Introduction Who would have thought that little trio from Okinawa would end up creating one of the highest selling indie records in Japan? In part 2 of a 2 part interview Keikaku's very own Chris, Taylor, and Hana chat face to face with Uezu Kiyosaku (bass, vocals), Gima Takashi (guitar), and Nakazato Satoshi (drums) of MONGOL800. This time they ask about the production on Momo and what it's like touring with Green Day. This interview was conducted in a cafe next to the Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles, before their second ever show in the United States, dated 11/17/05. back to features		MONGOL800 part 2 Chris: Since you started the band you were teenagers. But now you're in your twenties. Do you think you've matured since then? Momo seems more serious. In "Go on as You are" it's more fun, but Momo is more serious. Is it because you've gotten older since then? Hana: That's so much.. (laughs) Chris: Sorry, I talk a lot. (laughs) Uezu: What you just said. Chris: Oh okay, that explains everything. (laughs) Taylor: On the recording of "Momo", it sounds very rough. Is this intentional, were you trying to do this to enhance the music? Gima: It was like that, did the guitar give you that impression? Uezu: We get this question a lot in Japan, too. Chris: I think the guitar's a little bit rougher, not up in the mix as much. The vocals are not as clear. Usually we listen to very rough recordings, like on records. It's okay, but very different when you hear the last album. Taylor: It's a different sound. Chris: Usually the next album is more produced, but this one is more - you know the term D.I.Y.? Do it yourself. All: Ah, yeah. Gima: There were engineers this time. A lot of engineers, and they contributed to that. Uezu: There was a different mixer from the first and second albums and things changed because of that. Chris: Oh, so a different engineer? You didn't like what he did? Uezu: He was too much of an "artist." Gima: Yeah. He's crazy. All: (laughs) Chris: He tried to be too different. That makes sense. Uezu: The usual sense is that you have one person working and thinking about a lot of things. And so far, with both the second and the first albums, everyone was there during the mixing, and it was like, "the drums should sound like this." And it would solidify from there. But this time there was a mixing engineer, and he had his own artistic ideas. Last time it was much broader. Hana: But he's still crazy. Taylor: So next album we'll have a new producer? Gima: Maybe ourselves. Chris: Usually the band knows what sound they want. Chris: You played your first US show yesterday. How did you feel when you played the show yesterday? Mongol: It was great. Maybe almost like Japan. There were mostly Japanese. Hana: Probably because everyone knew Monpachi. Chris: Today might be little bit more scary? More Americans out there? Gima: (laughs) It will be a challenge. Chris: Do you want to do more American tours? Uezu: Yes. Chris: If you could tour with any American band, which bands? Uezu: I'd like to go with Me First and the Gimme Gimmes and Green Day. Chris: They're really big. Sumiyo: Green Day had a tour in Japan, and they opened for them. Chris: So did you get along well with the members of Green Day? Uezu: It was two weeks of touring with 5 bands. I talked to Mike Dirnt, the bassist. Chris: Mike Dirnt? He's a very famous bassist. Chris: And in your band, you have a bass player on vocals. I noticed that bands like Hi-Standard have a bass player on vocals. How did you decide that the bass player was going to be the vocalist for the band? Because usually the guitarist sings vocals in the US. Gima: In Japan, Hi-Standard's influence is strong. Taylor: Like NoFX? Do you know NoFX's bassist? Uezu: Yeah. Fat Mike. Sumiyo: It's not so common in the States, but it's unique. Chris: I noticed because some people like Fat Mike do vocals too. Both of you sing, too. But mostly you're (Uezu) vocals. Chris: What are your favorite Japanese bands to play shows with? Mongol: Hawaiian 6. Chris: Oh yeah! Taylor: Their new album is so good. Higa: Before they came here they did a show with Hawaiian 6. Taylor/Chris: You should tell them to come here. All: We'll try. (laughs) Taylor: When do you think the next album will be? Uezu: Next year (ed: 2006). We'll be working on it from now on. Chris: When do you decide to sing English songs, and when do you decide to sing Japanese? Uezu: There are songs we write based on the melody, and ones we write from lyrics, so whichever sounds better and is easier to make meaningful is what we go with. Chris: I noticed on Momo there are more Japanese songs and less English songs. I thought it was more like country pride, mainly. More artistic? Was it a conscious decision to have less English songs and more Japanese songs? Uezu: It happened naturally. Hana: Lastly, if there's anything else you'd like to say to your American fans- Mongol: Is our music strange? An original band has a different sound. To American fans is there something different about us, a certain feel or impression? Chris: Not very much difference. Taylor: Maybe more fun? Chris: Like the Fat Wreck Chords sound, in the US many of the Japanese bands are on Fat Wreck Chords. They have that certain fun sound like NoFX. But not very much difference. All: Thank you! - Interview from 2005.11.17. Keikaku.net staff would like to thank Higa Nami, Higa Yumiko, Sumiyo, and MONGOL800 for their participation in this interview.
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