Even though the role of music, art and literature isn’t easy to define, if you look around and listen carefully in Japan, it is obvious that there are countless artists simultaneously thinking and acting as a reaction to 3.11 earthquake, tsunami and the nuclear disaster, and creating a single wave as a result. Tohoku Live House Daisakusen (Operation Tohoku Live House) is one of the projects started by a group of artists who reacted to 3.11.
SPC Peak Performance, a team of sound engineers represented by Akihito Nishikata, started out Tohoku Live House Daisakusen. They decided to build 3 music venues in Tohoku Sanriku area that were heavily damaged by the tsunami. “Klub Counter Action Miyako” in Miyako, Iwate prefecture, “Livehouse Freaks” in Ohfunato and “Blue Resistance” in Ishimaki, Miyagi prefecture were built in 2012, about a year and the half after the tsunami. The purpose is to create “places” to connect people, communities and generations.
This project was made possible by the donations, the sales of the charity goods, profits from various events, Kifuda Sakusen (operation) ,and thanks to advocates and friends from all over Japan.
I visited Tohoku Live House Daisakusen’s booth at a music festival called New Acoustic Camp held in Gunma prefecture on Spetember 14-15 and interviewed one of the staffs of the Daisakusen.
At the booth of Tohoku Live House Daisakusen, there were the photos of the supporting artists with their messages all over the tent, many flyers of their events, and the charity goods such as T-shirts to raise money for their music venues.
Right next to Tohoku Live House Daisakusen was Hatagaya Saisei Daigaku (Hatagaya Re-birth University) ‘s booth, and the photos displayed there told the stories of people who delivered tons of rice and food to the disaster-stricken areas in Tohoku and worked on the rebirth of the communities after the disaster.
The interviewee Mr. Takahashi said that he is looking forward to seeing the days when musicians who grew up based around these venues go on tour and say that “we are from Ohfunato,” in other parts of Japan. Mr. Takahashi, who is witnessing this project growing, says that the connection between Tohoku and the other parts of Japan is already starting to build.
By building music venues in the disaster-stricken areas, they are providing the place where people can gather and meet, polish their expression, and create communities. And eventually the musicians based in the area will make even larger connection through music. Tohoku Live House Daisakusen’s vision is very much focused on the future.
Their documentary movie created by a team of volunteers from the music video industry is now playing as well. The documentary, narrated by TOSHI-LOW (BRAHMAN), Kuraha Kazuyuki (The Birthday) and Ryomei (Bakudan Jhonny), focuses on one of their projects “AIR JAM Tohoku Live House Daisakusen Tour.”
The movie will play at NOON+CAFE in Osaka on October 12. They are looking for more places such as music venues, movie theaters and cafes to show the film all over Japan. The tickets fees are suggested donation, and the sales of the movie will be the fund for the venues.
Generally speaking, the disaster-stricken areas are rather forgotten and isolated from the rest of Japan. However there are people with strong will working on making the connection. Among them, there are no feelings of pessimism, apathy and give up, which seems to be a pervasive mood among the general population. Instead, they have creativity, vision, action and spirit.
3 music venues standing in the devastated areas. What would they look like to the eyes of the people in Tohoku, the visitors and the people who worked hard to actually build them. What kind of connections and culture will they generate from there?
Hard times require not only financial and material supports but also people gathering, talking, connecting, playing music and dancing together. 3.11 disaster devastated Tohoku area and left a texture in people’s hearts. It is worth paying attention to the new expression, music and culture coming out from the people who experienced this out-of-ordinary disaster, and how their expressions make the audience feel.
Hideyoshi Ohtomo, Michirou Endou, Ryouichi Wago hosted “Festival Fukushima” at Machinaka Hiroba (park) in Fukushima city on August 15th, also an anniversary of Japan’s WWII surrender. Festival FUKUSHIMA is one of the many projects of Project FUKUSHIMA which started in 2011 after the 3.11 earthquake, tsunami and the nuclear disaster.
Musicians who played at the event were Ryuichi Sakamoto, Yoshihide Ohtomo, Michirou Endou, Yuji Katsui, Jyun Nagami, U-zhaan, Tenniscoats and Mariko Hamada and more. The “factory team” made a huge piece of “furoshiki” with various fabrics with different colors and patterns that were sent from all over Japan. The “furoshiki” was spread on the ground of the festival site. They built a tower for Bon festival in the middle of the site. Many people came to the festival from in and outside of Fukushima.
Reflecting Mr. Ohtomo’s personality, the event was very laid-back. There was a sense of comfortable togetherness and warm hand-made atmosphere as if everyone at the festival was jamming and giving feedback to each other.
One of the volunteers said that a good thing about the project FUKUSHIMA is that they have very loose way of protesting against the nuclear power. There is no sign saying “NO NUKES” or people giving out flyers against nukes. There isn’t clear purpose or main point for the event. People who gather at Project FUKUSHIMA do so because it’s simply fun to gather and create this event together once a year. Mr. Ohtomo created an opportunity for people to gather, work together, share the time and create a scene. Project FUKUSHIMA is like a whistle for the unite. It has become like a reunion for participants and a scene of the summer time.
Mr. Kadowaki who came from a town called Nigatake started his own project with his musician friends in his town called Nigatake in Sendai about a year ago. He says that Project FUKUSHIMA inspired him to start a similar project in his own community. Nigatake already has an infrastructure, “hardwear,” such as bars and snack shops, so Mr. Kadowaki wants to install an “application,” Project Nigatake, and explore new ways of looking at the town Nigatake.
I asked a question, “how do you feel about visiting Fukushima where the level of radiation is high?” to Takashi Ueno and Saya from Tenniscoats, one of the bands played at the event. They said that Project FUKUSHIMA is something that gives them an opportunity to come to Fukushima. They like to visit Fukushima because there are still people living in Fukushima, they visit because they simply wants to, they go see what they want to see, they come to Fukushima to get the good spirit. They say that they don’t need complicated rationalization to come to Fukushima.
Yuji Katsui, an electronic violinist from ROVO who’s been participating in Project FUKUSHIMA since 2011, mentioned that this year’s Bon festival was a success in an interview after the event.
“Many things have changed since the disaster. Situations surrounding Fukushima, people in Fukushima and people outside of Fukushima like myself were in different situations 2 years ago, last year, and this year. 2 years ago, it was very important for us to just go to Fukushima to know that there was something we can do for Fukushima. In 2011, the first year, we had a strong desire to come to Fukushima and play music for the people in Fukushima. Then we realized that it was better to create something new from Fukushima and send out the new culture from Fukushima to the world instead of playing regular music that we usually play in anywhere else like Tokyo. So after the 1st year the focus of this project changed. ‘Eejyanaika Ondo (It’s all good song)’ that we played tonight is one example,” he talked about a shift of the project FUKUSHIMA’s focus over the course of 3 years.
He also said that helping Fukushima who is bleeding on the ground is what they need to do first even though discussing, investigating and fixing the nuclear disaster is obviously necessary. Helping Fukushima who’s bleeding on the ground, helping people who fell and taking care of their injuries are the priority. “It is necessary to bring people together from in and outside of Fukushima and share experience like we did today. We want to create a situation that people can have a hope,” he said.
There are many ways of perceiving and thinking of one nuclear disaster. About having an event in Fukushima, Mr. Katsui said that it is not a type of simple question that can be answered by just “yes” or “no” or “good” or “bad.”
“People come here today and do these things because they decide that they want to based on their own thinking. There are people like that, people in Fukushima and these people gather and share the experience. People always say that “Fukushima is having a trouble” in Tokyo, but there are many things we cannot understand unless we actually come to Fukushima. Radiation level is quite high here, but this is also a place where people live and work. Simply coming to Fukushima is meaningful. We come to meet those people, we come here to see them.”
Mr. Katsui said that the Fukushima nuclear disaster changed his life in many ways. He has been playing music for more than 30 years, but he even had to think about if he should keep playing music.
It was that kind of situation, he said. “My life changed, my expression also changed. I had to think everything over and figure out what are the things that I should do. That’s the same for Mr. Ohtomo and many musicians that played today. The opportunities to reconnect with old musician friends also increased because of the disaster. After 3.11 we couldn’t keep living without some sort of a new spirit, we needed something like that,” Mr. Katsui said.
What was consistent about the people who participated in Project FUKUSHIMA was that they all simply and purely enjoyed creating something together, transmitting the music and art they made in Fukushima to the world and sharing time together. One of the aim of the project is to change the image of Fukushima from something that people feel bad or annoyed when they hear to something that people feel hope of regeneration. They want to make Fukushima a symbol of regeneration where new culture is created. In the press conference, Mr. Ohtomo fondly said, “I imagine kids in the street of London talking that ‘bon-beat (of bon odori)’ is cool.” “Eejyanaika Ondo (It’s all good)” is an original bon dance tune that created by the project FUKUSHIMA. On August 15th, Orchestra FUKUSHIMA performed this song live, Jyun Nagami played the guitar and Michirou Endou sang as the people lively danced.
Project FUKUSHIMA is trying to make a bridge that connect Fukushima and outside of Fukushima, weaving a new culture from Fukushima and tying people with a real bond, transmitting their ideas, shifting the way of consciousness surrounding Fukushima and the way of perceiving the situation. People who attended the event probably sensed that intention. I went to this event without doing much research. I was rather skeptical about this event, however the intention of the event was thoroughly humane and they were succeeding at what they wanted to do.
“It is necessary to make an opportunity to crash the energy of the people in Fukushima and the people outside of Fukushima,” Mr. Ohtomo said in the press conference. We must not abandon injured Fukushima who fell on the ground and bleeding. There are words like “’shuttered local shopping district’ and ‘radiation level’ which exist like atmosphere all over Japan in the lyrics of “Eejyanaika Ondo.” The song is very humorous and innocent even though it poignantly includes the serious situation of Japan. Some people might exclusively have a bad image against Fukushima, however many problems are actually something that should be shared by everyone.
People who gathered in Fukushima on August 15th sang “it’s all good!” and lively danced in the radioactive place while understanding and straight up facing the reality of the Post 3.11 world.
The world doesn’t know how to put an end to the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Radiation is emitted from Fukushima Daiichi everyday into the atmosphere and to the Pacific Ocean. To keep living in the Post-Fukushima world, probably science, politics, economics, words and rationals are not enough. Sometimes people need to transcend all the reasoning, insecurity and paradox and simply gather, have a Matsuri (festival), sing and dance. In order to keep living and going forward in the Post 3.11 world, it might be necessary for people to assemble and let their primitive and indescribable type of energy explode. Generating hope in the desperate situation. That would be the special skill of matsuri (festival), music, art and culture. And I feel that Project FUKUSHIMA is actualizing that beautifully.
I couldn’t find a reason to hold an event like this in Fukushima till I went. There is a sign that says, “We Are Cleaning Up The Radioactive Materials” at the corner of the park. However, there really are things that we can’t understand unless we actually go there and experience.
最後に、和合亮一さんが櫓の上から朗読した詩の掲載をもって、レポートの終わりとします。
At last, I end this report with a poetry performance by Ryouichi Wagou.
Culture in San Diego does seem to hit the ceiling, but somehow sometimes there are too many good cultural events to go to. This Thursday and Friday nights are those nights. Let Kajiki Production help you decide which event and why with our insightful local knowledge.
Thursday, 3/28: “me vs. me.com” vs “Damian vs DKC”
There are 2 conflicting events on Thursday nights. So Say We All‘s VAMP Showcase “me vs me.com” at The Whistle Stop Bar in South Park, and a benefit show for a man named Damian who’s fighting rare bone disease DKC, “Damian vs. DKC (Dyskeratosis Congenita)” with a great lineup of local bands, Cuckoo Chaos, Grand Tarantula, and Buddy Banter at the propagandist in downtown.
VAMP Showcase, the last Thursday of every month at the Whistle Stop Bar, is a story telling event that features 8 story tellers each show with a different theme. This month’s theme is “me vs. me.com” You can sip your drink, relax and listen to unique stories told by locals. It’s a humanizing experience to listen to stories of people’s lives. There are writing and performing coaches who help to make sure the stories are polished, so the performers won’t disappoint you. For this showcase, one of the hosts, Nathan Young is going to perform. On top of the writing workshop, revising the story and practicing the performance, he’s been jogging to get in shape for this performance. ($5 suggested donation)
A rivaling event on the same night is a great show as well. Needless to say, Cuckoo Chaos is a great sophisticated band. Even New York Times knows that. If you live in San Diego and haven’t seen them live, you definitely should go see them while you can. Grand Tarantula is also a great rock’n’roll band with a solid vocalist Jordan Clark. Buddy Banter, punk garage band, will show you a fun time for sure. And your donation money will help Damian get much needed marrow transplant. ($5 minimum donation)
A good news is, VAMP Showcase ends early. It ends around 10:30pm. So technically you can go to both events, get good stories, get humanized, get good music, get cultured, party hard and help a guy.
Friday, 3/29: Sioux Magazine’s Southern Sojourn vs. farewell pizza party for Jordan Hammond
Sioux Magazine‘s Southern Sojourn is presenting great psychedelic art & music from Southern California at Gregg’s Art & Surf .Co in Ocean Beach. California 666, JOY, Brian Ellis Group will satisfy your craving for quality psychedelic music. If you are tired of wussy indie rock, this event is for you. Classic Rock Magazine wrote about Brian Ellis’ other band Astra, “Along with the UK’s very own Diagonal, this San Diego quintet represent everything that’s cool about progressive rock in a classic -or should that be ‘timeless’ sense -The musicianship is stunning; lead guitarist Brian Ellis is this generation’s Steve Howe- but beyond. Can someone please tell me why Astra aren’t huge?” So that’s what you are going to see, stunning musicianship, at this event.
But if you are a great friend of Jordan Hammond from Primitive Noyes, you might want to go to his handcrafted vegan pizza party at Tree House to say goodbye to him. Yes, Mr. Hammond is moving to San Francisco. You might wonder, “Didn’t he move to Austin, Texas or something kinda recently?” Yes he did, but he came back to San Diego because he loves San Diego so much. You can read an article about the last time he left San Diego by Seth Comb here.
Again, this pizza party starts early, around 6 p.m. meaning you can go get tasty vegan pizza, say goodbye to Jordan, and go to Ocean Beach to get your mind blown by psychedelic music and art.
On Saturday, March 9th, a group of local San Diego artists and musicians will blast the Habitat House (1008 21st Street, San Diego) with colorful art and music. The initial plan was to charter a helicopter and dump 100 gallons of paints from the sky onto the house, then have people dance on the roof, have them walk around and leave the colorful footprints all over. However, it was way out of the budget and also Zack, an owner of Habitat House, declined the plan. Now the plan is to respect the house, art, music and the people and give out a good vibration and provide warm, fun and inspiring time.
Artists showing their work are Shoko Hachiya, Danica Molenaar, Hugo Fernando Fierro and Keith Milgaten. Hachiya is about to going back to her home country Japan to utilize the universal healthcare to fix her teeth and save her people from nuclear bullshit. “Japan needs me and my teeth need an affordable dentist,” she says. She also made two adorable stop motion animation flyers for this show. Molenaar, known for dark and psychedelic narrative pieces, will be showing her brand new pieces that are more experimental and abstract.
Three electronic music acts will be also very colorful. Keith Sweaty will blast his intricate party techno. Mystery Cave will take you to a magical mystery tour, and Recycled Dolphin (Balloons) has an elaborate plan to blow your mind with gameboy music and multi-media visual he is creating for this show. The show starts at 7 p.m.
1. Jenga. Start out the night by playing Jenga with good friends to get blood circulation going. Moderate amount of alcohol recommended at this stage. This is a crucial stage to get a momentum going for the night.
2. “Phantom Vernacular” closing reception at Disclosed Unlocation 6-9 p.m.
Disclosed Unlocation: 1925 30th Street, San Diego
After the Jenga session, go see some art, think and play with your perspective. Group Art Installation by Jfre Robot Coad, Andrea Giaier, William Goff, Shoko Hachiya, Daniel Headley, Annie Perkins and Cari Veach ,which had a opening back in December 2012, is going to have a closing reception tonight to say good-bye. J Doerck and Jason Sores are going to be playing audio component for the show.
3. VAMP Showcase “Dirty Talk vol.2” at Whistle Stop Bar 8:30-11p.m.
After getting some wine and cheese and art blast at the gallery, walk to Whistle Stop for some story time. Every last Thursday of the month is So Say We All’s VAMP Showcase at Whistle Stop Bar. Sip your drink, relax and listen to unique stories performed by cute intelligent locals. Tonight’s vamp features David Latham, Juliet Escoria, Marion Wilson, Justin Hudnall, Jennifer Jamall, Eddie Deull, Yesi Padilla, Holland Holzer, Delia Knight. https://www.facebook.com/events/458346487555381/
4. Drinking Whiskey on the beach
VAMP showcase ends early, around 11p.m. So why not go to the beach and drink some whiskey with friends, listen to the ocean, have some intellectual talks and look for UFO.
5. Someone’s birthday party in a random hotel room
After the beach, go to the random hotel birthday party that you were somehow invited to.
Ryuichi Sakamoto, internationally acclaimed musician, gave a talk about eco-activism in Japan and the U.S. after Fukushima, and also had a solo piano recital on Feb 9th at UC Berkeley. Mr. Sakamoto is one of the few Japanese public figures who could speak out against nuclear energy industry and be the voice that Japanese people desperately need after the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Many anti-nuke people who spoke about the nuclear disaster on Japanese television were silenced, eliminated from the television medium and practically lost their voice. However, Mr. Sakamoto is still going strong to push eco-activism for people and the planet and spreading positive hope for people. Nikki Cameron, local artist who was at the event says, “he is so punk and hardcore and charismatic!”
At the event, Mr. Sakamoto inspired the audience with his world-class musical talent, intelligence and heart and showed what’s up with formidable dignity and charisma. In addition, American rock star professors backed up Mr. Sakamoto. Fritjof Capra, author of Tao Of Physics, Barbara Rose Johnston and Brett L. Walker gave presentations about the issue from different aspects to give more profound and comprehensive understanding about the issue. The team of a world-class musician and professors gave the audience very high anticipation and they didn’t let them down. Glen Romett, one of the audience who flew from San Diego for this event, said with a beaming smile, “I feel like I am a teenager who are going to Radiohead concert! I’m that excited!” Greg Poland said, “those people are like Jedi!” He was single-mindedly taking a note during the presentation.
At his concert that night, Mr. Sakamoto showed his overwhelmingly precise and beautiful control of the sound. He performed many of his hit songs such as a song from Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence. But he also surprised the audience. At the very beginning of the concert, Mr. Sakamoto and Ken Ueno performed an experimental noise and vocal piece that sounded disturbing, intense, scary and highly intriguing. It sounded like as if the lid of the hell was removed and monsters were coming out. Keiko Sakata, one of the audience, said that she thought the piece was about the nuclear disaster and radiation.
Cuckoo Chaos has been on West Coast tour with Incan Abraham, and they are inspiring the shit out of concert goers constantly. Cuckoo Chaos’ intricate and sophisticated sound is made possible by 5 talented and hard-working well-rounded gentlemen, Dave Mead, Jackson Milgaten, Scott Wheeler, Jeremy Scott and Garrett Prange. Solid and creative rhythm section, dreamy vocal harmony, whimsical and accurate guitar play of Cuckoo Chaos are not to be missed if you are near their path.
Cuckoo Chaos kicks off the tour at Soda Bar, San Diego
During the Cuckoo Chaos show, kids got high without abusing substances, grandmas danced and hugged their grand children in tears, bartenders took their ear plugs out and a young novelist came up with the greatest plot. After the show, dazed and confused high school kids said now they want to learn how to play instruments and groove.
Tonight the band plays at Barboza in Seattle. Mississippi Studios in Portland tomorrow. The New Parish in Oakland on 2/8 and finishes the tour at The Satellite, Los Angeles on 2/9.
On the band’s about page, Cuckoo Chaos says:
“On the fringes of the southwesternmost corner of culture and smart in these United States, Cuckoo Chaos is the Richard Nixon of disco dancing. Cuckoo Chaos is the Henry Ford of Dada. Cuckoo Chaos is the John The Baptist of cunnilingus. The Pontius Pilot of lamb skin condoms. Cuckoo Chaos is a nice, firm ass in the palm of your hands. Cuckoo Chaos is a tarred and feathered Hugh Hefner screaming at something… you know what I mean. Cuckoo Chaos is not milk. Cuckoo Chaos is the rusty trombone you’ve always wanted. Cuckoo Chaos is the Rasputin of children’s birthday parties and the Richard Simmons of carpet bombing. Cuckoo Chaos is the Nobel Peace Prize of bukkake. Cuckoo Chaos is the Huey Newton of cribbage and the Britney Spears of British teeth. Cuckoo Chaos has the Lindbergh baby. Cuckoo Chaos is the Abbie Hoffman of the Tea Party Movement. Cuckoo Chaos wants you to want. Cuckoo Chaos is sleazy. Cuckoo Chaos wants Obama to come out of the closet. Cuckoo Chaos capitalizes. We’re chewin’ the fat. Cuckoo Chaos wishes you’dstop bragging about your nightmares. Cuckoo Chaos knows you’re fucked up, but loves you. Your mom likes Cuckoo Chaos. Cuckoo Chaos is awaiting your scrutiny. Cuckoo Chaos is the John McEnroe of meditation. Cuckoo Chaos is Andy Warhol… if he could shut his mouth. Cuckoo Chaos tastes like your sister’s lips (even though you’re afraid to admit it.) Cuckoo Chaos is the semen on the mountain top. Cuckoo Chaos is the West Coast of wet dreams.