2011/01/13＊Takuro

「Recording information」

As recording starts next week, I’m busy with preparations: I’ll have to write the lyrics to more than 10 songs. I’m just taking it easy even though I’m running out of time. Working hard while taking it easy. For those 10+ tracks, I have to write the lyrics while also doing the guitar parts, remembering the songs, matching them all together with the band… writing that down now, the situation looks to be pretty grim if I’m not prepared.

The album we’re making now (release date TBA!) will be our 4th. As we’ve made it to this point, there’s something I’ve gradually learned. I’ve realized I need to try and take it easy and relax, especially when I should be in a serious, frantic work mode. If I don’t, both my spirit and body stiffen up completely and I stop relying on the others in the group. I’m in a band — I’m not alone. If I’m busy occupied with my own pain, I won’t be able to notice if the others are suffering. That’s why I have to take it easy. Occasionally, someone will get angry. Understandable. There are times when someone will go too far about something trivial and stupid. Can’t be helped. What’s important is how you take it from there. I suggest the following. As you know, our society’s all about taking exams and tests and bachelor’s degree thesises. For adults, it’s, umm, the year-end tax adjustments. On top of that to make matters even worse, it’s chillingly cold throughout Japan. Let’s all take it easy together, and after we’ve completed the album in our relaxed fashion, please listen to it. I’d guess that by then it’ll surely be warm outside, so much so that I can’t even imagine it now.

Well then. We’ll do our best～ (while taking it easy)

2011/01/01＊Takuro

「Happy New Year」

Happy New Year. 9mm just played its annual nonsense live at Akasaka BLITZ a while back. We always strive to put on the best show we can, but we’ve decided before to make this the one day of the year when we just let loose and let alcohol and the festive New Year mood take over. For me, I was a little worried about my throat but as we got started, it was like… how should I put it? Like, withholding that bit of force as I sang, I found that it instead brought out a very good result. Seeing as the whole year’s plans are made on New Year’s Day… I think I’d like to make that my goal of of the year: to find more ways to best make use of my body in the live setting. Now then, the 2010’s have really begun. I wonder what some of the events that make the headlines in 2011 will be. It’d be nice if 9mm’s music and performances were amongst them. There’s endless confusion in the world today, but I do believe it’s slowly getting better — even if that’s not always how things seem. All the friends I made until last year, all the new people I’ll meet this year, and of course every one of our audience, let’s all have fun together this year. Please give us your support in 2011 as well.

2010/12/29＊Chihiro

『Tragedy of the Playlist』

“What? Where? How much was it off by?”

5.Chatmonchy
6.TOKYO SKA PARADISE ORCHESTRA
7.9mm Parabellum Bullet

…

…Who the hell are 7.9mm damn yooou.
Give us back our 1.1mm.

Should we have our Ketsumochi¹ give you a little talking-to, huh?
Huuuh?

¹ Parody of Chatmonchy. Would roughly translate to something like “sticky ass” (or “ass mochi“?)

2010/12/29＊Staff

It’s Makuhari today!
We’ll do our best!

2010/12/22＊Takuro

「Shinkiba Crisis evaded」

…is what I should be saying I guess, rather than “it’s ended“. We managed to avoid the Shinkiba Crisis. Now that it’s ended, rather than calling it a collaboration event, a more fitting word would be complicity or conspiracy. What I mean to say is, it was a super hot night.

It was quite hot inside the venue during the event, and around the time we headed home it even started raining, so I think it was a narrow escape for quite a few of the audience. However, the reason for coming to the show in the first place was to check the headings of the crisis so everyone could avoid it, right? (Including the people who couldn’t come.)

With that, set your mind at ease and please spend a nice Christmas and New Year’s, everyone.

This is the said Dylan item we used as BGM.
He occasionally sounds like Louis Armstrong.

2010/12/20＊Takuro

「The night before Shinkiba Crisis」

Shinkiba Crisis is here at last.

We’ll be boiling the stage together with Rin Toshite Shigure and Midori. We’re going to be using Bob Dylan’s Christmas album from last year as BGM when the audience are making their way in and out.

Having various Christmas songs by Dylan playing before and after every band’s intense performance, it’s supposed to keep away the advent of crisis at the venue…… so it’d be good if you didn’t resist. If even for an instant there’s an air of like “uhh… this music is kind of…“, we might end the show. Wahahaha.

There might be quite a few people there tomorrow for whom this’ll be their last show of the year. But, including those of you who still have other shows remaining as well as those who can’t make it over to Shinkiba, let’s create a huge uproar, no? With that, see you tomorrow at Shinkiba COAST.

—–

Abe, who I saw inside the station. A year goes by so quickly.

2010/12/20＊Staff

12/21 @ Shinkiba COAST “Shinkiba Crisis” – notice about early sales of goods!

We’ll be doing pre-show sales of the Shinkiba Crisis limited goods & 9mm official goods outside the venue from 16:00～17:30. Sales inside the venue begin from 18:00. We’ll be waiting for you.

2010/12/14＊Kazuhiko

『Conversation』

It’s been a really long time. This is Kazu.

Today, I got to have a conversation with the, the, the J-san during an interview for a certain bass-specialized magazine. That J. I was wildly nervous. It’s the same as when I got to talk with Koji Ueno for GIGS. That same feeling. That feeling of going “well that sure could’ve gone better on my part…” after it’s over. I came up with lots of things to talk about, but I ended up forgetting all of them. That kinda thing. And then I’m only just remembering them now. I got flustered. Ahh, I was nervous. I think I’ll be envied and gotten slightly angry at by lots of people. Nevertheless, it was fun! I learned a lot!

I wonder how many years it’ll be until I next write a blog. Just kidding. This was Kazu.

2010/12/04＊Takuro

「After CHAOS」

The blog about it had somehow a really abrupt ending, but the evening at LIQUID a while back turned out to be a wonderful one as expected. Enjoying some beers while watching the terrific performances of WRENCH and Arakajime Kimerareta Koibitotachi e, we nearly forgot that we’d even performed ourselves. Afterwards we straightened our collars, though. One has to stay serious, see.

Around that time, THE BACK HORN were playing their tour finale over at Shibuya QUATTRO. It’s too bad that we (naturally) couldn’t go and see them.

And then yesterday we gathered up the songs we wrote during our lodging together and rushed right into working on them. The songs we did on the first day were more technical than expected, so it was a tough fight. But I have a good feeling about the songs, so now’s not the time to be losing to their difficulty. I’ll do my best.

A cardboard box found at LIQUID. What’d they use it for, I wonder?

2010/12/01＊Staff

9mm live～♪
Taki hurt both his legs today and it looked really painful, but he never stopped playing!
As expected!