Bix & Marki　Summer 2015 Tour Report

We left Tokyo on 23 July, in the afternoon and arrived in Hakodate in the evening, where we gave our first concert of the tour on 24 July. We continued further south the next day, to Morioka, Sendai, Fukushima, Koriyama, Takasaki, Matumoto, Azumino, Nagoya, Osaka, Kyoto, Gifu and came back to Tokyo on 12 August. Touring gets us in a special mood : body and mind have to adapt to the constant traveling and playing every night. We dive into music, people and places.

Friday 24 July 2015 　Gotouken
Hakodate-shi Suehiro-cho 4-5 　Tel 0138-23-1106
http://www.gotoken.hakodate.jp/

We played in the same beautiful space at the Gotouken Restaurant as we did last year. But this time, before the party, we went with some members of the French-Japanese Association of Hakodate to pay our respects on the tomb of the French soldiers who died in Hakodate after having been taken care of in a temple there, during the French-Chinese war in 1855. We all sang in front of the tomb, which is beautifully set in front of the sea on a small hill, and is also a monument of fraternity between France and Japan, erected by the French government and the city of Hakodate. We also went to the other monument which symbolizes fraternity between religions, created by the temple (Jikkouin) and the catholic missionary Claude Gourod – founder of the French- Japanese association- and who passed away in 2013. It was very impressive to sing in front of the tomb of the soldiers thinking of all the things that had happened in the past, and also to shake hands in front of the sculpture in the garden of the temple. The dinner and concert went well and was deep and happy. We thank everyone for their support to our music, the human relationship between us and the fact that they all see music as a link between the past, the present, the future and cultures of the world.

Saturday 25 July 2015 　Wine Restaurant TAKU
Iwate-ken Morioka-shi aien 1-4-1   Tel: 0196-13-5544
http://kita1.info/taku/　

This is the same restaurant we played at as last year, when it had just opened. It was wonderful to meet again the cook and the sommeliere who run it. Now it has been open for one and a half year and has become even more warm-hearted. Great evening, great audience, nice place and space for our sound and stage. Thank you, Taku.

Sunday 26 July 2015 　Belleville
Iwate-ken Morioka-shi Nakanobashi-dori 1-8-21   Tel 019-624-3971
https://twitter.com/belleville_shin

Thanks to the owners, the audience knew already what kind of music we play and who we are. They listened carefully to us. The idea was to have a wine drinking evening listening to our music, which made it very relaxing and communicative. We had never explained the music and the songs in such technical detail, and we were so happy ! Thank you, Belleville.

Monday 27 July 2015 　Alliance Francaise Sendai
Miyagi-ken Sendai-shi Aoba-ku Honchou 2-8-10   Tel 022-225-1475
http://alliancefrancaise-sendai.org/ja/

The real heat of this very hot Summer started here. We arrived at 3:30 at the French school and found it very cosy, an oasis. We played at 4pm for about an hour, and spoke with the audience in French and Japanese. A sweet encounter ! Thank you !!

Tuesday 28 July 2015 　Tea&Bar MAGIE・NOIR　
Fukushima-ken Fukushima-shi jinba-cho 8-8 Hoyu comfort bld B1
Tel 024-522-5535   http://www.magie-n.com/

Candles and chandeliers, mysterious objets, wooden tables and a grand piano… The owner of Magie・Noir is a very artistic person. His musical family came to see us, his nephew clapped the beat with us (the rhythm) with his hands. It was like a campfire evening, and a mysterious one in the city of Fukushima… We loved it.

Wednesday 29 July 2015 　Bistro&Piano bar SPINET
Fukushima-ken Kooriyamama-shi Ekimae 1-3-7 Elite 7 bld 2F
Tel 024-923-9470

We noticed right away the big piano and the counter encircling the piano ! There was a great group of music and language lovers in the audience. How nice. We felt understanding and kindness. Thank you to you all ! !

Thursday 30 July 2015 　Maison de Jillco
Gunma-ken Takasaki-shi Toorimachi 2-3 Ando bld 1F
Tel 027-329-6444   https://www.facebook.com/maison.de.jillco

Jillco is the name of the owner of this restaurant, and it opened 3 weeks ago. We were introduced to him and his place by the owner of L'Albero where we played last time we were in Takasaki. L'Albero is far out in the country, and Maison de Jillco is in the center of town, but we could still eat the superdelicious Albero homemade ice-cream in Jillco, in addition to the creative food of Jillco. A group of students from the nearby language school "Espace" came to listen to us. We had already met some Espace people last time we were in Takasaki. Thank you, it was great !

Friday 31 July 2015 　Au Crieur de vin
Nagano-ken Matsumoto-shi Fukasi 1-2-11   Tel 02 63 37 19 66
http://crieur-japon.com/

We know very well this Brasserie in the centre of Matsumoto and always play there when we come to Matsumoto. Among the people who listened to us and whom we spoke to, there was a Dutch family on holiday, a couple on Summer holiday and a boy who is both a musician and a cook and who will soon go to France to study French cuisine. We were happy to meet them all ! Au Crieur de Vin made wonderful food which had a real taste of France. They always support us, thank you !!

Saturday 1 August 2015 　L'atelier des sens
Nagano-ken Azumino-shi Hotaka Kitahotaka 2845-7 Twin oaks
Tel 0263-88-2757 　　http://latelier-des-sens.jp/

The local brewery and café is located in a small village surrounded by beautiful mountains. We took the train from Matsumoto and walked in the fields. The temperature was 36 degrees, full sunshine. We played 4 stages and the fourth one was in the garden, in the late afternoon, when it was starting to become less hot. The sunset was fabulous, and the people so nice. They said that our music fit the scenery, and I took a picture of the pink sky behind them !

Sunday 2 August 2015 　 Endouji-ginzagai
Nagoya-shi Nishi-ku Nagono 1-20

It was the last day of the Tanaba Summer Festival in Endouji. The gallery was filled with people in yukata, with decorations and parades… We played outside and the audience sat on benches in front of us, probably sweating as much as us in the evening heat. Friends came to see us too. Thank you !

Monday 3 August 2015 　Cafe Dufi　
Nagoya-shi Naka-ku Shin-sakae 3-17-11   Tel 052 263 6511
http://cafedufi.com

As it often is in Café Dufi, the atmosphere was soft, calm and ethnic. Thanks to Dufi we are connected to other places and events in Nagoya, like Endoji. A little girl sat by my side, at some point, while I was playing the flute. I was the same age, around 7, when I started learning the flute. I felt her energy, and time passing in a continuing life…Thank you so much to you who listened to us !

Thursday 6 August 2015 　Unshu-do（dining IORI）
Osaka-shi Kita-ku Sugawara-cho 7-2   Tel 06-6361-3903
http://www.iori-unshudo.com/access

We didn't have to carry all our concert-equipment because everything was already there, mikes, amps and there was a technician… The place used to be an old wooden warehouse, and we had a wonderful time. Thank you to a very nice audience and friends. Some of them came again after we played there a couple of years ago.

Friday 7 August 2015 　Asian dining cafe　Mew'z
Kyoto-shi Nakagyo-ku teramachi-nijo agaru yohoji-cho 717-1
Tel　075-212-2911   http://mewzcafe.com/index.html

Thai and Vietnamese interior and food with our music. There is a space-stage for musicians there, which we really appreciate. It was fantastic to see our old friends again, and while playing, we thought of our time in Kyoto, 20 years ago ! Thank you to you all !

Saturday 8 August 2015 　Fukunishi center (Fureai-Matsuri)
Kyoto-shi Nishikyo-ku ooe kitafukunishi-cho 3
https://www.facebook.com/fukunishifureai

In this Summer Festival on the west side of Kyoto, we played in between Taico drums and Bon Odori dancing. I didn't put make-up on (I usually put very little on, but with this heat it just floated away). Doing a little bit of French teaching (one-point French) in between some songs seemed to make people speak about it and discover a new language …. Some people said our music was surreal in the sense that our style was a style from "outside" the local "normal" style of music. It was a childhood friend of Marki's who invited us to play at this festival that he organized for the local community.

Sunday 9 August 2015 　energy cafe OPEN SESAME
Gifu-shi Oritate 785-1   Tel 058-234-3505
http://opensesame-gifu.jimdo.com

We had played there a few times before and everything was prepared for us when we arrived. Some friends from Gifrance – the French-Japanese association in Gifu, were among the people who listened to us and also a family who always comes when we play ! The walls between the tables had been lowered, and so had the stage: we had a good contact with everyone while playing.

Monday 10 August 2015 　atelier feliz　
Gifu-ken Motosu-shi Bussyouji 423-2   Tel 058-322-3558
https://www.facebook.com/Atorieferisu

There were many children in Feliz. Their parents wanted them to listen to live music, and to see real music instruments be played. The Toribue (bamboo whistle) and the Carimba were popular… Thank you Feliz, for your warmheartedness.

Tuesday 11 August 2015 　Cafe B+
Aichi-ken Anjou-shi Shinmei-cho 16-13   Tel 0566-78-1147
http://cafeb.client.jp

Our last concert of the tour ! We left Gifu in the morning and went to Mikawa Anjo. It was still superhot. The audience happened to be mostly musicians or artists themselves. The place is made for music, a stage, a sound system, even music pictures and LP on the walls. We were very happy to speak with some of them before and after the concert. The sound was good, and it was easy and comfortable to play there.

It was a long, hot and beautiful trip from Hakodate to Kansai and back to Tokyo again, and this time too, it took 3 weeks. It was absolutely worth it ! We found all these different ways of living and thinking about music and life, different at each place we played at. We had the time to concentrate on our pieces and performances, and to think about life in general. Thank you so much to all of you who came, who helped us and who supported us. Thank you also to the ones who followed us on facebook, where I put a few pictures of each performance every day of the trip (see Bix&Marki). We are ready for more adventures.

12. Summer Tour 2015