Amidst the dropping cherry blossom petals
at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, local pop-rock band Gaijin a
Go-Go will drop its latest album, "Go Go Boot Camp"
on April 29.
Although the group’s music grooves with ’60s-style go-go rhythms,
the 11-member band will be an utterly contemporary addition to
the Garden’s annual cherry blossom festival line-up, "Sakura Matsuri," which predominantly
showcases centuries-old Japanese art and culture.
When DUMBO fashion designer Petra Hanson isn’t at her day job,
the 6-foot-tall former model transforms herself into the platinum-haired
Kiku Kimonolisa, lead singer of Gaijin a Go-Go.
Kimonolisa told GO Brooklyn that she is designing a cherry blossom-inspired
costume for the festival, but like a tightlipped geisha, the
coquettish vocalist would only reveal that it will be ’60s-inspired
and fun.
The designer-musician used to live in Tokyo and now writes and
sings in "Japanese, English and Japlish – we try not to
alienate anyone." But her kitschy, mod costumes, kooky,
pun-ridden lyrics and choreographed dance moves (performed along
with the "twins" – both dubbed Annie May Smith) all
transcend translation: anyone can see they’re about having a
good time and getting the audience’s go-go booties twitchin’.
Even the band’s name, "Gaijin," which means "foreign
barbarian," reveals their infectious, self-deprecating humor,
which caught the attention of "Beavis and Butthead"
director Mike de Seve. (He not only produced their new Skebe
Music CD – which translates as Sleazy Music, he co-wrote three
of its songs.)
"Our music is fresh and positive and there’s not a lot of
that out there," says Kimonolisa. "It’s something different
from an entertainment angle – it’s an art experience, a multicultural
experience. We’re the arty band with a capital P."
Gaijin a Go-Go performs on the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Cherry
Esplanade Stage at 3:30 pm on April 29, as part of "Sakura
Matsuri." The festival takes place, rain or shine, throughout
the garden (900 Washington Ave. at Eastern Parkway in Prospect
Heights) on April 29 and 30, from 10 am to 6 pm. All activities
are free with garden admission: $5 adults, $3 seniors and students
with ID, free for children under age 16. For a schedule of events,
call the hotline at (718) 623-7333 or visit the Web site, www.bbg.org.
