PettyBooka

Courtesy of Benten Label

Launched over a decade ago, Japan Nite began as a one-off showcase at the music industry’s leading new music confab, Austin’s South by Southwest (SXSW). Based on its growing acclaim, the event morphed into a full-fledged North American tour, and has even spawned a separate Japan Girls Nite segment. Metropolis spoke with co-organizer Audrey Kimura ahead of this month’s tour.

How did you become involved with Japan Nite?
I had been with Hiroshi Asada of Tom’s Cabin, who produces Japanese bands and also promotes tours by overseas bands to Japan. He started Japan Psycho Nite in 1991, which ran for three or four years at the New Music Seminar in New York. Shonen Knife, Pizzicato Five, the Boredoms, etc., played there. Then Hiroshi started Japan Nite during SXSW in 1996. Only two bands played there: PUGS and Lolita No. 18 from [my] Benten Label. Ever since, I’ve been sending bands from my label and also working as SXSW Asia Rep.

How has Japan Nite evolved?
I booked one show each in LA and SF for Lolita No. 18 on the way back to Tokyo from Austin in 1997. Then I started a “wild wacky party” in the USA, Japan Girls Nite, on the West Coast and in Chicago and New York with all girl bands from my label Benten—bands I got to know at small clubs. Now six or seven groups that perform at SXSW join the tour, and we go to New York, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Seattle, San Francisco and LA. The venues are getting bigger, like Knitting Factory in New York and LA and The Independent in SF, and usually these shows are sold out. I see lots of the same faces and many more new ones every year.

What have you learned doing Japan Nite?
English!

What do American audiences look for in Japanese bands?
Originality plus craziness and humor—and if they wear matching dresses, it’s even better! I think people love the variety of bands in Japan Nite.

What have been some memorable moments?
There are lots. The last Japan Nite US tour featured HY, The 50 Kaitenz, GO!GO!7188, Asakusa Jinta and The Emeralds. They had never met before in Japan. But by the end of the tour they became really good friends, and played one song together on the last day. These bands could never be on the same bill in Japan.

How are bands chosen for Japan Nite?
SXSW chooses them. About 100-120 bands from Japan apply every year. Most of them are indie, while some bands already have deals with major record companies. SXSW picks about 20 bands to perform each year. Then we start talking with them to see if they are interested in playing some more shows after that.

How is Japan Nite financed?
It is financed by each band’s record company or management. We share money from the clubs and people buy lots of CDs and merch. I brought 200 Petty Booka CDs for SXSW and the rest of the tour. All of them were gone at Japan Nite. Lots of the audience members bought all the CDs of all the bands that played.

What are your future hopes for Japan Nite?
I would like to bring this tour to Europe and Australia, and [run a] world tour with internet broadcasts.

What are your picks from the current Japan Nite?
Japan Nite SXSW: Avengers in Sci-Fi. This three-piece band makes a magnificent scale of sound using 20 guitar effects and no synthesizers. Japan Nite US tour:  Detroit7 and Petty Booka.  I love girl bands! Detroit7 have never been to the USA but people are already talking about them; Petty Booka are going to play their bluegrass set this time—not their Hawaiian set. It should be hilarious.

Japan NITE SXSW takes place Mar 14 in Austin, Texas. The Japan Nite tour ends in Los Angeles on Mar 23. See www.myspace.com/japannite for more info. The Benten label also hosts the occasional all-girl band showcase Wild Wacky Party at Shinjuku Loft. http://sister.co.jp.

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