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"Just as long as I can eat the Soy Milk
Ramen! "
He is Akira Wada, the leader of
the band "PRISM", the first-ever fusion band in Japan.
We asked why he was choosing Kick Back Cafe (KBC) time
after time for his shows. The answer was the Soy Milk
Ramen.
Oh the amazing power of noodles!
The first time PRISM played at KBC was December 26, 2004, 2 months after the inaugural grand opening. It was through an old
friend of his (Mr. M, a regular customer) that he got to know
about KBC. "I thought he said we were playing in Sendai
(a city in northern Japan)! I was panicking because we
were going to have to book a hotel, and it would be a hassle
to go all the way up there. I told the band members this
too." Fortunately, he soon found out that KBC wasn't
actually so far from where the members of PRISM
lived.
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As for me, I was pleased about a no-smoking and
non-alcohol venue . . .
After his first show at KBC was fixed, he checked
out the homepage of KBC. The impression that he got through
the web site was that it was a very original cafe. When asked
of his impression of KBC after his first gig, Akira said, "I thought
it was… good for your health! The first time I played here was
right after I got over a pretty severe disease. I had just
quit smoking and drinking for the time being, because of that, and
for me, I was pleased about a no-smoking and non-drinking
venue.
For the KBC staff, having PRISM
at the cafe was simply an amazing experience for us. There are
a lot of Jazz Fusion artists that perform at KBC now, but this was
the band that started everything. We owe a great debt of
gratitude to Akira and PRISM.
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Shake 'em!!
When you look at all the people that have
played at Kick Back, the only performers that shake the hands
of all the staff after every show are Akira and the members of
PRISM. They are people that really value relationships,
and for Akira, KBC is a place where he can build
relationships. "Our music is easy to listen to, for
anyone in the general public, you know. If I have the
opportunity, I would like to play at all kinds of venues, and
to a wider range of people." Akira has performed in
places like Roppongi and Yokohama, both of which are cities
for top performers such as PRISM. But he met an audience
like no other in Sengawa. He played in front of babies
as well as the elderly. It was the first such experience
for him. "Kick Back was on TV, right? I saw
that! It was about you guys having a little room called
the "Mother's Room" where the moms can change the diapers of
their babies and breast-feed them too, right? I mean,
I've played in front of babies before in other venues, but
usually our music is so loud that they start crying, and
eventually they give up and go home." The Mother's Room
at Kick Back allows moms and babies to be comfortable during
the performances. Maybe it's because of this different
type of audience that he and the band are drawn to
KBC.
Recently there have also been some relationships
started amongst the musicians that perform at KBC. KBC
interceded between PRISM and Daisaku Kume, the original
keyboardist of PRISM, and asked them to consider whether they
wanted to get back together for the first time in years to do
a show at KBC. "Daisaku was the one that approached me
about doing a gig together. He knew of KBC also, and he
liked the sound here, so why not? He sent me the notes
when I was on tour. The notes were so difficult to play
that I had to quit drinking for a while in order to
concentrate. Just 3 days before the show, he sent me
another set of notes for 10 songs!!" It must have been
tough for him, but Akira's face shows no traces of exhaustion
as he reminisces about that show. Rather, he seems to be
beaming with joy about the whole experience. It's
probably the musician blood in him that just loves challenges
like that. "Oh yeah, at the festival(Sengawa Music Fest)
the other day! I met a drummer that I used to play with
back in the day. He found out that we were playing here
and stopped by." It's been 20 years since they last met
each other.
"It's all because KBC is making its presence
known in Sengawa." |
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The source of New Inspiration
Akira has been able to enjoy new and different
kinds of shows through KBC. On November 10th, KBC is
hosting PRISM and a keyboardist in the community, Akira
Ishiguro. The show will be called "PRISM and
friends". "As long as the inspiration fits the setting
in KBC, I want to take on the challenge of creating many
different kinds of music."
Next year will be the 30th year
of his activities as a renowned guitarist and with the help of
new relationships being built through KBC, his activities are
increasing in energy day by day.
"Another good thing about KBC is that the
staff is very mobile."
"If you use this interview in the
flier you're passing out, I'm going to be famous in
Sengawa"
Akira, thanks for choosing KBC! We hope
that you keep on choosing KBC, because remember, we're the
only ones that make Soy Milk
Ramen!
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