BFM:Hi miki! how's the thrash scene in japan?
Miki:Thanks my friend Zoham for making this my interview happen! It’s really my pleasure to tell story of my organizing fest TRUE THRASH FEST and Japanese thrash scene through here! Btw,It’s ok for readers that I’m not a musician/band member!?…lol
There is still strong wave about thrash metal scene in Japan. Lots of thrash metal fans are enjoying to listen from big name bands to obscure young thrashers in Globe. At my store ROCK STAKK RECORDS,THRASH METAL releases is always being good/best seller! And some good young generation Japanese thrash metal bands are born and acting well in underground scene. Of course,myself is big fan of thrash metal since this ‘magic’ words were born! There was a tons of great thrash metal bands in Japan through ‘80s and I often went to local thrash metal gigs. Several bands like UNITED,OUTRAGE,JURASSIC JADE etc. are still quite Big in our scene. Also if you want to check Japanese underground bands,plz check my label! It’s just independent small label but I’m releasing Japanese great thrash metal albums I’m releasing! It’s RIVERGE and IMPALER JPN. Check them and bleeding from your ear!!!
BFM:What pushes you to feel like this set up. The first year you started it?
Miki:Well…it’s start was around 2008. I can’t remember well exact date/location but at the after show party of local thrash metal gig,me and several members of local thrash metal bands hanged out together and just made conversation about our dream. One of it was organizing one of best underground thrash metal festival in my country. It’s no one did before. You know,in my country,there is totally no underground scene supporting agency/organizing company. All of them are just into making money bands and only interested in BIG names. I mean I don’t hate these ‘money miser company’ act. They are professional and they should keep their life/make profit through their job. Otherwise,I have main job(owning metal store/independent label) and I can do it only by my passion for heavy metal. So,I really wanted to try to show our guts and personal energy and see what’s happen in Japanese metal scene. Fest will be only in OSAKA city(my homeground). This is one of most priority matter for organizing this thrash metal fest. I mean…this kind of metal fest in JP is held only at capital Tokyo. Audience and music fans from another area always have to pay their long way trip/staying cost to be there. So,We local side metal fans wants to say ‘come on! It’s your turn!!’ to music fans from capital. They should experience same thing like as local fans. You know what I mean!?!?:-) …and as far as I know,TTF is one and only festival that main organizer is always doing Stage dive-running inside mosh pit...uh!?!?:-)
1st TTF(TRUE THRASH FEST) 2009 was held on FEB.2009. I’d not experienced any this kind concert organizing till then and there was tons and tons of problems were happen when we were preparing details.
BFM:In the first event. How many are the audience?
Miki:All previous TTF were 2 days fest and booking same venue but day 1 and day 2 of 1st TTF 2009 were held at different venue on each day. 2-days total was just less than 550 I guess…
When preparing by audience qty,best was 2011. Since 2010,TTF is held at same venue. Max is around 350 per day I’ve heard from venue staff. Unfortunately,any previous TTF was not sold out. I wanna see ‘sold out’ sign in someday future fest…
BFM: to Finding to avenue and to get the permittion to made the gig"
Miki:About 1st TTF,I really had no idea how I can book venue. But co-organizer of FEST(It’s members of RIVERGE) made me advice and helped me a lot. We made a kind of promotion documents of fest and went and asked to venue by venue inside my city. About 2009,our act was bit slow and only could book one night at expected venue. So we need to look for venue of day 2nd. It was tough:-) Since next 2nd TTF,we can use another good venue calls ESAKA-MUSE. I’d like to say my appreciation to all staffs of ESAKA MUSE for their big help. I want to tell,current using venue ESAKA MUSE is bit north part of downtown but really comfortable location. Thousands of restraunts,large shopping mole,subway station and hotel are there within 5 min. waking!
BFM:Up from as the organizer. Have you got the opportunity to play in your own band?
Miki:Well…I played a guitar long time before and formed my own band then…mostly we played cover of famous/obscure thrash metal band at that time like CASBAH,OUTRAGE,SACRED REICH,ANTHRAX,MEGADETH,MELIAH RAGE,SACRED REICH,S.O.D. and some HxCx like G.B.H….It’s over 20 years before and now I can’t play any guitar because I’m really busy for my main job. But,I can till funny story about this. On summer of 2011,my label band RIVERGE organized one local gig calls’Cross breed device beat-ROCK STAKK 5th ANNIV. GIG’ and I appeared that stage with help members! I played cover songs of RIVERGE/N.ASSAULT/S.O.D. then. One of my friend posted that performance to youtube…really shame primitive player I was but much fun time I could spend!
BFM:What adverse events have happened in the show?
Miki:Well…how I can say…!?!? Like I’ve got bit serious injury on my shoulder by miss-dive??:-) There was several small problem was happened but mostly it’s really run smoothly. TTF is really D.I.Y. organizing and all staffs except venue staffs are our personal friends and band members. For example,my personal friend audiences of fest helped to bring band’s gears from Hotel to venue. Also some audience with international band members went to karaoke together as ater show partyJ In this point,I can say my fest TTF is most ‘warm & friendly’ thrash metal concert in Globe. As I just wrote there was small problems…it’s like small fighting,behindness of time schedule etc. but I could reach most important purpose 100% from each fest. It’s…I just wanna see all relating peoples Happy face. I mean players,all staffs,all audience and even if venue area’s people like hotel staffs…I don’t wanna any money from fest. In fact,I lost not small amount of budget from all previous fest but I don’t care!
BFM:Describe the feeling on the Violator, Warpath, Remains, Aggression and Fueled by Fire.
Miki:YEAH! But AGGRESSION(SPA?) is not appearing to my fest!...hehe…I always can remember well about each bands!...VIOLATOR(BRA) is really killer pure thrash act. Both stage/floor was insane crazy when they played! Also I remember well Poney(singer of band)’s speech from stage(MC). It was much impressed. They are not only player of thrash metal but also music fans as same as all of ‘US’! They wanted to buy Nike sneaker and we went Nike store togetherJ Really nice guys. One of my nickname ‘Miki-Mosh’ is given by them!! WARPATH is young band. It looked they were bit nervous on stage but they kicked audience’s ass well with their crunchy-tight thrash metal sound. Unfortunately,line-up change is happened after appearing my fest but I’m still contacting with them well!...AGGRESSION…maybe you mean ASSASSIN??? They also appeared on 2010. They are really legend band since 1980’s,you know!?!? They played TTF as headliner of 2010 and setlist was so killer! Most of famous classic tunes and cover of Japanese hard core legend OUTO! Robert from band can speak Japanese and he did most of MC as Japanese! It was so fun. FUELED BY FIRE was 2011. I’ve met with him at 2009 TTF & Zurich 2010 before coming over my fest. Their playing was really aggressive and fast/tight! I think FBF is one of best young generation thrasher! Between their staying in Japan,me and band went to NARA(one of oldest city in my country) for sightseeing. That was really cold/snowing date. And we all were caught really baddest traffic jam on return way…but now it’s really fun memory.
BFM:The Asahi beer brewery in Japan, then what good is it?
Miki:Ehehe…you sometimes can enjoy to drink Asahi beer??? It should be on Friday!?|m| They are really famous beer brewery in Japan. But my favorite is KIRIN. I’m Japanese but I don’t like Sake so much
Usually I’m taking BEERS from KIRIN and also a kind of UMESYU(pram liquor).
BFM:Now the band will play next year, it does not it?
Miki:You mean TTF 2013!?!?...Hmm…it’s top secret!!! Yeah. Now I’m working so hard to prepare details/fix whole line up to TTF 2013. It’s 5th anniv. Of fest and I’m always thinking it should be best fest ever through TTF history…Line up of both international/domestic bands should be really KILLER!!lol
BFM:Thanks for taking the time to answer it to me. I like everything in Japan! What would I like to read people?
Miki:Thanks again for giving me this opportunity. I was surprised to see your first contact mail…it’s really my honor. As you know,current music market situation in globe is really tough…my country is same. Sometimes I can hear from my globe friends that METAL is very big in Japan…of course scene is existing well but not so big anymore. Who could suppose this bad situation? We all music fans should not KILL our scene/market by ourself! Btw,plz visit my web/physical store if you have a time/get a chance to come my city Osaka! www.rockstakk.com Thanks again everything and Kanpai(cheers)!!!
ไม่มีความคิดเห็น:
แสดงความคิดเห็น