JAPAN part 1 ......... 1st days and impressions.

My first trip to Japan!!!!...and to Asia for that matter. I was and am still pretty floored. I have SO MUCH footage that I'll  have to break this blog up into a few different segments.

WELCOME!! .... to Jonny's world!!!!

Haha! I don't think I'll fit in too well with the Japanese boy band next to MY billboard.

I decided to stay at the "super futuristic" and super cheap Shinjuku Capsule Hotel. Tokyo is an expensive town....and I was there for a long time...so I figured I'd give it a shot.  It was ....um....OK. I mean....I'd stay there again...but only if I am just in town for a day or 2. It's sort of like a cross between 2010 A Space Odyssey and a Morgue.  Other than sleep or shower...there's not much to do there. and............NO WIFI....bummer.

The funny thing is: The 8 or 9 TV stations in the capsule were your typical , boring , network TV ...after about 4 days .... my TV only had 1 channel....

I had this weird , Japanese porno on 24 hours a day!  I'm sure some of you may have liked that ....and I certainly checked it out ...but the problem is: all of the good parts were digitized and blurred out!!!   WTF?????!!!   AND .....the topics seemed to be generally about 1 of 2 things: Raping a married woman ... or girls being drugged.  hmm....weird man.

The FUNNY PART ...is that I wasn't sure if my TV was broken? OR they thought that maybe I WANTED my TV to be stuck on porno 24/7? ....so I never asked.

I got to Tokyo with a few free days before shows...so Chihana , Dee , Shota , Emma and I were off to see the town and eat TONS of amazing food. I've known Chi and Dee for years ...I produced a record for their duo, The Broken Country Girls, about 3 years ago .....and we've been trying to get together ever since. I owe my whole Japanese trip to them. They booked the shows , set up radio ,  press , band , rehearsals , everything ....and made SURE I had a fantastic time and saw the "REAL" Tokyo.

Shota and Emma............

                                                Baby Octopus on a stick........I am IN.

And let's not forget Grilled Snails on a stick....actually...ALMOST ANYTHING grilled "On A Stick" is pretty damn good.

After our walk we sat down and had an incredible lunch of..yes...you guessed it...Sashimi and Noodles...no need to show you that because you will see PLENTY more pictures of Sashimi and Noodles coming up.....what was cool is the "sweet" restaurant  we went to for dessert:

I'm going to keep this one short and sweet...since there is SO much more to show you. 

In the next blog I'll get more into the actual reason WHY I am in Japan..................

ROCK AND ROLL.

I'll leave you with these 2 SUPER COOL bikes I found while wandering around Shinjuku........The Sportster shows real well what you can do with a pretty much stock Sporty.....and CHECK OUT that badass Kawasaki!!!   It reminds me of my very first motorcycle......

See you all soon,

peace and love,

JK

www.jonnykaplanmusic.com

www.jonnykaplanmusic.blogspot.com

www.hgpshinjuku.jp/

www.facebook.com/chihana

www.myspace.com/brokencountrygirls

www.harley-davidson.com/

www.kawasaki.com/

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo

Life is good ..... off to Japan !!

Happy belated Turkey Day to all of you folks! My life has been a complete whirlwind lately ... but I was fortunate enough to make a pit stop in Malibu for a week to pick up my mail , chill a bit , and have a Fantastic Thanksgiving with a few dear friends ... old and new.

California Dreaming ....at Zuma Beach:

South America and Spain were both such a blast , and I've got TONS of great footage ......so , as I post stuff ....it may or may not be in chronological order ... like this ADORABLE little baby in Plaza Major , Madrid , Spain :

Creepy huh?

HOLYFUCKINGSHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am going to play in JAPAN!!!!!!!

 You folks that don't play music may not realize this .... but to a Rock And Roller ...playing in Japan is like The Holy Grail. I am am SUPERSTOKED!!!!

I'm playing 2 acoustic shows and 1 electric with my good friend   Chihana Onishi's band as  my backup band. I produced a record  for Chihana and Dee Nakamura's group "The Broken Country Girls" a few years ago.  Check it out ... it is COOL.

Chihana is about 25 , hot , and she plays slide guitar better than most dudes that I know. No bullshit...this is gonna be FUN

Here's a pic of the girls in action:

Here's the Japanese dates:

Dec. 7 , Bird Song Cafe , Jiyugaoka, Tokyo

http://birdsongcafe.sunnyday.jp/

Dec. 8, Calamari , Yokohama, Kanagawa

http://tabelog.com/kanagawa/A1402/A140205/14035541/

Dec. 9 , Diglight , Takadanobaba, Tokyo

http://www.diglight.co.jp/

Thanks again for all of the e-mails. Regarding www.jonnykaplanmusic.com , it will be put under construction VERY SOON to sort of "re vamp" as they say.

For CD's and stuff you can go RIGHT HERE:

http://www.cdbaby.com/artist/JonnyKaplanAndTheLazyStars

Buy Them! They are GOOD for you!!!

and now .... I leave you with 2 things:

Some delicious Pulpo:

And some ROCK.

http://soundcloud.com/lazystar-1/sparkle-and-shine

Life is good ..... LOVE to you all.

xoxo

JK

http://birdsongcafe.sunnyday.jp/

http://tabelog.com/kanagawa/A1402/A140205/14035541/

http://www.diglight.co.jp/

www.jonnykaplanmusic.com

www.jonnykaplanmusic.blogspot.com

www.myspace.com/brokencountrygirls

soundcloud.com/chihana

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zuma_Beach

For the love of Spain and ... playing with Blind Melon

Man...what can I say. I LOVE Spain. The country has been SO good to me...on so many different levels.
There's not really anything I don't like about Spain.....in fact...it fits me like a glove.
I lived I Madrid a few years ago for about 7 months. Every time I am there ... I contemplate moving back.
Luckily for me these days ... I am touring a LOT ....  so ...don't really live anywhere.
I guess you could say I "collect my mail" in Malibu , Ca. ...and work on my boat in San Francisco in between tours. Nice work ... if you can get it.

The famous Gaudi  Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.  SO beautiful. It looks to me like something out of Planet Of The Apes.

I met up with Brad Smith and Kevin Haaland of Abandon Jalopy for a few acoustic shows before the Melon gigs. We rented a car and drove from Madrid to Barcelona. This Cathedral was our first sight. Nice.

The food ... as always in Spain was incredible. Everyday we had the most amazing seafood. Navajas or Razor Clams being one of  my favorites:

Meeting up with the Melon guys in Barcelona was awesome!!! I'm not sure if you guys know this ... but  we all go WAY back.  When Shannon Hoon  passed away years ago , Christopher Thorn asked me about joining the band ....which in reality wasn't really a good match at the time ... but got C.T. and I together to make my first record: California Heart.

Going on tour with Blind Melon is like going to a high school reunion! Super fun.
Here we are outside the Tryp Apolo Hotel in Barcelona ... nicely hungover and waiting for our van.

SIDE NOTE!!!!!! I am pleased to tell you that I will finally be learning how to edit my amateur , crappy , shaky , video footage SOON!  I have TONS of cool footage that I'll be cutting up into a more ...um .....proper? format.  I promise!

The first  Melon show in Barcelona was  AMAZING . Blind Melon is a FUCKING POWERHOUSE.  The "new" singer Travis Warren absolutely OWNS IT.  They are a force ... believe me.

Unfortunately , C.T. got hit with a bit of food poisoning and was out of commission for the next show in Santiago.

Melon's manager Keith looked at Brad and said, "Don't cancel the show!" ... and then looked at me and said , "Learn those songs!"  ....  FUCK ......1 HOUR till showtime ...um ....ok.
We did it. The guys showed me every song. I played the show with little scraps of notes taped all over the stage ... and .... we Fucking Rocked It.   Christopher ... I love you ... sorry dude ... you are fired!!!!!
Ha Ha! What a blast. Check this out:

Hysterical..............

Here's a long clip of us jamming for about 10 minutes into "No Rain"
What's it like to play a WORLDWIDE smash hit , with your buddies who wrote the song? Watch this video and see .... FUCKING THRILLING.

The funny thing is that you see Brad and I talking during the performance. I THINK he is telling me to turn down ... because I THINK ... maybe I am fucking up!  He is really saying , " Man! Do you believe it!!  We are playing together in Blind Melon!!  This is AWESOME!!!!"  What a talented motherfucker.
I think there will be plenty more JK / Brad collaborations in the future. A little birdy tells me there may be some South American dates together  in the new year as well.


Back to Mother Madrid!!!!!
Home sweet home in Madrid. We played at Sala Joy Eslava ( Slave to Love ) ..... a gorgeous old theater with 3 levels of gold leaf balconies. A really beautiful room....SOLD OUT ...of course.
The audience was so incredibly warm. A magical night for all. Whenever I am in Madrid ... I feel like I am home. Here I am , singing "Sweet Magnolia Flower" , the audience is SO incredibly warm and receptive....just me and my acoustic guitar ...I feel like Neil Young.
Sweet Magnolia Flower:

Well .... that's it for now. As I said ...plenty more footage coming soon. I'm back in Malibu , getting ready to shoot some video stuff with The Lazy Stars ...and preparing to leave for JAPAN in December!
Fuck Yes.

Oh yes ... and ....
The end of tour sale!!!!!
Come buy a t-shirt or 3 and an autographed CD.

End of tour SALE !!!! 
Get your new JK t-shirt and 1 CD , autographed for $25. pp U.S. , $30. pp Elsewhere
please specify: S , M , or L ...AND which album you'd like.
Paypal to: Supadoopa787@hotmail.com


See you all soon.
Peace,
xoxoxo
JK

www.jonnykaplanmusic.com
www.abandonjalopymusic.com/
www.blindmelon.org/
www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/en/gaudi/sagrada-familia.html
www.joy-eslava.com/
www.ltinews.net/
www.neilyoung.com/

Valparaiso , Chile and ...YOU...helping me pick my setlist for Spain.

Hola amigos!
                I am writing this blog to you from the warm , sunny beaches of Miami , Florida.
What?????????????
Yeah...I decided on a little stopover in between South America and Spain to see my family , clear my head , do some laundry etc.
It's right along with my plan as of late...to see how many different oceans I can swim in in the shortest time. By the time I get to Barcelona...it'll be 4 in 2 weeks...although The Mediterranean will probably be freezing this time around.


As you may know.....I am heading to Spain!

I'll see you this week in Madrid and Barcelona for some VERY special and VERY intimate acoustic shows. I LOVE playing gigs like this and showing  more "mellow" side of myself.
I'll be playing the following week with Blind Melon!!!!!!  ... But more on that later.
I need your HELP!!!!!!!!!
You have to go  here:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jonny-Kaplan-And-The-Lazy-Stars/189269811119366


If you haven't already......HIT THE LIKE BUTTON!

Then.....you can leave me a comment telling me what songs you would really , really , REALLY like to hear me sing to you acoustically.  REMEMBER...I am playing acoustic....so I would rather not have to SCREAM Ride Free!!!!!!!...but I would love to play some of your favorites for you.

Do it . Do it . DO IT. xoxo


Valparaiso , Chile!!   WOW.  I have read about this town and wanted to visit for years.
Due to the elections ...my concert there was cancelled , but Ana and Jupa decided to take me there and show me the city anyway.  As all of my new friends in Chile said, " You CANNOT leave Chile without going to Valparaiso!!!"

They knew what they were doing...and they were right.  Valparaiso SOLD me on Chile...not that I didn't completely love Santiago as well.

I have a MILLION pictures and video clips...but for some reason...everywhere I've been lately has VERY CRAPPY WiFi ....so uploading has been difficult. No Worries though...when I return to California , I'll edit the stuff properly...and give it to you long form.

You can see clearly from the first pic. why people call Valparaiso the  "San Francisco of South America".  It's a dirty . old seaport town that has tons of old Chilean history everywhere but is also a hotbed of color , creativity , arts , and music.  This place is FUCKING RAD. I could ...and just may live here at some point.

This seafood place was incredible....all of the food smelled like the ocean and the town ! and vice versa...in a very good , fresh way...like eating a hot bowl of the ocean...if that makes sense.

The Chicks....dig me.

Here's the Seafood Market:

and YES...more food:

More to come!
Hit us up on:     http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jonny-Kaplan-And-The-Lazy-Stars/189269811119366

LIKE US!!!!

and

Tell me what songs to play for you!

xoxoxoxo
JK & LS

Santiago , Chile ...first thoughts

Well......I have been daydreaming about running away to South America for years.....and thought about what it must be like. I have FINALLY gotten the opportunity to come  down to Chile...and although I've only been here for a few days , I can tell you this: I love it. The people are gorgeous and SUPER friendly. They LOVE Rock and Roll. The food is amazing. The city is right in the center of the Snow-capped Andes Mountains.....it's beautiful. You are in the city center...and you see mountains in EVERY direction.

I'm looking forward to seeing more.  I've been busy rehearsing and doing press , so my sight-seeing really just consists of me wandering around town...one of my favorite things to do.

I found this little antique Flea Market down one alley........

And THIS....down the next:

This picture totally makes me hungry.

Santiago , like many other Latin cities I've seen is a perfect blend of old and new . And this country has an incredible amount of things to offer. I am heading to the coast saturday to check Valpariso ...my "dream runaway" town of the last few years.  I'll let you know what I find......


My Chilean "Lazy Stars" are fucking awesome. First of all...I would not be here if it weren't for Hueo Saavedra. My old friend and Bass player here...who organized EVERYTHING for me.
The rest of the band:
Ana Bartley:  on vocals This girl has an incredibly beautiful voice ...is gorgeous AND intelligent ...and MARRIED.......fuck.
Leiton : a 19 year old guitar whiz who looks like 1/2 Baby Izzy Stradlin , and 1/2 Baby Paul McCartney ..he is awesome...and hysterical.
Martin Saavedra: drums  , Cannot speak a word of English and is approximately 75% blind!!!!!!  and a GREAT drummer!!!

Yes...we are all having a BLAST together...and YES...we were drinking  a LOT when these photos were taken. ( in the dressing room , right after the show)

Here's Ana and Leiton  having fun at rehearsal:

It wouldn't be a travel blog without some food right??????

I'm staying at The Hostel Forrestal in  the Lastarria neighborhood  . It is super cool , and fun . The people working here are young  , hip , and are treating me like a member of their family. I HIGHLY recommend it.

The ONLY problem is that the WiFi is a bit weak...which is why there's not a lot of videos on this blog...sorry kids.

That being said: I have PLENTY of great footage I've been shooting all week , so , upon my return to Tinsel Town ...I'll have someone properly edit a piece for you all.

So...for my first impression of Chile:  I LOVE it. I will be coming back to play more music and to traverse this beautiful country. Patagonia is calling me.

But for now...off to Soundcheck.

xoxo
JK


www.hostelforrestal.cl
www.jonnykaplanmusic.com

Mexico City .......to South America

Back in Malibu! Just in time for the lowest tides of the year. Most of you will not know this.....but when I was a wee laddie my 2 choices of possible careers were: 

1.Rock Star

and 

2. Marine Biologist

So...I absolutely LOVE geeking out in tide pools and beach combing. I could do it forever.

Man.....Mexico City was a BLAST!  It was great to see Rami , Jake and the rest of The Wallflowers playing in front of that HUGE Corona Fest audience. They'd never played there before...and the audience was FREAKING out.  Beatlemania...fucking FAB. Some favorite bands? The KILLS , The Hives and  IRON AND WINE...FUCKING AWESOME

How many people can you fit in a taxi?

Today I'll be swapping out dirty t-shirts for "clean" ones from my perpetually packed suitcase.....because tomorrow I'm off to .......

Santiago , Chile!

I CANNOT wait to get down there and play for all of the folks I've been speaking to about playing there...for YEARS.

I can already tell...I won't want to leave.

You guys will get plenty of Blog updates this week....since , I'll be down there for a week....then...jetting straight off to Spain for a couple of very special , intimate acoustic shows   with Abandon Jalopy.  I may stick around Barcelona an extra day or so to see my old buds Blind Melon...and rumor has it ...that I may do a few songs with them.  

DON'T TELL ANYONE!  THAT IS A SECRET!!!!!

Yesterday , I got to spend time with a few of my favorite people on the PLANET:

There could not be a better way to spend my last day in LA...we walked on the beach for MILES.

And now....for you listening pleasure:

Sparkle and Shine:

http://soundcloud.com/lazystar-1/sparkle-and-shine

See you ALL soon.

Peace and love,

Jonny

www.jonnykaplanmusic.com

www.thewallflowers.com

www.coronacapital.com.mx/

www.thehivesbroadcastingservice.com/

www.thekills.tv/

www.ironandwine.com/

No Rest For The Wicked ...or....when will I be able to unpack and wash these dirty socks.

One of these days...I'm not sure when....I will UN-PACK...the various duffle bags , suitcases , and backpacks that are my life.
I am not complaining. Things are good.....FUCK.....things are GREAT.

As my wise old Step-Dad said to me a few years ago: " You live on a sailboat....you ride a Harley...you get PAID to sing your songs...PLEASE....listen to an old man and....DO NOT STOP doing what you do."
Thanks Norman......I totally agree.

Also...luckily for me , I get to feed my very severe "vintage backpack addiction"
I am always on the hunt for the perfect backpack...for the perfect situation. Weird?  Maybe. I don't know.  Natural born traveler I guess....with good taste.

Check out this photo , shot outside the world famous Stone Pony , in Asbury park , New Jersey , by the   incredible Piper Ferguson:

The dialogue went something like this:
Piper: Jonny, show me that tattoo
Jonny: C'mon Piper...it'll look GAY ( not homosexual...but GAY in the funny , geeky , high school way)
Piper: No it won't. Don't be a pussy.
Jonny: ok.


Guess what??????

I'M COMING TO PLAY IN SOUTH AMERICA!!!!!

( yes, I agree this pic is stupid and totally UN-COOL...but for some reason ...it makes me laugh....out loud)

I am so stoked.  I'll be down in Chile for the second half of October....
dates and info are coming...VERY SOON......so stay tuned.
We'll be playing in and around Santiago and Valpariso...both of which I've wanted to see for a long time.
Then I'll be "James-Bond-ing-it" straight from South America to Spain for a few dates.

I'm really excited to jump over to Spain ( my home away from home)  for a few surprise , very special , acoustic performances. I LOVE to ROCK with  The Lazy Stars...but I also like very much to be mellow and show that side of myself. These shows will be very intimate.
I'll be sharing the bill in Spain with a really great new band : Abandon Jalopy , featuring my old pal Brad Smith of Blind Melon fame.  They are FUGGIN COOL.
check em out:

They are rad........and Brad and I both like to wear make up...so it should be a perfect match.



Yes....life is good.




On being an ARTISTE................

I'll get the tour schedule up in a day or so...with a brand new song for you all to hear.


peace
xoxo
J


www.piperferguson.com/
www.jonnykaplanmusic.com
www.worldcruiser.com
www.thewallflowers.com/
www.abandonjalopymusic.com/
www.blindmelon.org/
www.annaleeautumn.com/