9GOATS BLACK OUT - Ryo R&R 030
Interview: 今津 甲
Translation: G.
On his post-GULLET exile and the formation of 9GOATS...On his post-GULLET exile and the formation of 9GOATS...
"After GULLET disbanded I felt so frustrated because I wasn't getting any results. I had gone all the way to Nagoya determined to make it, but failure only left me more dejected than ever. I wanted to quit completely, so I sold off my equipment and CDs and stopped being in bands for three years. I went home to Niigata to continue my work as a designer, designing shop signboards and CD jackets of bands I knew. One day, hati and utA (then Rayarch) approached me to work on their releases because they really liked the band logo I had made for lynch." -- p.191
"At that time, both of them did not have any kind of hopes or visions for their work. I didn't like it since I believed in having a strong foundation for whatever you were creating. A few months later they contacted me again, told me that their band had split up so they wanted me to join them in a new venture... and of course I said no. But for the next six months they persisted and kept up with their offer while I gave them advice at the same time. Both of them were also born in Niigata but had been living in Tokyo then, so we exchanged files and messages online. The music they sent me kept getting better and better, and I began to get a sense of what kind of band they were trying to create. I also started asking myself if I really wanted to spend the rest of my life as a designer, because no matter what I was still happiest when I was working with music. So I made a decision: I wouldn't care if I sold out or not. All I wanted was to lead a life where I could simply enjoy making music. I packed up and went to Tokyo, where the three of us gathered at utA's place and started writing songs." -- p.191
On his decision to join hati and utA...
"During this time my father had been diagnosed with cancer, so I was very uncertain about what I was going to do. I discussed this with them, and it was then I found out utA's father had also been suffering from terminal cancer. Since hati has been friends with utA for 10 years now he naturally knew about this as well, but both of them decided to hide this fact from me. utA's family constantly told him "This is not the right time to be in a band. Please come home." But utA only responded with "No, because the person I want to be in a band with is now here." hati also was very aware of his own lack of skills, so even though he was barely scraping by he still spent money on bass lessons to improve himself. As I looked at the two of them I thought, "All this time I've only been thinking of myself, no matter what I say." And I wondered if I'd ever encounter again such members who believed so strongly in me. In fact, at this time more well-known musicians were asking me to join their bands, but somehow I couldn't bring myself to say yes. My feelings towards the two of them had changed, and I decided that if I was going to be in a band again, I was doing it with them and no one else. Because the three of us came together under such similar circumstances, we felt it was hard to add new members to our lineup. Furthermore, the style of music we were pursuing was very different this time." -- p.191-2
*Unfortunately both ryo's and utA's fathers passed away last year, which became the inspiration for TANATOS.
On the name 9GOATS BLACK OUT...
"It's actually from the name of my design project (NINE GOATS BLACK ART). I was born on 1/19, hence the "nine". My starsign is Capricorn, hence "goats". And my favourite colour is black *laughs* There really isn't any significance behind the name, but I suppose you could read deeper into it as well. hati and utA also like the name a lot." -- p.192
On his voice...
"I never liked my voice. When I hear myself on a live recording I just want it to stop, and in the studio I'm always telling them to reduce the volume of the vocals *laughs* I still felt this way when 9GOATS started recording for the first time. Then one day the sound engineer insisted, "This voice is beautiful. I refuse to turn it down." And at that moment I thought, "Hmm, this might be my strong point after all." More and more fans have been telling me how much they like my voice as well, which has been very encouraging." -- p.194
On TANATOS...
"During the production of TANATOS, my father passed away (July 2009). After attending his funeral, I came back to Tokyo and continued writing lyrics, but I realized I couldn't come up with anything else other than what was related to his death. At first I thought I shouldn't be doing this. I felt incredibly self-conscious, as if I was seeking pity from others. By including such a private matter like my own father's death into the album, I felt like I was only trying to let everyone know how terrible my life was... and such blatant self-pity would only ruin the message I wanted to convey to the listener. But it was impossible for me to change the direction I was heading. I talked to the other members about it, and they told me that if that was how I truly felt, then I should just go ahead with it. So I decided to write about the emotions that filled my heart as I stood by my father's grave." -- p.193
On the future...
"My doubts have lessened and should continue to do so. Back then I was always afraid of alienating myself from my peers in the music industry. When it came to being in bands I always thought I had to follow trends and do things a certain way, otherwise I wouldn't get anywhere. However I have changed since and I now care less about such things, because no matter good or bad... I am myself. The only thing I want is to truly express myself through my voice and my design. I'm not sure what's going to unfold from now on, but I am sure of one thing. The three of us have made a promise that no matter what happens, we will continue to stick together for the next ten years." -- p.194