after Melbourne Tour diary(osamuosanai)

I am osamuosanai from KASHIKOI ULYSSES.
I am writing this text to all the best people I met in Melbourne.

I am writing this text on the plane home. I haven't had a drink of water for hours because I've already maxed out my card. My lips are dry and sore. I am going to ask someone sleeping next to me to buy some fancy flight water for me when I wake up. Somebody help me.

This Melbourne tour was our first overseas tour. It was also the first time we had played so many shows in a row. We were a bit nervous at first, but we had a lot of fun. It was a great meeting with you. Thank you so much.

You were very responsive to our performance. I was happy about that. I had been worried because I wasn't sure if our music would reach your heart. But there was no problem. I could see your expression from the stage. The moment my eyes met yours, I became aware of how far away we were. It is a miracle that we happen to live in the same time. And on top of that, we even shared a musical moment. This is an amazing thing, isn't it? It's too much.

the gem

KOME, who was sleeping next to me just now, woke up and bought me some water. It is 11:23 a.m. I can see blue sky from the window. We left Melbourne around 19:00 yesterday.

KOME for buying me water during the flight.

We were touring with a crew of 9, and our seats on the plane were 3x3x3, side by side. We enjoyed it with soda we bought on board. Small bottles of whiskey flowed from right to left and left to right.
Eventually, illbull was warned by an attendant not to give the liquor to anyone. I didn't ask why, but I think it's better that way too.

People who move whiskey during flights.

A friend I met in Melbourne told me: "They don't like drunks or people who look like drunks here.
Here they don't like drunks or people who look like drunks. When they count people, they do not count three people, but one and two.
That's true. In Japan, there are so many drunks on the streets, but in Melbourne, I never saw any.
You are not allowed to go out with alcohol at night. Since smoking is not allowed inside the clubs, security guards like those in big clubs were in place even in small venues to prevent people from going outside to smoke with a glass of beer in their hand. But it was not scary, and the atmosphere was easy to talk to. The people working in all of the establishments seemed to be nice and happy. I think that is the most important thing. The same goes for the band. I think the minimum requirement for a good team is that the players feel a sense of fulfillment. It would be great if that mood could be conveyed to the customers and the audience.

On our way from Japan to Melbourne, we noticed something: Melbourne has the highest cigarette prices in the world. Almost 10 times more expensive than in Japan. So we stopped in Singapore on the way and bought cigarettes and split them up and brought them in. (One opened packet and one unopened packet are allowed per person.)

I expected that it would be hard to find people doing such expensive drugs. I met many people who had already quit smoking because of the high price. But there were more smokers than I had imagined. It is true that cigarettes are expensive, but the minimum hourly wage is also high. It is three times higher than in Japan.
I think it is human beings who love smoking even though it is expensive and bad for their health. It's the same with music and relationships. Every encounter has a story.
After the concert, I was smoking a cigarette outside SHOTKICKERS when a man with a slightly scary laugh, like the one in Disney, came running from the other side of the road. He asked me for $4.00 to buy some booze.
He had a 1981 tokai strat that he used on this tour (he bought this at Hard Off in Koenji a long time ago. The friend who lent him the tokai Strat (which he bought at Hard-Off in Koenji a long time ago, and which is still in his Hard-Off gig bag) was willing to give him $4. He took it, smiled and ran to the 7-Eleven across the street, but convenience stores don't sell liquor at this time of night, and $4 doesn't buy beer.
The friend I gave the money to said to me something like this.
'We pay a lot of taxes. I don't think they are all being used correctly. So instead of paying high taxes, giving the money directly to those who don't have it actually helps each other out."

I too have been helped by well-meaning people like him. I have rarely received financial support for artists in Japan, except for a little support when covid19 started, which I applied for and received. So our musical activities cross over all kinds of small economic activities. We practice at a local rental studio, pay for it, and get paid to perform in their venues. Or we record at a recording studio and pay them to bring us to Melbourne with the recordings we made there.

What is the most efficient way for us to get money? This is an eternal mystery.
I don't do music to make money, but without money I can't buy guitars, and venues can't pay the rent. Without money I can't make records forever, and I can't go on tour far away.
But if I was a rich kid, I probably wouldn't be doing music. Poverty has tried to kill me, but music has helped me desperately. It's a complicated relationship.
Music is available to everyone. I was saved by music, so I want to play music that saves people.
I started this diary of KASHIKOI ULYSSES and Messiah to ninjin because of this tour.
At the end of this page, there is a form where you can donate money. The money raised here will be used to fund our activities, but 20% will be used to support Palestine.

Also, I made a collaborative sticker. We asked our favorite Japanese manga artist, sukeracko, to draw an illustration of us standing at our base, Submarine.

collab sticker by sukeracko

The proceeds from the sale of these will also be used to support the project.
Even if our music is not famous, we can help people through our activities. And I want to tell people that anyone can do it.

I think my style of music is strange. It is hard to be accepted in Japan. Nevertheless, we have been able to meet you because we have been nurtured by several small local communities.
I am always grateful to all of you. On the other hand, music nurtures future communities. Both are very important.

These are the music I was doing before I started KASHIKOI ULYSSES.

I think everyone was moved by Messiah to ninjin's music. I always cry when I see them play. I really love them.
I have a CD album with the songs they played. But it has not been released to the subs. I was talking to Taka on the plane on the way back from this tour, and he said that he might release this album on subs so that more people can listen to it.
I got him to sign this album at the record release. I was very happy.

signed cd

Do you know this album?

Light year / Chiaki Sano - Minna Kikeru ~ Good Music Streaming & Download_JP

Chiaki Sano is another musician from Kyoto. She is one of my favorite singers. I've posted a link to this site even though subs are available on the web.
This site is a DIY bandcamp created by Japanese indie musicians.
I'm going to see her play this weekend.

signed CD