HAPPYFUNSMILE will have its last performance of the year at our favorite bar in the world, Forbidden City! It’ll be Kossan’s last gig with us before he returns to Japan, so we’ll be bringing out a special set of Okinawan tunes! Come for Kossan and stay for the magic of the HFS horn section!

Thursday, 12/10, 9pm
Forbidden City
212 Avenue A, between 13/14
Admission: Free

I’ll be playing with KAGERO for some special shows in October and November! Hope to see you at one of our shows!

Thursday, October 22, 11:45pm
CMJ Marathon at Ace of Clubs
9 Great Jones Street
Earlier in the evening: The River Raid, Sweet Fanny Adams, Shaka Ponk, Dead Sexy Inc, elodieO.
Update: Wow, I’m not sure how to explain the evening! It started off terribly, with all the bands running late and the crowd dwindling. During the first tune, Kaz’s guitar cut out and the sound guy couldn’t fix it, even after Kaz tried his other guitar. No sound. At that point, we did the only thing possible: everyone unplugged except for the bass, we jumped off the stage, and played right in the middle of the crowd. The previous band was from Brazil, so Kaz started singing any tune he knew in Spanish or Portugese. People were dancing and singing along, and eventually the other band started grabbing drums from the onstage set and played along. We sang together, drank together, and all in all, it turned out to be one of the best gigs I’ve ever played with Kagero. It’s crazy when music actually brings people together into a single smiling mass, but there it was! Amazing! Here’s another review with pictures from Darcy James Argue.

Saturday, November 7, 8pm
Gershwin Hotel
7 E 27th St
Opening and playing with Darren Gaines and the Key Party
Admission: $10, free wine from 8-10pm
Update: Fun evening in a really nice room! Thanks to Darren Gaines and all the musicians!

Friday, November 13, 11pm
Thunder Gumbo: The End of Space Mountain
255 McKibbin Street, #406
Brooklyn, NY
Admission: $5 before 10pm, $10 afterwards
Update: Another fun gig with Captain Adventure and the crew! The loft was a crazy scene with a full stage, gypsy food, and a barber. After the gig, we drove to White Castle and I got four burgers, fries, and a Coke. Awesome.

Saturday, November 21, 9pm
KAGERO CD release party at Mehanata!
113 Ludlow
Admission: $10 and free CD with admission. Check out the full band with Kaz, JW (violin), Rob (bass), Kate (accordion), Leo (drums), and my chindon!
Update: What an evening! Thanks to everyone who came out and danced along with us. It was especially fun playing with the drumset player, Leo, as I could relax and add “extra” stuff. For part of the show, I went up to the balcony for the best view in the house and played along with the band! Final update: We played for 2 hours and 13 minutes straight. Whoa…

Wednesday, November 25, 9pm
Party with Miz Metro and Urban Gypsy Productions.
171 Lombardy Street (map)
Brooklyn, New York
Directions: L or G train to Lorimer. Shuttle bus (NE corner of Lorimer and Metropolitan)
Crazy party with live music (Kagero, Consider the Source), DJs, VJs, go-go dancers, art, and apparently a Thanksgiving Wall of Terror.

HAPPYFUNSMILE will be performing twice during the Halloween weekend and we hope you can join us!

On Friday 10/30, we’ll be performing at our home bar, Forbidden City, starting at 9pm. Should be an amazing show with all our old friends, new instrumentalists, and costumes galore! Then on Sunday 11/1, we’ll be joining a bunch of other bands at the J Pop Culture Event at Webster Hall, sponsored by the NY Japan Student Associations and others.

Friday, 10/30, 9pm
Forbidden City
212 Avenue A, between 13/14
Admission: Free
Update: Thanks for hanging out with us! We were especially thrilled to see some friends from the early years of HFS—Winnie, Donna, Linda, and Nam!!! Traci’s mom was there as well, dressed as a retired girl scout, with cookies in hand! Hope you all had a great time! Reviewed here.

Sunday, 11/1, 5:30-5:50pm
Webster Hall
125 East 11th Street
Admission: $20 RSVP, $25 door. To RSVP, email your name and the number of guests to guestlist@nyjsa.com

Friday, 11/13, 7:30pm
Drom
85 Avenue A, between 5th/6th
Reception 6-7pm, performances 7-9pm
Admission: $10 advance/$12 door
Check out the artwork of John Wellington as well as performances by Kazumi (bellydancer), Rami Seo (kayagum), Masae (performance art), and HAPPYFUNSMILE!

HAPPYFUNSMILE will be a part of the Transpacific Sounds Paradise, hosted by Rob Weisberg and Irene Trudel at BARBES on Saturday, September 19. The show runs from 6-9pm and HFS goes on around 7pm.

We’re excited to be a part of such an amazing lineup! Come check out: Matuto, Smokey’s Secret Family, HFS, and Djarara!

Barbes
376 9th Street, Brooklyn
Directions: From Manhattan, Take the last car of the F train to 7th Avenue, Brooklyn; Exit at the southwest corner exit; Make a u-turn and walk downhill on 9th street towards 6th Avenue; Barbes is on your left at 376 9th Street, a couple of stores in from the corner of 6th Avenue.

KAGERO performance in September:

Thursday, 9/10, 8:30 and 10pm
Gypsy Concert at Bucharest
43-45 40th Street, Sunnyside, Queens
Sharing the stage with Elena Soare from Romania. I’ll be joining KAGERO for the late set. Whoa…and check out the menu!
Update: What an amazing evening! Things are going well when the lady in the front row starts dancing and the featured singer steps up to join us right in the middle of a song! Awesome night topped with two huge platters of sausage and cabbage rolls, pickles, wine, and Azuga beer.

Friday, 9/11, 11:30pm
Gypsy Tabor Festival at the Gateway National Recreation Area (Sponsored by Mehanata)
Floyd Bennett Field
50 Aviation Rd, Brooklyn, NY
Starting at 7pm with Ellina Graypel and the Dynamo Band, Alessandra Belloni, Mambo Tango Tella, Ivan Lenin, and KAGERO at 11:30pm.
Update: Cancelled due to rain. Sorry, folks.

Friday, 9/25, 11pm
The Lake
258 Johnson Ave, Brooklyn, NY
The Lake is a new art space in Brooklyn. Karuhata and Drunken Balordi will also be on the bill. Music at 10pm, KAGERO at 11pm. L Train to Montrose.

Thanks to Mario Reyes for the wonderful write-up in Rafu Shimpo.

I’ll be playing chindon with the KAGERO folks at some interesting venues! Come check it out!

Sideshow Shipwreck, Saturday 8/8. Well, really Sunday 8/9 (3am). On an overtaken triple decked old ferry boat. Enter by hidden portal on a short bus stacked with Absinthe Kool-Aid. Scholes & Waterbury St. Bushwick, Brooklyn.

The Delancey, Wednesday 8/19, 8pm. 168 Delancey St (bet Clinton & Attorney). $7 cover.

Lucky 7, Saturday 8/22, 9pm. 322 2nd St, Jersey City, NJ 07302. Free!

HAPPYFUNSMILE will be heading to Los Angeles for its second California tour! Please tell your friends!

Saturday, July 25, 6pm
Los Angeles Higashi Honganji Obon Festival
505 East 3rd St.
Los Angeles, California 90013

Sunday, July 26, 11:30am
Senshin Buddhist Temple
1331 West 37th St.
Los Angeles, California 90007

Sunday, July 26, 6pm
Los Angeles Higashi Honganji Obon Festival
505 East 3rd st
Los Angeles, California 90013

The New York Buddhist Church will be holding its 60th annual Obon festival at Bryant Park (south west side). There will be performances by HAPPYFUNSMILE, Soh Daiko, Tachibana, and Hoh Daiko. Please come and join the fun!

12:30pm Hoh Daiko
1pm HAPPYFUNSMILE, introduction, Dancers Assemble, National Anthem, Welcome Address, Meditation
1:30pm Obon Dance, Part 1
2:20pm Messages, Tachibana Dance Group
2:50pm Obon Dance, Part 2
3:40pm Soh Daiko
4:15pm Obon Dance, Part 3
4:50pm Closing Message

There are two more dance practices before the Obon (July 7 and 9, 6:30-8pm at the New York Buddhist Church).

Soh Daiko will be performing in the Global Beat series at the Congregation Beth Ahm of West Essex in Verona, New Jersey: 56 Grove Avenue, Verona, NJ 07044.