Artist Statement

Of the many reasons I came to Japan, one was because of Japanese music. A few years back, I recall listening to a modern Japanese rock CD and being quite blown away. Everything seemed much more creative, interesting, and original than anything found in the mainstream American world. Even Japanese pop, while often times generic fluff or outright bad, is generally produced far better than American pop.
Shortly after I came to Tokyo, I became friends with a small-scale local band. Over the last six months, I have been to the majority of their shows and have hung out with them for hours afterwards. Despite the obvious communications problems, as their poor English is much better than my very poor Japanese, we have become friends and always look forward to seeing eachother.
Being in a band before in America and helping friends in other bands extensively, I understand what it's like to play shows, practice, record, and live the life of an independent musician in a country where everyone has their own equipment, a place to practice, and a vehicle to haul gear around with. In Japan, but especially Tokyo, I'm learning that the situation is quite different. It is my intent to follow this band around and create a mini documentary about their lives and how they preform in the city. Hopefully their experiences and music can create a snapshot of a band in the largest metropolis in the world.