Tales from a mixed-heritage indie band in Tokyo: Sunset Drive
Easily distracted -- but not on their goal to bring rock back to Japanese charts.Meet: Sunset Drive, three guys in their 20s, New Zealand
Aspiration: To provide an alternative to the generic pop music that dominates Japanese charts
Tosh Aoshima and his 'flying V' brings the chords to the New Zealand collective.
An alien environment
It’s the second-largest music market in the world -- so what band wouldn’t want to crack Japan? But for non-Japanese bands, Japan is not so easy.
The vast majority of fans here listen only to domestic music, which accounts for a whopping 82 percent of sales -- a figure that is steadily increasing.
And then consider the non-Japanese acts who actually live here.
They fall somewhere between the domestic/international divide and face conventions that are utterly alien to them.
Among them are pay-to-play systems at music venues where bands are expected to pre-buy tickets for their own gigs and sell them on -- or simply cover the cost from their own pockets.
They also have to prepare for quiet audiences that rarely get rowdy, a tricky language barrier and bureacracy, and politics with venues and other bands at every turn. It's an uphill struggle at the best of times.
Steady gigging
Sunset Drive is one band that has weathered the storm and is starting to reap the rewards. The band features New Zealand bassist/vocalist Alastair Rogers, Japan-born/New Zealand-raised Tosh Aoshima on guitar and Japanese drummer Shinta Yoshida.
“Having played in New Zealand and having released a gold-selling album (with previous band Eight), but seeing no further room to move, I decided to step out,” says Rogers. He and Aoshima met in New Zealand and moved to Tokyo in 2006 to form a band.
With a garage-rock sound and plenty of pop hooks, Sunset Drive has corralled a decent following in Japan and even toured overseas.
As well as performing at live houses on their Japan tours, they run Pub Rock Revival, a regular live event at The Ruby Room in Shibuya where they play alongside Japanese and foreign bands they admire.
Through steady gigging at venues across the city, and with a couple of low-price EPs, plus bags of determination, they have built up a solid audience and regularly play shows in towns all over Japan.
Japan's own myspace
“The whole industry lacks support for independent bands,” says Aoshima. “There are no radio stations or media that support indie bands, and word of mouth is difficult because of the culture.
"Japanese people might hear about a good band, but that doesn’t make them get up and see their show on the weekend.”
In fact, the “word of mouth” concept is beginning to take root in Japan, as social networking slowly pilfers marketing power away from television.
Alongside Western sites such as Facebook, MySpace and YouTube, local variations like the SNS mixi and video site Nico Nico Douga are empowering independent Japanese bands like never before.
One band to find success on their own terms via the web is Shinsei Kamattechan, a young four-piece from Chiba who built a fanbase with eyecatching homemade videos on Nico Nico Douga and YouTube and are now signed to major label Warner Music Japan.
But still, major sales are never easy to achieve in Japan without a proper budget for advertising, venue booking and backhanders.
The band whip up the crowd and the brave even join on stageMore than just a novelty
“The mainstream is completely and absolutely dominated by J-pop and is heavily controlled by a small group of major labels churning out generic music,” laments Rogers.
"However, there are some fairly good-sized musical subcultures in Tokyo, and making it big in one of those would still be pretty significant.”
Such communities are varied but can provide longevity, as fans of a niche scene here tend to be fiercely loyal. In Tokyo, thriving independent scenes can be found for punk, alternative, electro, hip-hop, jazz and more.
For budding foreign musicians thinking of trying their luck in Japan’s music scene, both Rogers and Aoshima advise carefully about analyzing your own music and considering whether there is a demand for it in conservative Japan.
If your act isn’t succeeding at home because it’s not up to scratch, don’t expect to fare better in Japan. The novelty value of being a foreigner certainly won’t be enough to carry you to the top of the charts.
“Some people praise us because we have a foreigner as our frontman or because we sound totally non-Japanese, and some people dislike us for the same reason,” says Aoshima.
American artist Scott Murphy was embraced in Japan after releasing a series of cover albums featuring punk versions of classic J-pop and anime songs. He went on to tour Japan several times with musicians from very successful local acts such as Polysics and Oreskaband as his backing members.
“Being foreign can open some doors, and kick off conversations,” says Rogers. “But in the end, I always need to hand over to my bandmates to make sure that everything is done in the Japanese way.”
Further reading;
Beatlemania in Japan: Beatles cover bands but no 'Rock Band'
Summersonic: Japan's biggest music festival delivers on Tokyo's doorstep
Big in Japan: a-ha in awe of gadgets, dedicated fans and sumo
