Getting to Know [WHAT S HOT IN MUSIC] PINE*am IT WAS THEIR FINAL PERFORMANCE FOR THEIR 2005 TOUR AND IN GOOD FASHION, THE TRIO KNOWN AS PINE*am ROCKED THE LONG BEACH CONVENTION CENTER AT PACIFIC MEDIA EXPO. BY DENNIS A. AMITH, PETER PASTOR, MEL MACARAEG PINE*am (from L to R): Taeca Kinoshita (keyboards), Tsugumi Takashi (bass) and Chizuko Matsubayashi (guitar) Photography by NERGENE ARQUELADA J!-ENT SEPTEMBER 05 pineam.indd 1 9/16/05 11:38:34 AM
F or several years, I have heard of the band PINE*am. Back in 2004, my associates raved about a trio who performed at the large music festival, SXSW in Texas. I then saw the trio perform on the G4 television show Attack of the Show and when I learned that the trio would be performing at Pacific Media Expo, I have to admit that I was definitely excited to finally have the opportunity to watch the women perform live. Sure, J!-ENT has covered and interviewed Japanese female bands before but why I found PINE*am so interesting is because they are really going after the American audience through a grassroots musical effort. The day before, one of the J!-ENT staff watched the band perform at California State University, Fresno. Several months ago, the band performed at a PINE*am rocking the crowd at Pacific Media Expo in Long Beach, CA. comic store. All three women are passionate about their music and introducing it wherever they can. And it s working. But I have been curious about the band. I ve heard so many positive things that I was curious if PINE*am was going to be similar to Cibo Matto, Shonen Knife, Buffalo Daughter and similar to other female Japanese bands that I ve listened to. And what I saw on stage were three women creating their own style of music and creating the kind of music that they are proud of. To say that their live performances are awesome and surreal is an understatement. These women can definitely jam! Taeca, as she prepares each song on her laptop and jams on the keyboard while singing background vocals. Chizuko, gracefully playing the guitar and also singing background vocals and Tsugumi as she dances, plays the bass and is the lead vocalist performs gracefully. I have to not lump PINE*am in the same category of J-POP because although the girls are Japanese, their music is definitely not pop (i.e. Puffy AmiYumi). Nor should they be compared to Shonen Knife or Cibo Matto because these girls play the music that they want. They are more in same vein with Japanese bands and artists like The Boredoms, Yukari Fresh and Takako Minekawa where they can play their style of music and will attract its listeners who will respect their style of music because its definitely not so mainstream. With songs such as Gymnopedie 0.1 and Do I Know You that makes you want to dance and groove, Love 2 J!-ENT SEPTEMBER 05 pineam.indd 2 9/16/05 11:38:44 AM
Giraffe which may want to make you want to dance or even feel nostalgic of old school video games and at times may want you feel like your on Cloud 9 in a hypnotic, sugary state with songs like Rhyme Mime and the Kahimilike Rayon Cosmetique. Where sometimes the music is more powerful and the vocals are just a backdrop. Suffice to say that it s best to listen to PINE*am with an open mind and not expect the same music one would hear from other Japanese girl bands. The combination of talent from each person produces a sound that is just remarkable and unique. And that sound has led to performances throughout the Japan, the U.S. and in Europe and also contribution of tracks for European music compilations. PINE*am is hot! Their latest album titled Pull the Rabbit Ears on the Eenie Meenie Records label marks their U.S. debut. Needless to say, the trio have been traveling and performing all around the United States and Pacific Media Expo marks their final stop for their tour as they take a break and finally have an opportunity to return home (Note: Tsugumi and Taeca return back to Japan and Chizuko will return back to Canada). Recently, J!-ENT had an opportunity to talk to PINE*am s Chizuko, Tsugumi and Taeca about their music career and their U.S. tour. and what they will remember the most from touring the country. J!-ENT: So, how did the three of you meet and come together as a band? CHIZUKO: Me and Taeca met in high school playing for different bands. The three of us attended the same university but Taeca and Tsugumi were studying the same thing. And so, I met Tsugumi through Taeca. We wanted to have fun with music and that s how we formed the band. J!-ENT: How was it like touring in Japan? CHIZUKO: When we were in Japan, we were based in Osaka [WHAT S HOT IN MUSIC] Tsugumi of PINE*am on bass. and we were performing once every month or so. TSUGUMI: We are really Indie in Japan. J!-ENT: Would you like to do concert tours in Europe? CHIZUKO: We played in Germany once. J!-ENT: How was that experience? CHIZUKO: It was really interesting because it happened a year or two years after we formed a band and traveling abroad, we felt it would be good experience for us. It was hard but it was very exciting! pineam.indd 3 9/16/05 11:39:03 AM
J!-ENT: Are each of you inspired by certain artists or bands? TSUGUMI: I like European music. I like Telex from Belgium, Kraftwerk, I like listening to music. We each have a different musical backgrounds. CHIZUKO: We played classical music when we were younger. I was not really inspired by anyone because this may sound silly but I really don t listen to music all the time. I really enjoy playing music and have a good time. TAECA: I like classic rock and experimental music like Detroit music. J!-ENT: Several months ago, the three of you appeared and performed on G4 s Attack of the Show. How was that experience? CHIZUKO: (the members laugh) Because there weren t any audience in the studio, it didn t seem like we were on TV. It s like we were practicing but we heard from people after the show aired, we saw you on TV. We learned how influential TV can be. J!-ENT: Yesterday you performed in front of a college crowd at Fresno State and now here you are at PMX. How is the experience of performing front of different types of audiences? CHIZUKO: When we are touring each venue, it s different. Each city and venue has a different vibe. J!-ENT: From the different cities that you have performed at, what memory from the tour sticks in your mind the most? Also, when you visit these different cities, do you get the opportunity to have fun in those cities? CHIZUKO: During the tour, our schedule is so tight. We wake up, go to a hotel, practice, perform and go to sleep. One time, we had one day off in Boston, so we got to see the city and see the historical areas but that was our best memory. J!-ENT: Are the three of you relieved that the tour has ended? CHIZUKO: (the women respond with a nod and laugh) We re relieved that it s over. TAECA: I d like to stay over and do some sightseeing. J!-ENT: What would you like to accomplish in your careers. For example, would it be a dream to perform on...hmm... Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ and be interviewed by Downtown? CHIZUKO: (the women laugh) We would love to meet them. J!-ENT: And maybe even Tamori-san on Music Station? CHIZUKO: I d like to meet him. But we realize that PINE*am s Chizuko on guitar and Taeca on keyboards. 4 J!-ENT SEPTEMBER 05 pineam.indd 4 9/16/05 11:39:11 AM
rather than playing at big venues, playing at small venues suits our music. We d like to fill up the small venue and have fun. We feel the good vibe from the audience in smaller venues and we feel that energy. J!-ENT: You performed at SXSW in 2004. How was that experience? CHIZUKO: That was great! It was great to play and also hear other music there. J!-ENT: What differences do you see between your Japanese and American audience. CHIZUKO: It s similar to America where you go to different cities and you get a different vibe and different attitude. For example, New York and Los Angeles is like Tokyo. If we go to a city which is a college town, it is more direct. If they don t like it, they will leave. If they like it, they will enjoy it. It s different. J!-ENT: Saturday afternoon your performed at PMX in Long Beach, a few hours later you performed at a club in Los Angeles and in the morning, you performed again in Long Beach for PMX. Is that difficult? CHIZUKO: The most difficult thing is probably the sound system when there is a problem. J!-ENT: With the US tour and gaining more exposure, has it helped the band in getting noticed by other bands? CHIZUKO: We got referred to the 5,6,7,8 s who had a song in the film Kill Bill. J!-ENT: What is the process of the creation of your music. Who writes and comes up with the songs? CHIZUKO: We all write music together, sometimes I write the lyrics and the melody. They will come up with demo music but we usually work together. J!-ENT: For your latest album Pull the Rabbit Ears, how long did it take to produce the album? TSUGUMI: In previous albums, we J!-ENT SEPTEMBER 05 5 pineam.indd 5 9/16/05 11:39:25 AM
PINE*am THE 411 Band members are: Tsugumi Takahashi: Vocals, Bass, Programming, Production Chizuko Matsubayashi: Guitar and vocals PINE*am performing in Long Beach, CA at Pacific Media Expo, Sept. 2005 had plenty of demo music to work with but for Pull the Rabbit Ears we didn t have anything at first. We had many ideas, so we communicated via Internet and sent music files to each other. It took about 4-5 months, I can t remember. J!-ENT: If you have one word to describe yourself individually, what word would that be and why? TAECA: That s very difficult. CHIZUKO: I am stubborn. TSUGUMI: I am empty. TAECA: For me...(taeca shows the international hand symbol for rock on ). TSUGUMI: What if we describe each other? J!-ENT: Sure, go for it! TSUGUMI: (looks at Taeca) Mild! TAECA: (looks at Tsugumi) Sharp! TAECA: (looks at Chizuko) Smart! J!-ENT: How did the three of you come up with the name PINE*am? Is there a special meaning? CHIZUKO: When we first started the band, we had fun translating our family name in English, since 6 J!-ENT SEPTEMBER 05 our family name uses kanji (Chinese characters) that has meaning, we picked up the cutest sound and combined them with am like the airline Pan-Am. But we had an album titled Playing Intense Neutral ad nauseam as a good description of PINE*am but is not what PINE*am means. That was just the title of our album. J!-ENT: Before you return home tomorrow, what memory will you remember from your U.S. tour? TSUGUMI: When we were in San Francisco, we would always eat Thai food. CHIZUKO: Everywhere we went, we would always eat Vietnamese and Thai food. Another one is where we played at this cool comic store. It was a real interesting show. The comic store owner came to two of our last shows, he had a big annual party and he listened to a promotional album that our record label sent to him as a promotion. He really liked our music and wanted us there to perform. So, we can t forget him. So, that was pretty cool. Taeca Kinoshita: Keyboard and programming Websites: Official Website: www.pine-am.com Blog Site: www.myspace.com/pineam Record Label Site: www.eeniemeenie.com Albums Released: PINE*am - PINE*am EP (import) PINE*am - Playing Intense Neutral Electronica ad nauseam (import) PINE*am - Pull the Rabbit Ears Albums can be purchased from eeniemeenie.com pineam.indd 6 9/16/05 11:39:30 AM