Here it is, my final video:
Mojaco: A story of a band in Tokyo from Keith McCreary on Vimeo.
While there are some sound issues and I don't particularly like my own voice over and I think I could do better, it's something I'm a bit proud of. I hope I can go back and fix some of the problems I commented on and make it even better.
So, everyone, what do you think?
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Music in Japan (part 7)
After a while, it became quite routine for me to join Mojaco at their shows. I would see them almost every time they played, and often we would go for drinks afterward. One time, we stayed at a club until first train, and another time we met for yakiniku in Asakusa and went to karaoke after dining. It was quite an evening as all of us, including one of my friends and about 3 or 4 of their friends, went stumbling drunkenly around the famous temple in Asakusa, much to the confusion of some German tourists.
When I was asked to make a story about something involving Tokyo, I almost instantly thought about this band which I fostered an odd relationship. At one show, I asked them if they would be interested in helping me out. The guitarist and the drummer/singer were very enthusiastic, but the bass player took some convincing. It's my opinion that she is a bit shy.
I started filming with my friend who is Japanese and speaks fluent English. I was hoping to capture some of the dynamics of me interacting with a band in broken languages, however this didn't end up getting captured on film. Any time I had a camera in my hands, conversation was almost killed, as I couldn't be close enough to them for a good, relaxing conversation.
What I did get was a couple really good live performances captured on tape. I wanted to show their energy on stage, as it doesn't totally come across in the recordings of theirs that I've heard.
I also got a chance to sit down and interview them. This was a bit odd, because first off, it was at a dark, noisy izakaya. It was also odd because my friend took over due to the language barrier. She did a good job, but I felt a little odd not knowing what was being said.
After recording, editing was quite fun, but a little rough in spots. Throughout the interview, I felt it was too dark and when I went to go lighten it, it got too grainy. I got what was I hope a good balance between grain and brightness. The live performances came out better than I expected and sounded really good for what I was working wish. I wanted to include the whole performances in the video, but that would have made it much too long and woud have probably bored anyone who didn't know the band beforehand. Maybe later I'll put them online.
When I was asked to make a story about something involving Tokyo, I almost instantly thought about this band which I fostered an odd relationship. At one show, I asked them if they would be interested in helping me out. The guitarist and the drummer/singer were very enthusiastic, but the bass player took some convincing. It's my opinion that she is a bit shy.
I started filming with my friend who is Japanese and speaks fluent English. I was hoping to capture some of the dynamics of me interacting with a band in broken languages, however this didn't end up getting captured on film. Any time I had a camera in my hands, conversation was almost killed, as I couldn't be close enough to them for a good, relaxing conversation.
What I did get was a couple really good live performances captured on tape. I wanted to show their energy on stage, as it doesn't totally come across in the recordings of theirs that I've heard.
I also got a chance to sit down and interview them. This was a bit odd, because first off, it was at a dark, noisy izakaya. It was also odd because my friend took over due to the language barrier. She did a good job, but I felt a little odd not knowing what was being said.
After recording, editing was quite fun, but a little rough in spots. Throughout the interview, I felt it was too dark and when I went to go lighten it, it got too grainy. I got what was I hope a good balance between grain and brightness. The live performances came out better than I expected and sounded really good for what I was working wish. I wanted to include the whole performances in the video, but that would have made it much too long and woud have probably bored anyone who didn't know the band beforehand. Maybe later I'll put them online.
Music in Japan (part 6)
Upon entering the club, I paid my money and was asked "Who did you come to see?" I was surprised by the question, as I've never been asked that question. I was also charged more than I expected, as I was forced to buy a drink ticket, which is apparently normal here.
Being the only white guy in a place is something that I've become accustomed to, as it happens quite often. Being alone in a club is an awkward experience, but I've become familiar with that feeling too. Both at the same time is a tad odd, but even more strange when there are about 8 people and they all seem to know eachother. Also, I arrived on time, which was close to half an hour before the first band played, so I'm alone in a basement club by myself surrounded by people I can't talk to. I was fidgeting with my phone, but my phone didn't get any reception underground.
After hanging out for a bit, Mojaco arrived and they recognized me before I recognized them. They seemed quite honored and pleased to see me and I was terrifically happy to see that they remembered me and desired my company.
After the show, they invited me to join them in a "New Years" party (as it was mid January) at an Izakaya. I met a bunch of their friends and we drank copious amounts of Sake and had a generally great time. Some of their friends could speak some English and I had my translation dictionary handy, which proved essential.
When it came time to go, they absolutely refused to let me pay, and treated me way better than they should have. I was quite greatful, and I told them I'd check out their next show that I could.
Being the only white guy in a place is something that I've become accustomed to, as it happens quite often. Being alone in a club is an awkward experience, but I've become familiar with that feeling too. Both at the same time is a tad odd, but even more strange when there are about 8 people and they all seem to know eachother. Also, I arrived on time, which was close to half an hour before the first band played, so I'm alone in a basement club by myself surrounded by people I can't talk to. I was fidgeting with my phone, but my phone didn't get any reception underground.
After hanging out for a bit, Mojaco arrived and they recognized me before I recognized them. They seemed quite honored and pleased to see me and I was terrifically happy to see that they remembered me and desired my company.
After the show, they invited me to join them in a "New Years" party (as it was mid January) at an Izakaya. I met a bunch of their friends and we drank copious amounts of Sake and had a generally great time. Some of their friends could speak some English and I had my translation dictionary handy, which proved essential.
When it came time to go, they absolutely refused to let me pay, and treated me way better than they should have. I was quite greatful, and I told them I'd check out their next show that I could.
Music in Japan (part 5)
The show with my roommate was the first time I went to an indie show in Japan. I had a lot of fun and I saw something like 5 bands that ranged from forgettable to quite good. Two of my favorites being Highered-Girl and B.B. Mojaco.
Mojaco was a 3-piece band with a drummer that doubled as a lead singer. They were really entertaining to watch as all of them, especially the drummer/singer, seemed almost overjoyed to be on stage. The lead singer's voice was so amazingly high-pitched, it didn't sound real. If I heard them recorded, I would have sworn someone altered the voice. But, seeing them live, and hearing her talk between songs, I knew it actually sounded like that. I can clearly understand why some people wouldn't like it, but I do.
After the show, I talked to them a bit with my broken Japanese and their broken English. I got their website, email, and phone number. When I got home I looked them up and found out about their next shows.
The first show of theirs I went to solo was quite an odd experience. First off, finding the club was a bit rough. They had a website, but it was all in Japanese. I checked other English websites and few were of any help, as it was a small club and not a place famous at all. I finally found a website made by an English-speaking fan of Japanese metal bands. He'd been to that club and had rather detailed instructions to get there. It told me to go out of Shinjuku south exit, turn right and walk for what seemed like too far. It really is an odd walk, as there's nothing but corporate offices for a while, then suddenly there is a major interstate hovering above your left shoulder while you walk. It doesn't seem right. Like, why would someone start a club HERE? It's the logical equivalent to putting an office for a stock trading company in the smack middle of Harajuku or some other illogical place.
But, as the instructions said, I kept walking until I saw a sex shop, which much like the club itself, seemed to have no business in this neighborhood. Right after that, I took an immedate right and saw the club. I felt really nervous and awkward.
Mojaco was a 3-piece band with a drummer that doubled as a lead singer. They were really entertaining to watch as all of them, especially the drummer/singer, seemed almost overjoyed to be on stage. The lead singer's voice was so amazingly high-pitched, it didn't sound real. If I heard them recorded, I would have sworn someone altered the voice. But, seeing them live, and hearing her talk between songs, I knew it actually sounded like that. I can clearly understand why some people wouldn't like it, but I do.
After the show, I talked to them a bit with my broken Japanese and their broken English. I got their website, email, and phone number. When I got home I looked them up and found out about their next shows.
The first show of theirs I went to solo was quite an odd experience. First off, finding the club was a bit rough. They had a website, but it was all in Japanese. I checked other English websites and few were of any help, as it was a small club and not a place famous at all. I finally found a website made by an English-speaking fan of Japanese metal bands. He'd been to that club and had rather detailed instructions to get there. It told me to go out of Shinjuku south exit, turn right and walk for what seemed like too far. It really is an odd walk, as there's nothing but corporate offices for a while, then suddenly there is a major interstate hovering above your left shoulder while you walk. It doesn't seem right. Like, why would someone start a club HERE? It's the logical equivalent to putting an office for a stock trading company in the smack middle of Harajuku or some other illogical place.
But, as the instructions said, I kept walking until I saw a sex shop, which much like the club itself, seemed to have no business in this neighborhood. Right after that, I took an immedate right and saw the club. I felt really nervous and awkward.
Music in Japan (part 4)
When I first got here, I found going to shows a lot more difficult than I imagined. First off, I don't like going to shows alone. I will, but it's not as much fun. I didn't know many people right off that were interested in joining me.
More than lack of company, my biggest problem was the language barrier. Finding Japanese bands is not that easy if you can't read Japanese. Even once I found a band I wanted to see, without knowledge of Kanji, I couldn't easily (if at all) find where they were playing. Sure, there are English resources like Metropolis magazine and Tokyo gig guide, but they focus primarily on mainstream artists and foreign acts in Japan. As for mainstream acts, I found ticket costs to be quite overwhelming, but this wasn't the root of the problem. The real problem was that I didn't want to see top 20 artists, I wanted to see the best of the independent bands. Since there are so many indie shows and so few English speaking audience members, there is very little information in English about them.
After I moved out of the dorms, I ended up living with a bass player. He had a band, and a few weeks after living here, he was playing a show and invited me and my other roommate along.
More than lack of company, my biggest problem was the language barrier. Finding Japanese bands is not that easy if you can't read Japanese. Even once I found a band I wanted to see, without knowledge of Kanji, I couldn't easily (if at all) find where they were playing. Sure, there are English resources like Metropolis magazine and Tokyo gig guide, but they focus primarily on mainstream artists and foreign acts in Japan. As for mainstream acts, I found ticket costs to be quite overwhelming, but this wasn't the root of the problem. The real problem was that I didn't want to see top 20 artists, I wanted to see the best of the independent bands. Since there are so many indie shows and so few English speaking audience members, there is very little information in English about them.
After I moved out of the dorms, I ended up living with a bass player. He had a band, and a few weeks after living here, he was playing a show and invited me and my other roommate along.
Music in Japan (part 3)
After the collection phase of Japanese music, I still kept listening to Japanese music. The soundtrack of my life was no longer exclusively in English. I got to see the Polysics play live in San Francisco, and Puffy play twice. While the Puffy show was interesting but not great, the Polysics put on a fantastic performance.
Some people I knew had a hard time understanding why I liked music in a language I didn't know, but considering that Japanese people (and many others) listen to a lot of American or British music, it's not really that bizarre of a concept.
When someone asks me "Why did you move to Japan?", my response usually is something generic about wanting to live in another country and hoping to explore the world and see something new. The truth is, like most people, my reasons for moving here are not simple, nor can they be stated in a sentience or two.
I won't deny that one of the reasons I came here was due to music.
Some people I knew had a hard time understanding why I liked music in a language I didn't know, but considering that Japanese people (and many others) listen to a lot of American or British music, it's not really that bizarre of a concept.
When someone asks me "Why did you move to Japan?", my response usually is something generic about wanting to live in another country and hoping to explore the world and see something new. The truth is, like most people, my reasons for moving here are not simple, nor can they be stated in a sentience or two.
I won't deny that one of the reasons I came here was due to music.
Music in Japan (part 2)
After my friend found the goldmine of Japanese music, we started collecting videos at an amazing rate. We weren't picky at all, and essentially anything that came from Japan, we got the video and watched it. This included a lot of really terrible music videos, and since J-pop was the easiest to acquire, the majority of the collection was made out of that. Some of it was truly terrible and some was half decent.
After a while, we sort of hit a wall. Everything we heard of, we got. At one point, we had well over 300 Japanese music videos and estimated that we probably had one of the largest, if not THE largest, collection of J-Pop DVD quality videos in North America. At this time, my friend was my roommate, and we built a computer to store the videos, among other things.
When it was difficult to find videos, hunting for new videos or songs was a challenge, but when we realized we can get anything we want with almost no effort, it got less exciting. Once the novelty of collecting wore off, we sorta gathered a few artists worth remembering and tracked them, their side projects, recommended similar bands, and perused Japanese music that way. It was this point I started listening to Shiina Ringo, Pe'z, Polysics, RIP Slyme, the Brilliant Green, The Pillows, Bump of Chicken, Mr. Children, Blankey Jet City, and several others.
After a while, we sort of hit a wall. Everything we heard of, we got. At one point, we had well over 300 Japanese music videos and estimated that we probably had one of the largest, if not THE largest, collection of J-Pop DVD quality videos in North America. At this time, my friend was my roommate, and we built a computer to store the videos, among other things.
When it was difficult to find videos, hunting for new videos or songs was a challenge, but when we realized we can get anything we want with almost no effort, it got less exciting. Once the novelty of collecting wore off, we sorta gathered a few artists worth remembering and tracked them, their side projects, recommended similar bands, and perused Japanese music that way. It was this point I started listening to Shiina Ringo, Pe'z, Polysics, RIP Slyme, the Brilliant Green, The Pillows, Bump of Chicken, Mr. Children, Blankey Jet City, and several others.
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