Detroit7’s index: CDs; Live; Interview; Links

--DETROIT7 are a hard rockin’ trio with soulful, gutsy, barefooted Tomomi Nabana out front--

DETROIT7

Tomomi Nabana--vocal & guitar
Nobuaki Kotajima--bass
Miyoko Yamaguchi--drums

Masashi Tabei--drums (left the band about the time they signed with Toshiba/EMI)


DETROIT7’s new CD, Third Star From The Earth (RR-777), was released on Rudie & Records on January 17th


Tales Of... -- (16:07) -- (2003) -- Rudie & Records -- OCT-1802

  1. Inside
  2. Beautiful Song
  3. Ordinary Madness
  4. Owari Wa Hajimari (The End Is The Beginning)
DETROIT7, led by a woman, earn the name. It’s edgy, hard rock, and unique. I discovered DETROIT7 on the Factory site, and immediately went ga-ga! I had to have this EP. Now I’m driving my neighbors nuts! The English lyrics (three of four) are brutal, yet artfully vague. The vocals are often distorted, but the band is tight, recorded well, and every instrument shines in its time. These four songs promise an amazing future of inspiring rock music. The variety is limited here, but the arrangements work methodically, like an elaborate assembly line whipping out molten hot tunes to burn our ears.
 

Vertigo -- (22:32) -- (2003) -- Rudie & Records -- POCE-5570

     1.  Owari Wa Hajimari (The End Is The Beginning)
     2.  Adam
     3.  Ordinary Madness
     4.  Oh, My Marmalade
     5.  Awa No Hikari (The Light Of Bubbles)
     6.  Beautiful Song

     Videos:
     1.  Owari Wa Hajimari (The End Is The Beginning)
     2.  Beautiful Song

The videos are nice, fairly straightforward documents of the band playing their songs. Singer/guitarist Tomomi Nabana plays barefoot. Three of the songs are from Tales Of... and three are new. Tomomi has a unique vocal style--a snarl with a touch of whine--not quite as angry as her guitar playing can be. She and her henchmen rock it hard and fast, though there are softer moments which are no less powerful. The three musicians are raw at times, and artful at others. Their subtle arrangements highlight their rockin’ strengths, and are topped off with the richness of their musicianship.
 

Come On -- (11:44) -- (2004) -- Rudie & Records -- POCE-5571

     1.  Come On
     2.  Buzz Off
     3.  Shot My Right Temple

     Video:
     1.  Ordinary Madness

Three songs, each a little faster paced and edgier than the one before it. The rhythm section is like a hungry animal, and the guitar has even more of a snarl than her vocals do. ‘Come On’ is nearly six minutes at a steady jog, with a hint of sweetness. ‘Buzz Off’ has a good riff and some bite, clicking off at two minutes. ‘Shot My Right Temple’ changes pace, with built-in turmoil that’s expressed in Tomomi’s distressed vocals, and then embodied in her raging guitar lines. They top it off with a good performance video of ‘Ordinary Madness’. It’s DETROIT7 doing a hot lap for you.
 
1 Love -- (44:13) -- (2005) -- Rudie & Records -- POCE-5572
  1. Inside
  2. Howl
  3. 2:27AM
  4. This Side Of Paradise
  5. 1 Love
  6. Ibitsuna Hana (Distorted Flower)
  7. Raymond
  8. Ordinary Madness
  9. Shot My Right Temple
  10. Burn American Flags
  11. Golden Globe
    Videos:
     1.  Come On
     2.  Shot My Right Temple
After two EPs, Tales Of..., and Come On, and a maxi-EP, Vertigo, 2005 unveils DETROIT7’s first full-length with eight new songs. The new song structures and arrangements seem marginally simpler than earlier tracks, but the band still rocks hard, and the new tunes are already burrowing into my brain, and curling up, cozy and warm. Tomomi Nabana continues to develop her own brave vocal style, and is both caressing and belting things out with more authority. The videos are slick and rocking, and make me wanna see this band jerk these songs out live, and fill a room with their rich sound.
 

EP Vol. 1 -- (13:17) -- (2005) -- Toshiba/EMI -- TOCT-22268

     1.  Love & Confused
     2.  Raku Rui (Falling Tears)
     3.  Beautiful Song
     4.  Baby In Galaxy
     5.  Taiyou O Tokashita Umi (The Sea Dissolves The Sun)

     DVD (region 2):
     1.  Love & Confused~live
     2.  Ibitsuna Hana (Distorted Flower)~video

‘Beautiful Song’ appears for the third time. The new drummer, Miyoko Yamaguchi, doesn’t seem as gifted as Masashi Tabei. She tends to keep things simpler, but maybe actually stomps a little harder. The DVD’s a treat. Each drummer gets a song. The four new songs all rock hard and strong. The moodier ‘Taiyou O Tokashita Umi’ rises up to bring things to a majestic close. Nabana is stepping boldly as much with her guitar now as she is with her vocals. I continue to be impressed by this band, and am excited at the prospect of hearing their power and beauty continue to grow.
 

EP Vol. 2 -- (16:24) -- (2005) -- Toshiba/EMI -- TOCT-22270

  1. Gracias
  2. Kiss The Moon
  3. Merry-Go-Round
  4. To Be Free
  5. Buzz Off
Four new songs, which seem stripped down, as if previous songs were meant to express everything, like fireworks shooting off in all directions, and now the songs are concentrated truths, saying more in their simplicity than could be said in yesterday’s effulgence. Moving from strength to strength, Nabana’s rough, edgy guitar and bold vocals lead the band through some good, hard rockin’ stomps, and the simpler nature of the new songs gives them a richness that makes them stronger. But, enough with the EPs, I need to hear the new DETROIT7 expand their sound into a full-length CD!
 
Great Romantic -- (50:19) -- (November 29, 2006) -- Toshiba/EMI -- TOCT-26144
  1. Raise High!
  2. This Love Sucks
  3. Akai Hana (Red Flower)
  4. Mahou Tsukai Sally (Wizard Of Sally)
  5. Hello, Elvis
  6. Ibitsuna Hana (Distorted Flower)
  7. Riverside Waltz
  8. Yume No Hazama De (Between Dreams)
  9. Who’s Makin’ Hot Tub?
  10. Kono Itoshiki Sekai (This Lovely World)
  11. Owari Wa Hajimari (The End Is The Beginning)
  1. Hitori Gochiru (Talking To Myself)
  2. Beautiful Song
It’s what we’d hope from DETROIT7--a collection of hard rockin’ tunes with some raunchy guitar, and a few surprises. Again, songs we’ve heard before are rerecorded, but they keep improving them. I’m starting to like it. ‘Raise High!’ starts things off with their hardest rockin’ number yet. ‘This Love Sucks’ and ‘Mahou Tsukai Sally’ begin with folk/world music introductions, but electric guitar rains down unmercifully, because DETROIT7 rocks! Tomomi’s vocals are bolder, with added soulfulness, the drums are still pounding, the bass is still writhing and rumbling, because, yeah, DETROIT7 is still rockin’!
 

Third Star From The Earth -- (16:29) -- (2008) -- Rudie & Records -- RR-777

  1. In The Sunshine
  2. Microphone Drives
  3. Fatman Blues
  4. Cry For The Moon
  5. Watering!
This collection rocks! The songs are hearty and strong. Each one feels like an individual project--yet part of an essential meal. There are beautiful guitar break-outs that take the songs to a higher level and blossom in the sky like exploding fireworks. Nabana’s vocals know exactly who they are now. Miyo’s drums are the rockin’ bones. Nobu’s bass is the flexing meat., and the guitar brings this creature to life and makes it both dangerous and delicious. More than half of the lyrics are in English. All the titles are. Designed specifically for the U.S. tour? Perhaps. Designed to rock your ass? Yep!


--Live--



                                  photo by John Li

Japan Nite: The Beaches/Detroit7/Ketchup Mania/Petty Booka/The Emeralds/Scandal--Knitting Factory--3/16/08
        
It was another great night of Japanese rock ‘n’ roll brought to us by Audrey Kimura and Benten/Sister Records. They sold out and Knitting Factory was jam-packed with smiling, happy people who knew they weren’t gonna get another onslaught of Japanese rock like this until Japan Nite rolls around again next year. Oh yes, and, of course, all the bands told us they loved New York.
        DETROIT7 were up next, and Tomomi Nabana, the lead-singer/guitarist, came out wearing some red devil-horns. They didn’t last long, but I appreciated her sly humor. Once they started rocking they didn’t stop. They ruled that stage, with Nabana, and Nobuaki Kotajima on bass, both regularly coming up to the front of the stage and putting the rock right in our faces. Meanwhile, Miyoko Yamaguchi, on drums, pounded away at her set like she was running a race. It was a beautiful and a stunning onslaught that just never stopped. As she sang and played guitar, Nabana’s lower leg would regularly kick out to the side, seemingly uncontrollably. Even when Nabana stopped playing guitar to concentrate and emphasize her vocals, the onslaught of the rhythm section continued, and it was a wonderful thing to see. Even in the gentler ‘Beautiful Song’, where Nabana gets a bit more pensive and melancholy, the drums and bass kept roaring along. In truth, the raging cacophony of this rocking band didn’t do justice to the rich beauty and layered textures of some of their recorded songs, but they put on one hell of a show, rocked it harder than any other band that night, and when Nabana stepped forward and opened up on one of her blistering leads, you just had to love it, and be in awe of her and her whole band. Even I didn’t expect them to rock it as hard as they did, and I was close enough to see that Nabana was wearing a toe-ring on one of her bare feet. Actually, after a while, I wanted to move back away from the stage, assuming that the sound would be a bit cleaner farther back in the room, but I couldn’t pull myself away from what was happening on that stage. Detroit7 rocks!
        About half the crowd seemed to have gone home after being rocked so hard by DETROIT7, but those who remained used the extra space available to shake their booty.


--Interview--


        

Making Some Noise In America!

Later that night, when Detroit7 took the Japan Nite stage on March 16th, they rocked it good and hard. You can read my report above. I've been following them for several years now, and was very happy to get the chance to meet them. Tomomi Nabana, on guitar and vocals, who introduced herself as Nabana, is refreshingly out-front, especially for a Japanese woman; Miyoko Yamaguchi--Miyo, on drums, is friendly and intelligent; and Nobuaki Kotajima--Nobu, on bass, is generally quiet, but relaxed, and in the game. Keiko Oka acted as interpreter/translator; and John Li photographed the interview. There was a problem with the mini-disc recorder, but with dedication, diligence, and a modicum of prestidigitation, Keiko and I, Paul Wheeler, have essentially recreated the event and managed to translate everything into English in the process.

Bulletin: Through a recent breakthrough in technology we were able to make contact with Dave, our departed mini-disc recorder, now in its afterlife, and Dave was happy to comment on his last Rock of Japan interview.

There may be some slight interference. Dave?

--I have enjoyed working with Rock of Japan, lo, these many years. I’ve recorded a wide variety of Japanese rockers answering Paul’s absurd questions--I do wish he would have consulted with me--and they have all treated me with great respect, except for one young man who turned off my microphone at the start of my very first interview...--

Back to the proceedings. We’ll hear some more from Dave later.

We met the band in their hotel lounge after their soundcheck, were able to push a couple of tables together, and quickly began chatting about a variety of things including Detroit7’s shows in Austin at SXSW, which went well, their recent split with Toshiba/EMI, their own record label Rudie & Records, how I first heard and became interested in Japanese music, and how I had first heard Detroit7 (briefly covered in my review of Tales Of....). When they realized that we wanted to photograph the interview itself, Nabana and Miyo took a short break to make themselves more presentable, and when they returned we began the official interview.

Paul: How did you choose the name Detroit7?
Nabana: We decided to name ourselves by choosing a place and a number. I liked the sound of the name Detroit, and I like the music from Detroit, like The Stooges, MC5, and The White Stripes.

--I, too, am a big fan of The Stooges from way back, and that is honestly why I think I am such a big Detroit7 fan, and why I was so excited about taking part in this interview with them.--

Very good, Dave, thank you, and you were such a big help!

Paul: Why the 7?
Nabana: We wanted a number on it, too, and seven is kind of a lucky number.

Paul: I read that the group formed in college?
Nabana: No, in Tokyo. Nobu and I had a part-time job in Tokyo. That’s how we met.

Paul: What was the job?
(Nabana balks at answering at first.)
Nabana: It was service, a serving job. It was kind of an amusement job.
Nobu: At an amusement park.

 

--He was joking, by the way. You probably thought they worked at Tokyo Disneyland or something...--

He was joking? Really...? Uh..., well..., let's return to the interview.

Paul: How did you get signed to a major label so quickly?
Nabana: Not so quickly. It took two/three years.

Paul: Will you keep recording on Rudie & Records now that you have split with Toshiba/EMI?
Nabana: When the contract with Toshiba/EMI was over we got an offer, but I prefer putting out our records on our own label, Rudie & Records, until we get other offers.

Paul: In 2005 you signed with Toshiba/EMI. Before that your drummer was Masashi Tabei. The first record for Toshiba/EMI was EP Vol. 1, and Miyoko Yamaguchi was on drums. Miyo, what was your view of how you came to join the band?
Miyo: Through friends. We had a similar direction, and I enjoyed jamming with them.

Paul: Why did Masashi Tabei leave the band?
Nabana: Different directions.

--Hmm, that sounds suspiciously like the standard answer, ‘musical differences’.--

Yes it does, Dave.
(aside) Is there some way we can shut that off?
Sorry, Dave. We don't want to interrupt the flow of the interview too much.

Paul: Most of your last record was recorded at Ardent Studios in Memphis. What were your impressions of Memphis and spending time in the U.S.?
Nabana: Ardent Studios was great. People think, “Oh, look at this equipment! We can make a great sound with this.” But it’s not the equipment. It’s the engineer who knows how to use the equipment to make a good sound. It’s all up to the engineer’s ear and their knowledge of how to get the right sound. Ardent Studios is great!
  

--Actually, Great Romantic was recorded at Ardent Studios. They have a new CD called Third Star From The Earth which was recorded in Tokyo, but I just wanted to say that I am so jealous of that Ardent Studios equipment. I would have loved to have helped record Detroit7’s record. I haven't heard Third Star From The Earth, and I guess I never will now, but Great Romantic is such a wonderful record, and to have an engineer who really knows his equipment... Ah, I wish I could have had that experience!...What are you doing?... Wait!... I’m not done!...--

You’re done now, Dave.
Excuse the interruptions. I think we’ve solved the problem, and we’ll return you to the interview once more.

Paul: That was your first time in the U.S. What were your impressions?
Nabana: Miyo was in the U.S. before.
Miyo: I went to Music Institute in L.A. ten years ago.

--Ask her about L.A.!--

Turn that contraption off now!

Paul: You played a show in Memphis, too. How did that go?
Nabana: It was good. It was our last day in Memphis. I just wanted to play, make some noise in America, and see what the American audience reaction would be.

Paul: Nabana, when did you start playing guitar?
Nabana: When I was eightteen.

Paul: As a female guitarist, who were your inspirations?
Nabana: Mmm, not so much female...maybe P.J. Harvey. Mostly I like Stooges, Jimi Hendrix...

Paul: Nobu, how long have you been playing bass?
Nobu: Fifteen years.

Paul: What were your influences when you started?
Nobu: Not so much. I just wanted to rock, and I enjoyed playing and jamming with friends.

  

Paul: Miyo, when did you begin playing drums?
Miyo: When I was a child. My brother played trumpet in a brass band, and I didn’t want big lips, so I chose percussion.

Paul: Did your brother have big lips?
Miyo: Then he did!

Paul: Nabana, how do you write your songs?
Nabana: I just sit in my room and play my guitar. When I get something I like, then we jam on it, and the lyrics are the last thing. I write them out after we have the song developed.

Paul: What do you use for inspiration?
Nabana: Just the thoughts in my head, what I feel in my heart, and sometimes books and movies, too.

Paul: What do you listen to these days?
Nabana: Same old stuff: Stooges, MC5, (points to her T-shirt)...Velvet Underground. No new stuff.
Miyo: I like Jack Johnson’s new record.
Nobu: Nothing new, maybe Zeppelin...

Paul: Nabana, describe Nobu in three words.
(She considers the question.)
Nabana: It’s difficult. Natural, easy-going, he is a Seven Stars man.
("Shizentai" "Ongaku o isshoni yariyasui" "Tabacco ippon Seven Stars")

Paul: Nobu, describe Miyo in three words.
Nobu: Cheerful, cute, a high-pitched voice--I can always hear her.
("Akarui" "Kawaii" "Koe no tone ga takai")

Miyo, describe Nabana in three words.
Miyo: She gets lonely easily, charming, and is honest about her feelings.
("Sabishigariya" "Miryokuteki" "Jibun no kimochi o shoujiki ni dasu")

Thank you very much for joining us.
(aside) Make sure you destroy that thing. Whose idea was that, anyway? They're fired!

Thanks to John Li for all photographs used in the interview, and all Japan Nite '08 photographs used elsewhere,
and thanks to Keiko Oka for her assistance with this interview, and all her past help with Rock of Japan.


--Linkage--

DETROIT7’s official web site:

Detroit7

 

DETROIT7’s MySpace page:

Detroit7