went stupid!
A lot of people associate Gion with Geisha - which is correct. But it is also the entertainment/music centre of Kyoto as well. So very fitting for BAND MAIKO. I spend an inordinate amount of time there with my Japanese friends in the music industry.
Next I'd recommend some acoustic performances from them. They did an online acoustic concert as a Christmas gift to the fans a few years back. Any song you can find from it is worth a listen.
Umemisa Umemisa Umemisa!!!!! Umemisa Umemisa Umemisa!!!!!
"Gion-cho" is my favorite song from these ladies whether they're maids or maiko (pronounced my-koh). I feel it's Saiki at her best and most emotive and the song itself is such a brilliant composition. MISA, as always, is doing some wonderful work. If you'd like to see a visit with an actual maiko in/near the Gion district of Kyoto, here's a link to a channel called Let's Ask Shogo where he and his friends visit a wonderful maiko. Covid protocols are still in effect, but it's a wonderful video. I'm not requesting a reaction to it, this is simply an FYI kind of thing. Here's the link.
ua-cam.com/video/LB3SHW0WqrU/v-deo.html
I think all covid restrictions in Japan have ended now. They ended a few months ago.
Miku's harmonies at the end of Gion Cho give me goose bumps every time I hear it and I know it's coming having heard it so many times. Simply beautiful.
If you put in a extreme of a line Rinne and in the other Akasimahen you will find the vast possibilities of songwriting that Kanami´s matchless mind offers. Nobody cover as much field as Band Maid nowadays.
After an amazingly large amounts of listening to "Gion Cho", it suddenly occurred to me why the song sounds so familiar. The chorus of "Gion Cho" reminds me of the bridge in Aurora's "Running with the Wolves"!! I just could not put my finger on it the first few hundred times I listened to the song.
I don't think it was intentionally copied in any way, mind you, but I guess with more than 130 songs under the belt, quite a few of them would inevitably sound similar to other songs (or even other songs from their own catalogue). Still totally love "Gion Cho" though.
No subtitles that I can find but who cares, its Band-Maid. The filming of Gion Cho behind the scenes. Guess it was Saiki's birthday too. What a perfect place to celebrate. ua-cam.com/video/M4LuyZ6WYow/v-deo.html
Nice to meet you. I always enjoy looking at your works.
I am Japanese and I would like to explain the lyrics used in this song.
(I try to comment on Band-Maiko's reactions with this explanation, so I know some of you who read this comment section have already read it somewhere else, but I'll post it here as well.)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In all the songs of BAND-MAIKO, Saiki uses the word called "京ことば Kyo-kotoba(Kyoto dialect)".
The Kyo-kotoba has many special phrases that are different from the so-called "Kansai-ben(Kansai region dialect. Kyoto is included in the Kansai region)", and even if you are from Kyoto, it is not a word that ordinary people other than maiko and geisha use on a daily basis.
Many maiko are not from Kyoto, but when working as a maiko in Kyoto, it is not desirable to use the dialect of the region in which they were born and raised.
Therefore, the training content of Maiko includes the acquisition of this Kyo-kotoba.
The Kyo-kotoba is, so to speak, a "common language" for maiko and geisha.
※ "Maiko(Pronunciation is my-ko)" means a person in the apprenticeship stage of Geiko (Geisha).
The Maids are not only masters at genre melding, transitions, riff production, structure and execution... they are also masters of cultural melding. Maidiacs are MAIKOACS, too! 😆 Thx, JD!
G is never pronounced as a J in Japanese. The correct pronunciation is (Gee-On Cho).
Dammit i missed this one
Apparently..Gion Cho is going to be closed to tourists because of the Geisha and Maiko continually being harassed by tourist...even assaulted...Only Geisha, Maiko and residents will be allowed in.
Worth noting that this only applies to the "private" streets (which were being invaded by tourists despite the signage posted in multiple languages). The majority of Gion is still available to tourists. Respectful tourists will still be able to experience Gion and may even still see Geisha and Maiko on public streets or in entertainment establishments.... but, even so, should never be hassled because if they are out in their official makeup and clothing they are working or travelling to/from work.
Based on your comments on this video, you *_need_* to see Wagakki Band. I'd like to recommend "Overture + Amenochi Kanjouron," the opening to their 2018 Dai Shinnenkai (New Year's Party). The first part is a brief intro to each of their eight band members, and the second part is their first single. It's not their most popular song, but it's a great introduction to Wagakki Band at the height of their considerable powers. Here's the link.
ua-cam.com/video/bUdtx2GJcVQ/v-deo.html
There's an 11 minute video about the making of Gion-Cho and it's a great behind-the-scenes look at the band - ua-cam.com/video/M4LuyZ6WYow/v-deo.html . 2:56 -"They look so comfortable" - as the video shows, those costumes cost about $75,000 and were hired for the filming of the Band-Maiko MV's and so hard to move in that when Kanami drops her pick at one point, one of the crew has to pick it up as she cannot bend in her costume. Maiko were trainee Geisha and have things like the hairstyles they all use and the headresses, which Geisha do not have.
...and, it is sung in Kansai-ben...how, "Kinki." (See what I did there?)