2010/10/31＊Takuro
「The power of concentration to concentrate on concentrating」
The amount of time one can spend in deep concentration per day is probably about two hours. I set aside that time for playing the guitar, writing lyrics and reading books.
But after band practice, I find that I’ve often used up all my concentration resources. Lately, our rehearsals on days when it’s been raining have been really tough. I can’t help but feel that way, even if you tell me it’s just my imagination. It feels like it’s harder to get our rhythm together than on sunny days. Nevertheless, rainfall doesn’t have much of an effect when we’re actually playing a show. It’s strange. We’ve had good shows even when playing in heavy downpour.
But I digress. When it’s a tough rehearsal like that, I use up my power of concentration. Also, on days before shows, I can’t seem to calm down. But no matter how big a show is, I seldom get so nervous I can’t sleep. It’s just that I can’t calm down.
At times like that, I just stay motionless, not listening to music or reading books. When I do, my body gradually starts sending me signals like “do some stretches” or “I want to drink something warm” and such. When I listen to those signals, I find that at some point my mind’s been refreshed and I’ve calmed down. I’m able to hear the tiniest of sounds. The sound of the fan spinning, or indications of someone walking outside.
I think this is the foundation for concentration — catching the signals that your body’s sending you. It feels to me like it’s very much connected to performing and production work. I want to acquire the kind of power of concentration that lets me concentrate deeply, immediately when I want to.
The reason why I’m writing a blog about this is basically, well, I’m actually having a bit of trouble calming down at this very moment. (laughs) Wahahahaha! I’m excited about the show ～. It’s our first time going to Asia University (obviously) and it seems there’s going to be seats as well. Whether 9mm’s audience sits down or stands up, whether it’ll be a gathering of people who’ll focus on making huge noise once we start playing or whether university students are the kind of people who don’t really do that, let’s have fun tomorrow. With that, I’ll be doing some stretching now. See you later.
2010/10/29＊Takuro
「I’ll become a person of Tokyo¹」
After our first shows in a while at the school festival of Tokyo Polytechnic University and Lessthan*Riot, I was caught off guard when Tokyo had suddenly gotten chilly, even though I grew up in a snowy part of the country with a temperature difference of 10°C. I’m not making much progress in my typing thanks to that. Next week we’re playing at the Asia Matsuri of Asia University, and on the weekend we’re playing at EMI ROCKS and the Kanagawa Institute of Technology (w/MAXIMUM THE HORMONE). I guess we have more shows ahead of us than I first thought. Those of you coming, please take care of yourself as to not get a cold from the temperature change. With that, later.
¹ Takuro uses a funny reading of Tokyo here (凍狂). Googling it, it might be a reference to the manga Pyu to Fuku! Jaguar where unusual kanji are apparently often used. It roughly means “ice enthusiast/lunatic”.
2010/10/23＊Staff
Playing live for the first time in a while!
With a new song introduced as well, the crowd was really fired up!
9mm’s shows really are nice, right! They’re fun!
2010/10/23＊Takuro
「School festival season」
…is what 9mm’s entered. Right now we’re in the middle of our commute. School festivals actually all have long play times, so they have that benefit about playing them. The tickets are pretty cheap, too. It’s been a while since we last performed in front of people (the thing the other day was just us DJ’ing, see. There’s a picture of everyone and stuff on Katahira’s blog.) so I’m looking forward to it. With that, see you later.
2010/10/10＊Takuro
「Tomorrow」
As per Katahira’s invitation, me and Kazuhiko go DJ’ing. Pierre Nakano will also be with us. The venue is a place called CLUB SEATA in Kichijouji. My plan was that I wouldn’t be playing any 9mm-like fast songs, instead just spinning lots of crazy rock like Captain Entropy, Aksak Maboul, Yura Yura Teikoku and Soft Machine, etc., and getting everyone on the floor into a frenzy (or rather, cause a mayhem and get booed at), but thinking about it now, I realized this’ll be the first time I’m touching a CDJ since the last time I DJ’d. (laughs) Thus, I think I’ll just play the songs I like while drinking beer and makgeolli while taking it easy so that I’m able to finish my set without it turning into a chaos. So basically, it’ll be just like always. Well, I say that even though I’ve only DJ’d a couple of times so far.
It starts early and it’s not an all-night thing, so for those of you who want to make some noise at the end of their holidays, definitely do come. With that, see you tomorrow!
2010/10/06＊Takuro
「Bad Religion」
I’m listening to Bad Religion’s new work “The Dissent of Man”. Taki and Kazuhiko love them and thanks to hearing them so much in the tour van for the last 2 or 3 years, I’ve started liking them a bit, too. The first song is way too cool, so I immediately bought it after giving it a trial listen.
So, I’m listening to it now and all the songs are good. It seems it’s been 30 years since their formation. In a faraway country across the Pacific Ocean (or possibly the continent of Eurasia, but in the west anyway since they’re American), many people are listening to music from their band. I wonder how they feel about it. Those of you who’d care to, please give it a listen. The Japan version comes with a live disc.
Oh. Next week I might go and do some DJ’ing. Might be nice. We might do that with Kazuhiko. That might be nice, too. I might write about mice parade next. With that, later.
2010/10/02＊Takuro
「Shinkiba Crisis」
“Shinkiba Crisis”. It’s finally been announced. We’re playing at Studio Coast — where we’ve already played several times this year — once again with the wild enthusiasm like that of September 9th… is how it feels like. It’s been about a year since we last played with Midori, and two and a half years for Rin Toshite Shigure. Saying “it’s been a while” would be quite fitting indeed. All three bands put out an album this year and they’re all splendid (one third of that is self-flattery, though).
The ones who brought up doing this event were us, but Hajime from Midori gave the impetus for us to do so. We were talking one night at some club and he said “Let’s play together～. We’re the same age and all“. “In that case, I also want to bring Shigure along…” And that’s how splendidly it all came together. I’m glad. The important thing this time is how we’re all the same age.
On the day of the show, I think it’ll be a fierce 3-way struggle of performances where you can’t even tell apart the stage, the venue or who’s who. I’m not saying it’ll be all the members on stage o jamming or anything, not like that — it’s three bands who you couldn’t even really imagine doing that in the first place. Ah, but the members of CHAOTIC SPEED KING are all present though, and the groove created by the male team of Midori seems like it could take anything… how about everyone joins in there, and then we have the performance captured on a TK cassette tape recorder? How does that sound? (laughs) All the way up to mastering. Nah, that’d be no good, no good at all. (laughs) Let’s just make it a hard-hitting joint show like always — if I don’t become tense from being too fired up for it, that is.
Definitely, definitely do come over and check just what kind of a crisis there’s going to be at Shinkiba, everyone.
