On 'Bocchi the Rock! Re:Re:'

In conjunction with the release of the compilation film, or rather, ever since the anime was broadcast and streamed, I have been frankly happy that people are following the old songs and history of Asian Kung-Fu Generation, which has been going on for over 25 years. Although the band has kept rolling without stopping once since its formation, pop music also has an aspect as youth culture, so as we have aged along with the middle and high school students of that time and our own generation, I think it is inevitable that we would stop being discovered by the younger generation, let alone have our misunderstandings or the edges of interest—whether we are like canned horse mackerel or esoteric meditation methods—be noticed.

However, as mentioned above, both the band and our lives are rolling forward with all our might as we approach our fifties, and while the desire to become famous was thin to begin with, we have always firmly held the desire to have our music heard. The internet is filled with a sea of songs that could be called infinite due to streaming services, where thousands of new songs are uploaded every week, and one can listen to vast numbers of past masterpieces at any time. It is a daunting task to get people interested in us, but I think there are truly many new encounters and reunions brought about by 'Bocchi the Rock!'.

I am grateful for the work, and I want to convey this to everyone who has liked our music, whether new or old. Thank you very much.

Now, it feels a bit uncomfortable to gather this kind of attention only to ourselves and collect it by saying, 'We were lucky, weren't we?' It also feels like it doesn't mesh well with the activities I have done in the music scene (for example, NANO-MUGEN FES.). Therefore, I would like to write a recommendation article so that people who have become interested in music, not just Asian Kung-Fu Generation, through 'Bocchi the Rock!' can encounter various works and artists without staying only in that place.

More than 10 years ago from now. As the 2010s progressed, I had the feeling that the opportunities for boys to pick up guitars in the global music scene had decreased significantly. Rock's popularity was declining worldwide, and I think indie rock in particular was struggling. It was the heyday of rap music. However, American indie rock felt like a hundred flowers blooming with female singer-songwriters (and bands as well), and it was fun to check them out. I don't know the logic behind why that was, but anyway, there were many wonderful records.

I think it is difficult for an introverted person like Bocchi-chan to actually reach the point of forming or joining a band in terms of communication, but if you have an instrument, you can start music even by yourself. That is, of course, also true for a laptop PC. I think that is a small but certain hope. You might think it's strange to introduce Phoebe Bridgers or Waxahatchee as an extension of that, but I'm sure they also created music from a place of being all alone.

HAIM is a band started by sisters. I admire how wonderful it is to do music with sisters or brothers. I feel a sense of rebellion from them that blows a new wind into the male-dominated entertainment world, and I think both their sound and attitude are cool.

This song by Girlpool is very moving. It's a music video with expressions that seem to curse the discrepancy between one's own nature, body, and spirit, but there is proper salvation, and no matter how many times I watch it, I feel like crying and my pores contract. Music wraps up personal worries that you can't tell anyone, like 'Maybe I'm a monster.' I was a boy who suffered from a sense of alienation wherever I was, but music was the only thing that didn't leave me out. It was open to everyone. However, this song is truly beautiful, as if it embraces everyone.

I would also like to introduce some Japanese bands and artists. Although it doesn't make much news, the number of bands active overseas is increasing. I think that's the best. If there is a future where Kessoku Band and people who start bands because they admire them can follow in their footsteps even a little, that would be truly wonderful.

MASS OF THE FERMENTING DREGS is expanding its field of activity to the world without relying on any tie-ups. They say their American tour is also a full house. I think their activities, which seem to be updating their golden age, are hope itself for people who continue to be in bands for a long time. Of course, for me too. I also think the great success of Otoboke Beaver is wonderful. When I saw an image on the internet of Dave Grohl watching their performance from the side of the stage, I thought I would be jealous, but instead, I was moved from the bottom of my heart. The reason they were booked for the Park Stage at Glastonbury (where punk poets and others were also performing when I went) can be understood if you listen to their songs and read their lyrics.

The breakup of CHAI was unfortunate. However, their appearance itself was hope itself, and I think they made it much easier for us to live. They taught us that complexes are charms. I think that way of thinking is becoming standard now. It might not be easy, but I hope that we can acknowledge each other and that everyone can hold their heads high and be themselves.

There are so many wonderful bands and artists in the world that I really can't write them all down, and if I wrote them all, I would use up my life just doing that. It's an amount that would take a lifetime. I will continue to introduce them on the APPLE VINEGAR podcast and radio, so please check them out if you have time.

I would also like to write about the bands I have been involved with so far at the end.

I think Chatmonchy was a symbol of an era. The appearance and success of Chatmonchy were very significant for the bands that followed, and I think that perhaps the flow is connected even to the music of Kessoku Band. I feel like they were always striking a fighting pose, saying, 'Don't underestimate us.' I think that is because the music industry is a male-dominated society, a fact that I am also a part of and continue to reflect on. It was cool that they never showed it in their music while continuing to fight against shitty advice, or rather, attitudes and customs like mansplaining.

However, I think it is a loss to have to spend energy fighting such things. I am one of the people on the side of the structure that causes such losses, so I want to reduce such scenes even by one. Just to be clear, the production sites I participated in were very fun, and it was a time when I was constantly surprised by their free ideas. I learned a lot. If a band like Chatmonchy is born anew in the present or future, I want to exterminate the places where old men sit back and act important, and as an adult, I want to prepare an environment where they can break through to the ends of the earth. I want to continue such efforts until I die.

Recent yonige looks healthy, and I think their posture is natural and wonderful. When I worked with them, there was a sense of being torn between the image of yonige that the staff wanted and what they wanted to do themselves, and I think it was a difficult time as a band. No matter how happily a band starts, various phases arrive. In the end, I think finding what you want to do and achieving it is the best thing. Whether you sell or not is directly linked to your livelihood, but if you get to the root of it, we didn't start bands thinking of making music a business. Maybe I and they just felt like making a 'Gyaan!' sound with our instruments and screaming something. I want to keep walking with everything we carried at that time, not as a product or something noble.

To be clear, I don't think it necessarily has to be rock.

I just want to convey that being in a band is fun (I'm sure HIP HOP crews and gatherings where everyone talks about music are also fun).

Music can connect you with people who might not have become friends under normal circumstances. It is mysterious because you can agree on the music you like with strangers whose ways of thinking, places of birth, and beliefs are completely different. You might even be able to dance together for about an hour. I don't think I could have become this close with the members of Asian Kung-Fu Generation if we hadn't formed a band or if we hadn't been doing music. Even when I look around, I feel like there are only people I wouldn't normally meet.

I don't think music is particularly great, but I hope that the various emotions put into music, and the exhilaration and euphoria when playing in an ensemble with friends, will make many people's lives and existence a little freer and richer. Just as I was saved by music in the past and was able to find myself and my friends.

P.S.
I was thrilled that the Kessoku Band version was packed with various Asian Kung-Fu Generation-esque elements from the intro, reminiscent of songs like "Mustang," "Rojiura no Usagi," and "Bicycle Race." Thank you so much, Mitsui-kun.