USGKZ Interview Chapter7. USGKZ&The equipments

▶ USGKZ&The equipments started in 2016. I heard that it began when LARGE400 couldn't make it to Less Than TV's Fucker album release, and you ended up doing a solo performance.

USGKZ: Yeah, that's right. Uchi was the one who organized that live, and he suggested I do a solo performance. When I asked Taniguchi-san (FUCKER) about it, he said he'd really like me to do it. I thought, "If Taniguchi-san suggests it, I'll give it a shot." So, my first live performance was like that. But looking back, I realized that Taniguchi-san probably wouldn't have said anything if I had suggested doing my solo performance. I got caught up in Uchi's persuasion.

▶ Did you have the same style from your first live performance?

USGKZ: Yes, right from the beginning. But I couldn't do it well, to be honest. I think the quality of my first live performance was pretty bad.

▶ How long was the period between deciding to do a solo performance and the actual live performance?

USGKZ: It was about 2 and a half months. I started from thinking about what to do for a solo performance. I considered doing acoustic solo, but I felt it would not my style. Using electronic beats was an option, but I didn't think it would look cool if I did it. Then I thought about Bob Log III, who plays drums with his feet, plays guitar, and sings. So, I thought, "Maybe I can do something like that."

▶ What genre of music is Bob Log III?

USGKZ: He plays a kind of blues, but it's a crazy version of blues. It's like junk blues, I would say. It's really cool. The one-man band style is pretty common among blues and country musicians. I knew that, but I hadn't seen anyone using that style for alternative music. So, I decided to try it. I can play drums reasonably well, and I can play guitar, so I thought I could do it. And that's how it all started.

▶ So, your background allowed you to attempt this.

USGKZ: Yes, that's right. But when I actually got into the studio, I found out that playing drums, guitar, and singing simultaneously is a completely different challenge.

▶ Plus, you're singing too.

USGKZ: Yes, exactly. That's why my first live performance was pretty bad.

▶ How many songs did you perform at your first live?

USGKZ: I think I played around 4 to 5 songs that I had hastily put together.

▶ Are any of these songs the basis for your current album ("GOLDEN HITS")?

USGKZ: The song "地下室の懲りない面々" from "GOLDEN HITS" is the only one that I've been playing since the first live. The rest of the songs I did at the first live were all scrapped. My first live performance was a mess, so I thought I'd probably quit right away. But I said I would do it, and I thought if I quit right after starting, it would look bad. So, I forced myself to include live performances in my schedule, even though I wasn't ready. When I had a live performance scheduled, I had no choice but to do it. But since the songs were quite challenging to play, I practiced a lot in the studio to cover up my shortcomings. I practiced multiple times a week, polishing everything up.

▶ I heard you used to do judo, and I wondered if the resilience you gained from that helped.

USGKZ: Well, the judo dojo I was in was really laid-back and not like a tough environment, so I'm not sure if it's related (laughs).

▶ You're doing a lot of live performances now.

USGKZ: When you're in a band for a while, most people probably don't keep track of how many times they've performed, but if I ever start a new musical project and do live performances, I wanted to keep count. The upcoming performance with Namba BEARS will be my 44th.

▶ You might end up surpassing LARGE400's total number of live performances.

USGKZ: Yeah, at this rate (laughs). In October this year, there's not much in the first half, but in the latter half, I have 2 live performances with USGKZ&The equipments and 5 live performances with SK8NIKS, so a total of 7 performances.

▶ Do you ever have two band performances on the same day?

USGKZ: Not on the same day, but I have to fit studio time in between live performances, so it gets pretty busy.