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The audience jumped around a lot when the third band played

Asaka-kun with his new Gretsch

Ka-kun adjusting the drum kit. Bands of this level use the live house’s drum kit - in fact most drummers don’t even own their own kit. Every live house and rehearsal studio I know of provide a drum kit. Ka-kun has taken the next step up though - he uses his own snare drum, cymbals and pedal - even for rehearsing.

A considerably drunk Shingo on bass…

The Boy and I caught the train to Musashi-sakai tonight to see Billy The Kid play their first live in over a year. I’m not sure who was more nervous - us or them. You see it’s not that they hadn’t just not played a gig in a year - they hadn’t practiced in that time either - was asked to do a gig and then practiced 4 times together over the last week.

We got there in time for the first band and BTK’s bass player Shingo was already pretty drunk. Then Asaka-kun’s ex-girlfriend (one of the reasons for them not playing for a year) turned up and made him even more nervous than he already was. Ka-kun was calling from Shibuya and they were getting concerned that he wouldn’t make it in time (he did though). My legendary status was increased because my key ring has a bottle opener on it - although I didn’t really think they should be drinking bottles of Smirnoff Ice and beer like they were - I also didn’t want Shingo to cut open his hand by trying to open them on the side of the table (or with each other - not sure why he thought that would work - maybe drunk logic).

But this is a gig right? Even though they haven’t played in over a year and Ka-kun was kinda passing thru on his way to practice with The Dynamites and the other two were drunk and nervous, one would naturally assume that it’ll be alright on the night.

But it wasn’t.

And they knew it wasn’t too.

Ka-kun was practically having a fit at the back trying to get them in time (he’s really strict and can pull a mean face for such a cutie-pie - I know because he’s our drummer too and I’ve seen that look in practice). I could see Asaka-kun getting more and more depressed as the set went on - I think he was playing as fast as possible to get it over with. He asked me what I thought afterwards (dammit was trying to avoid that conversation) I escaped by telling him that his new Gretsch guitar had an awesome sound - luckily it’s easy to distract guitarists by talking about guitars…Shingo was playing more to the audience than his bass, which was a good thing really…

But there were several positives to the drama - the boys (well not Ka-kun who was pretty certain before the gig it was going to be a disaster) now realize that practice is important and need to reassess what they want to do with the band. And that it does take a certain amount of committment. It was also good for the Boy to see this - I’ve been telling him that we need to start doing gigs because we need the practice in that area as well, but he wanted to wait until we were all perfect before we did. I have no illusions about our first gig - it will most likely be dreadful - he hasn’t had much live experience and although I’ve been on stage a lot before it’s never been with a bass guitar slung around me (although one good thing about the studio we rehearse in now - they have spotlights with coloured gels so I’m getting used to not being able to see the strings…or my hands…or anyone else). It was also good for both of us to watch the bass players in other bands - even though none of them used their fingers as I do, they were often playing much simpler bass lines than the finger-torture ones he likes to have. So I scored a couple of brownie-points there.

Nearly all of the Boy’s friends are in a band. Many of them in the same ones with just a few interchangeable members, i.e. Ka-kun is everyone’s drummer. Like with everything else there is a certain amount of friendly rivalry between them.

One is a competition to see who will finally be able to claim Ka-kun as their drummer (I cook* for him the most though so Marshmallow Spike is drawing a little in the lead for that one). We are not sure what’s happening with the Dynamites - but so far they and we don’t clash as far as schedules go - we both have to try and eliminate other bands though.

Ka-kun is also related to another competition (because he is so strict with us) - who has the best bass player. Now this is a “who can piss the highest up the wall” competition that I’m involved in. All of his friends watch my progress enthusiastically - Ka-kun has spread it around that I’m fantastic, the Boy that I’ve got a long way to go, and the few friends who’ve seen me aren’t sure. Shingo asked me last night how it was coming along and I just said that I think I was improving, although I did permit myself a few introspective bitchy smiles when he messed up - especially when he got his feet tangled in his effectors and stopped playing for half a song to sort them out. On a positive side it is motivating - I have to practice just so I can stick it to ‘em when we play. Also I’m a non-pick using Australian woman bass player competing in a male dominated field so I have to fight for the sisters as well.

The best guitar. Asaka-kun is in the lead now and the others can’t afford their dream guitars yet, so they are going for more of a “who can play the best on the crappiest guitar” slant.

Getting good gigs. Well we are all floundering in that area - Billy The Kid is the only one who has played a gig lately, the rest of us are “in rehearsal”. Of course when we all start to do regular gigs this will then escalate to who can get gigs in the best live houses and get the most people to come. And then who can get people who aren’t their close friends to come…then who can get an awesome supporting gig…and so on…

Cutting a demo. Marshmallow Spike has the advantage of their bass player being a sound engineer. And a room full of recording equipment.

Promotion. Marshmallow Spike also has an advantage here in that their bass player has worked in both the music and radio industries, and is also a web designer who can do promotion online. And has a network of contacts. (See - I may still stuff up the timing to the opening of “Gimme” but I’m useful in other ways).

So the heat’s been turned up a little. We have decided to do our first gig in October and are going to book it in the next couple of weeks. I suspect Billy The Kid are going to try and “revenge” themselves on the gig last night. Another friend who came along is sick of going to his friends gigs and will be pushing to do one himself. We are of course going to go to everyone else’s gig and support them. Not just to check on the other’s progress, but to dance at the front of the stage, open bottles for them, write out play lists and the other things you do. Maybe we’ll even organize ourselves to do an event with all of us playing.

As long as they find themselves new drummers of course.

*Edit - where it says “I” that should really read “he eats here a lot and to be honest it’s not me who does the cooking as much as the Boy and several of my friends, in fact I have probably only cooked for him twice”.

• Wow, i had no idea the band thing was so…political!  there is so much underground stuff going on!  If you do an “everyone together event”, i can seriously imagine the situation where Se…Ka-kun would end up playing the drums for every band that came on, not bothering to get up from the kit except for drinks, toilet and leg stretches!  Hey, that could settle the competition; whichever band gets the most audience members along or the most applause (not really the right word, is it?) or the cutest girls wins him as the permanent, first-priority drummer.

  And yes, you kinda do come from a pride, ne.

  j-ster
  03/08/10 10:51 PM

• Ka-kun is such a cutie I could eat him with a spoon!! 

  *ooops did I say that out loud?*

  p.s.  He is still wearing that shirt!!  I will ask my mother to bring back some real creaming soda from Aus this week shall I?

  GG
  03/08/11 10:35 PM

• “...luckily it’s easy to distract guitarists by talking about guitars…”

  heh.
  Please post a link or drop me an email when your band plays somewhere.
  Thanks,
  james

  james
  03/08/14 11:56 PM