Steven Tanaka may be one of the most insanely passionate fans of Japanese indie/underground music you’ll ever meet. The Vancouver-born Tanaka has a Japanese CD collection numbering in the thousands, and has attended more than 500 live shows in Japan in just the last five years. To top it off, in May of 2010 he started a cross-Canada tour called Next Music From Tokyo (NMFT), which saw a handful of Japan’s most intense and energetic live bands launch a sonic assault on the people of Montreal, Vancouver, and Toronto.

Now in its third installment, the twice-yearly NMFT tour will once again be hitting the Great White North, October 13-18. I sat down with Tanaka in Toronto to find out what drives his musical fervor, how he’s able to almost single-handedly organize a national tour while working a full-time job as an anesthesiologist, and what motivates him to take on the mammoth financial demands of running NMFT.

How did you first get interested in Japanese indie/underground music?
Most of my life, I hadn’t listened to Japanese music because my impression was that in Japan, the indie/underground scene wasn’t too prevalent, and it was mostly stereotypical stuff like J-pop, enka and visual kei, so I always thought that there wasn’t much that would interest me if I were to listen to local bands from Japan.

But there was this one band called Chatmonchy that became probably my absolute favorite band for a while. I’d go to Japan just to watch them play. They started off as an indie band, but then they got signed to Sony and they progressively became more and more sort of pop and more focused on selling CDs, as opposed to making music that they really wanted to – at least, that was my opinion.

As they became more mainstream, I got more interested in other bands. So, I’d go to Japan to watch Chatmonchy, they’d play with another band that I might like, so I’d follow that band, and they’d be playing other shows with other bands, and that sort of ballooned into a huge list of bands that I became interested in.

What do you think makes the Japanese indie/underground music scene so great?
I see shows in Canada, and I just feel it’s a bit homogeneous in that a lot of the bands tend to sound similar, and there isn’t as much diversity in sound. A lot of bands in North America are excellent in terms of creating great studio works, but when it comes to watching them live, how they sound on stage isn’t too different from the way they sound on CD. In Japan, the focus is almost completely on the live performance. So, if you listen to (a Japanese band’s) CD, you might not be too impressed, but if you were to watch the same band play live, they would just blow your mind, because they play with so much more passion and intensity.

How often do you go to Japan to watch shows?
Before I started this tour, I tried to go to Japan as many times as possible in a year. My record is eight times in one year. But I only go for one week or two weeks max at a time. My record for shortest visit was when I went to watch Chatmonchy’s bass player (do a DJ gig). I went to Japan on a Thursday, arrived on Friday, and then flew back on Sunday. I was just there for basically two days.

So, I watched that show in Tokyo, where the bass player from Chatmonchy DJ’ed, and then I went all the way to Kyoto to watch one of my favorite bands – Viridian – play, and then I went back home. When I go to Japan, I usually see a show almost every night, and sometimes I might see three or four shows in a day, because compared to Canada, shows tend to start earlier. Most shows start at 6pm or 7pm, and a lot of times they even have shows during the day.

What were your goals when you decided to put together the Next Music From Tokyo tour?
In terms of why I wanted to do this tour, I thought of three main goals I wanted to achieve. One was just giving the bands – bands that I love – an opportunity to come and perform in another country since most of those bands haven’t had that opportunity in the past, so I wanted to be able to provide that for them.

And two, I wanted people in Canada who are already fans of Japanese music to have an opportunity to see bands perform live, because it would be really expensive for them to fly all the way to Japan to see bands play. I wanted to do something for people who are already pre-existing fans of Japanese music.

But probably the biggest reason that I wanted to do it was to help cultivate an interest in Japanese music here in Canada, because, for me – I go to Japan a lot, I love the food and I think the girls are awesome – but for me, the best part of Japan is its live music scene, and because it’s so under-recognized, I really wanted to do something to give it some more recognition.

How did you come up with the name of the tour?
I didn’t coin the name of the tour. I was struggling to come up with a title on my own, but the bands did their own brainstorming and came up with Next Music From Tokyo. For me, I thought it was a little bit problematic, because it was not my intention to limit the tour to bands from Tokyo alone, because there are a lot of bands in Fukuoka and Osaka that I liked as well that I also intended on bringing in the future. But it had a nice ring to it, and I couldn’t think of anything better, so I decided to leave it at that, knowing full well that I would probably be inviting bands from other cities in the future.

You spend an insane amount of money putting these tours together. At what point did you know this wasn’t going to be cheap?
Oh, I knew off the bat I was going to lose anywhere from 30- to 40-thousand dollars. Paying for airfare makes up about 80% to 90% of the cost of the tour. Even if I didn’t pay for the flights, I’d probably still lose money. Now, with the cost of fuel skyrocketing, it’s ridiculous how expensive flights are from Canada to Japan.

For the first tour, there were 18 band members. I spent about 20-thousand dollars on airfare, and I also paid for a hotel in each city, so about a thousand dollars a night, and this was for about 10 nights. So, 10-thousand dollars in hotel, 20-thousand dollars in airfare, and I also bought food for them, there were expenses in terms of renting the venues, and then buying ads promoting the tour, so in total, it was probably at least 35-thousand dollars. And that was the cheapest one, for sure.

As someone who had no prior experience organizing a tour, what did you learn from putting together NMFT Vol. 1?
What I learned was that it’s actually doable, because in the process of organizing the first tour, with the roadblocks of finding venues and securing work visas, I seriously thought that the tour might not be able to go through, just because of all the red tape. Logistically, with four or five bands, having so many people and having to sort of babysit them myself across Canada, I was afraid that, you know, “Would I be able to take care of them properly over the course of ten days?”

I realized that it was doable, that if you put your mind to it, it’s achievable. And that it was worth doing, because even though I knew I was going to lose a ton of money no matter what, the amount of fun that I had and the memories that I’ll take with me for the rest of my life, it was worth it.

How do you balance a full-time job with organizing a tour?
I have to make sure that the tour doesn’t compromise my ability to practice medicine. A lot of times, I do stay up late at night, long hours, to do a lot of the organizational stuff for the tour, and that can impact how vigilant I am during the day. But work, in general, is pretty regular. I do eight-hour shifts at the hospital, and occasionally I have to work a 24-hour shift on-call, but it is pretty predictable.

Your many tour responsibilities include booking and renting venues, designing posters, writing press releases, securing instruments and backline, chaperoning the bands, emceeing the shows, and even acting as doorperson at the clubs. Has anyone stepped up to give you a hand with things?
For this tour, I specifically emailed the bands that I was a little bit unimpressed with the bands on the second tour, because they left a lot of the organizational stuff and promotion to me. So, I let them know that I really wanted their help in terms of, at the very least, giving me band photos and helping create a promotional video to get the word out for the tour. And they all said that, oh yeah, they’ll definitely help in that regard, but I find once again that it’s just sort of me and my friends doing most of the work.

So, from an organizational standpoint, it has been a lot of work, but what has helped quite a bit is a lot of my friends and a lot of fans in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, are now starting to help a lot more in terms of helping design and distribute posters.

Are there any plans for U.S. tour dates?
What I’m doing, as it is, is too much of a financial and logistical burden. To actually bring it to the U.S., in terms of the work visa issues – if you think Canada’s bad, the U.S. is even worse. So, the red tape would be the biggest roadblock to being able to bring it to the States. Initially, when I pitched this whole idea to the bands, it was that we were supposed to do Canada and the U.S., and they were heartbroken when they found out that we wouldn’t be able to go to the U.S., but it would just be too much of a hassle.

Where do you see NMFT heading in the future?
In terms of the future of this tour, I don’t really necessarily need it to grow more than this. I’d love to get a little bit more media coverage, just so that the Japanese music scene gets a little bit more recognition, but I don’t want to be doing shows at large venues.

The Biltmore Cabaret in Vancouver is probably the largest venue the bands play at, and that holds about 400 or 450 people, and I think that’s more than enough. The whole point of this tour is to have bands play at sort of an intimate setting, and with a lot of energy in the crowd, and I find that if you get too large of a venue then it sort of becomes a little bit more impersonal.

Basically, the most important thing for me is seeing how happy the bands are, coming to Canada. It might be the only opportunity they ever get to perform in another country, and I’m just really happy I was able to do that for them.

Can you talk a bit about the bands appearing on Vol. 3, and what can people expect to see at the shows?
NATSUMEN is the marquee band on this tour. They’re an eight-member instrumental super-group who play a blend of experimental jazz and powerful hardcore with timeless melodies and boundless energy. Picture Miles Davis jamming with Jimi Hendrix and At The Drive In.

Chiina is composed of three females on piano/vocals, violin and contrabass, and two males on guitar and drums. They play orchestral indie pop mixed with jazz, folk, and post-rock, and the singer has a sublimely beautiful voice. They’re all classically trained and incredibly skilled.

Hyacca are from the southwestern tropical city of Fukuoka and play lightning speed punk colored by mathy riffs, krautrock rhythms and shoegaze soundscapes. They have dual male-female vocals, occasionally with guttural screaming, and play to an incredibly catchy new wave beat that the crowd can’t help but dance and mosh to.

Akai Ko-en are four girls aged 18-19 who play melodic emo-hardcore with a level of intensity and passion that must be seen to be believed. They keep all of their music and video footage off the internet so you don’t know what to expect and are completely blown away.

Merpeoples will only play with us in Toronto. They’re four girls who play indie new-wave pop-punk oozing with sex appeal and charm.

People can expect to see bands performing heartfelt music with skill of the highest caliber. Even if you don’t understand a word of Japanese, you can still enjoy the show thoroughly because the passion, energy and talent with which the bands play, transcends any language barrier. NMFT Vol. 2 was named best show of 2010 in Montreal by multiple journalists in the year-end issue of the Montreal Mirror. So, if you’re not allergic to fun or good music, you should definitely come out.

Find out more about the tour at nextmusicfromtokyo.com

The Zoobombs: Moostop, Don, Pit, Matta

Singer/guitarist Don Matsuo is detailing the beginnings of the group he’s fronted for over 15 years, which also features original members Matta on keyboards and Moostop on bass, along with newest member Pit on drums.

In mid-sentence, Don pauses, unable to find any words. “Sorry, my brain isn’t really working today,” he says. “I’m just too tired.”

That’s not surprising, considering it’s the day after an intensive three-week U.S./Canada tour (June 22 – July 10) filled with endless hours of driving in a van from city to city, and capped off with 10 shows in as many days.

AMERICAN GIGS
The American leg of the trip, which saw them play gigs in a handful of cities, including New York, Philadelphia and Toledo, was noteworthy for the fact that it was their first tour – though not their first show – south of the border in a decade.

It’s no secret The Zoobombs love Canada – they’ve played here countless times and regard Toronto as their second hometown – but the band all agree that the decision to leave the comfortable confines of the land of hockey and maple syrup and re-enter the American market was a sound one.

“It was good to spread our music to the U.S. and not just Canada,” says Matta, as she works on a hunk of pie.

The Zoobombs liked the taste of their American experience and are ready to take a bigger bite. An expanded U.S. tour is already being planned for the fall.

“We felt really excited to play music in America,” says Don. “It reminded me of the first time we ever played music. It was that kind of feeling.”

1994: BIRTH OF THE ZOOBOMBS
It was back in September of 1994 that The Zoobombs formed and played music together for the first time.

Don, who had been toiling in groups that were only interested in imitating “Teenage Fanclub, Smashing Pumpkins, or some kind of grunge band,” was bored, unsatisfied, and looking to make some original music.

Moostop, whose resume included a stint in a Japanese pop band that Don calls “awful” and Matta calls “interesting”, was also looking to start afresh.

The two of them met through a mutual friend, who became the original drummer for the band, and their relationship was cemented after a successful rehearsal session in which they were impressed by each other’s playing abilities. (It was Don who gave Moostop his nickname, which was inspired by the large amount of mousse that the bassist styled his hair with at the time.)

In need of a keyboard player, Don posted an ad and the position was soon filled. There’s nothing unusual about this part of the story, except that the ad in question was placed on Don’s kitchen fridge, and it was his wife Matta that joined the group.

“It was kind of a joke,” says Don. “I knew she could play keyboards, but she was really shy and she had no experience with a band, so she refused at first.”

Zoobombs #2

The story of how Don and Pit first met is a surprisingly improbable one. “I found him in a dumpbox. He was just lying down in the street,” says Don about their initial, random encounter. “He was a stray sheep.”

The details of what the newest and youngest member of the band was doing lounging in the gutter are somewhat unclear, but it was a fortuitous meeting. The Zoobombs were in need of a new drummer and Pit, floundering in a band that was going nowhere, and having wandered from his dream of becoming a professional player, was in need of some guidance and direction in his life.

“I couldn’t find a way,” says Pit, whose pseudonym was taken from his father’s jazz record shop – Pit Inn.

Don took him under his wing and put him through vigorous testing, making sure he had the right stuff to be the next Zoobombs drummer.

“Actually, I didn’t like Pit. But he had guts. I knew it would be hard for me to grow such a stupid kid into a good drummer,” says Don. “I push the drummer really hard, and I want them to have lots of knowledge and lots of feeling, so he was surprised by that. But he said, ‘I want to try, and I want to grow up.’ So, all right.”

15TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW
Pit’s 2009 debut also happened to be the year of the band’s 15th anniversary, which they celebrated with a special performance at Basement Bar in Tokyo on September 9 – a show I had the pleasure of attending.

“Our energy and the audience’s energy joined together (that night),” says Moostop. “It was a really happy time.”

The band stuck around after the crowds had left and recorded the tracks that would make up their “Nightfriend of ZOOBOMBS” album, which is a collection of many of their all-time best songs.

That was followed up with “Midnightfriend of ZOOBOMBS”, a condensed album that was quickly put together by Don and Matta for their Japanese tour last May. The full band will go right back into the studio this summer to begin recording the next proper Zoobombs album, which should be released in Japan later this year.

‘I JUST WANT TO PLAY MUSIC’
As for passing the decade-and-a-half mark as a band, while it represents a great milestone in their career, it isn’t something on which they’re dwelling.

“I don’t want to think, ‘It’s been so long,’” says Matta about the last 15+ years. “It doesn’t matter. I just want to play music.”

Don agrees.

“Fifteen years is not really a short time, but we’re still finding our way and we’re still finding our own original music style,” he says. “Now, I want to focus our activity in America and maybe Europe next year, and then come back to Canada.”

Zoobombs #3

Shonen Knife

Tokyo, Japan – Shonen Knife have been rocking out and making audiences happy for over 25 years with their unique brand of punk-pop.

I sat down and spoke with the Osaka-based trio – original member Naoko (lead vocals, guitar), Etsuko (drums, vocals), and newest member Ritsuko (bass, vocals) – before their concert at Lush in Shibuya, on Saturday, September 12.

They shared their thoughts on fashion, their upcoming North American tour, and their latest album, “Super Group.”

How important is fashion and personal style for you?

Etsuko: Fashion is important. An 8 out of 10.

Ritsuko: It`s not so important for me, but I like to dress up. When I go to a summer festival, I wear a yukata. And when I go to a wedding party, I wear a kimono.

Naoko: I like to go shopping downtown in Osaka. But I think the “in” fashion is not so important for me. I like to wear this style. I like rock fashion.

Can you tell me about what you`re wearing today?

Naoko: I`m wearing a Ramones t-shirt. I got this from a Shonen Knife fan. Also, these are jeans, but very stretchable, because we travelled from Osaka to Tokyo by car, so I needed very easy, relaxing pants. And this looks like a rider`s jacket, but it`s a very soft texture.

Ritsuko: I like loose fashion. My pants are easy to move in. I bought my shirt in Osaka.

Etsuko: Today, it`s a kind of leggings style – actually, skinny jeans with a short-sleeve t-shirt. I bought the shirt at the shop where I always go to in Osaka – Tennoji Mio.

Naoko: Tennoji Mio building – it`s a big shopping mall in Osaka.

Etsuko, I read on Shonen Knife`s myspace page that you like to follow the latest fashion trends.

Etsuko: I like to check the trends through TV, internet, and clothing shops.

What`s the current hot item?

Etsuko: They`re not for me, but thigh-high boots seem trendy right now.

What`s your opinion about Japanese street fashion?

Etsuko: I think it`s okay for everybody to wear what they like. But sometimes I find a few people wearing the same fashions, and it`s weird.

What was your style like when you were a teenager?

Etsuko: I was so busy with club activities, so I was always wearing a school uniform.

Ritsuko: I wore mini-skirts.

Naoko: I wore the same as now. I wore jeans and t-shirts. Casual fashion.

Can you tell me about Shonen Knife`s stage costumes?

Naoko: I think we like to be prominent – more prominent than the audience – so that`s why we wear matching outfits. Making our stage costumes is rather easy. If we don`t have any stage costumes, we need to prepare our private clothes, but it`s very complicated. Also, matching outfits seem very fun for the audience. Many rock bands wear stage costumes. For example, The Beatles wore Pierre Cardin suits. And Kiss wear very fun stage costumes. I like that.

Has the band always worn matching outfits?

Naoko: Yeah, we`ve been wearing stage costumes from the first time. My younger sister – our original drummer – Atsuko, designed and made our stage costumes by herself. But she moved to Los Angeles, and now Etsuko`s aunt makes our costumes. We design them ourselves. We just want to wear costumes which are entertaining for people. Also, the textile should dry fast – like sportswear, because we`re very sweaty onstage.

Ritsuko: (Stage costumes are) very important for us. Once I wear my stage costume, I feel I can be a member of Shonen Knife.

Naoko: It`s like Superman`s suit, or Batman`s suit.

What will you wear for your upcoming North American tour?

Naoko: We will take one or two or three costumes – maybe two – and one of them will be our stage costume for our latest album, “Super Group”, which we`re wearing on the jacket of the CD.

For people who don`t know Shonen Knife, how would you describe your band?

Naoko: Three-piece, all-female band, and the music style is punk-pop, but the spirit is very “rock”.

Ritsuko: Love and peace. Live performances are very “rock”.

Etsuko: A very cool and enjoyable band.

What can people expect to see from Shonen Knife on this tour?

Naoko: We`re going to play new songs from our latest album, “Super Group”, and also, for Ritsuko, it will be the first American tour.

Ritsuko: I’m looking forward to the tour. I`ve been waiting for it for a long time, so it`s like a dream come true.

Etsuko: The first time I went to North America, it was so hard to manage doing the live shows every day, but then I got used to it, so I was able to enjoy the tour. Now, I’m looking forward to enjoying the shows and seeing the fans and people I met.

Aside from Shonen Knife, what do each of you want to do in the future?

Etsuko: I want to design clothes, if I have the talent and opportunity.

Ritsuko: Cooking. I want to cook and make sweets.

Naoko: I`d like to go to a tennis academy, and train for tennis. I want to be a stronger tennis player.

Before we finish, can you tell me about the new album?

Naoko: The new album, “Super Group” is a very fun album.

Ritsuko: Our photograph is on the CD jacket.

Naoko: In these last few years, we usually use a drawing, but this time it`s a photograph. Also, there are various kinds of songs on the album. Some songs are very “pop”, and some songs are kind of hard rock. My favourite song is called “Pyramid Power”. Pyramids have a very special power. If people put an apple inside a pyramid, the apple will never rot.

Really?

Naoko: I don`t know if people will believe it or not, but it must be a very fun thing. I wrote such a fun song and I hope people will listen to our album, and I hope people will come to our show, and let`s rock!

Naoko/Ritsuko/Etsuko

Let's rock!

Find out more about Shonen Knife, their upcoming North American tour, and their new album, “Super Group”, at the official Shonen Knife site.

J-List is a peaceful island of Japanese pop culture for you

ZOOBOMBS

June 21st – The sun is shining brightly on a beautiful Sunday morning in Toronto. It’s fast approaching 11 o’clock. I’m on the Spadina streetcar heading for Kensington Market. I have an interview arranged with Tokyo, Japan’s funk-rock masters, the Zoobombs (www.thezoobombs.com). I’m running late.

My phone rings. It’s Don Matsuo, lead singer and guitarist of the band. He asks if our interview is still on for 11 o’clock. I’m about to apologize for being tardy, but he beats me to the punch and asks if they can have a bit more time to get ready. No problem.

I wait in front of the meeting place – their hostel – and go over some of the questions I’ve prepared. I check my camera. Everything’s good to go. My mind drifts off to a few weeks prior, to the time I read that the Zoobombs would be coming to Toronto. I had heard the name often over the years, but didn’t really know their music or what they were all about. With a killer name like “Zoobombs”, I figured they had to be pretty awesome.

After doing a bit of research (Zoobombs formed in 1994; are known for their energy-filled live shows; have a long-standing relationship with Toronto) I decided this was a band I had to meet. I fired off an email to the group, requesting an interview. It was Don that replied, saying an interview would be cool, and that they’d have some time after their Toronto shows were done.

Fast-forward a few days later to June 19th. They’re playing a free outdoor show at the University of Toronto – their second of four scheduled gigs in three days. Not a big crowd, but they live up to their reputation as a great live band. They rip it up. I’m hooked. I approach Don after the show. He remembers my email. We chat for a bit and he suggests 11am on the 21st for the interview. We shake hands and I go home happy…

I’m suddenly brought back to reality as the hostel door swings open and out pops Moostop, the mop-haired bass player. He’s sporting jeans, a purple shirt, and a pair of blue Converse All-stars.

Next out is Pit, the drummer and newest member of the band. He’s got on a bright green jacket, cargo pants, a camouflage bag, and a pair of grey Adidas.

Don, the tall, slim leader of the group emerges. He’s rocking a green zip-up hoodie, red sunglasses, skinny jeans, and a pair of silver Nikes.

Last to arrive is Matta, the petite keyboard player with the short-cropped hair. She’s got on bell-bottom jeans, a green t-shirt with the word “STRAHL” on it — layered over a blue-striped, long-sleeved top — and yellow Pumas.

PIT

With the introductions out of the way, we head off — they’re hungry for some brunch. As we pass the many cafes, vintage shops, and graffiti-filled buildings that make up Kensington Market, Matta and I talk about food and photography.

We come across a store with loads of sunglasses and hats on display. Pit and Don are quite interested in the offerings. They try on various things. Matta joins in as well. Moostop is the least interested of the bunch, but he eventually tries on a hat. I snap some pictures and enjoy the scene.

Don leads us into a tiny café. They order some food, I grab a pop, and we settle in on the outdoor back patio.

I start the interview, of course, by asking about their tastes in fashion and clothing.

Fashion is not really a high priority, according to pretty much the whole band.

Don says he doesn’t care much for the latest trends or “hit” items, and his look isn’t necessarily based on a particular theme, like vintage or modern. “I don’t choose some kind of really splashy fashion. I just want to be myself. It’s a pretty natural thing.” His biggest worry is finding the right sizes. “I’m skinny and my arms are too long, so it’s hard to find good stuff that fits.”

He doesn’t frequent any particular clothing stores, or seek out the “good shops.” If he likes something and it fits, he’ll get it. He says it’s not uncommon for him to wear t-shirts that he’s had for more than five years. “Sometimes Matta says, ‘You don’t have to wear that. Change it! Change into a new one!’”

When playing a show, the important thing for Don is being able to move freely. His flashy performing style, and need to physically communicate with the other band members, requires that he wear something that allows him to move his arms, hands, and whole body easily and comfortably.

Matta’s main clothing issue is also about size. Because of her petite build, she wears pants that are made for kids. She likes whatever is “funky”, and she’s into bell-bottoms. She doesn’t have much free time in Japan, so she’s been doing a lot of her shopping online recently. Her favourite recent purchase is her camera.

I ask Moostop about his personal style. The others laugh. “He’s not really interested in fashion,” says Don. Moostop confirms this, saying he usually just wears what the other band members recommend. “It’s okay,” he says. When asked what the coolest thing is that he’s bought lately, he says it’s his shoes.

Pit says he wore large-sized clothing and sported a hip-hop style before he joined the band, but that’s since changed. Like Moostop, his favourite recent purchase is his shoes. In fact, the two of them bought them from the same store in Shimokitazawa — the area in Tokyo where Pit lives — before a show.

Don points out that this is Pit’s first time playing overseas. I’m curious to know what his impressions of Canada are.

“Just waking down street,” Pit says, “we can find many kinds of pictures, graphics arts, signs and billboards. They’re very colourful. Even foods, like breads in bakeries, are more vivid than what we can find in Japan. So, I’ve been stimulated because there’s a wide variety of colours and things here.”

The others have been to Canada many times, and they each have their own reasons for why they like it. Don says his mind feels free and he has a sense of familiarity when he’s here. Furthermore, he says it has a “good influence” on the music.

Matta says there’s a lot of art here that inspires her. She especially likes seeing the “rock posters.”

Moostop likes that the people are friendly. He says his “mind is happy” when he’s here, and he feels no stress. “It’s a good situation.”

Contrarily, Don talks of how busy life is in the Zoobombs’ home city of Tokyo. “Sometimes, the living is too hard for me.” The major focus there, he says, is on the economy, rather than on art and music.

DON

It’s hard for Don to get music off his mind. He says he thinks about it always, even when he’s sleeping. I ask about his interests outside of music. “Nothing,” he says. No? Nothing at all? “No. Playing music is our life.”

“But he’s good at cooking,” Matta reminds him. So, you like to cook? “Well, yeah,” he admits. “Reading, too. Reading books. When I’m reading books or cooking, I just stop thinking about music. Otherwise, I’m always thinking about music. So, sometimes I go crazy.”

Don is a firm believer in using books to expand one’s imagination. He has strongly encouraged Pit to read as much as he can, so he can develop his own thoughts and vision, and apply it to the music. “He’s pretty young, compared with us. And his generation is not reading many books. They’re just reading manga or (watching) TV.”

So, Don likes to cook. Pit keeps busy reading books. How about Matta?

“I’m very crazy about printing,” she says. “Screening. I always do t-shirts and CD covers, and sell them at the (concert) venue. Also, I like drawing. Almost every day, I draw something.”

One of Moostop’s pleasures is driving the band vehicle, which he says is in really poor condition.

Not to be outdone, Don mentions his Japanese car from the 70’s that’s manual, slow to start, and always has some kind of problem. “It’s pretty fun to drive,” he says. “Yeah, I love that. And my son loves that, too.”

Another thing Don is crazy about is eating. More specifically, sweets. “I’m kind of a sweets monster,” he says. “I’m always eating some sweets, muffins, cookies, chocolate, cake and donuts.”

I can believe it, because he’s been slowly stealing pieces of Moostop’s muffin while we’ve been talking. “Delicious!” says Don, as he grabs another chunk. Moostop doesn’t seem to mind having his muffin snatched, though.

So, what does the future hold for the Zoobombs? Where do they envision themselves?

Don says he’s not sure. He can’t say for certain what the Zoobombs of the future will be like, only that the music will be outside of what he can currently imagine. In the meantime, he just wants to play music, and concentrate on making it better.

“(Maybe) it’s pretty hard for you to understand, because our music is kind of loud and noisy, but I want to make the music beautiful,” he says. “I want to get some kind of real human feeling.”

Check out the ZOOBOMBS picture gallery!