Howlin’ the Blues

Every so often, I stumble onto really cool things, places, or experiences when I least expect to. I thought that I’d seen everything of interest around Juso within walking distance, but tonight my wanderings led me to some excellent blues music. Mishark and I were out exploring the neighborhood when we came upon the Howlin’ Bar in Tsukamoto. If Jake and Elwood Blues lived in Osaka, this is where you would find them.
As we approached the entrance, the unmistakable sound of a live show pulled us up the stairs and into the bar. I bought a glass of Yebisu, and sat down to watch the last part of the show. The band was awesome- there were two guys singing/playing the harmonica to a band that was obviously having a good time (as well as the audience). I don’t know how else to describe the show other than to say that these guys rocked!
I talked with one of the guitarists after the show, and he said that the band was just a bunch of guys that got together for a jam session. They played so well together that I had just assumed that they were a band. Apparently, these guys have live shows at Howlin’ about once a month, and it looks like a lot of other bands frequent the bar to put on live shows as well.
In any case, I have a new favorite bar in Yodogawa-ku. Check out the guitarist’s blog (in Japanese) for a schedule of live performances around Kansai. If anyone’s interested, there’s going to be another show on October 29th (Saturday). I’m taking tonight as a message- It’s not like I’m on a mission from God, but I know that it’s time to start going out and exploring new places more frequently.