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THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN
A novel about music, love, and social media
                (Unedited)




        Written by Sebastiano Mereu
Copyright © Sebastiano Mereu, 2011
                 All rights reserved.
No part of this novel might be used or reproduced in
 any manner without the written permission of the
                       author.
     Google the author for contact information.
This is a fiction novel. The main characters and their
   names were created for The November Sun. Other
mentioned characters are public figures. The schools
and some businesses mentioned in the novel do exist,
  but their actions and attitudes, as described in the
               novel, are purely fictional.


         This edition of the novel is unedited.
The story behind this novel
It was August 2005 when I went to Japan for the first
time in my life. I didnʼt know what to expect. I had
never been further east than Eastern Europe up until
that point. My travels and studies had primarily taken
me to Western Europe and to the USA. But somehow,
it just felt right to spend some time in Japan.
My International Management studies at the
University of Applied Sciences Northwestern
Switzerland (FHNW), required me to study abroad, so
I thought, if I have to go abroad, I want to study in a
country I donʼt know much about. East Asia was my
first, and honestly, only choice. I knew Japan would be
the country I want to go to, but since our school
would only send two students to Japan, I had to
consider other countries as well. The next choices
were South Korea and China.
After a couple of weeks, FHNW sent me a notification
saying that they would send me to Kansai Gaidai
University. I was ecstatic. I had googled the university
before and felt it was the most appropriate fit for me.
I took Japanese language classes to prepare myself for
my year in Japan, even before I knew that I could go.
After eight months of preparing myself for two
semesters at Kansai Gaidai University, I was finally
able to leave for the land of the rising sun. I have to
admit that the first couple weeks were hard. I even
thought about quitting and spending my semester
abroad in a country where I would already speak the
language. France and Italy were my first choices all of
a sudden. Why is that? Well, I had a culture shock. My
Japanese was way worse than I thought it was, I
couldn't understand why Japanese are the way they
are, and the teaching style was very different from
what I was used to.
Fortunately, I met wonderful people, who helped me
understand the Japanese culture, and eventually, I
overcame my culture shock. It also helped that I fell in
love with a Japanese girl. That girl became my wife a
few years later.
Another couple of people, who made me feel at home
in Japan, were my friends from the GMS Blues Band,
Jiri and Garr. Both had been living in Japan for many
years and knew very well what Japan had to offer.
Both were very successful at what they did, and they
still are.
Besides playing with Garr and Jiri, I also played with a
Japanese rock band, where I was the only foreigner.
Since my bandmates didnʼt speak very well English
and my Japanese wasnʼt very good either,
communication was rather difficult. However, it was
lots of fun and I learned a great deal just by hanging
out with them.
This novel is based on true stories from bands I played
in before, during, and after my year in Japan. I tried to
show how young bands can work on a possible career
today using technology that is right at their fingertips.
A computer can be found in basically every household.
Itʼs an essential tool, especially for students. Also,
everyone has the possibility to use social media to
connect with friends or people who share the same
passion, such as music, in the case of Yuki and her
friends.
When I decided to write a book on social media, I told
myself, ʻSebi, there are many great books and blogs on
social media already. No one needs another book on
social media.ʼ Luckily, I had just read The Music Lesson
by Victor Wooten, a fantastic bassist and author, who
basically explained music theory in a fiction book. I
embraced his approach with social media and music,
and added some drama to it.
At this point Iʼd like to express my gratitude to
everyone who has ever inspired me in one way or
another and to everyone who found the time to pick
up this novel. Thank you.
Sebi
                                            March 2011
Dedicated to Aya,
 Lina & Vittorio Mereu-La Rosa,
and Harumi & Kunihiro Noguchi.
Episode 1
     A beautiful Monday morning in Hirakata


It’s a beautiful Monday morning in Hirakata, a city
with a population of about 400,000, located halfway
between Osaka and Kyoto, in the heart of the Kansai
region. The August sun looks like a delicious orange
floating in the Japanese sky, and many claim she is
responsible for a high percentage of humidity in the
Land of the Rising Sun, at least in the summer.
Salarymen wipe off sweat from their faces after every
move they make, but do not consider taking off their
jackets. They are very committed to their dress code
and don’t show any sign of overheating in their suits,
except the accumulated sweat on their noses. Well-
dressed Japanese ladies, biking down to the city center,
wear gloves that cover their entire arms. For them it’s
a necessary precaution to avoid sunburn or simply
getting taint. And, of course, wearing a boushi
(translation: hat) is a must for all ladies.
“Attsuuuu! I don’t like this heat. Summertime in Japan
is terrible,” Yuki tells her friend and classmate Maki.
“You’re never happy. Wintertime is too cold and
summertime is too hot for you. At least now you can
wear that cute summer dress you found at
Shimamura.” Maki looks at Yuki and smiles with her
eyes shut. Yuki stops at a vending machine and gets
herself a bottle of Pocari Sweat. “A revitalizing drink is
the right choice for this kind of weather,” she thinks.

                            1
“This heat makes me want to drink a lot. But then I
have to pee. I don’t like that.” Yuki is standing next to
her bike and takes one little sip at a time.
Maki’s phone rings. She doesn’t pick it up right away.
For whatever reason, incomprehensible to Yuki, Maki
always needs to sing along with her ringtone. It’s Ken
Hirai’s 2006 hit-song, POP STAR. Maki sings ♫ I
wanna be a pop star, kimi wo motto ♫ when Yuki grabs
her phone and picks up with an annoyed voice,
“Moshi moshi.”
It’s Yutaro, Maki’s bandmate from their university
music club. “Where are you guys? Everybody is at the
studio in Korien getting ready for rehearsal.” Yutaro
doesn’t sound annoyed at all, but most probably he is.
Like most Japanese guys, Yutaro is always in control
and tries not to show any kind of emotions. “We’ll be
there soon.” Yuki hangs up and puts the phone back
into Maki’s pocket. “Maki, let’s hurry. They’re already
in the studio.”
In Korien—Yuki and Maki finally arrive in Korien, a
little town three stops from Hirakata station, thirty
minutes late, but that’s okay. All members from a
different band were hanging out at the studio before
their actual rehearsal slot and didn’t mind to fill the
slot Maki’s band was supposed to take. In order for
Maki’s band not to waste money on the studio rent for
thirty minutes not used, Yutaro decided to give the
slot to the other band. He is allowed to do that,
because he is the president of the university music


                           2
club and has the authority to make almost any kind of
decision.
Music studios in Japan are places where musicians can
rent a room on an hourly basis. These music spaces
are fully equipped with everything a band needs for a
rehearsal. The music studio in Korien has a handful of
rooms with drums, bass and guitar amplifiers,
microphones and a PA. Musicians only need to bring
their individual instruments, such as guitars, basses, or
keyboards, and of course cables.
Maki and Yuki enter the premises and greet their
peers, “Ohayo!” A choral Ohayo! echoes back. Yutaro
approaches the girls and tells them that another band
took Maki’s band slot. “Thank you very much for
organizing that.” Maki bows. “No problem. But please
make sure this doesn’t happen again. We are all
university students and don’t have money to waste.”
Yutaro stops and looks at Yuki.
“Did you decide what instrument you will play and in
which band?” Yuki nods. “I’ll play bass and will sing
lead in Hiko’s band.” Yutaro smiles and replies, “So
you want to be Nana and Billy Sheehan in one
person?” Yuki tries to suppress a laugh, but then
admits smiling, “That’s my aim.” “Then prove it.
But… did you talk to Hiko about this?” Yutaro points
outside the studio where Hiko is shredding on his
guitar to warm up for rehearsal. “No, but he will want
me. They have no bass player and no singer. What can
they do with only guitar and drums?”


                           3
While all rooms are occupied by bands from the music
club, a dozen of other students are hanging out in
front of the studio entrance gossiping and warming up
on their guitars and basses or drumming with a couple
of sticks on anything that makes noise when hit. Yuki
approaches Hiko holding her second-hand Music-Man
bass on its neck.
“Hiko, can I join your band?” Hiko looks at her and
keeps playing warm-up lines up and down the neck of
his guitar without saying a word. Even though his
beautiful polished Yamaha guitar is not plugged in,
Yuki can hear the perfection of Hiko’s technique.
Every note sings and his timing is impressive.
Yuki has wanted to play with Hiko ever since she
heard him playing with a few friends in downtown
Osaka. They had organized a showcase on Osaka’s
largest walkway, where many bands try to get
discovered or sell their self-produced CDs. That day,
Maki had dragged Yuki along and Yuki understood
that she had to put in some extra effort to improve her
skills, if she wanted to play with prodigies such as
Hiko. When Yuki heard that Hiko’s bass player left
their university music club band, she was too shy to
ask if she could fill in. At the time, she felt she wasn’t
good enough to play with Hiko.
Hiko stops his warm-up exercise. “Hm. Why do you
want to join our band?” he asks.




                            4
Episode 2
                  The first rehearsal


“Obviously, you need a bass player for your upcoming
live gigs and I’m looking for a band I can go on stage
with,” Yuki tells Hiko. “Have you ever played any
lives? We are planning to play live a lot.” Hiko’s words
don’t impress Yuki. She stays cool. “Huh. But how are
you going to play live without a bass player? You are a
virtuoso guitar player, and when you shred on your
guitar, your drummer seems quite lost without a
bassline. And if I recall right, you have no singer
either. Or are you going to be playing guitar, bass, and
sing all at the same time?”
Yuki gives Hiko time to respond, but he doesn’t. She
continues, “Well, that’d be a truly remarkable thing to
do. Nonetheless, a great guitar player like you should
focus on playing guitar on stage. I think that’s what
your fans want to see. So, why don’t you do that and
let me play bass and sing?” Yuki’s words put a smile
on Hiko’s face. She goes on, “And, I think that a girl
like me in your band is good for the band’s
marketing.” Hiko can’t stop laughing.
“Okay, I will send you MP3s and lyrics of all the songs
we’re planning to play live. You will have to learn
them until next week and you will audition for us.
After that, we’ll decide if you’re as good as you believe
you are.” Yuki puts on a serious face. “Why don’t you
just tell me now which songs you were going to

                           5
rehearse today and I’ll join you in the studio already?
That will surely save us time.” Hiko looks surprised.
He agrees. “What’s your email address? I’ll send you
our set list and some chord changes for our originals,
and we’ll see you in studio 3 in about fifty minutes.
Okay?” Yuki nods.
Fifty minutes later, it’s time for Yuki to join Hiko and
his drummer in studio 3 for their first rehearsal
together that will determine if Yuki will become a
member of the band or if she has to look for a
different group. She spent the last 50 minutes listening
to songs from their set list on her cell phone.
Nowadays, basically all cell phones have Internet
connection and it’s easy to find any song on Youtube
or on another video and music platform online.
Fortunately, Yuki already knew all the songs on the
band’s set list, even their original songs. Hiko uploads
all his demos onto Youtube and adds links to free
downloads of MP3s and iPod videos in the info box.
That way, people download his productions and
spread them through Mixi, Facebook, Twitter and
other blogs. That’s how Yuki got a hold of them. And
since Hiko added chords to the videos, she could play
along and learn the songs in no time.
“Yuki, meet Junji, our drummer.” Yuki bows and
introduces herself, “Hajimemashite. Yuki desu. Douzo
yoroshiku.” Junji nods while juggling with his
drumsticks behind the drums. “We can talk later. Let’s
use our time wisely and start playing right away,” Hiko
suggests. Yuki plugs her bass into an Ampeg amp with

                           6
an 8x10 inch cabinet and slaps a funky line on her
bass. She gets the attention of Junji and Hiko right
away. Hiko shouts, “Okay! Let’s play ‘Fallinʼ in love on
Facebook’. Junji, count it in!” “Ichi, ni, san, shi!” And
the trio rocks hard and loud in studio 3.
Yuki has never played with such a dynamic and
professional band before. Her eyes light up with the
first note they hit together. She can’t believe how great
it feels to lay down the bass line for such a gifted
guitar player as Hiko. And locking-in with a drummer
as tight as Junji makes her sound even more confident.
Even though they only play in a trio setting, it sounds
as if more musicians are rockin’ along. The energy is
immense, and when they get to the chorus, Hiko and
Junji add harmonies to Yuki’s lead and the magic is
perfect. The song has never sounded better in Yuki’s
ears.
She knows the song from Hiko’s Youtube channel,
but she doesn’t remember it being so much fun to
play. Outside studio 3, other music club members start
gathering to get a glimpse inside the room and watch
the three of them rockin’ out.
“Wow, who would have thought that Yuki could rock
like that?” Maki asks Yutaro. “Hm. As she said herself,
her aim is to be Nana and Billy Sheehan in one person,
and to me it seems as if she’s on the right track.”
Yutaro can’t stop watching Yuki running her airy
fingers across the fingerboard.



                           7
The song seems to never end. The trio goes off on
sharing solos and jammin’ to leads. It seems as if they
have been playing together for a long time. The
chemistry among Yuki, Hiko and Junji is incredible.
They are listening to each other and engaging in a
musical dialogue.
“Why didn’t I push her to play bass in my band?”
Yutaro keeps asking himself, when Maki interrupts his
thoughts, “Oh man, I should have told her to join our
band as a bass player. That Swiss exchange student,
who is playing with us, is so unreliable.” Yutaro tells
Maki, “I agree. Have you checked his Twitter
channel?” “No, why?” “He told us that he had to go
down to the city hall for his alien registration, but he is
tweeting pictures from an amusement park.” Maki
can’t believe it. “What’s his Twitter name?” Yutaro
replies, “@samsteiner” and Maki shouts, “Ussoooo!!”
Yutaro calms her down, “But he is a very nice guy and
a tremendous bass player nonetheless.”
After the one-hour session, Yuki asks Hiko, “Are you
happy with how we sounded?” Hiko looks over to
Junji, who is wiping off sweat from his face, and asks
him, “What do you think? Shall we give her a chance?”
“If she can handle hard practice, frequent rehearsal
sessions, and making weekly videos for Youtube, I’d
be willing to let her join us,” Junji replies with a big
smile on his face. Yuki smiles back.
“Yuki, let’s see where this trio can go. We have a clear
vision of our future and music plays the main role in
it. If you can commit to what Junji just said and if

                            8
you’re willing to work as a team to make this band
your top priority—after your university studies, of
course—then you can be one of us.” Yuki’s eyes are
shining like a supernova. “After all, as you mentioned
before the rehearsal, having a girl like you in our band
is good marketing.” Hiko winks at Yuki and the three
of them laugh.
The door opens and a girl that could have jumped out
of a Japanese fashion magazine enters studio 3. “Hiko,
you sounded amazing even from outside this room.
My dad is a lucky man to have you as his guitarist. But
why do you waste your time playing with these
amateurs when you can practice with real
professionals?” She puts her arms around Hiko’s neck
and ignores Junji and Yuki. He introduces the girl,
“Yuki, Junji, this is my girlfriend Rena.”
All of a sudden Yuki’s great mood is gone. She feels
jealous of Rena.




                           9
Episode 3
         To commit or not ‘not-to’ commit


♪♫ Words in my mouth, someone told me to say. They go
unspoken ♪♫ Mr. Big’s 1996 hit-song Take Cover is
blasting through Yuki’s stereo in her 1-bedroom
apartment in Hirakata. She grabs her bass and plays
along. After the song is over, the next one starts with a
lonely distorted guitar playing eight straight down-
strokes on one chord, and a female voice enters with
the words ♫♪ akehanashita mado ni mawaru ranbu no
DEEP SKY, ah aoide (translation: I throw open the
window and turn to the stormy deep sky, ah and I
look up) ♫ It’s the song GLAMOROUS SKY by
NANA starring Mika Nakashima, the soundtrack from
a Japanese shojo manga series, which was later made
into a live-action movie.
Yuki sings along and smiles. “Yutaro is right. I really
want to be Nana and Billy Sheehan in one person.”
She puts down her bass. “Yuki, Yuki!” Maki is
knocking on Yuki’s door. “Come in.” Maki takes off
her shoes and enters with her guitar bag in her hand
and kneels down next to Yuki. “Hey, you guys really
rocked that studio yesterday! Everyone was really
impressed with what you got out of your instruments
as a trio.” Maki keeps talking and manifesting her
excitement.



                           10
“We were all in a very good mood yesterday and
found the right song to start with. Still, we have a lot
of work in front of us, if we really want to make this
band work. I’m not sure this is really going to work,
though.” Yuki bites into her breakfast onigiri, a white
rice ball formed into a triangle and wrapped with nori.
Maki looks at her with a questioning gaze.
“What are you saying? You guys rocked that studio
like no one else did yesterday. I mean, you could just
take Hiko’s songs, rent a recording studio for a few
days, record those songs, and self-publish them onto
iTunes, Napster, Amazon or any other digital music
store for the world to enjoy them. I don’t understand
why you’re so negative.” Yuki puts down her onigiri. “I
have a feeling that Hiko’s girlfriend won’t be happy
with him playing in a band other than her dad’s
popular band, and sooner or later he will be
confronted with that.”
♫ Kowareru hodo aishitemo, sanbun no ichi mo tsutawaranai
(translation: Even if my love reaches the breaking
point, 1/3 of it won’t reach) ♪♪ The song 1/3 Pure
Emotions by SIAM SHADE is playing on Yuki’s stereo
and both girls sing along. They look at each other,
calm down and laugh. “Yuki, don’t worry. I’ve met
Hiko’s girlfriend and I know she can be a bitch,” Maki
tells Yuki with a mellow voice. Then she goes on,
“Sure, her dad is a pop star and they have money, and
she gets to travel a lot. But what does she have on
you? Nothing. You are a great and creative musician, a
great friend, and a plain hot girl! If I wouldn’t be

                           11
allover Yutaro, I would definitely try my moves on
you.” Yuki’s eyes jump wide-open. “Ah, shut up you
crazy closet otaku!” The girls hustle a bit and enjoy the
heartily laughs before getting ready to leave for
karaoke in Osaka.
At Hirakata station—Yutaro is waiting for his Keihan
train connection to Osaka. He is on his way to a live-
music bar to discuss a possible gig for his band. Then,
Hiko runs into him in front of the lift that goes to the
train tracks.
“Hey, Yutaro. Where are you heading to?” “Osaka.
You?” Yutaro shows no enthusiasm. “I’m heading to a
rehearsal with Rena’s dad’s band in Kyoto. We have to
meet in Kyoto, because Rena’s dad just got in by
Shinkansen from Tokyo and will have to leave tonight
again for an acoustic outdoor gig in Hiroshima with
our other guitar player,” Hiko explains.
“By the way, what do you think of our new trio with
Junji on drums and Yuki playing bass and singing?”
Yutaro pauses the music on his cell phone and puts
his earplugs in his pocket. “I think your trio sounded
good. Junji is a terrific drummer and Yuki is a fantastic
bass player and a very charismatic singer. You are a
very lucky guy. You finally found the missing part to
your music puzzle. I hope you will cherish what you
have now. Just don’t drop it like a hot potato when
you find something you think is better.”
Hiko’s smile vanishes. He understands the point
Yutaro is trying to make. Rena’s dad signed Hiko as a

                           12
guitar player for his band, the Genji Hatoyama Band, and
that means Hiko has to fulfill the agreement that if the
Genji Hatoyama Band gets booked for a concert, Hiko
has to call off other obligations, even if it means
paying a penalty. Because of that, all Genji Hatoyama
Band members refrain from playing with other bands.
They just teach on the side when they are not touring.
But Hiko wants to try and have his own band on the
side.
Hiko knows it is going to be hard to study for
university, tour with Rena’s dad this coming autumn,
and work on a set with Yuki and Junji. “Listen,
Yutaro. I know what you mean, and I appreciate your
concern for my band. But we will be able to manage
this. I have finally found two great musicians that can
help me develop my music and bring it onto a stage,
and I won’t jeopardize that.”
The Keihan Sub-Express train bound for Yodoyabashi
just got in. Yutaro checks the time on his cell phone.
“Then, don’t jeopardize it. Gotta go. See ya.” Yutaro
runs upstairs to catch the train to Osaka and leaves
Hiko behind. Now Hiko is caught up in thoughts
about the conversation they just had and how to
handle the situation.
Obviously, playing for Genji Hatoyama is his ticket for
becoming a professional musician. But will Hiko be
able to focus on his own music and work on it with
Yuki and Junji? And what if the trio has a gig on the
same day as the Genji Hatoyama Band? How will he
bring such news to Yuki and Junji when he asks them

                          13
for a commitment, which he himself can’t bring to the
band?




                         14
Episode 4
                     Hiko’s song


Besides having a Youtube channel, a Twitter feed, a
Facebook page, a Mixi account, and a bunch of other
social media tools, Hiko likes writing blog posts on his
cell phone when he’s riding the train and publishing
them right away. Sharing his thoughts with the world
makes him feel good. He likes to quote Charles
Leadbeater, the author of We-Think, especially the very
first sentence in the book: You are what you share.
That might be the reason why Hiko is so keen on
sharing all his music online. That is who he is and the
only thing he wants to be.
While on the Keihan train from Hirakata to Kyoto,
Hiko types a new post for his Japanese blog on his cell
phone. He usually writes on the train or in the subway.
For him it’s great how advanced technology is
nowadays. He doesn’t need to wait until he’s at home,
sitting in front of his computer. When he’s got
something to say to the world, no matter where he is,
he simply grabs his cell phone and shouts it out in bits
and bytes.
Hiko spends hardly any time in his small 1-bedroom
apartment. If he’s not rehearsing in a practice studio,
he’s usually studying at the library or out with friends
at a live gig. His small apartment is solely used for
sleeping. He doesn’t even like having his girlfriend
Rena over. The two of them frequently take a room at

                          15
a love hotel in Osaka for a couple of hours when they
want to be intimate with each other.
In Kyoto—The train stops at Sanjo, a district of
Kyoto. Hiko gets off the train and his cell phone rings.
“Moshi moshi.” “Hiko, it’s Genji. I’m sorry but we
have to reschedule today’s rehearsal.” Hiko stops at a
traffic light. “Hatoyama-san, sure no problem.” “I will
have my assistant contact you as soon as possible to
schedule a new date. I have to go now. Bye.” Mr.
Hatoyama hangs up.
Hiko thinks, “At least now I have time to work on my
own music. I had the whole day reserved for
rehearsing with them. Good thing Hatoyama-san
called it off.” He smiles. “Since they called off the
session, the studio space will be available.” Hiko
decides to go to the music studio, where he was
supposed to meet with the Genji Hatoyama Band, and
rent the room for a couple of hours and work on his
latest song.
At the studio, Hiko asks for the room that was
supposed to be taken by the Genji Hatoyama Band.
The clerk at the front desk points him to the studio all
to the back. It’s the largest and best-equipped room.
“Wow! I don’t think I can afford that room all by
myself. Do you happen to have a smaller room
available?” The clerk checks the list. “Yes, we have a
practice room for guitarists for 800 yen per hour
available for the next three hours.” “Great. I’ll take it
for 3 hours.” Hiko enters the room and gets
everything ready for recording.

                           16
He usually brings all his recording equipment along to
rehearsals. It’s not that heavy, and he is often most
creative after practice sessions. Hiko’s portable
recording studio consists of a MacBook Pro, an
external USB audio interface, an EV Cardinal
condenser microphone and a portable preamp. The
combination of his EV Cardinal mic and a portable
tube preamp makes the sound of his guitar and his
vocals wider and fuller for his recordings, even
without using high-end recording software.
Ever since he bought his first Mac, he’s been using
Garageband, a free music recording software that
enables Hiko to record and edit multiple tracks. And
with iMovie and Final Cut Express, he creates videos
for Youtube, where hundreds of thousands of people
have been enjoying his music all over the world for the
past two years.
Hiko believes in a new economic order, as discussed
by Chris Anderson in the 2005 book The Long Tail.
The Long Tail gives people the possibility to find
niches they are interested in and allows them to be
found by others, who share the same interests. For
those like Hiko, who want to be found, Seth Godin
explains in his 2010 release Linchpin that artists can
now own the means of production for their work with
only a couple of thousand dollars and produce and
publish content for anyone across the globe to find,
enjoy, share, and buy.
The Internet has practically no restrictions, and with
the rise of social media, people are talking about

                          17
anything 24/7 anywhere in the world. Hiko understands
that, and despite the fact that he enjoys engaging in
conversations with other musicians and other people
who enjoy his music online, he sees great potential to
have his work spread through the Internet.
“All set. Okay. I still like the drum programming I did
last week and the bass line I came up with. All I need
to do is to record the vocals and a couple of guitar
lines.” He tells himself, “Let’s rock this song—now!”
Hiko pushes record … ♪♫ Totemo sabishii, anata ni aitai
… ♪♫ Two hours later Hiko’s song is ready for
mixing and three hours later he’s already sent his song
to an online mastering studio that will have Inakute
Sabishii ready for upload to iTunes and other online
digital music stores within 24 hours.
“I can’t wait to play it with Junji and Yuki.” Hiko
writes a short blog post from his cell phone and
embeds the new song.
Ping—Yuki gets a push notification on her iPhone. “A
new blog post from Hiko.” She starts Hiko’s
application, puts on her earplugs and listens to his new
song. Yuki has been a fan of Hiko’s music since she
first saw him playing live, and after subscribing to his
Youtube, she just fell in love with his music.
“Are these drums programmed or did he play them
himself? Can’t really figure it out. And what a great
bass sound. That low C note has so much low-end!
Oh, Hiko, how much would I love to play this song
with you and Junji. I hope we can play it next time we

                          18
meet for practice.” Yuki is lost in her thoughts, when a
text message interrupts her dreaming. It’s Hiko. He
sent the message to both Yuki and Junji.
Hiko’s text says, “Hey guys, I just posted a new song
on my Youtube channel. If you like it we could play it
next time we get together for rehearsing.” The text
message application closes and Yuki falls back into
dreaming with Hiko’s soundtrack.




                          19
Episode 5
                  Hirakata at 4 AM


Peepeepeepeepeep—It’s 4 AM. Yuki’s Hello Kitty alarm
clock goes off. Like almost everyone in Japan, Yuki
sleeps on a futon on a tatami floor. In order for her not
to be late for work or for classes, she always puts her
alarm clock up high on a shelf, so that she actually has
to stand up and reach for the alarm clock on the shelf.
Especially, now that she’s got a part-time job where
she has to start working at 5 AM, being late or
oversleeping is absolutely no option.
Classes started last week and it has already been hard
for her to work almost every morning from 5 AM to 9
AM and then bike to the university to attend classes.
But that’s how she chose it to be. At the end of her
last year of high school, Yuki thought that just letting
her family finance her university studies or living off
student loans wasn’t the right thing to do.
Shortly before moving to Hirakata, she figured that
keeping herself busy and committed to a part-time job
would be like working out. She got that idea from a
young businessman, who spoke at her high school
graduation ceremony.
He said, “Sooner or later, all of you will have to work
hard on something that does not seem easy and that
does not reward you as much as you think it should
reward you, but if you stick to it you will recognize

                           20
that it was worth going all the way without giving up.
Once you commit to something or someone, believe
in it and learn your lessons while you go along. You
will grow with your commitment. And, the harder you
stick to your commitment, the stronger you will
grow.”
That’s why Yuki sticks to a job that makes her get up
at 4 AM and pays her much less than what she could
earn while working evenings in a fancy cloths store.
She knows it’s not a permanent situation, but she has
to pay her dues and learn what it means to start from
scratch. Nevertheless, working early in the morning
will give her more time to practice by herself or with
bands in the afternoon and evening.
Yuki manages to finally get up and to turn off the
alarm clock. Her first thoughts today are, “Why the
hell do I have to get up this early? I’m a musician and
they don’t get up before noon. This part-time job at
Gusto is just terrible. I should write a song about my
life right now. I’m sure many people could relate to
this situation. Good thing I don’t have any interesting
classes today. I guess it’s gonna be okay to take a nap
after work in class.”
Yuki sees the Seth Godin book Linchpin next to her
futon and thinks, “Hm. I know I can choose to be the
person ‘writing the manual’, Seth, but until I get some
more sleep, I choose to be the person that ‘follows the
manual’. Only until I get some sleep.”



                          21
Yuki checks her cell phone for messages: 3 missed
calls from Maki. “Why did she try to call me in the
middle of the night? I wonder what’s the news.” Yuki
smiles and writes her back: I’ll be at work before class.
Tell me everything afterwards. See you at 9:10 in class.
Yuki picks up her bass, plays Hiko’s new song on her
cell phone, and plays along. Another smile appears on
her face. “I hope he didn’t write these lyrics while
thinking of Rena. She definitely doesn’t deserve it.”
After a couple of runs Yuki gets ready and leaves for
work on her bicycle, while listening to Inakute Sabishii
on her iPhone.
Peepeepeepeepeep—It’s 4:30 AM at Yutaro’s place in
Makino, a small suburb of Hirakata. “Turn it off. It’s
still dark outside,” says a female voice coming from
the same futon. Yutaro answers, “I always go jogging
very early in the morning. That puts me in the right
mood for practice before classes.” “What? You’re
crazy. Please let me sleep. Yuki always says that real
musicians do not get up before noon, and I would like
to achieve that.”
“For that you have to work a bit harder on your guitar
skills,” Yutaro jokes and covers her with a light
blanket. “I’ll try not to wake you up when I come back
from jogging. Sleep now.” She breathes deep and falls
back asleep. Yutaro gets ready for jogging, but one
thought bugs him, “I hope Yuki doesn’t mind me
sleeping with her best friend. But why should she?



                           22
She’s all over Hiko anyway.” Yutaro leaves the house
and Maki keeps sleeping his in futon.




                        23
Episode 6
          The Yutaro/Hiko-Collaboration
                     Part 1


“Yuki, I’m here!” Maki shouts across the classroom.
Yuki walks all the way to the back of the room and sits
down next to Maki. “I’m glad you chose to sit in the
very last row. That way, I don’t need to feel bad if I
fall asleep. Kotaro-sensei won’t catch me sleeping back
here.” Yuki gets a notebook and a Hello Kitty pencil
from her bag.
“So, you had to work before class this morning?” Maki
asks. “Yap. I work five mornings a week,” Yuki
replies. “I figured that if I work early hours, I get paid
a bit more and I’ll have time for practice after classes.”
“But isn’t it hard to get up that early, work, and then
come to class?” Maki’s look reveals that she wouldn’t
like to do that. Yuki looks at Maki and puts on a
joking diva-like attitude, “A real rock star has to pay
her dues in order to prove her awesomeness to the
world.” Maki shouts, “You’re such a bitch! I want to
prove my awesomeness by rockin’ out on stage and
sleeping until noon.”
Professor Kotaro enters the room and asks for silence.
Yuki whispers, “By the way, did you listen to Hiko’s
new song? He posted it on his Youtube yesterday.”
Maki leans closer to Yuki and whispers back, “Sure I
did. It really rocks. Inakute Sabishii, I wonder if he
wrote the song for Rena?” Yuki feels jealous—again.

                           24
In a different classroom—Yutaro is scribbling in a
notebook, when someone pats him on the back.
“Class didn’t start yet. Don’t pretend to be all into this
international marketing stuff they teach us here.”
Yutaro looks up to Hiko, who has a grin on his face.
He takes a seat next to Yutaro. Yutaro replies, “I’m
actually very interested in marketing, since any kind of
industry is going through a fundamental change and
creative people can and should market their craft
through social media.” Yutaro doesn’t get why Hiko
still has a grin on his face.
“What are you so happy about?” Yutaro asks. Hiko
tells him, “Well, since you’re a social media change
agent, you might want to use my Youtube channel for
a case study. My new song on Youtube got more than
10,000 views overnight and was not even featured on
the Youtube homepage. I guess some people really
must have liked it and spread it around.” Yutaro does
not seem impressed.
“Huh. This isn’t the first time you got this many views
overnight, right? I remember, I checked out your
channel a while ago and saw that you had reached half
a million views on Youtube. I mean, you’ve been
connecting with all your subscribers and fans on a
regular basis for what now, a year?” Hiko rectifies,
“Actually, with this new channel, only for about three
months. But I was very lucky that about 30 percent of
my old subbers joined my new channel after the
Warner Music Group had my old Youtube channel
suspended, because of a copyright infringement claim,

                           25
which I still claim was unjust.” The WMG incident
obviously still upsets Hiko a lot.
Yutaro turns his usually serious face into a more
serene look. “Anyway. I listened to your new song and
I have to admit that I really like it. You might be onto
something here. I posted it on my Mixi and Facebook
pages and my friends seem to like it as well. Are you
going to sell it online?” Hiko nods. “I’ll have it
mastered by tonight and will upload it right away. But
it will still take three weeks until it’s approved by
iTunes.” “Just keep your fans updated with news and
maybe publish another song on Youtube, which will
be on the single. Something like a B-side, as they used
to call it when vinyl was still the standard,” Yutaro
suggests.
“Thanks for the input, but unfortunately, I don’t have
another song ready yet that could match with Inakute
Sabishii.” Then Hiko has an idea. He asks Yutaro,
“Why don’t I cover one of your songs?” But Yutaro
has a better idea. “Or, why don’t we work on a new
song together? I have a bunch of songs that are ready
to be finalized.” Hiko seems sincerely excited about
Yutaro’s idea. Yutaro continues with the description
of this possible collaboration.
“We can make two different multi-window videos for
the song. One video features my parts in a larger
window, so that my subscribers can learn my parts on
their instruments—we’ll upload that video onto my
Youtube channel—and the other video features your
guitar work in a larger window for your subscribers to

                          26
enjoy and learn those lines from you. That way, you
might get new fans from my channel and some of
your subscribers might find their way onto my
channel. It’s a win-win situation, if we do it right.”
Yutaro and Hiko are both visibly excited about the
idea.
Yutaro asks Hiko, “Do you have time to work on the
song tonight? We can produce it as a remote
collaboration.” Hiko asks, “Why don’t we just go to a
studio together and record it there?” “Because I got
other things to take care of tonight, and I trust your
musicianship to make the song great even without me
having to teach you the song or oversee your work.”
Yutaro smiles. Hiko smiles back.
Yutaro goes on, “Great! I’m glad we’re doing this,
Hiko. I will have time this afternoon, after classes, to
finalize my parts and send you the link to the
Garageband file. I will upload it onto Mediafire. I
guess the size will be around 200 megabytes.” “And I
will then record my parts onto the same file and do
the mixing. It would be great if you could cut the
videos, though. Your video editing skills are just so
advanced and every video you make has that great
artistic touch,” Hiko adds. “Absolutely. As I said, I
won’t be around tonight, but I’ll get up very early
tomorrow morning and will finish the videos before
the 9 o’clock class. Okay?” Hiko replies, “No hurry
with the videos. First we have to have our song
approved by iTunes. After it’s in the iTunes store, we
will publish our videos on our respective Youtube

                          27
channels, linking the videos with our song on iTunes,
so that people can find it there and hopefully buy it, as
well as Inakute Sabishii, since they’ll be on the same
single.” “I see. We’ll wait for the right moment to
release the second song on Youtube. Sure. This is
going to be good,” Yutaro concludes.
The professor greets the class with a loud, “Good
morning class!” His thick American accent attracts
everyone’s attention. “Welcome to International
Marketing 201. Today, we will talk about ‘Social
Media’. Who can tell us what that is?” The professor
looks around. Hiko raises his hand. “Yes, please.” The
professor points to him.
Hiko clears his throut. “Social media is a virtual
meeting place, where everyone and everything can find
and be found, teach and learn, see and show, buy and
sell, speak and listen. Some claim it’s just a fad, many
others know it’s a new way of dialoguing without
boundaries—and it is here to stay.” Yutaro adds,
“Wikipedia and Youtube are best examples for how
the Wisdom of the Crowd works and for how important
social media has become for public relations and
marketing.”
The professor smiles and replies, “Glad to learn that
there are some Net Geners that do not only use social
media for entertainment, but also understand what it
actually is for.”




                           28
Episode 7
          The Yutaro/Hiko-Collaboration
                     Part 2


Yutaro just finished recording the last line for the
collaboration song with Hiko. “This is going to be
good,” he tells himself. “Let’s get this file uploaded.”
Yutaro uploads the file to Mediafire and sends Hiko
the link via email. Hiko can download the music
project file by clicking on the link and keep working
on the song at his place.
Toktoktok—“Heeeeey there!” The door to Yutaro’s 1-
bedroom apartment opens. Maki slingshots her shoes
in a corner of the genkan, a little entryway every
Japanese house has. In Japan, it is custom to take off
one’s shoes before entering a house or an apartment.
“What are you doing?” Maki asks and jump-hugs
Yutaro from behind. “I just finished my parts for a
collab with Hiko. It’s going to be something like the
B-side of his new single.” Yutaro clicks play. A
thunderous slap bass makes his speakers jump. Maki is
impressed. “Araaa! Is that you playing the bass or is it
a Garageband loop?” Yutaro reacts with a smile.
“Seriously? When did you learn to play bass like that?
Why don’t you play bass in a band? Your skills are
crazy!”
Yutaro finally answers, “I have always played guitar in
bands and people know me for being a guitar player,


                          29
not a bass player. It would be too much of a hustle to
start over again and try to position myself as a bassist.
Still, I like playing bass, and on this recording no one
will ask about the bass player, because it’s about
Hiko’s guitar playing.”
Maki counters, “Please don’t get me wrong, but I
think your bass playing—at least on this song—is way
awesomer than your guitar work. You should
definitely make a tutorial video for this bass line on
your Youtube channel. I’m sure many viewers will
want to learn this line.” Yutaro starts realizing his
potential. “You think I’ll have a chance as a bass
player? But there are so many incredible bass players
out there, like Yuki.”
Yutaro shows his concerns about his bass playing, but
Maki reassures him, “You’re right. There are many
great bass players in the Kansai region, especially in
Osaka. Nevertheless, after listening to this raw mix, I’d
totally see you becoming one of the popular bassists
around here. And I’m not saying that just because I
sleep with you.” Maki shoots her typical closed-eyes
smile to cheer up Yutaro, which affects his mood and
makes him smile.
Yutaro takes her gently in his arms, while she sits on
his lap. “You are great, Maki. Can I hire you as my
motivational trainer and personal branding manager?”
“I’m not sure you can afford me,” Maki teases Yutaro.
“Why don’t I start by paying you like this…” Yutaro
kisses Maki, lifts her from his lap and lays her on the
tatami floor. “I like this kind of payment.” Maki turns

                           30
off the light with a remote control and starts
unbuttoning Yutaro’s shirt.
Hiko just downloaded the Garageband file that Yutaro
sent him via Mediafire and is amazed by the quality of
the production. “Wow, that bass line is crazy!” he tells
himself. Bzzzzz. Hiko checks the door.
“Yuki? What a nice surprise.” Yuki is clearly nervous.
“Sorry for stopping by unannounced. I just wanted to
ask you a few things about the songs for our next
rehearsal.” She’s just making it up. Hiko replies, “I’m
actually starting a recording session right now, which I
really have to complete today. Hm. Listen, I usually
don’t like having people here, since my place is rather
small, but if you’d like to help me out with the
production…” “I’d love to!” Yuki interrupts Hiko’s
sentence energetically.
She knows that Hiko doesn’t like having anyone over,
and because of that, she wants to get in before he
changes his mind. “Good. Come in.” Hiko is all set to
start recording. His guitars are tuned, his effect pedals
are plugged in, and the microphone is set to the right
height.
Yuki observes, “So, this is where the magic happens.”
Hiko smiles. “That’s what we want to find out, right?
Just grab those headphones and make yourself
comfortable.” Both have their headphones on. Hiko
pushes play on Garageband. “What an amazing bass
line,” Yuki shouts. Hiko nods. “It’s Yutaro’s bass
line.” He explains their collaboration.

                           31
“I had no idea that Yutaro could play bass like this. I
thought he was just a guitar player.” Yuki is still
amazed by Yutaro’s production. Hiko explains, “We
used to play in a band together. That’s when he first
picked up the bass. Our bass player left because he got
signed by a touring band and we didn’t want to lose
time looking for a bassist. Hence, Yutaro decided to
play bass in our band. Unfortunately, we never had the
chance to play live, since I left the band as well shortly
after that. Then they blamed me for their split-up. I
thought Yutaro was still mad at me for that, but
apparently he’s over it, since he offered to collab with
me.” Hiko is immersed in thoughts.
Yuki asks, “Do you want to play this song with our
band, too?” “Sure! It has so much drive.” He
continues, “Honestly, I feel it’s going to be even more
popular than my last song.” A smile on Yuki’s face
makes Hiko smile as well. “What?” he asks. “Inakute
Sabishii is a truly beautiful song. It will be hard for you
guys to top its popularity.” Yuki really means it.
“Well, I try to top every song I make. And with
Yutaro contributing such great ideas, I’m very
confident that this could become a new milestone for
me. Also, tastes are different and what one person
likes, another person might not like, and that’s okay.
But it sure means a lot to me that you like my latest
song.” Yuki and Hiko look at each other for a few
moments.
“Okay, let’s do this!” Hiko interrupts the silence. They
put their headphones back on. One last smile towards

                            32
Yuki, and Hiko hits the recording button to record the
first track for the Yutaro/Hiko-collab.




                         33
Episode 8
           Still rehearsing for the first gig


It’s a beautiful mid-October day in Hirakata. Leaves
are slowly turning red and the temperature is getting
milder day by day. Yuki, Hiko, and Junji have been
playing for two months as a band now and they grew
closer as a team. Their first official public performance
is scheduled for the Kansai Gaidai International
Festival, which will be held in the first week of
November, around the Bunka no Hi holiday, which is
known as Culture Day in English.
As the president of the music club, Yutaro organized
three performances for Hiko’s trio during the 4-day
festival. The band will be playing two 20-minute
shows in a university lounge that can hold an audience
of about 100 people. Every music club band is entitled
to play there twice. Additionally, Hiko, Junji, and Yuki
will have the opportunity to perform on an outdoor
stage, where all festival visitors can see and hear them
play. Not every band gets to do that.
Yuki is very excited about that. She hasn’t had the
chance to gather much live experience, especially in
front of large audiences. And playing on the outdoor
stage will give the band great exposure.
Back in the studio in Korien the trio is practicing. ♫
Youtubers unite against unholy obedience, we ain’t just the
crowd we are considerable deviance. With an iPod in our left


                            34
and a computer in our right, we create art with every single byte.
♫ “Yes, that’s exactly what this song should sound
like!” Junji dries the sweat from his face and adds from
behind the drum set, “Hiko, are we going to play the
Yutaro/Hiko-collab song at the festival?” Hiko replies,
“Sure. The single should be approved by iTunes any
day now. And besides playing for the love of music, I
would also like to use these festival gigs as a marketing
platform to promote the songs, if that’s okay with you
guys.” Yuki and Junji smile and nod.
Hiko’s cell phone rings. “Oh, I have to take this. Moshi
moshi?” “Hiko, it’s Genji Hatoyama. Am I interrupting
anything?” Hiko replies in a very humble voice,
“Hatoyama-san, no, no. I have time.” Mr. Hatoyama
goes on, “As you know from our concert schedule, we
will be playing a special performance at the Park Hyatt
Hotel in Tokyo on Monday after the Bunka no Hi
holiday, the second week of November. But because
our performances in the Kansai area have been very
successful in the past couple of months, a few other
places want to book the Genji Hatoyama Band for
Friday, Saturday and Sunday, before the Monday gig.
Just make sure you’ll be ready to leave for Tokyo one
day before the first performance. That means,
Thursday. Yokoyama-san will call you later to discuss
the details.”
Hiko realizes this means that he would miss the
International Festival and therefore, would have to
cancel the gigs with Yuki and Junji. “Sure. Thank you
for the information. I’ll see you next week for

                               35
rehearsal in Kyoto,” Hiko replies and suppresses his
disappointment. Mr. Hatoyama hangs up.
“What’s wrong?” Yuki asks. Hiko explains the
situation to his band and adds, “I don’t know if I ever
told you about my adhesion contract with the Genji
Hatoyama Band.” Junji nods, but Yuki looks puzzled.
“Basically, if they get booked and I cannot make it,
they look for another guitar player to replace me right
away and kick me out of the band. And since Osaka is
filled with great and available guitarists looking for a
good gig, they always find someone in no time.”
“What?” Yuki shouts. “Can they do that? Well,
obviously they can do whatever they want! Man, I’m
so upset.” Yuki is obviously distressed and in rage
about the situation. “Because of greedy businessmen
like them, youngsters like us can’t get anywhere!”
Rena enters the practice space and asks, “Hey guys,
how’s rehearsal going?” “YOU!!!” Yuki points to Rena
with a very upset look and approaches her showing
her clenched fist. Junji realizes that Yuki’s temper is
boiling over and rushes from behind his drums to hold
her back before she lays hands on Rena, who has no
clue what just happened. “It’s all your fault!!! We won’t
get to perform at the International Festival, because
Hiko has to play in Tokyo with your dad’s band.” Yuki
screams at Rena.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Rena runs out of the studio crying. Hiko puts down
his guitar and apologizes to his bandmates. “Guys, I’m

                           36
sorry to cause you all this trouble, but please, if you
want to blame this on anyone, blame it on me. I didn’t
think about what it meant to sign a contract with the
Genji Hatoyama Band. It’s solely my fault for not
thinking further than my wallet. I know, sometimes
Rena might seem arrogant, spoiled, self-centered, and
very proud of being the daughter of a celebrity, but
she is my girlfriend and we belong together.” Yuki is
still furious and Junji is still holding her.
“If you excuse me, I have to go after her.” Hiko walks
to the door and concludes, “By the way, I will leave
the band…” Yuki and Junji are baffled. “I mean, the
Genji Hatoyama Band.” Their gazes relax. “This
means, you guys better keep working on that rhythm
section, if we want to impress any potential bookers or
label guys at the Kansai Gaidai International Festival.”
Hiko winks and runs after Rena.
“Man, my heart almost stopped when he said that he
would leave the band. For a second I thought he
wanted to leave this band, his own band.” Junji shows
his relief and sits down on the studio floor. Yuki is in a
rollercoaster of emotions. She doesn’t know if she
should be happy about the fact that Hiko is leaving the
Genji Hatoyama Band or if she should be upset that
he doesn’t see how bad Rena is for him.
“Okay. Junji, pick up your sticks and let’s try that
collab song again—just drums and bass. Now that
Hiko has only this band that can make him a star, we
have to support him as much as we can.” Yuki’s


                           37
dedication motivates Junji. “You said it best, sis’…
Ichi, ni, san, shi!” And they rock the groove.




                        38
Episode 9
                 You canʼt have both


“Rena, are you okay?” Hiko asks his girlfriend. Rena is
standing outside the studio premises in Korien, crying.
“Why don’t your friends like me? Am I such a bad
person? I really tried to be nice to them, ever since you
started playing with them.” Hiko looks surprised.
“You haven’t really been nice to them. I remember, the
first time Junji, Yuki, and I jammed in this very studio,
you asked me why I would waste my time playing with
such amateurs, when I could practice with real
professionals such as your dad’s musicians. That
wasn’t very nice, but still, they never said anything
about you coming to all our rehearsals.”
Rena sighs. “Whatever. This band is over anyway.
Please let’s get your stuff and let’s leave.” Rena grabs
Hiko’s hand. He pulls her back and says in a harsh
voice, “Are you completely insane? This is my chance
to make it in this business. Junji and Yuki are such a
fantastic and dedicated rhythm section, and they
support me with all their passion. They believe that
our trio has what it takes to make it in Japan. What
will I have if I play with your dad? Some money from
the gigs, where my name is nowhere to be seen. Plus,
that music doesn’t push me to the limit. Strumming a
few chords isn’t what I aim for these days.”
Rena counters aggressively, “You know, you’re only 19
years old and you have absolutely not enough

                           39
experience to make it in the music business. Playing
with an established act will teach you the mean side of
the music biz, while being in a safe position. If
anything goes wrong for whatever reason, it’s not your
brand on stake, but the one from the guy that offers
you the job. Too many times, I’ve seen my dad being
depressed and taking hits from journalists and
promoters, because the concert hall was half-empty, or
because the event organizers simply thought the show
wasn’t good enough for the amount of money they
paid to the Genji Hatoyama Band. And my dad took
all the blame—not his musicians.” Tears fall from
Rena’s eyes.
“Rena, I’m sorry. I decided to do it my way and will
therefore leave your dad’s band. I mean, the contract
states that if I can’t make a concert, the management
will search for a replacement and I’m out. And I’m
fine with that. I want to make my own mistakes and
built my own brand, like your father did.” Rena’s tears
overflow her cute Japanese face.
“Congratulations!” Rena affirms, “You just made the
first major mistake in your rather short career as a
musician. You quit a great and secure job that could
have led the way to your very own record deal.” Rena
gets snappy. “Have a great life, Hiko. I’ll send you
your stuff by mail.” Rena turns around and walks
away. Hiko stands motionless in front of the studio
until Rena is out of sight. Then, one tear runs from his
right eye down his cheek all the way to his chin, where


                          40
it gathers all the salty water to a single teardrop and
slowly falls to the ground.
“Big fight?” Junji’s voice reverberates from the studio
hallway. Junji and Yuki are walking towards Hiko. He
nods his head. “It looks as if it’s over. Rena, the Ganji
Hatoyama Band… everything’s over. But that’s good,
right?” Hiko’s voice is initially trembling but gets very
solid with the next sentence. Sigh. “I guess it’s as
Rocky said, ‘It ain’t about how hard you hit, it is about
how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.’”
Hiko smiles while quoting that line from Sylvester
Stallone in Rocky 6. Junji laughs very loud. He puts his
arms around Hiko’s neck and drags him back to studio
3.
“Hahaha! Glad to see you haven’t lost your sense of
humor yet, even though I have no clue why you would
quote Rocky. Anyway, let’s go back in and rock the
hell out of our instruments. Now that we are your only
band, we gotta work even harder, if we want to crack
the jackpot.”
Hiko and Yuki pick up their instruments. Junji takes a
seat behind the drum set and asks Yuki, “Miss Bass-
star, would you like to give us the honor and slap the
hell out of your bass for the intro of the collab song?”
Yuki hits the strings as hard as she can and the energy
swaps over to Junji and Hiko, who enter the song with
great oomph.
During the song, Yuki’s thoughts are completely
dedicated to the future of the band. She thinks, “Now

                           41
that Rena and her dad are out of Hiko’s life, he can set
the focus on this band and spend more time with us,
as he asked me to do when I joined. Fortunately,
everything turned out the way it was supposed to.”
After practice, Hiko congratulates his bandmates to a
very lively, even though emotional, rehearsal. “See you
tomorrow in class, Junji. I gotta go home and call
Hatoyama-san to tell him about my decision to leave
his band.” Junji replies, “You do that, and don’t forget
your Rocky-quote.” The three of them express
amusement. Hiko turns to Yuki, “Lunch at shokudou
(translation: cafeteria) tomorrow?” Yuki’s eyes
brighten up. She nods vividly. Hiko waves and leaves
shouting, Jaa!
Junji approaches Yuki and tells her in a rather fatherly
tone, “Listen, Yuki. I know you like Hiko. And if Hiko
and Rena really split up, I’m sure he will want to be
with you as well. Unfortunately, love relationships in
bands always end badly for everyone involved, and that
includes bandmates that are simply extras in the story,
like I am. As much as I want you guys to be happy
together as a couple, I see a huge potential for our
band here and I don’t want anyone and anything to
jeopardize that. Do you understand?”
Yuki gets nervous and wants to object, “But…” “No,
But!” Junji interrupts her and persists, “I am asking
you as a friend and for the sake of what we can
achieve with this band. This can only work, if we stick
to professionalism and don’t let intimate relationships
screw up our plans.” He gently holds Yuki’s shoulders.

                          42
“We are friends—the three of us—and we need that
friendship to lead our way. I’m begging you. Don’t
think only about yourself, but about all of us.” Yuki
hugs Junji and whispers while her head is resting on
his shoulder, “I promise, Junji. I won’t jeopardize what
we have. But please, keep reminding me.”




                          43
Episode 10
                Friends with benefits


After the emotional rehearsal, when Rena broke up
with Hiko, and Hiko decided to leave the Genji
Hatoyama Band to focus on his own band with Yuki
and Junji, the trio devoted many hours of practice in
creating the best possible set for their performance at
the Kansai Gaidai International Festival. Junji worked
on more detailed arrangements, Yuki and Maki took
care of word-of-mouth marketing, handing out flyers
to students and to people at live music houses in
Osaka, and Hiko published Youtube videos every
other day with subliminal messages to promote their
forthcoming gigs in Hirakata to his subscribers.
«Come and rock out with us at Kansai Gaidai International
Festival in Hirakata», a video coming from Maki’s
iPhone says. “My friend Yuki will be playing a featured
gig on the outdoor stage on Saturday. You should
definitely not miss this. And while you’re at it, go to
this website and download their music. Believe me,
they’re awesome! I got all their music on my iPod.”
Maki hands a flyer to a bunch of students that are
forming a circle around her. “See you there!” She
smiles at them and leaves.
“How is my #1 promotion manager doing?” Yuki asks
Maki approaching her from the side. Maki turns
around with a grin, “If Yutaro and Hiko sell a
thousand MP3s online, it’s all because of me, and I

                           44
will want to see some royalties from that,” Maki says
with an acted Diva-like attitude.
“I don’t want to sound too cocky, but I think I’ll apply
for a promotion manager position at one of the major
record companies in Tokyo after I graduate from
here.” She sounds very confident and serious about
that. “What happened to becoming a rockstar? Did
you change your plans?” Yuki asks with a wink. “No,
that is still on the list. I will just take care of both,
music and promotion. I mean, isn’t that why we have
social media now, to take care of marketing ourselves?
Yutaro and Hiko are on track to prove that it can
work for unsigned artists to make it without a major
label.” Yuki asks Maki, “Why do you want to work for
a major label then, if you’d be able to make it to the
top without one?” Maki pauses for a few moments.
“Good question. I guess, because it will sound good in
my biography one day.” She starts a narrative of her
own biography:
«Before making it big, Makiko paid her dues in the hard reality
of the music business, working as a promotion manager for a
major record label. Her road was paved with many ups and
downs, but after realizing that she could make better decisions
than her boss, she left the company to take care of business
herself. And that's when she brought her band to their first
number one hit on the Oricon charts in Japan with no major
label backing her.»




                              45
“Bravo!” a male voice responds mockingly. Yuki and
Maki turn around and see Yutaro approaching with a
smile.
“Don’t make fun of me, mister!” Maki punches
Yutaro in the stomach. “Ouch! That hurt.” Yutaro is
still teasing her. Maki pretends to get mad. “Stop it,
Yutaro, or no sex for you tonight!” Yutaro blushes.
The ambience changes instantly. “What?” Yuki asks,
not believing what she just heard. “You’re joking,
right?” “I’m obviously joking.” Maki’s voice is
trembling. She is extremely nervous.
“You’re lying, Maki. I know you are.” Yuki gazes at
them and they both blush even more. It is now
obvious to Yuki that Maki and Yutaro have an
intimate relationship with each other. “So. Are you
guys a couple or are you just sleeping together?”
Yutaro turns to Maki and whispers, “Glad we
discussed this scenario.” Yutaro’s statement is
evidently ironic. Maki apologizes to Yutaro also
whispering, “I’m sorry! It just slipped out.” Yuki puts
on a smile.
“So, which one is it? A couple or just friends with
benefits?” Yuki can’t hold back her grin. Maki and
Yutaro decide to enter mute-mode and leave fast in
different directions. “Gotta go! See ya later, Yuki.”
Maki waves and walks away, fast.
Five minutes later, Yutaro enters the classroom and
takes a seat next to Hiko. “Hey Yutaro, ready for the
upcoming gigs at the festival?” Hiko asks. “I hope so.”

                          46
Yutaro is still upset over his bloopers with Maki.
“Something bugging you?” Hiko asks his friend. “Maki
told Yuki that we sleep together,” Yutaro replies. “You
guys are a couple?” Hiko shouts. “Shhhhh! Yes. No!
Maybe. Ah. I don’t know. When we decided to play in
the same band, everything became a bit more
complicated. We agreed that as long as we’re
bandmates, it would be better not to appear as a
couple. Our bandmates and other music club
members might get the wrong idea.”
“Hold on a sec. Does that mean you guys have been a
couple for a while already?” Hiko still looks very
surprised. “It doesn’t matter. Fact is that I like Maki,
but I’m not sure if engaging in an exclusive romantic
relationship with her would be good the future of our
band. First of all, our band is really picking up and
chances are that we can perform at some cool festivals
next spring. But if we fight, our band will suffer from
it. That’s why I’d rather be friends with benefits with
her and not a couple.” Yutaro leans back in his chair
and sighs.
“Do you really think that being friends with benefits
will keep your emotions checkmate? If else, it will
make you go even crazier. What if Maki goes out with
someone else, because you don’t want to be
exclusively hers?” Hiko shows concern for his friends.
Yutaro checks his phone to see if Maki sent him a
message.
“I envy you and Yuki. So much attraction from one to
the other and you keep being only friends and keep

                          47
your relationship safe from any emotional hazard.”
Hiko leans back in his chair. “Believe me when I tell
you that it is incredibly hard. Every time we get
together for rehearsal, to go to a gig, have lunch,
dinner, whatsoever, I always fight with myself. I’m in a
constant dilemma. I want to take her in my arms and
give her all the love she deserves. But then something
inside of me tells me that it would be wrong now. Our
band is on the way to create something great and
emotional distress would tear it apart. I’m not sure
how Yuki feels about me, but I hope she doesn’t want
to be with me, because if I knew that she likes me as
much as I like her, I wouldn’t be able to resist.”
Yutaro pulls himself together and pats Hiko on the
back. “Listen my friend. If we ever fall into absolute
despair, we will just leave our respective bands and
create a band with you on guitar, me on bass, and Junji
on drums, and the girls can do the same with a female
drummer of their choice. That way, we can all be
together with whom we please and we won’t have to
care about emotional distress. What do you think?”
Yutaro’s face finally lightens up, but Hiko isn’t sure if
Yutaro really means what he just said or if he is merely
joking.
“I think time will tell how we’ll have to handle these
things.” Hiko’s phone lights up. It’s Yuki texting him,
Hey rockstar, don’t forget that we moved our
rehearsal from tomorrow to tonight. Can’t wait to
rock the studio with you tonight! Hiko smiles from ear
to ear.

                           48
Episode 11
     The Kansai Gaidai International Festival
                     Part 1


Today is the first day of the Kansai Gaidai
International Festival, which will be held for the next
four days on the campus of the Kansai Gaidai
University in Hirakata. People from close and far
attend the festival. The festival aims to bring foreign
cultures, as well as Japanese culture, closer to its
visitors with dishes and cultural performances from
different countries by Japanese and International
students. The festival aims to bring Japanese and
foreign cultures closer to their visitors. Outdoor stands
sell anything from onigiri to tempura, from tacos to
Spaghetti Bolognese, or from American hotdogs to
Cevapcici. Indoors, classrooms got remodeled to
stages, where students can either perform a dance or a
play from a specific country, or simply present their
countries and languages to interested visitors. The
festival takes place every year and is always a big
success.
“Guys, I think there are about 100 people crammed
into that small lounge, and they are waiting for us to
get on stage and rock!” Junji is jumping up and down.
He is visibly excited. Hiko and Yuki are tuning their
instruments in a classroom on the other side of the
hallway from the lounge, where they will be
performing in less than ten minutes.

                           49
“Are you ready, Yuki?” Hiko asks her with a smile.
“I’m very nervous. What was that change we made in
the third verse of Inakute Sabishii?” Yuki looks stressed
out. Hiko puts his hand on her shoulder. “Just forget
about that. Let’s go out there and just have fun. Our
audience came to have fun with us, not to judge if we
play well or if we suck. This is our very first gig in
front of a paying crowd. I consider this a warm-up gig,
which it is, considering the circumstances and the
preparation for the open-air gig on Saturday.”
Junji adds, “Forget about perfection and it will
happen. Simply be aware of our music as a team, and
feel the energy we transmit to each other. If you
happen to lose the groove, just listen to what I play
and you will find it in no time. And if you get lost in all
those notes you play, listen to Hiko and you’ll be back
on the right track.”
Then he gets philosophical, “As legendary bassist
Victor Wooten always says, music is a language, and if
you want to join a conversation, the first thing you
have to do is to listen and then you contribute your
message.” Junji stops for a few moments. “Well, he
puts it more eloquently, but you get my point.” Yuki
smiles and feels more comfortable now thanks to the
words of her bandmates.
Yutaro enters the backstage room. “Are you guys
ready to prove to your fans that you’re worth the 300
yen they paid to see you rock?” Yutaro can’t hide the
fact that he’s proud of having Yuki, Junji, and Hiko
opening the concert series of the university music club

                            50
he presides. Junji shouts, “Hell yeah! Let’s rock this
crowd.” He storms out of the room and jumps on
stage. Yutaro, Yuki, and Hiko can hear the crowd
screaming and clapping their hands.
“What a crazy guy,” Yutaro says with a smile. He turns
to the rest of the band. “Are you going to be playing
the collab-song as well?” Yutaro asks Hiko. “No, not
today. We’ll play it on the open-air stage on Saturday.”
Yutaro is disappointed, but doesn’t show it. “No
problem. I’m looking forward to hearing your version
in a couple of days then. You guys better go on stage
now, before Junji gets all the audience on his side and
leaves no fans for you.”
Hiko and Yuki nod and leave the backstage room.
Hiko makes his first step on stage and all hell breaks
loose. It sounds as if thousands of people would cheer
for a rockstar. Like when Ozzy enters the Budokan
stage on his Live at Budokan album. Shortly before
making her appearance on stage, Yuki takes one deep
breath and tells herself, “This is it. Nana, Billy
Sheehan, you know how Goku and Vegeta became
unbeatable in Dragonball. Let’s try that as well.
Fuuuuuusion!” And she enters the stage.
Hiko and Junji are ready and set to play the very first
note. The crowd has calmed down a bit by now, but
suspense is still building up. No one says a word.
Every one in the room is looking at Yuki setting up
her effect pedals and tuning her bass one last time.
The stage lights shine very bright and Yuki can’t really
see the audience. Junji told his bandmates before the

                          51
gig that there were about 100 people in the room, but
the audience is larger than that and it sure feels like
thousands came.
The energy is pumping up Yuki to an extent she has
never felt before. Finally. She is ready. Trivial thoughts
cross Yuki’s mind, “What do I have to do now? Do I
have to say anything, or, shall I count in? Man, these
stupid lights are way to bright.” Then, she remembers
the music video for Pearl Jam’s Even Flow song, where
Eddie Vedder yells at the light guy, because the lights
are too bright. She smiles and shouts to the light guys
in the back of the room with her loudest and rockiest
voice through her microphone, “Akira, Ken, turn
down these lights. This is not a TV studio, this is a
rock concert!” The lights dim right away. Yuki adds,
“Junji, count it in.” And Junji picks it up. 1, 2, 3, 4!
A bombastic and loud sound shoots from the PA. The
trio plays the intro to their first song and the crowd is
cheering and dancing. Yuki is doing exactly what Hiko
and Junji told her to do before the gig. Everything
happens naturally. Yuki is not thinking, she is just
enjoying and going with the flow. It has never felt
better and more natural. The audience is jumping up
and down with the beat of the song. Some even know
the lyrics and sing along with the band. These must be
Hiko’s Youtube fans. The trio gets more and more
confident with every note they play, and the crowd
gets more and more into it with every beat the band
plays.


                           52
Backstage, Yutaro is watching his friends planting the
first seed for their career as an active live band. “Are
you the manager of this band?” A man in an expensive
suit approaches Yutaro from the backstage room.
Yutaro replies, “No. Well, kind of. I’m the president
of the music club they belong to.” He is rather
confused and changes the subject quickly. “I’m sorry.
This room is reserved for the bands that perform here
today. I have to kindly ask you to leave.”
The man looks like a businessman and his attitude is
very professional. “I apologize for the intrusion. Allow
me to introduce myself. My name is Genji Hatoyama
and I am interested in singing the band that is playing
on your stage. Can I please have a word with you?”
Yutaro is completely confused and can’t believe what
just happened. “This is weird,” he thinks for himself.
Yutaro knows who Genji Hatoyama is and knows all
the details about Hiko’s fight with Rena and the
contract he had signed with the Genji Hatoyama
Band, but obviously Mr. Hatoyama doesn’t know who
Yutaro is. Many questions are spinning inside Yutaro’s
head. Why did Genji Hatoyama come to see Hiko’s
band perform. Why is he offering a deal to the band?
And more important, what kind of deal? And, wasn’t
the Genji Hatoyama Band supposed to play in Tokyo
this weekend?




                          53
Episode 12
     The Kansai Gaidai International Festival
                    Part 2


A visibly nervous Yutaro asks Mr. Hatoyama, “Why
do you want to sign Hiko and his band, when you just
fired him from your band?” Loud music is blasting
from the lounge, where Junji is just about to give a
drum solo accompanied with bass and guitar
harmonies. “I couldn’t bear to see Hiko leaving the
band…” Yutaro interjects, “With all due respect,
Hatoyama-san, Hiko left because of your unfair
contract.” Mr. Hatoyama picks up where he got
interrupted. “As I was saying, I couldn’t bear to see
Hiko leaving the band. He is a great musician with lots
of potential to make it in this hard industry, and even
though he is not playing for me anymore, I’d like to
support him and his band financially, and by pulling
some strings.”
Yutaro realizes that he is talking to a music business
veteran that has been through highs and lows in his
music career and the trio could definitely benefit from
Mr. Hatoyama’s experience—and of course from his
business contacts. They both hear Hiko shouting
through the PA, “Hirakata, see you Saturday on the
open-air stage. Jaaa!” And the trio closes with a huge
thunder.
Junji, Yuki, and Hiko rush offstage, while the audience
is still applauding and screaming. According to the

                          54
code of conduct made by the music club, encores are
not permitted, since every band only plays 20 minutes
and has to give 10 minutes set-up time to the next
band. Junji and Yuki pass by Yutaro and Mr.
Hatoyama and go to the backstage room with a very
genuine smile on their faces. Hiko is the last one to
come offstage and remains petrified by the look of the
last person he expects to meet there, his ex-boss and
ex-future-father-in-law.
“Hiko, that was a great show. I’m very proud of you.”
Mr. Hatoyama compliments Hiko and his band with a
strong voice for anyone lurking around the backstage
room to hear. “Hatoyama-san, thank you very much. I
appreciate your kind words. May I ask what you are
doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be performing in
Tokyo this weekend?” Hiko is not pleased. Yutaro
points to a little garden outside the premise. He leads
the way and opens the door for Mr. Hatoyama and
Hiko. The two of them continue their conversation in
the garden, where no one can hear what they are
talking about.
“Hiko, when you left our band…” Hiko corrects, “I
didn’t leave. You and your management fired me,
because of that infamous clause in your musician’s
contract.” Hiko’s temper starts boiling. Mr. Hatoyama
tries to calm him down with a heartily smile. “Hiko, I
always saw you as the next big guitarist in Japan. And I
even considered sending you to a music college abroad
for a couple of years, before producing a record under
your brand followed by a tour with your own band.

                          55
But when we parted, all of that was gone. It was
already hard not having you with us anymore, as a
member of the family, since you and Rena also split
up. I lost you completely. For that reason, I cancelled
the Tokyo gigs. I even had to pay a penalty fee to one
of the organizers, because I wanted to come and see
how you are doing and how far your band is. And I’m
really impressed by what I saw today.”
Hiko adds, “Just wait until Saturday. We’ll blow you
away.” Mr. Hatoyama laughs and claps his hands once.
“I am sure you will. Hahaha! Listen, I was talking to
your manager, or, president of this music club,”
“Yutaro? He is actually more something like my music
production partner. We’ve been producing songs for
Youtube together.” Hiko turns in a good mood when
thinking about his collaborations with Yutaro.
“Yes, that guy.” Mr. Hatoyama takes back the
conversation. “So, I was talking to Yutaro about
offering you and your band a management deal with
my agency. My people and I will take care of
promotion, booking, touring, and financing studio
time. All we want from you guys is commitment and
royalties.” Hiko laughs in disbelieve. “Why does it
always sound like you want to screw me over when we
talk about business?” Hiko gets offensive.
Mr. Hatoyama tries to stay calm and continues, “Well,
you know, in business communication classes they
teach that communication happens on the receiver’s
side. That means you might have perceived my
message in a way that I didn’t mean. I only mean

                          56
good, and I don’t want to have you out of my life.
Hiko, you are like the son I never had. Rena is a good
girl, but she is spoiled and will never be a musician.
And who knows what kind of guy she will end up with
one day. With you, I know what I got. Please, sign
with my agency and let me be your manager.”
Hiko is touched by the fact that Mr. Hatoyama is
literally begging him to sign a deal, but Hiko doesn’t
show it. Au contraire, Hiko says in a cold Wall Street-
like attitude, “Hatoyama-san, I have to decline your
offer.” Mr. Hatoyama’s eyes jump wide-open. “If you
really consider me as a part of your family and don’t
want to be cut out of my life, I am willing to be your
friend and meet up with you, jam, talk about the music
business, politics, or other things, but we don’t need to
be connected through business. Who knows, maybe
someday we’ll collaborate on a song? Honestly, I want
to make it with my band without having to involve a
label, outside financing, or whatsoever. We got the
Internet and things look very promising right now.
Yutaro is a great marketer and producer and we got all
the equipment we need to produce songs for online
music stores. We are quite confident that we can make
it our way. Actually, if you want, I can teach you how
to use social media to connect with your fans and
publish your music without having to give royalties to
a record company.” Mr. Hatoyama smiles, then the
door opens.
“Dad, I was looking for you everywhere,” a young
female voice says with an attitude. “Rena!” Hiko

                           57
shouts. His heart stops. “Hello Hiko.” Rena’s reply is
rather snippy. She commends, “Let’s go, daddy. I want
to go home.” “We’ll stay in touch, Hiko.” Mr.
Hatoyama puts his hand onto Hiko’s shoulder. “See
you this Saturday at the outdoor concert?” Hiko asks.
“Only if I can buy you a drink after your gig and you
tell me more about this online marketing stuff.” Mr.
Hatoyama walks after Rena.
“You did the right thing.” Yutaro’s voice sounds from
the other side of the garden. “How the hell did you get
up there?” Hiko asks. Yutaro jumps from a rock that
is almost two meters high. “I was waiting for you to
come back inside when I saw an open window that
brought me on top of this huge rock. And since in
some ways your future concerns me as well, I thought
it would be good to listen to your conversation.” “You
sneaky son of a gun,” Hiko jokes.
“As I said, you did the right thing,” Yutaro affirms,
again. “If Hatoyama-san wants to be your friend and
help you succeed in the music biz, he can. You left
him that door open.” Hiko picks up, “And we don’t
need no manager. We got you. A great producer, event
organizer, and friend.” “But don’t get too used to that.
Sooner or later I won’t have time to do this for both
your band and my band.” Yutaro smiles. Hiko smiles
back. “Then we’ll leave our respective bands and start
our own band, where it’s only about us boys.” They
both laugh out loud. “I see, you really listen to me.”
Yutaro is surprised that Hiko still remembers his
statement from last week in class.

                          58
“What are you guys doing out here, where no one can
find you? Are you hiding from anyone?” Maki puts a
rock in front of the door to keep it open. “Kick-ass
performance, Hiko. You can really shred, but you
know that. Are you coming to watch us rock the stage
tomorrow?” Hiko nods. “You guys take care. I gotta
look after my band. Want to congratulate them.” Hiko
waves and leaves.
“What was that about?” Maki asks Yutaro. “Nothing.
We were just talking, and Rena’s dad offered them a
management deal or something like that, but Hiko
declined.” Maki shouts, “What? Why does that never
happen to me?” Yutaro comforts her, “You don’t
need that. Wait for your brand to grow and then you’ll
be able to have the contract on your terms. But until
then, you gotta work with social media and the power
of the Internet. Just trust me on this one.” Maki smiles
and hugs Yutaro saying, “You really make it hard for
me not to like you as much as I would like to.” And
they kiss.




                          59
Episode 13
                 A new band is born


The Kansai Gaidai International Festival is over and it
was a great success for Yutaro’s music club, especially
because of Hiko, Yuki, and Junji’s performances in the
lounge and on the open-air stage. Sales for the
Hiko/Yutaro-collab on iTunes have surged since the
trio’s performance at the festival. Hundreds of people
downloaded the song onto their cell phones right away
during the concert and tweeted pictures and videos for
thousands of interneters, who could not attend, to enjoy.
Hiko’s and Yutaro’s Youtube channels registered
hundreds of new subscribers in the week after the
festival, and many asked for more Hiko/Yutaro-
collabs.
At the Miki Gakki music store in Shinsaibashi, one of
the shopping districts of Osaka, Yuki and Maki are
trying out some new guitars and basses. “You know,
I’m really happy for Hiko and Yutaro that their music
is generating all this buzz, but sometimes I wish they
would include us more into their songwriting. I feel as
if the two of them are a band and we are just
supplements.” Yuki is walking her way through a 5-
string bass neck. “I know what you mean,” Maki
acknowledges. “But they are a great team, and even if
both our bands end up playing pretty much the same
songs, those songs are great and people like them a
lot.”

                           60
Yuki confesses, “I know, I know. I guess, sometimes
I’m just jealous of Yutaro.” Yuki plucks the strings
harder now. Maki frowns, “Why are you jealous of
Yutaro? If, then you should be jealous of Hiko, or am
I missing something here?” Yuki explains, “I’m jealous
of Yutaro because he gets to spend so much time with
Hiko and they share ideas, credits, and fans. I am just
Hiko’s bass player and singer. Something like a
sidekick.” That obviously bothers Yuki.
“Why don’t they just start their own band and let us
be. At least if it was like that, I could tell him how
much I long for him, and this whole band thing would
not stand in our way.” Maki puts down the guitar she’s
been holding in her hands for 20 minutes and sits
down next to Yuki. “Yuki-chan, I know exactly how
you feel. Do you think it’s easy for me to play in a
band with Yutaro and not being able to show him my
love when others are around? I hate that, but that’s
how it has to be for now. The day will come when
Yutaro will leave our band and Hiko will leave your
band to team up and start ‘their’ band. And then we
will be able to be with them, for good. Unfortunately,
we will then not be part of a great band and we will
have to start over.” Maki’s eyes start getting glassy.
Yuki engages in a hard one-bar T.M. Stevens-like slap-
attack and tells Maki, “I’m sick and tired of this! Maki,
let’s leave our bands and start our own band.” Maki
can’t believe Yuki’s words. “Are you out of your
mind?” she asks Yuki. “Not at all. Can’t you see it?
Ever since they published their first collab on Youtube

                           61
it has been about the two of them, not their respective
bands. And if they can’t see it, we have to make them
realize what’s happening here. What’s the worst that
could happen? That they won’t get along? They are
already a band on the Internet, and sooner or later
they will form a band offline as well. We are just
standing in their way. Hiko plays guitar, Yutaro plays
bass, and Junji plays the drums. And all of them can
sing. Problem solved.” Yuki has figured it all out.
“And what about us?” Maki asks. “We start our own
trio. We take everything we’ve learned from the guys
and make it better.” Yuki winks. “But we have no
drummer.” Maki walks to the classified ads on the wall
of the music store. “Don’t worry about that. We’ll find
a drummer in no time.” Maki turns to Yuki. “Okay,
Yuki-chan. I’m in. How shall we tell the boys without
making them mad?” Yuki puts on a mean smile.
“Maki-chan, do you feel like jamming and recording
something right here, right now? We could then post it
right away onto my Youtube channel—which, btw, is
in desperate need of a new video!” Maki starts
jumping on the spot and shouts, “That’s going to be
fun!”
Yuki asks one of the clerks if she could film them with
her iPhone, while jamming. They grab a couple of
instruments and start playing a 90’s rock tune. ♫ I wish
that I could fly, into the sky, so very high, just like a dragonfly
… I want to get away, I want to fly away! ♫ The jam
attracts basically every customer that is in the guitar


                                62
section. Many sing along and the clerk catches the
whole thing on Yuki’s iPhone.
A customer approaches the store manager, who is
enjoying this unexpected customer-generated show
from the back of the room, “Those two girls are
fantastic. Do they work for you?” The store manger
replies, “Unfortunately not. But they are our loyal
customers.” The customer suggests, “You should have
them perform here with their band.” “I will definitely
talk to them about that.”
The girls are creating a great atmosphere at Miki Gakki
and the store manager is very impressed. More
customers are entering the store to take a glimpse and
enjoy the positive atmosphere. The jam comes to an
end and the customers applaud the duo. Maki and
Yuki look around and can’t believe what just
happened. “Arigatou gozaimasu!” Yuki turns to Maki
and whispers, “See? I told you we could pull this off.”
The clerk approaches Yuki and gives her back the
iPhone she used to tape the performance. “You
should publish this onto Youtube,” she suggests. “I
will,” Yuki replies and edits the video with iMovie
right on the spot. Then, she uploads it directly onto
her Youtube channel. After a few minutes it’s up and
she’s spreading it through different social networking
websites and asks her friends on Mixi and Facebook to
do the same.
“Ready to hit the road?” Yuki asks Maki, when the
clerk that taped the video stops them and approaches

                          63
them very humbly. “You girls were amazing. Are you a
band?” Maki and Yuki look at each other and nod at
the same time. “Yes, we are!” The clerk continues,
“Do you have gigs planned or a website where I can
listen to more of your music?” Yuki replies, “Actually,
we just started playing together. We just split from our
bands and are now looking for a drummer.”
“Seriously? Coz you sounded as if you’ve been playing
together forever. And, by the way, I’m a drummer in
search for a band.”
Yuki asks the girl, “How long have you been playing
the drums?” The girl answers, “I’ve been playing since
I was 8 years old.” “And do you have live experience?”
“My mom was a professional musician and always let
me fool around on her drumset when I was little. I
played many concerts through junior high and high
school, but when I started university last year I
stopped playing and focused on my studies. But
watching you girls playing and spreading all that
positive energy rocked my internal groove. I’d love to
audition for you.”
Maki looks at Yuki. “Then we need to set up an
audition. And since we have no time to lose, we’d like
to meet you as soon as possible. How’s tomorrow for
you?” Maki asks. “I’m free tomorrow afternoon,” the
clerk answers. “We’ll organize the studio in
Amerikamura and will let you know exactly where and
when to meet, okay?” Maki sounds very professional.
“By the way, my name is Yumi.” Yumi bows. “I’m
Maki, and this is Yuki.” They all shout, Hajimemashite!

                          64
and they all bow. After exchanging their cell phone
email addresses, Maki and Yuki leave Miki Gakki.
“What do you think, are we making a mistake?” Maki
asks Yuki. “Not at all. I’ve got a good feeling that
Yumi is the perfect match for our band.” Maki
affirms, “I feel the same way. I sure hope Yutaro,
Hiko, and Junji won’t be too mad at us.
Yutaro and Hiko are taking a break from working on
different remote collaborations. “Check this out!”
Yutaro tells Hiko over Skype and sends him a link to a
Youtube video. “That’s Maki and Yuki jamming.”
Hiko replies and recognizes that they sound great
together.
“Did you read the description of the video?” Yutaro
points out. Hiko starts reading aloud; «Our first
unrehearsed and unofficial band performance. More girl rock
music coming soon.» Then he gets loud “Are you kidding
me, they started their own band?” Yutaro calms him
down, “Hey, take it easy. You had a second band as
well in the beginning. And if it weren’t for Hatoyama-
san’s grotesque contracts you would still have two
bands. And FYI, we are a band as well.” “But only in
the virtual world. We don’t spend time rehearsing and
playing gigs,” Hiko justifies their band status. “Maybe
we should, though.” Yutaro means it.




                            65
Episode 14
         We Are THE NOVEMBER SUN


In a studio in Amerikamura, a retail and entertainment
area in the Minami district of Osaka, Yuki and Maki
are auditioning Yumi, a drummer whom they met the
day before at Miki Gakki, a music shop in Osaka. They
are overwhelmed with Yumi’s drumming and singing
skills. The trio is rocking songs by Lenny Kravitz,
Ayumi Hamasaki, Radwimps, and other artists.
“Yumi, how come no professional band has signed
you yet?” Maki asks. Yumi blushes and answers shyly.
“I don’t know. Maybe because they didn’t think I was
cool enough for them?” “Seriously, I think you are ʻcool
enoughʼ and a great musician, and I would like you to
join our band. What do you say?” Yuki asks with a
serious face. Yumi nods fast. “Sure! I like the same
music you like to play and I feel very comfortable
around you girls.” Maki and Yuki look at each other,
smile, and scream, “We found ourselves a drummer!!”
Yumi laughs and claps her sticks.
“Do you have a name for the band?” The girls are
caught off guard. “Not really,” Maki admits. Yumi
suggests, “What about The November Sun? It’s
November, the sun is shining outside and I think it
matches the mood of your music.” The three of them
hold on still for a few moments. “We are The November
Sun.” Maki mumbles softly. Yuki smiles and shouts,


                          66
“We are The November Sun —Woohoo!!!” The three girls
scream from the top of their lungs and they start
jamming to what is going to be their first original song
as The November Sun.
After the jam, Yumi and Maki have to go to their
respective part-time jobs and Yuki gets on the Keihan
train to Hirakata, when she runs into Hiko at
Yodoyabashi station.
“Hey Yuki! Good to see you. Haven’t seen you at all
this week.” Hiko is visibly happy to see Yuki, but he
can feel that she is a bit tense and somehow distant.
“Hi Hiko. Yeah, I was busy these past few days. I
apologize for not having had much time to talk or chat
online.” “Yeah, I saw your video with Maki at Miki
Gakki.” He smiles. “That looked like big fun.” Yuki is
embarrassed. “Yeah, it was fun.”
“So, did you girls start a band?” Hiko asks. Yuki
doesn’t know what to answer. After a few moments
she gathers all her courage and tells Hiko exactly how
she feels about the entire situation. “Hiko, I’m sorry if
this comes unexpected, but I think I have to leave
your band.” The conversation mutes. After a while
Yuki continues, “I know it’s not fair from my part,
especially since you could have gotten any bass player
and singer you wanted for your band. And after our
great gigs at the Kansai Gaidai International Festival
we got so many contacts and opportunities to play live
clubs and summer festivals and now you’ll have to



                           67
audition a new bassist and teach him or her all details.”
Hiko’s face shows no emotions.
Yuki goes on with her explanation, “Please, don’t get
me wrong. It’s not that I don’t like to play with you
and Junji. Actually, it’s very much the opposite. I’d
love you to include me more into songwriting,
marketing, and band life in general. You spend all your
free time with Yutaro producing songs and I feel you
guys are the band and I’m just a sidekick.” Tears fall
from Yuki’s eyes.
“Yuki, I’m sorry you feel that way. But I don’t think
I’m doing anything wrong here. You participate in the
arrangements, you give your own touch to the songs,
and without you our band is not the same. You are an
indispensable part of the band.” Yuki dries her tears
with her sleeves. “I know you’re not doing anything
wrong. You are doing the right thing for the band.
Yutaro and you together can write the greatest songs
and view-counts on your individual Youtube channels
are proof enough.”
Yuki sighs. “Maybe the problem is that I’m in love
with you.” There, she said it.
The Keihan train enters the station. Passengers get off
and it gets busy on the tracks. Yuki’s words still buzz
in Hiko’s ears. ‘Maybe the problem is that Iʼm in love with
you.ʼ “How can that be a problem?” Hiko asks himself
and gets the answer from Yuki.
“When we play music and you smile at me, when I
sing a line and you add a harmony to it, or when you

                            68
send me a message and tell me that you’re looking
forward to seeing me at practice, in class, or at the bar,
all I can think of is that it is not right for us to be
together, because it would jeopardize the future of our
band. I hate that bittersweet emotion. I want to be
with you. And if it means that I have to leave the
band, so be it. You and Yutaro are a band in any case.
People ask for your music, not ours. I guess that is the
only right thing to do then.”
The train for Hirakata leaves without them. Hiko is
speechless. Nobody is around anymore. They stand
next to each other facing the same direction. Hiko
turns to Yuki and moves closer to her. He wipes her
tears with a soft handkerchief, caresses her left cheek
with his thumb… and kisses her. Time stands still. At
least that’s what it feels like for Yuki. As unexpected as
her leaving the band might have been for Hiko, this
kiss is for her.
The next Keihan train for Hirakata is arriving at
Yodoyabashi station. “Shall we get onto this one?”
Hiko asks with a very soft and caring voice. Yuki
smiles and they get on the train. Yuki and Hiko sit
next to each other and Yuki puts her head on Hiko’s
shoulder. The doors close and the train leaves for
Hirakata.




                           69
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media
THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media

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THE NOVEMBER SUN: A novel about music, love, and social media

  • 2. THE NOVEMBER SUN A novel about music, love, and social media (Unedited) Written by Sebastiano Mereu
  • 3. Copyright © Sebastiano Mereu, 2011 All rights reserved. No part of this novel might be used or reproduced in any manner without the written permission of the author. Google the author for contact information. This is a fiction novel. The main characters and their names were created for The November Sun. Other mentioned characters are public figures. The schools and some businesses mentioned in the novel do exist, but their actions and attitudes, as described in the novel, are purely fictional. This edition of the novel is unedited.
  • 4. The story behind this novel It was August 2005 when I went to Japan for the first time in my life. I didnʼt know what to expect. I had never been further east than Eastern Europe up until that point. My travels and studies had primarily taken me to Western Europe and to the USA. But somehow, it just felt right to spend some time in Japan. My International Management studies at the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW), required me to study abroad, so I thought, if I have to go abroad, I want to study in a country I donʼt know much about. East Asia was my first, and honestly, only choice. I knew Japan would be the country I want to go to, but since our school would only send two students to Japan, I had to consider other countries as well. The next choices were South Korea and China. After a couple of weeks, FHNW sent me a notification saying that they would send me to Kansai Gaidai University. I was ecstatic. I had googled the university before and felt it was the most appropriate fit for me. I took Japanese language classes to prepare myself for my year in Japan, even before I knew that I could go. After eight months of preparing myself for two semesters at Kansai Gaidai University, I was finally able to leave for the land of the rising sun. I have to admit that the first couple weeks were hard. I even thought about quitting and spending my semester abroad in a country where I would already speak the
  • 5. language. France and Italy were my first choices all of a sudden. Why is that? Well, I had a culture shock. My Japanese was way worse than I thought it was, I couldn't understand why Japanese are the way they are, and the teaching style was very different from what I was used to. Fortunately, I met wonderful people, who helped me understand the Japanese culture, and eventually, I overcame my culture shock. It also helped that I fell in love with a Japanese girl. That girl became my wife a few years later. Another couple of people, who made me feel at home in Japan, were my friends from the GMS Blues Band, Jiri and Garr. Both had been living in Japan for many years and knew very well what Japan had to offer. Both were very successful at what they did, and they still are. Besides playing with Garr and Jiri, I also played with a Japanese rock band, where I was the only foreigner. Since my bandmates didnʼt speak very well English and my Japanese wasnʼt very good either, communication was rather difficult. However, it was lots of fun and I learned a great deal just by hanging out with them. This novel is based on true stories from bands I played in before, during, and after my year in Japan. I tried to show how young bands can work on a possible career today using technology that is right at their fingertips. A computer can be found in basically every household.
  • 6. Itʼs an essential tool, especially for students. Also, everyone has the possibility to use social media to connect with friends or people who share the same passion, such as music, in the case of Yuki and her friends. When I decided to write a book on social media, I told myself, ʻSebi, there are many great books and blogs on social media already. No one needs another book on social media.ʼ Luckily, I had just read The Music Lesson by Victor Wooten, a fantastic bassist and author, who basically explained music theory in a fiction book. I embraced his approach with social media and music, and added some drama to it. At this point Iʼd like to express my gratitude to everyone who has ever inspired me in one way or another and to everyone who found the time to pick up this novel. Thank you. Sebi March 2011
  • 7. Dedicated to Aya, Lina & Vittorio Mereu-La Rosa, and Harumi & Kunihiro Noguchi.
  • 8. Episode 1 A beautiful Monday morning in Hirakata It’s a beautiful Monday morning in Hirakata, a city with a population of about 400,000, located halfway between Osaka and Kyoto, in the heart of the Kansai region. The August sun looks like a delicious orange floating in the Japanese sky, and many claim she is responsible for a high percentage of humidity in the Land of the Rising Sun, at least in the summer. Salarymen wipe off sweat from their faces after every move they make, but do not consider taking off their jackets. They are very committed to their dress code and don’t show any sign of overheating in their suits, except the accumulated sweat on their noses. Well- dressed Japanese ladies, biking down to the city center, wear gloves that cover their entire arms. For them it’s a necessary precaution to avoid sunburn or simply getting taint. And, of course, wearing a boushi (translation: hat) is a must for all ladies. “Attsuuuu! I don’t like this heat. Summertime in Japan is terrible,” Yuki tells her friend and classmate Maki. “You’re never happy. Wintertime is too cold and summertime is too hot for you. At least now you can wear that cute summer dress you found at Shimamura.” Maki looks at Yuki and smiles with her eyes shut. Yuki stops at a vending machine and gets herself a bottle of Pocari Sweat. “A revitalizing drink is the right choice for this kind of weather,” she thinks. 1
  • 9. “This heat makes me want to drink a lot. But then I have to pee. I don’t like that.” Yuki is standing next to her bike and takes one little sip at a time. Maki’s phone rings. She doesn’t pick it up right away. For whatever reason, incomprehensible to Yuki, Maki always needs to sing along with her ringtone. It’s Ken Hirai’s 2006 hit-song, POP STAR. Maki sings ♫ I wanna be a pop star, kimi wo motto ♫ when Yuki grabs her phone and picks up with an annoyed voice, “Moshi moshi.” It’s Yutaro, Maki’s bandmate from their university music club. “Where are you guys? Everybody is at the studio in Korien getting ready for rehearsal.” Yutaro doesn’t sound annoyed at all, but most probably he is. Like most Japanese guys, Yutaro is always in control and tries not to show any kind of emotions. “We’ll be there soon.” Yuki hangs up and puts the phone back into Maki’s pocket. “Maki, let’s hurry. They’re already in the studio.” In Korien—Yuki and Maki finally arrive in Korien, a little town three stops from Hirakata station, thirty minutes late, but that’s okay. All members from a different band were hanging out at the studio before their actual rehearsal slot and didn’t mind to fill the slot Maki’s band was supposed to take. In order for Maki’s band not to waste money on the studio rent for thirty minutes not used, Yutaro decided to give the slot to the other band. He is allowed to do that, because he is the president of the university music 2
  • 10. club and has the authority to make almost any kind of decision. Music studios in Japan are places where musicians can rent a room on an hourly basis. These music spaces are fully equipped with everything a band needs for a rehearsal. The music studio in Korien has a handful of rooms with drums, bass and guitar amplifiers, microphones and a PA. Musicians only need to bring their individual instruments, such as guitars, basses, or keyboards, and of course cables. Maki and Yuki enter the premises and greet their peers, “Ohayo!” A choral Ohayo! echoes back. Yutaro approaches the girls and tells them that another band took Maki’s band slot. “Thank you very much for organizing that.” Maki bows. “No problem. But please make sure this doesn’t happen again. We are all university students and don’t have money to waste.” Yutaro stops and looks at Yuki. “Did you decide what instrument you will play and in which band?” Yuki nods. “I’ll play bass and will sing lead in Hiko’s band.” Yutaro smiles and replies, “So you want to be Nana and Billy Sheehan in one person?” Yuki tries to suppress a laugh, but then admits smiling, “That’s my aim.” “Then prove it. But… did you talk to Hiko about this?” Yutaro points outside the studio where Hiko is shredding on his guitar to warm up for rehearsal. “No, but he will want me. They have no bass player and no singer. What can they do with only guitar and drums?” 3
  • 11. While all rooms are occupied by bands from the music club, a dozen of other students are hanging out in front of the studio entrance gossiping and warming up on their guitars and basses or drumming with a couple of sticks on anything that makes noise when hit. Yuki approaches Hiko holding her second-hand Music-Man bass on its neck. “Hiko, can I join your band?” Hiko looks at her and keeps playing warm-up lines up and down the neck of his guitar without saying a word. Even though his beautiful polished Yamaha guitar is not plugged in, Yuki can hear the perfection of Hiko’s technique. Every note sings and his timing is impressive. Yuki has wanted to play with Hiko ever since she heard him playing with a few friends in downtown Osaka. They had organized a showcase on Osaka’s largest walkway, where many bands try to get discovered or sell their self-produced CDs. That day, Maki had dragged Yuki along and Yuki understood that she had to put in some extra effort to improve her skills, if she wanted to play with prodigies such as Hiko. When Yuki heard that Hiko’s bass player left their university music club band, she was too shy to ask if she could fill in. At the time, she felt she wasn’t good enough to play with Hiko. Hiko stops his warm-up exercise. “Hm. Why do you want to join our band?” he asks. 4
  • 12. Episode 2 The first rehearsal “Obviously, you need a bass player for your upcoming live gigs and I’m looking for a band I can go on stage with,” Yuki tells Hiko. “Have you ever played any lives? We are planning to play live a lot.” Hiko’s words don’t impress Yuki. She stays cool. “Huh. But how are you going to play live without a bass player? You are a virtuoso guitar player, and when you shred on your guitar, your drummer seems quite lost without a bassline. And if I recall right, you have no singer either. Or are you going to be playing guitar, bass, and sing all at the same time?” Yuki gives Hiko time to respond, but he doesn’t. She continues, “Well, that’d be a truly remarkable thing to do. Nonetheless, a great guitar player like you should focus on playing guitar on stage. I think that’s what your fans want to see. So, why don’t you do that and let me play bass and sing?” Yuki’s words put a smile on Hiko’s face. She goes on, “And, I think that a girl like me in your band is good for the band’s marketing.” Hiko can’t stop laughing. “Okay, I will send you MP3s and lyrics of all the songs we’re planning to play live. You will have to learn them until next week and you will audition for us. After that, we’ll decide if you’re as good as you believe you are.” Yuki puts on a serious face. “Why don’t you just tell me now which songs you were going to 5
  • 13. rehearse today and I’ll join you in the studio already? That will surely save us time.” Hiko looks surprised. He agrees. “What’s your email address? I’ll send you our set list and some chord changes for our originals, and we’ll see you in studio 3 in about fifty minutes. Okay?” Yuki nods. Fifty minutes later, it’s time for Yuki to join Hiko and his drummer in studio 3 for their first rehearsal together that will determine if Yuki will become a member of the band or if she has to look for a different group. She spent the last 50 minutes listening to songs from their set list on her cell phone. Nowadays, basically all cell phones have Internet connection and it’s easy to find any song on Youtube or on another video and music platform online. Fortunately, Yuki already knew all the songs on the band’s set list, even their original songs. Hiko uploads all his demos onto Youtube and adds links to free downloads of MP3s and iPod videos in the info box. That way, people download his productions and spread them through Mixi, Facebook, Twitter and other blogs. That’s how Yuki got a hold of them. And since Hiko added chords to the videos, she could play along and learn the songs in no time. “Yuki, meet Junji, our drummer.” Yuki bows and introduces herself, “Hajimemashite. Yuki desu. Douzo yoroshiku.” Junji nods while juggling with his drumsticks behind the drums. “We can talk later. Let’s use our time wisely and start playing right away,” Hiko suggests. Yuki plugs her bass into an Ampeg amp with 6
  • 14. an 8x10 inch cabinet and slaps a funky line on her bass. She gets the attention of Junji and Hiko right away. Hiko shouts, “Okay! Let’s play ‘Fallinʼ in love on Facebook’. Junji, count it in!” “Ichi, ni, san, shi!” And the trio rocks hard and loud in studio 3. Yuki has never played with such a dynamic and professional band before. Her eyes light up with the first note they hit together. She can’t believe how great it feels to lay down the bass line for such a gifted guitar player as Hiko. And locking-in with a drummer as tight as Junji makes her sound even more confident. Even though they only play in a trio setting, it sounds as if more musicians are rockin’ along. The energy is immense, and when they get to the chorus, Hiko and Junji add harmonies to Yuki’s lead and the magic is perfect. The song has never sounded better in Yuki’s ears. She knows the song from Hiko’s Youtube channel, but she doesn’t remember it being so much fun to play. Outside studio 3, other music club members start gathering to get a glimpse inside the room and watch the three of them rockin’ out. “Wow, who would have thought that Yuki could rock like that?” Maki asks Yutaro. “Hm. As she said herself, her aim is to be Nana and Billy Sheehan in one person, and to me it seems as if she’s on the right track.” Yutaro can’t stop watching Yuki running her airy fingers across the fingerboard. 7
  • 15. The song seems to never end. The trio goes off on sharing solos and jammin’ to leads. It seems as if they have been playing together for a long time. The chemistry among Yuki, Hiko and Junji is incredible. They are listening to each other and engaging in a musical dialogue. “Why didn’t I push her to play bass in my band?” Yutaro keeps asking himself, when Maki interrupts his thoughts, “Oh man, I should have told her to join our band as a bass player. That Swiss exchange student, who is playing with us, is so unreliable.” Yutaro tells Maki, “I agree. Have you checked his Twitter channel?” “No, why?” “He told us that he had to go down to the city hall for his alien registration, but he is tweeting pictures from an amusement park.” Maki can’t believe it. “What’s his Twitter name?” Yutaro replies, “@samsteiner” and Maki shouts, “Ussoooo!!” Yutaro calms her down, “But he is a very nice guy and a tremendous bass player nonetheless.” After the one-hour session, Yuki asks Hiko, “Are you happy with how we sounded?” Hiko looks over to Junji, who is wiping off sweat from his face, and asks him, “What do you think? Shall we give her a chance?” “If she can handle hard practice, frequent rehearsal sessions, and making weekly videos for Youtube, I’d be willing to let her join us,” Junji replies with a big smile on his face. Yuki smiles back. “Yuki, let’s see where this trio can go. We have a clear vision of our future and music plays the main role in it. If you can commit to what Junji just said and if 8
  • 16. you’re willing to work as a team to make this band your top priority—after your university studies, of course—then you can be one of us.” Yuki’s eyes are shining like a supernova. “After all, as you mentioned before the rehearsal, having a girl like you in our band is good marketing.” Hiko winks at Yuki and the three of them laugh. The door opens and a girl that could have jumped out of a Japanese fashion magazine enters studio 3. “Hiko, you sounded amazing even from outside this room. My dad is a lucky man to have you as his guitarist. But why do you waste your time playing with these amateurs when you can practice with real professionals?” She puts her arms around Hiko’s neck and ignores Junji and Yuki. He introduces the girl, “Yuki, Junji, this is my girlfriend Rena.” All of a sudden Yuki’s great mood is gone. She feels jealous of Rena. 9
  • 17. Episode 3 To commit or not ‘not-to’ commit ♪♫ Words in my mouth, someone told me to say. They go unspoken ♪♫ Mr. Big’s 1996 hit-song Take Cover is blasting through Yuki’s stereo in her 1-bedroom apartment in Hirakata. She grabs her bass and plays along. After the song is over, the next one starts with a lonely distorted guitar playing eight straight down- strokes on one chord, and a female voice enters with the words ♫♪ akehanashita mado ni mawaru ranbu no DEEP SKY, ah aoide (translation: I throw open the window and turn to the stormy deep sky, ah and I look up) ♫ It’s the song GLAMOROUS SKY by NANA starring Mika Nakashima, the soundtrack from a Japanese shojo manga series, which was later made into a live-action movie. Yuki sings along and smiles. “Yutaro is right. I really want to be Nana and Billy Sheehan in one person.” She puts down her bass. “Yuki, Yuki!” Maki is knocking on Yuki’s door. “Come in.” Maki takes off her shoes and enters with her guitar bag in her hand and kneels down next to Yuki. “Hey, you guys really rocked that studio yesterday! Everyone was really impressed with what you got out of your instruments as a trio.” Maki keeps talking and manifesting her excitement. 10
  • 18. “We were all in a very good mood yesterday and found the right song to start with. Still, we have a lot of work in front of us, if we really want to make this band work. I’m not sure this is really going to work, though.” Yuki bites into her breakfast onigiri, a white rice ball formed into a triangle and wrapped with nori. Maki looks at her with a questioning gaze. “What are you saying? You guys rocked that studio like no one else did yesterday. I mean, you could just take Hiko’s songs, rent a recording studio for a few days, record those songs, and self-publish them onto iTunes, Napster, Amazon or any other digital music store for the world to enjoy them. I don’t understand why you’re so negative.” Yuki puts down her onigiri. “I have a feeling that Hiko’s girlfriend won’t be happy with him playing in a band other than her dad’s popular band, and sooner or later he will be confronted with that.” ♫ Kowareru hodo aishitemo, sanbun no ichi mo tsutawaranai (translation: Even if my love reaches the breaking point, 1/3 of it won’t reach) ♪♪ The song 1/3 Pure Emotions by SIAM SHADE is playing on Yuki’s stereo and both girls sing along. They look at each other, calm down and laugh. “Yuki, don’t worry. I’ve met Hiko’s girlfriend and I know she can be a bitch,” Maki tells Yuki with a mellow voice. Then she goes on, “Sure, her dad is a pop star and they have money, and she gets to travel a lot. But what does she have on you? Nothing. You are a great and creative musician, a great friend, and a plain hot girl! If I wouldn’t be 11
  • 19. allover Yutaro, I would definitely try my moves on you.” Yuki’s eyes jump wide-open. “Ah, shut up you crazy closet otaku!” The girls hustle a bit and enjoy the heartily laughs before getting ready to leave for karaoke in Osaka. At Hirakata station—Yutaro is waiting for his Keihan train connection to Osaka. He is on his way to a live- music bar to discuss a possible gig for his band. Then, Hiko runs into him in front of the lift that goes to the train tracks. “Hey, Yutaro. Where are you heading to?” “Osaka. You?” Yutaro shows no enthusiasm. “I’m heading to a rehearsal with Rena’s dad’s band in Kyoto. We have to meet in Kyoto, because Rena’s dad just got in by Shinkansen from Tokyo and will have to leave tonight again for an acoustic outdoor gig in Hiroshima with our other guitar player,” Hiko explains. “By the way, what do you think of our new trio with Junji on drums and Yuki playing bass and singing?” Yutaro pauses the music on his cell phone and puts his earplugs in his pocket. “I think your trio sounded good. Junji is a terrific drummer and Yuki is a fantastic bass player and a very charismatic singer. You are a very lucky guy. You finally found the missing part to your music puzzle. I hope you will cherish what you have now. Just don’t drop it like a hot potato when you find something you think is better.” Hiko’s smile vanishes. He understands the point Yutaro is trying to make. Rena’s dad signed Hiko as a 12
  • 20. guitar player for his band, the Genji Hatoyama Band, and that means Hiko has to fulfill the agreement that if the Genji Hatoyama Band gets booked for a concert, Hiko has to call off other obligations, even if it means paying a penalty. Because of that, all Genji Hatoyama Band members refrain from playing with other bands. They just teach on the side when they are not touring. But Hiko wants to try and have his own band on the side. Hiko knows it is going to be hard to study for university, tour with Rena’s dad this coming autumn, and work on a set with Yuki and Junji. “Listen, Yutaro. I know what you mean, and I appreciate your concern for my band. But we will be able to manage this. I have finally found two great musicians that can help me develop my music and bring it onto a stage, and I won’t jeopardize that.” The Keihan Sub-Express train bound for Yodoyabashi just got in. Yutaro checks the time on his cell phone. “Then, don’t jeopardize it. Gotta go. See ya.” Yutaro runs upstairs to catch the train to Osaka and leaves Hiko behind. Now Hiko is caught up in thoughts about the conversation they just had and how to handle the situation. Obviously, playing for Genji Hatoyama is his ticket for becoming a professional musician. But will Hiko be able to focus on his own music and work on it with Yuki and Junji? And what if the trio has a gig on the same day as the Genji Hatoyama Band? How will he bring such news to Yuki and Junji when he asks them 13
  • 21. for a commitment, which he himself can’t bring to the band? 14
  • 22. Episode 4 Hiko’s song Besides having a Youtube channel, a Twitter feed, a Facebook page, a Mixi account, and a bunch of other social media tools, Hiko likes writing blog posts on his cell phone when he’s riding the train and publishing them right away. Sharing his thoughts with the world makes him feel good. He likes to quote Charles Leadbeater, the author of We-Think, especially the very first sentence in the book: You are what you share. That might be the reason why Hiko is so keen on sharing all his music online. That is who he is and the only thing he wants to be. While on the Keihan train from Hirakata to Kyoto, Hiko types a new post for his Japanese blog on his cell phone. He usually writes on the train or in the subway. For him it’s great how advanced technology is nowadays. He doesn’t need to wait until he’s at home, sitting in front of his computer. When he’s got something to say to the world, no matter where he is, he simply grabs his cell phone and shouts it out in bits and bytes. Hiko spends hardly any time in his small 1-bedroom apartment. If he’s not rehearsing in a practice studio, he’s usually studying at the library or out with friends at a live gig. His small apartment is solely used for sleeping. He doesn’t even like having his girlfriend Rena over. The two of them frequently take a room at 15
  • 23. a love hotel in Osaka for a couple of hours when they want to be intimate with each other. In Kyoto—The train stops at Sanjo, a district of Kyoto. Hiko gets off the train and his cell phone rings. “Moshi moshi.” “Hiko, it’s Genji. I’m sorry but we have to reschedule today’s rehearsal.” Hiko stops at a traffic light. “Hatoyama-san, sure no problem.” “I will have my assistant contact you as soon as possible to schedule a new date. I have to go now. Bye.” Mr. Hatoyama hangs up. Hiko thinks, “At least now I have time to work on my own music. I had the whole day reserved for rehearsing with them. Good thing Hatoyama-san called it off.” He smiles. “Since they called off the session, the studio space will be available.” Hiko decides to go to the music studio, where he was supposed to meet with the Genji Hatoyama Band, and rent the room for a couple of hours and work on his latest song. At the studio, Hiko asks for the room that was supposed to be taken by the Genji Hatoyama Band. The clerk at the front desk points him to the studio all to the back. It’s the largest and best-equipped room. “Wow! I don’t think I can afford that room all by myself. Do you happen to have a smaller room available?” The clerk checks the list. “Yes, we have a practice room for guitarists for 800 yen per hour available for the next three hours.” “Great. I’ll take it for 3 hours.” Hiko enters the room and gets everything ready for recording. 16
  • 24. He usually brings all his recording equipment along to rehearsals. It’s not that heavy, and he is often most creative after practice sessions. Hiko’s portable recording studio consists of a MacBook Pro, an external USB audio interface, an EV Cardinal condenser microphone and a portable preamp. The combination of his EV Cardinal mic and a portable tube preamp makes the sound of his guitar and his vocals wider and fuller for his recordings, even without using high-end recording software. Ever since he bought his first Mac, he’s been using Garageband, a free music recording software that enables Hiko to record and edit multiple tracks. And with iMovie and Final Cut Express, he creates videos for Youtube, where hundreds of thousands of people have been enjoying his music all over the world for the past two years. Hiko believes in a new economic order, as discussed by Chris Anderson in the 2005 book The Long Tail. The Long Tail gives people the possibility to find niches they are interested in and allows them to be found by others, who share the same interests. For those like Hiko, who want to be found, Seth Godin explains in his 2010 release Linchpin that artists can now own the means of production for their work with only a couple of thousand dollars and produce and publish content for anyone across the globe to find, enjoy, share, and buy. The Internet has practically no restrictions, and with the rise of social media, people are talking about 17
  • 25. anything 24/7 anywhere in the world. Hiko understands that, and despite the fact that he enjoys engaging in conversations with other musicians and other people who enjoy his music online, he sees great potential to have his work spread through the Internet. “All set. Okay. I still like the drum programming I did last week and the bass line I came up with. All I need to do is to record the vocals and a couple of guitar lines.” He tells himself, “Let’s rock this song—now!” Hiko pushes record … ♪♫ Totemo sabishii, anata ni aitai … ♪♫ Two hours later Hiko’s song is ready for mixing and three hours later he’s already sent his song to an online mastering studio that will have Inakute Sabishii ready for upload to iTunes and other online digital music stores within 24 hours. “I can’t wait to play it with Junji and Yuki.” Hiko writes a short blog post from his cell phone and embeds the new song. Ping—Yuki gets a push notification on her iPhone. “A new blog post from Hiko.” She starts Hiko’s application, puts on her earplugs and listens to his new song. Yuki has been a fan of Hiko’s music since she first saw him playing live, and after subscribing to his Youtube, she just fell in love with his music. “Are these drums programmed or did he play them himself? Can’t really figure it out. And what a great bass sound. That low C note has so much low-end! Oh, Hiko, how much would I love to play this song with you and Junji. I hope we can play it next time we 18
  • 26. meet for practice.” Yuki is lost in her thoughts, when a text message interrupts her dreaming. It’s Hiko. He sent the message to both Yuki and Junji. Hiko’s text says, “Hey guys, I just posted a new song on my Youtube channel. If you like it we could play it next time we get together for rehearsing.” The text message application closes and Yuki falls back into dreaming with Hiko’s soundtrack. 19
  • 27. Episode 5 Hirakata at 4 AM Peepeepeepeepeep—It’s 4 AM. Yuki’s Hello Kitty alarm clock goes off. Like almost everyone in Japan, Yuki sleeps on a futon on a tatami floor. In order for her not to be late for work or for classes, she always puts her alarm clock up high on a shelf, so that she actually has to stand up and reach for the alarm clock on the shelf. Especially, now that she’s got a part-time job where she has to start working at 5 AM, being late or oversleeping is absolutely no option. Classes started last week and it has already been hard for her to work almost every morning from 5 AM to 9 AM and then bike to the university to attend classes. But that’s how she chose it to be. At the end of her last year of high school, Yuki thought that just letting her family finance her university studies or living off student loans wasn’t the right thing to do. Shortly before moving to Hirakata, she figured that keeping herself busy and committed to a part-time job would be like working out. She got that idea from a young businessman, who spoke at her high school graduation ceremony. He said, “Sooner or later, all of you will have to work hard on something that does not seem easy and that does not reward you as much as you think it should reward you, but if you stick to it you will recognize 20
  • 28. that it was worth going all the way without giving up. Once you commit to something or someone, believe in it and learn your lessons while you go along. You will grow with your commitment. And, the harder you stick to your commitment, the stronger you will grow.” That’s why Yuki sticks to a job that makes her get up at 4 AM and pays her much less than what she could earn while working evenings in a fancy cloths store. She knows it’s not a permanent situation, but she has to pay her dues and learn what it means to start from scratch. Nevertheless, working early in the morning will give her more time to practice by herself or with bands in the afternoon and evening. Yuki manages to finally get up and to turn off the alarm clock. Her first thoughts today are, “Why the hell do I have to get up this early? I’m a musician and they don’t get up before noon. This part-time job at Gusto is just terrible. I should write a song about my life right now. I’m sure many people could relate to this situation. Good thing I don’t have any interesting classes today. I guess it’s gonna be okay to take a nap after work in class.” Yuki sees the Seth Godin book Linchpin next to her futon and thinks, “Hm. I know I can choose to be the person ‘writing the manual’, Seth, but until I get some more sleep, I choose to be the person that ‘follows the manual’. Only until I get some sleep.” 21
  • 29. Yuki checks her cell phone for messages: 3 missed calls from Maki. “Why did she try to call me in the middle of the night? I wonder what’s the news.” Yuki smiles and writes her back: I’ll be at work before class. Tell me everything afterwards. See you at 9:10 in class. Yuki picks up her bass, plays Hiko’s new song on her cell phone, and plays along. Another smile appears on her face. “I hope he didn’t write these lyrics while thinking of Rena. She definitely doesn’t deserve it.” After a couple of runs Yuki gets ready and leaves for work on her bicycle, while listening to Inakute Sabishii on her iPhone. Peepeepeepeepeep—It’s 4:30 AM at Yutaro’s place in Makino, a small suburb of Hirakata. “Turn it off. It’s still dark outside,” says a female voice coming from the same futon. Yutaro answers, “I always go jogging very early in the morning. That puts me in the right mood for practice before classes.” “What? You’re crazy. Please let me sleep. Yuki always says that real musicians do not get up before noon, and I would like to achieve that.” “For that you have to work a bit harder on your guitar skills,” Yutaro jokes and covers her with a light blanket. “I’ll try not to wake you up when I come back from jogging. Sleep now.” She breathes deep and falls back asleep. Yutaro gets ready for jogging, but one thought bugs him, “I hope Yuki doesn’t mind me sleeping with her best friend. But why should she? 22
  • 30. She’s all over Hiko anyway.” Yutaro leaves the house and Maki keeps sleeping his in futon. 23
  • 31. Episode 6 The Yutaro/Hiko-Collaboration Part 1 “Yuki, I’m here!” Maki shouts across the classroom. Yuki walks all the way to the back of the room and sits down next to Maki. “I’m glad you chose to sit in the very last row. That way, I don’t need to feel bad if I fall asleep. Kotaro-sensei won’t catch me sleeping back here.” Yuki gets a notebook and a Hello Kitty pencil from her bag. “So, you had to work before class this morning?” Maki asks. “Yap. I work five mornings a week,” Yuki replies. “I figured that if I work early hours, I get paid a bit more and I’ll have time for practice after classes.” “But isn’t it hard to get up that early, work, and then come to class?” Maki’s look reveals that she wouldn’t like to do that. Yuki looks at Maki and puts on a joking diva-like attitude, “A real rock star has to pay her dues in order to prove her awesomeness to the world.” Maki shouts, “You’re such a bitch! I want to prove my awesomeness by rockin’ out on stage and sleeping until noon.” Professor Kotaro enters the room and asks for silence. Yuki whispers, “By the way, did you listen to Hiko’s new song? He posted it on his Youtube yesterday.” Maki leans closer to Yuki and whispers back, “Sure I did. It really rocks. Inakute Sabishii, I wonder if he wrote the song for Rena?” Yuki feels jealous—again. 24
  • 32. In a different classroom—Yutaro is scribbling in a notebook, when someone pats him on the back. “Class didn’t start yet. Don’t pretend to be all into this international marketing stuff they teach us here.” Yutaro looks up to Hiko, who has a grin on his face. He takes a seat next to Yutaro. Yutaro replies, “I’m actually very interested in marketing, since any kind of industry is going through a fundamental change and creative people can and should market their craft through social media.” Yutaro doesn’t get why Hiko still has a grin on his face. “What are you so happy about?” Yutaro asks. Hiko tells him, “Well, since you’re a social media change agent, you might want to use my Youtube channel for a case study. My new song on Youtube got more than 10,000 views overnight and was not even featured on the Youtube homepage. I guess some people really must have liked it and spread it around.” Yutaro does not seem impressed. “Huh. This isn’t the first time you got this many views overnight, right? I remember, I checked out your channel a while ago and saw that you had reached half a million views on Youtube. I mean, you’ve been connecting with all your subscribers and fans on a regular basis for what now, a year?” Hiko rectifies, “Actually, with this new channel, only for about three months. But I was very lucky that about 30 percent of my old subbers joined my new channel after the Warner Music Group had my old Youtube channel suspended, because of a copyright infringement claim, 25
  • 33. which I still claim was unjust.” The WMG incident obviously still upsets Hiko a lot. Yutaro turns his usually serious face into a more serene look. “Anyway. I listened to your new song and I have to admit that I really like it. You might be onto something here. I posted it on my Mixi and Facebook pages and my friends seem to like it as well. Are you going to sell it online?” Hiko nods. “I’ll have it mastered by tonight and will upload it right away. But it will still take three weeks until it’s approved by iTunes.” “Just keep your fans updated with news and maybe publish another song on Youtube, which will be on the single. Something like a B-side, as they used to call it when vinyl was still the standard,” Yutaro suggests. “Thanks for the input, but unfortunately, I don’t have another song ready yet that could match with Inakute Sabishii.” Then Hiko has an idea. He asks Yutaro, “Why don’t I cover one of your songs?” But Yutaro has a better idea. “Or, why don’t we work on a new song together? I have a bunch of songs that are ready to be finalized.” Hiko seems sincerely excited about Yutaro’s idea. Yutaro continues with the description of this possible collaboration. “We can make two different multi-window videos for the song. One video features my parts in a larger window, so that my subscribers can learn my parts on their instruments—we’ll upload that video onto my Youtube channel—and the other video features your guitar work in a larger window for your subscribers to 26
  • 34. enjoy and learn those lines from you. That way, you might get new fans from my channel and some of your subscribers might find their way onto my channel. It’s a win-win situation, if we do it right.” Yutaro and Hiko are both visibly excited about the idea. Yutaro asks Hiko, “Do you have time to work on the song tonight? We can produce it as a remote collaboration.” Hiko asks, “Why don’t we just go to a studio together and record it there?” “Because I got other things to take care of tonight, and I trust your musicianship to make the song great even without me having to teach you the song or oversee your work.” Yutaro smiles. Hiko smiles back. Yutaro goes on, “Great! I’m glad we’re doing this, Hiko. I will have time this afternoon, after classes, to finalize my parts and send you the link to the Garageband file. I will upload it onto Mediafire. I guess the size will be around 200 megabytes.” “And I will then record my parts onto the same file and do the mixing. It would be great if you could cut the videos, though. Your video editing skills are just so advanced and every video you make has that great artistic touch,” Hiko adds. “Absolutely. As I said, I won’t be around tonight, but I’ll get up very early tomorrow morning and will finish the videos before the 9 o’clock class. Okay?” Hiko replies, “No hurry with the videos. First we have to have our song approved by iTunes. After it’s in the iTunes store, we will publish our videos on our respective Youtube 27
  • 35. channels, linking the videos with our song on iTunes, so that people can find it there and hopefully buy it, as well as Inakute Sabishii, since they’ll be on the same single.” “I see. We’ll wait for the right moment to release the second song on Youtube. Sure. This is going to be good,” Yutaro concludes. The professor greets the class with a loud, “Good morning class!” His thick American accent attracts everyone’s attention. “Welcome to International Marketing 201. Today, we will talk about ‘Social Media’. Who can tell us what that is?” The professor looks around. Hiko raises his hand. “Yes, please.” The professor points to him. Hiko clears his throut. “Social media is a virtual meeting place, where everyone and everything can find and be found, teach and learn, see and show, buy and sell, speak and listen. Some claim it’s just a fad, many others know it’s a new way of dialoguing without boundaries—and it is here to stay.” Yutaro adds, “Wikipedia and Youtube are best examples for how the Wisdom of the Crowd works and for how important social media has become for public relations and marketing.” The professor smiles and replies, “Glad to learn that there are some Net Geners that do not only use social media for entertainment, but also understand what it actually is for.” 28
  • 36. Episode 7 The Yutaro/Hiko-Collaboration Part 2 Yutaro just finished recording the last line for the collaboration song with Hiko. “This is going to be good,” he tells himself. “Let’s get this file uploaded.” Yutaro uploads the file to Mediafire and sends Hiko the link via email. Hiko can download the music project file by clicking on the link and keep working on the song at his place. Toktoktok—“Heeeeey there!” The door to Yutaro’s 1- bedroom apartment opens. Maki slingshots her shoes in a corner of the genkan, a little entryway every Japanese house has. In Japan, it is custom to take off one’s shoes before entering a house or an apartment. “What are you doing?” Maki asks and jump-hugs Yutaro from behind. “I just finished my parts for a collab with Hiko. It’s going to be something like the B-side of his new single.” Yutaro clicks play. A thunderous slap bass makes his speakers jump. Maki is impressed. “Araaa! Is that you playing the bass or is it a Garageband loop?” Yutaro reacts with a smile. “Seriously? When did you learn to play bass like that? Why don’t you play bass in a band? Your skills are crazy!” Yutaro finally answers, “I have always played guitar in bands and people know me for being a guitar player, 29
  • 37. not a bass player. It would be too much of a hustle to start over again and try to position myself as a bassist. Still, I like playing bass, and on this recording no one will ask about the bass player, because it’s about Hiko’s guitar playing.” Maki counters, “Please don’t get me wrong, but I think your bass playing—at least on this song—is way awesomer than your guitar work. You should definitely make a tutorial video for this bass line on your Youtube channel. I’m sure many viewers will want to learn this line.” Yutaro starts realizing his potential. “You think I’ll have a chance as a bass player? But there are so many incredible bass players out there, like Yuki.” Yutaro shows his concerns about his bass playing, but Maki reassures him, “You’re right. There are many great bass players in the Kansai region, especially in Osaka. Nevertheless, after listening to this raw mix, I’d totally see you becoming one of the popular bassists around here. And I’m not saying that just because I sleep with you.” Maki shoots her typical closed-eyes smile to cheer up Yutaro, which affects his mood and makes him smile. Yutaro takes her gently in his arms, while she sits on his lap. “You are great, Maki. Can I hire you as my motivational trainer and personal branding manager?” “I’m not sure you can afford me,” Maki teases Yutaro. “Why don’t I start by paying you like this…” Yutaro kisses Maki, lifts her from his lap and lays her on the tatami floor. “I like this kind of payment.” Maki turns 30
  • 38. off the light with a remote control and starts unbuttoning Yutaro’s shirt. Hiko just downloaded the Garageband file that Yutaro sent him via Mediafire and is amazed by the quality of the production. “Wow, that bass line is crazy!” he tells himself. Bzzzzz. Hiko checks the door. “Yuki? What a nice surprise.” Yuki is clearly nervous. “Sorry for stopping by unannounced. I just wanted to ask you a few things about the songs for our next rehearsal.” She’s just making it up. Hiko replies, “I’m actually starting a recording session right now, which I really have to complete today. Hm. Listen, I usually don’t like having people here, since my place is rather small, but if you’d like to help me out with the production…” “I’d love to!” Yuki interrupts Hiko’s sentence energetically. She knows that Hiko doesn’t like having anyone over, and because of that, she wants to get in before he changes his mind. “Good. Come in.” Hiko is all set to start recording. His guitars are tuned, his effect pedals are plugged in, and the microphone is set to the right height. Yuki observes, “So, this is where the magic happens.” Hiko smiles. “That’s what we want to find out, right? Just grab those headphones and make yourself comfortable.” Both have their headphones on. Hiko pushes play on Garageband. “What an amazing bass line,” Yuki shouts. Hiko nods. “It’s Yutaro’s bass line.” He explains their collaboration. 31
  • 39. “I had no idea that Yutaro could play bass like this. I thought he was just a guitar player.” Yuki is still amazed by Yutaro’s production. Hiko explains, “We used to play in a band together. That’s when he first picked up the bass. Our bass player left because he got signed by a touring band and we didn’t want to lose time looking for a bassist. Hence, Yutaro decided to play bass in our band. Unfortunately, we never had the chance to play live, since I left the band as well shortly after that. Then they blamed me for their split-up. I thought Yutaro was still mad at me for that, but apparently he’s over it, since he offered to collab with me.” Hiko is immersed in thoughts. Yuki asks, “Do you want to play this song with our band, too?” “Sure! It has so much drive.” He continues, “Honestly, I feel it’s going to be even more popular than my last song.” A smile on Yuki’s face makes Hiko smile as well. “What?” he asks. “Inakute Sabishii is a truly beautiful song. It will be hard for you guys to top its popularity.” Yuki really means it. “Well, I try to top every song I make. And with Yutaro contributing such great ideas, I’m very confident that this could become a new milestone for me. Also, tastes are different and what one person likes, another person might not like, and that’s okay. But it sure means a lot to me that you like my latest song.” Yuki and Hiko look at each other for a few moments. “Okay, let’s do this!” Hiko interrupts the silence. They put their headphones back on. One last smile towards 32
  • 40. Yuki, and Hiko hits the recording button to record the first track for the Yutaro/Hiko-collab. 33
  • 41. Episode 8 Still rehearsing for the first gig It’s a beautiful mid-October day in Hirakata. Leaves are slowly turning red and the temperature is getting milder day by day. Yuki, Hiko, and Junji have been playing for two months as a band now and they grew closer as a team. Their first official public performance is scheduled for the Kansai Gaidai International Festival, which will be held in the first week of November, around the Bunka no Hi holiday, which is known as Culture Day in English. As the president of the music club, Yutaro organized three performances for Hiko’s trio during the 4-day festival. The band will be playing two 20-minute shows in a university lounge that can hold an audience of about 100 people. Every music club band is entitled to play there twice. Additionally, Hiko, Junji, and Yuki will have the opportunity to perform on an outdoor stage, where all festival visitors can see and hear them play. Not every band gets to do that. Yuki is very excited about that. She hasn’t had the chance to gather much live experience, especially in front of large audiences. And playing on the outdoor stage will give the band great exposure. Back in the studio in Korien the trio is practicing. ♫ Youtubers unite against unholy obedience, we ain’t just the crowd we are considerable deviance. With an iPod in our left 34
  • 42. and a computer in our right, we create art with every single byte. ♫ “Yes, that’s exactly what this song should sound like!” Junji dries the sweat from his face and adds from behind the drum set, “Hiko, are we going to play the Yutaro/Hiko-collab song at the festival?” Hiko replies, “Sure. The single should be approved by iTunes any day now. And besides playing for the love of music, I would also like to use these festival gigs as a marketing platform to promote the songs, if that’s okay with you guys.” Yuki and Junji smile and nod. Hiko’s cell phone rings. “Oh, I have to take this. Moshi moshi?” “Hiko, it’s Genji Hatoyama. Am I interrupting anything?” Hiko replies in a very humble voice, “Hatoyama-san, no, no. I have time.” Mr. Hatoyama goes on, “As you know from our concert schedule, we will be playing a special performance at the Park Hyatt Hotel in Tokyo on Monday after the Bunka no Hi holiday, the second week of November. But because our performances in the Kansai area have been very successful in the past couple of months, a few other places want to book the Genji Hatoyama Band for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, before the Monday gig. Just make sure you’ll be ready to leave for Tokyo one day before the first performance. That means, Thursday. Yokoyama-san will call you later to discuss the details.” Hiko realizes this means that he would miss the International Festival and therefore, would have to cancel the gigs with Yuki and Junji. “Sure. Thank you for the information. I’ll see you next week for 35
  • 43. rehearsal in Kyoto,” Hiko replies and suppresses his disappointment. Mr. Hatoyama hangs up. “What’s wrong?” Yuki asks. Hiko explains the situation to his band and adds, “I don’t know if I ever told you about my adhesion contract with the Genji Hatoyama Band.” Junji nods, but Yuki looks puzzled. “Basically, if they get booked and I cannot make it, they look for another guitar player to replace me right away and kick me out of the band. And since Osaka is filled with great and available guitarists looking for a good gig, they always find someone in no time.” “What?” Yuki shouts. “Can they do that? Well, obviously they can do whatever they want! Man, I’m so upset.” Yuki is obviously distressed and in rage about the situation. “Because of greedy businessmen like them, youngsters like us can’t get anywhere!” Rena enters the practice space and asks, “Hey guys, how’s rehearsal going?” “YOU!!!” Yuki points to Rena with a very upset look and approaches her showing her clenched fist. Junji realizes that Yuki’s temper is boiling over and rushes from behind his drums to hold her back before she lays hands on Rena, who has no clue what just happened. “It’s all your fault!!! We won’t get to perform at the International Festival, because Hiko has to play in Tokyo with your dad’s band.” Yuki screams at Rena. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Rena runs out of the studio crying. Hiko puts down his guitar and apologizes to his bandmates. “Guys, I’m 36
  • 44. sorry to cause you all this trouble, but please, if you want to blame this on anyone, blame it on me. I didn’t think about what it meant to sign a contract with the Genji Hatoyama Band. It’s solely my fault for not thinking further than my wallet. I know, sometimes Rena might seem arrogant, spoiled, self-centered, and very proud of being the daughter of a celebrity, but she is my girlfriend and we belong together.” Yuki is still furious and Junji is still holding her. “If you excuse me, I have to go after her.” Hiko walks to the door and concludes, “By the way, I will leave the band…” Yuki and Junji are baffled. “I mean, the Genji Hatoyama Band.” Their gazes relax. “This means, you guys better keep working on that rhythm section, if we want to impress any potential bookers or label guys at the Kansai Gaidai International Festival.” Hiko winks and runs after Rena. “Man, my heart almost stopped when he said that he would leave the band. For a second I thought he wanted to leave this band, his own band.” Junji shows his relief and sits down on the studio floor. Yuki is in a rollercoaster of emotions. She doesn’t know if she should be happy about the fact that Hiko is leaving the Genji Hatoyama Band or if she should be upset that he doesn’t see how bad Rena is for him. “Okay. Junji, pick up your sticks and let’s try that collab song again—just drums and bass. Now that Hiko has only this band that can make him a star, we have to support him as much as we can.” Yuki’s 37
  • 45. dedication motivates Junji. “You said it best, sis’… Ichi, ni, san, shi!” And they rock the groove. 38
  • 46. Episode 9 You canʼt have both “Rena, are you okay?” Hiko asks his girlfriend. Rena is standing outside the studio premises in Korien, crying. “Why don’t your friends like me? Am I such a bad person? I really tried to be nice to them, ever since you started playing with them.” Hiko looks surprised. “You haven’t really been nice to them. I remember, the first time Junji, Yuki, and I jammed in this very studio, you asked me why I would waste my time playing with such amateurs, when I could practice with real professionals such as your dad’s musicians. That wasn’t very nice, but still, they never said anything about you coming to all our rehearsals.” Rena sighs. “Whatever. This band is over anyway. Please let’s get your stuff and let’s leave.” Rena grabs Hiko’s hand. He pulls her back and says in a harsh voice, “Are you completely insane? This is my chance to make it in this business. Junji and Yuki are such a fantastic and dedicated rhythm section, and they support me with all their passion. They believe that our trio has what it takes to make it in Japan. What will I have if I play with your dad? Some money from the gigs, where my name is nowhere to be seen. Plus, that music doesn’t push me to the limit. Strumming a few chords isn’t what I aim for these days.” Rena counters aggressively, “You know, you’re only 19 years old and you have absolutely not enough 39
  • 47. experience to make it in the music business. Playing with an established act will teach you the mean side of the music biz, while being in a safe position. If anything goes wrong for whatever reason, it’s not your brand on stake, but the one from the guy that offers you the job. Too many times, I’ve seen my dad being depressed and taking hits from journalists and promoters, because the concert hall was half-empty, or because the event organizers simply thought the show wasn’t good enough for the amount of money they paid to the Genji Hatoyama Band. And my dad took all the blame—not his musicians.” Tears fall from Rena’s eyes. “Rena, I’m sorry. I decided to do it my way and will therefore leave your dad’s band. I mean, the contract states that if I can’t make a concert, the management will search for a replacement and I’m out. And I’m fine with that. I want to make my own mistakes and built my own brand, like your father did.” Rena’s tears overflow her cute Japanese face. “Congratulations!” Rena affirms, “You just made the first major mistake in your rather short career as a musician. You quit a great and secure job that could have led the way to your very own record deal.” Rena gets snappy. “Have a great life, Hiko. I’ll send you your stuff by mail.” Rena turns around and walks away. Hiko stands motionless in front of the studio until Rena is out of sight. Then, one tear runs from his right eye down his cheek all the way to his chin, where 40
  • 48. it gathers all the salty water to a single teardrop and slowly falls to the ground. “Big fight?” Junji’s voice reverberates from the studio hallway. Junji and Yuki are walking towards Hiko. He nods his head. “It looks as if it’s over. Rena, the Ganji Hatoyama Band… everything’s over. But that’s good, right?” Hiko’s voice is initially trembling but gets very solid with the next sentence. Sigh. “I guess it’s as Rocky said, ‘It ain’t about how hard you hit, it is about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.’” Hiko smiles while quoting that line from Sylvester Stallone in Rocky 6. Junji laughs very loud. He puts his arms around Hiko’s neck and drags him back to studio 3. “Hahaha! Glad to see you haven’t lost your sense of humor yet, even though I have no clue why you would quote Rocky. Anyway, let’s go back in and rock the hell out of our instruments. Now that we are your only band, we gotta work even harder, if we want to crack the jackpot.” Hiko and Yuki pick up their instruments. Junji takes a seat behind the drum set and asks Yuki, “Miss Bass- star, would you like to give us the honor and slap the hell out of your bass for the intro of the collab song?” Yuki hits the strings as hard as she can and the energy swaps over to Junji and Hiko, who enter the song with great oomph. During the song, Yuki’s thoughts are completely dedicated to the future of the band. She thinks, “Now 41
  • 49. that Rena and her dad are out of Hiko’s life, he can set the focus on this band and spend more time with us, as he asked me to do when I joined. Fortunately, everything turned out the way it was supposed to.” After practice, Hiko congratulates his bandmates to a very lively, even though emotional, rehearsal. “See you tomorrow in class, Junji. I gotta go home and call Hatoyama-san to tell him about my decision to leave his band.” Junji replies, “You do that, and don’t forget your Rocky-quote.” The three of them express amusement. Hiko turns to Yuki, “Lunch at shokudou (translation: cafeteria) tomorrow?” Yuki’s eyes brighten up. She nods vividly. Hiko waves and leaves shouting, Jaa! Junji approaches Yuki and tells her in a rather fatherly tone, “Listen, Yuki. I know you like Hiko. And if Hiko and Rena really split up, I’m sure he will want to be with you as well. Unfortunately, love relationships in bands always end badly for everyone involved, and that includes bandmates that are simply extras in the story, like I am. As much as I want you guys to be happy together as a couple, I see a huge potential for our band here and I don’t want anyone and anything to jeopardize that. Do you understand?” Yuki gets nervous and wants to object, “But…” “No, But!” Junji interrupts her and persists, “I am asking you as a friend and for the sake of what we can achieve with this band. This can only work, if we stick to professionalism and don’t let intimate relationships screw up our plans.” He gently holds Yuki’s shoulders. 42
  • 50. “We are friends—the three of us—and we need that friendship to lead our way. I’m begging you. Don’t think only about yourself, but about all of us.” Yuki hugs Junji and whispers while her head is resting on his shoulder, “I promise, Junji. I won’t jeopardize what we have. But please, keep reminding me.” 43
  • 51. Episode 10 Friends with benefits After the emotional rehearsal, when Rena broke up with Hiko, and Hiko decided to leave the Genji Hatoyama Band to focus on his own band with Yuki and Junji, the trio devoted many hours of practice in creating the best possible set for their performance at the Kansai Gaidai International Festival. Junji worked on more detailed arrangements, Yuki and Maki took care of word-of-mouth marketing, handing out flyers to students and to people at live music houses in Osaka, and Hiko published Youtube videos every other day with subliminal messages to promote their forthcoming gigs in Hirakata to his subscribers. «Come and rock out with us at Kansai Gaidai International Festival in Hirakata», a video coming from Maki’s iPhone says. “My friend Yuki will be playing a featured gig on the outdoor stage on Saturday. You should definitely not miss this. And while you’re at it, go to this website and download their music. Believe me, they’re awesome! I got all their music on my iPod.” Maki hands a flyer to a bunch of students that are forming a circle around her. “See you there!” She smiles at them and leaves. “How is my #1 promotion manager doing?” Yuki asks Maki approaching her from the side. Maki turns around with a grin, “If Yutaro and Hiko sell a thousand MP3s online, it’s all because of me, and I 44
  • 52. will want to see some royalties from that,” Maki says with an acted Diva-like attitude. “I don’t want to sound too cocky, but I think I’ll apply for a promotion manager position at one of the major record companies in Tokyo after I graduate from here.” She sounds very confident and serious about that. “What happened to becoming a rockstar? Did you change your plans?” Yuki asks with a wink. “No, that is still on the list. I will just take care of both, music and promotion. I mean, isn’t that why we have social media now, to take care of marketing ourselves? Yutaro and Hiko are on track to prove that it can work for unsigned artists to make it without a major label.” Yuki asks Maki, “Why do you want to work for a major label then, if you’d be able to make it to the top without one?” Maki pauses for a few moments. “Good question. I guess, because it will sound good in my biography one day.” She starts a narrative of her own biography: «Before making it big, Makiko paid her dues in the hard reality of the music business, working as a promotion manager for a major record label. Her road was paved with many ups and downs, but after realizing that she could make better decisions than her boss, she left the company to take care of business herself. And that's when she brought her band to their first number one hit on the Oricon charts in Japan with no major label backing her.» 45
  • 53. “Bravo!” a male voice responds mockingly. Yuki and Maki turn around and see Yutaro approaching with a smile. “Don’t make fun of me, mister!” Maki punches Yutaro in the stomach. “Ouch! That hurt.” Yutaro is still teasing her. Maki pretends to get mad. “Stop it, Yutaro, or no sex for you tonight!” Yutaro blushes. The ambience changes instantly. “What?” Yuki asks, not believing what she just heard. “You’re joking, right?” “I’m obviously joking.” Maki’s voice is trembling. She is extremely nervous. “You’re lying, Maki. I know you are.” Yuki gazes at them and they both blush even more. It is now obvious to Yuki that Maki and Yutaro have an intimate relationship with each other. “So. Are you guys a couple or are you just sleeping together?” Yutaro turns to Maki and whispers, “Glad we discussed this scenario.” Yutaro’s statement is evidently ironic. Maki apologizes to Yutaro also whispering, “I’m sorry! It just slipped out.” Yuki puts on a smile. “So, which one is it? A couple or just friends with benefits?” Yuki can’t hold back her grin. Maki and Yutaro decide to enter mute-mode and leave fast in different directions. “Gotta go! See ya later, Yuki.” Maki waves and walks away, fast. Five minutes later, Yutaro enters the classroom and takes a seat next to Hiko. “Hey Yutaro, ready for the upcoming gigs at the festival?” Hiko asks. “I hope so.” 46
  • 54. Yutaro is still upset over his bloopers with Maki. “Something bugging you?” Hiko asks his friend. “Maki told Yuki that we sleep together,” Yutaro replies. “You guys are a couple?” Hiko shouts. “Shhhhh! Yes. No! Maybe. Ah. I don’t know. When we decided to play in the same band, everything became a bit more complicated. We agreed that as long as we’re bandmates, it would be better not to appear as a couple. Our bandmates and other music club members might get the wrong idea.” “Hold on a sec. Does that mean you guys have been a couple for a while already?” Hiko still looks very surprised. “It doesn’t matter. Fact is that I like Maki, but I’m not sure if engaging in an exclusive romantic relationship with her would be good the future of our band. First of all, our band is really picking up and chances are that we can perform at some cool festivals next spring. But if we fight, our band will suffer from it. That’s why I’d rather be friends with benefits with her and not a couple.” Yutaro leans back in his chair and sighs. “Do you really think that being friends with benefits will keep your emotions checkmate? If else, it will make you go even crazier. What if Maki goes out with someone else, because you don’t want to be exclusively hers?” Hiko shows concern for his friends. Yutaro checks his phone to see if Maki sent him a message. “I envy you and Yuki. So much attraction from one to the other and you keep being only friends and keep 47
  • 55. your relationship safe from any emotional hazard.” Hiko leans back in his chair. “Believe me when I tell you that it is incredibly hard. Every time we get together for rehearsal, to go to a gig, have lunch, dinner, whatsoever, I always fight with myself. I’m in a constant dilemma. I want to take her in my arms and give her all the love she deserves. But then something inside of me tells me that it would be wrong now. Our band is on the way to create something great and emotional distress would tear it apart. I’m not sure how Yuki feels about me, but I hope she doesn’t want to be with me, because if I knew that she likes me as much as I like her, I wouldn’t be able to resist.” Yutaro pulls himself together and pats Hiko on the back. “Listen my friend. If we ever fall into absolute despair, we will just leave our respective bands and create a band with you on guitar, me on bass, and Junji on drums, and the girls can do the same with a female drummer of their choice. That way, we can all be together with whom we please and we won’t have to care about emotional distress. What do you think?” Yutaro’s face finally lightens up, but Hiko isn’t sure if Yutaro really means what he just said or if he is merely joking. “I think time will tell how we’ll have to handle these things.” Hiko’s phone lights up. It’s Yuki texting him, Hey rockstar, don’t forget that we moved our rehearsal from tomorrow to tonight. Can’t wait to rock the studio with you tonight! Hiko smiles from ear to ear. 48
  • 56. Episode 11 The Kansai Gaidai International Festival Part 1 Today is the first day of the Kansai Gaidai International Festival, which will be held for the next four days on the campus of the Kansai Gaidai University in Hirakata. People from close and far attend the festival. The festival aims to bring foreign cultures, as well as Japanese culture, closer to its visitors with dishes and cultural performances from different countries by Japanese and International students. The festival aims to bring Japanese and foreign cultures closer to their visitors. Outdoor stands sell anything from onigiri to tempura, from tacos to Spaghetti Bolognese, or from American hotdogs to Cevapcici. Indoors, classrooms got remodeled to stages, where students can either perform a dance or a play from a specific country, or simply present their countries and languages to interested visitors. The festival takes place every year and is always a big success. “Guys, I think there are about 100 people crammed into that small lounge, and they are waiting for us to get on stage and rock!” Junji is jumping up and down. He is visibly excited. Hiko and Yuki are tuning their instruments in a classroom on the other side of the hallway from the lounge, where they will be performing in less than ten minutes. 49
  • 57. “Are you ready, Yuki?” Hiko asks her with a smile. “I’m very nervous. What was that change we made in the third verse of Inakute Sabishii?” Yuki looks stressed out. Hiko puts his hand on her shoulder. “Just forget about that. Let’s go out there and just have fun. Our audience came to have fun with us, not to judge if we play well or if we suck. This is our very first gig in front of a paying crowd. I consider this a warm-up gig, which it is, considering the circumstances and the preparation for the open-air gig on Saturday.” Junji adds, “Forget about perfection and it will happen. Simply be aware of our music as a team, and feel the energy we transmit to each other. If you happen to lose the groove, just listen to what I play and you will find it in no time. And if you get lost in all those notes you play, listen to Hiko and you’ll be back on the right track.” Then he gets philosophical, “As legendary bassist Victor Wooten always says, music is a language, and if you want to join a conversation, the first thing you have to do is to listen and then you contribute your message.” Junji stops for a few moments. “Well, he puts it more eloquently, but you get my point.” Yuki smiles and feels more comfortable now thanks to the words of her bandmates. Yutaro enters the backstage room. “Are you guys ready to prove to your fans that you’re worth the 300 yen they paid to see you rock?” Yutaro can’t hide the fact that he’s proud of having Yuki, Junji, and Hiko opening the concert series of the university music club 50
  • 58. he presides. Junji shouts, “Hell yeah! Let’s rock this crowd.” He storms out of the room and jumps on stage. Yutaro, Yuki, and Hiko can hear the crowd screaming and clapping their hands. “What a crazy guy,” Yutaro says with a smile. He turns to the rest of the band. “Are you going to be playing the collab-song as well?” Yutaro asks Hiko. “No, not today. We’ll play it on the open-air stage on Saturday.” Yutaro is disappointed, but doesn’t show it. “No problem. I’m looking forward to hearing your version in a couple of days then. You guys better go on stage now, before Junji gets all the audience on his side and leaves no fans for you.” Hiko and Yuki nod and leave the backstage room. Hiko makes his first step on stage and all hell breaks loose. It sounds as if thousands of people would cheer for a rockstar. Like when Ozzy enters the Budokan stage on his Live at Budokan album. Shortly before making her appearance on stage, Yuki takes one deep breath and tells herself, “This is it. Nana, Billy Sheehan, you know how Goku and Vegeta became unbeatable in Dragonball. Let’s try that as well. Fuuuuuusion!” And she enters the stage. Hiko and Junji are ready and set to play the very first note. The crowd has calmed down a bit by now, but suspense is still building up. No one says a word. Every one in the room is looking at Yuki setting up her effect pedals and tuning her bass one last time. The stage lights shine very bright and Yuki can’t really see the audience. Junji told his bandmates before the 51
  • 59. gig that there were about 100 people in the room, but the audience is larger than that and it sure feels like thousands came. The energy is pumping up Yuki to an extent she has never felt before. Finally. She is ready. Trivial thoughts cross Yuki’s mind, “What do I have to do now? Do I have to say anything, or, shall I count in? Man, these stupid lights are way to bright.” Then, she remembers the music video for Pearl Jam’s Even Flow song, where Eddie Vedder yells at the light guy, because the lights are too bright. She smiles and shouts to the light guys in the back of the room with her loudest and rockiest voice through her microphone, “Akira, Ken, turn down these lights. This is not a TV studio, this is a rock concert!” The lights dim right away. Yuki adds, “Junji, count it in.” And Junji picks it up. 1, 2, 3, 4! A bombastic and loud sound shoots from the PA. The trio plays the intro to their first song and the crowd is cheering and dancing. Yuki is doing exactly what Hiko and Junji told her to do before the gig. Everything happens naturally. Yuki is not thinking, she is just enjoying and going with the flow. It has never felt better and more natural. The audience is jumping up and down with the beat of the song. Some even know the lyrics and sing along with the band. These must be Hiko’s Youtube fans. The trio gets more and more confident with every note they play, and the crowd gets more and more into it with every beat the band plays. 52
  • 60. Backstage, Yutaro is watching his friends planting the first seed for their career as an active live band. “Are you the manager of this band?” A man in an expensive suit approaches Yutaro from the backstage room. Yutaro replies, “No. Well, kind of. I’m the president of the music club they belong to.” He is rather confused and changes the subject quickly. “I’m sorry. This room is reserved for the bands that perform here today. I have to kindly ask you to leave.” The man looks like a businessman and his attitude is very professional. “I apologize for the intrusion. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Genji Hatoyama and I am interested in singing the band that is playing on your stage. Can I please have a word with you?” Yutaro is completely confused and can’t believe what just happened. “This is weird,” he thinks for himself. Yutaro knows who Genji Hatoyama is and knows all the details about Hiko’s fight with Rena and the contract he had signed with the Genji Hatoyama Band, but obviously Mr. Hatoyama doesn’t know who Yutaro is. Many questions are spinning inside Yutaro’s head. Why did Genji Hatoyama come to see Hiko’s band perform. Why is he offering a deal to the band? And more important, what kind of deal? And, wasn’t the Genji Hatoyama Band supposed to play in Tokyo this weekend? 53
  • 61. Episode 12 The Kansai Gaidai International Festival Part 2 A visibly nervous Yutaro asks Mr. Hatoyama, “Why do you want to sign Hiko and his band, when you just fired him from your band?” Loud music is blasting from the lounge, where Junji is just about to give a drum solo accompanied with bass and guitar harmonies. “I couldn’t bear to see Hiko leaving the band…” Yutaro interjects, “With all due respect, Hatoyama-san, Hiko left because of your unfair contract.” Mr. Hatoyama picks up where he got interrupted. “As I was saying, I couldn’t bear to see Hiko leaving the band. He is a great musician with lots of potential to make it in this hard industry, and even though he is not playing for me anymore, I’d like to support him and his band financially, and by pulling some strings.” Yutaro realizes that he is talking to a music business veteran that has been through highs and lows in his music career and the trio could definitely benefit from Mr. Hatoyama’s experience—and of course from his business contacts. They both hear Hiko shouting through the PA, “Hirakata, see you Saturday on the open-air stage. Jaaa!” And the trio closes with a huge thunder. Junji, Yuki, and Hiko rush offstage, while the audience is still applauding and screaming. According to the 54
  • 62. code of conduct made by the music club, encores are not permitted, since every band only plays 20 minutes and has to give 10 minutes set-up time to the next band. Junji and Yuki pass by Yutaro and Mr. Hatoyama and go to the backstage room with a very genuine smile on their faces. Hiko is the last one to come offstage and remains petrified by the look of the last person he expects to meet there, his ex-boss and ex-future-father-in-law. “Hiko, that was a great show. I’m very proud of you.” Mr. Hatoyama compliments Hiko and his band with a strong voice for anyone lurking around the backstage room to hear. “Hatoyama-san, thank you very much. I appreciate your kind words. May I ask what you are doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be performing in Tokyo this weekend?” Hiko is not pleased. Yutaro points to a little garden outside the premise. He leads the way and opens the door for Mr. Hatoyama and Hiko. The two of them continue their conversation in the garden, where no one can hear what they are talking about. “Hiko, when you left our band…” Hiko corrects, “I didn’t leave. You and your management fired me, because of that infamous clause in your musician’s contract.” Hiko’s temper starts boiling. Mr. Hatoyama tries to calm him down with a heartily smile. “Hiko, I always saw you as the next big guitarist in Japan. And I even considered sending you to a music college abroad for a couple of years, before producing a record under your brand followed by a tour with your own band. 55
  • 63. But when we parted, all of that was gone. It was already hard not having you with us anymore, as a member of the family, since you and Rena also split up. I lost you completely. For that reason, I cancelled the Tokyo gigs. I even had to pay a penalty fee to one of the organizers, because I wanted to come and see how you are doing and how far your band is. And I’m really impressed by what I saw today.” Hiko adds, “Just wait until Saturday. We’ll blow you away.” Mr. Hatoyama laughs and claps his hands once. “I am sure you will. Hahaha! Listen, I was talking to your manager, or, president of this music club,” “Yutaro? He is actually more something like my music production partner. We’ve been producing songs for Youtube together.” Hiko turns in a good mood when thinking about his collaborations with Yutaro. “Yes, that guy.” Mr. Hatoyama takes back the conversation. “So, I was talking to Yutaro about offering you and your band a management deal with my agency. My people and I will take care of promotion, booking, touring, and financing studio time. All we want from you guys is commitment and royalties.” Hiko laughs in disbelieve. “Why does it always sound like you want to screw me over when we talk about business?” Hiko gets offensive. Mr. Hatoyama tries to stay calm and continues, “Well, you know, in business communication classes they teach that communication happens on the receiver’s side. That means you might have perceived my message in a way that I didn’t mean. I only mean 56
  • 64. good, and I don’t want to have you out of my life. Hiko, you are like the son I never had. Rena is a good girl, but she is spoiled and will never be a musician. And who knows what kind of guy she will end up with one day. With you, I know what I got. Please, sign with my agency and let me be your manager.” Hiko is touched by the fact that Mr. Hatoyama is literally begging him to sign a deal, but Hiko doesn’t show it. Au contraire, Hiko says in a cold Wall Street- like attitude, “Hatoyama-san, I have to decline your offer.” Mr. Hatoyama’s eyes jump wide-open. “If you really consider me as a part of your family and don’t want to be cut out of my life, I am willing to be your friend and meet up with you, jam, talk about the music business, politics, or other things, but we don’t need to be connected through business. Who knows, maybe someday we’ll collaborate on a song? Honestly, I want to make it with my band without having to involve a label, outside financing, or whatsoever. We got the Internet and things look very promising right now. Yutaro is a great marketer and producer and we got all the equipment we need to produce songs for online music stores. We are quite confident that we can make it our way. Actually, if you want, I can teach you how to use social media to connect with your fans and publish your music without having to give royalties to a record company.” Mr. Hatoyama smiles, then the door opens. “Dad, I was looking for you everywhere,” a young female voice says with an attitude. “Rena!” Hiko 57
  • 65. shouts. His heart stops. “Hello Hiko.” Rena’s reply is rather snippy. She commends, “Let’s go, daddy. I want to go home.” “We’ll stay in touch, Hiko.” Mr. Hatoyama puts his hand onto Hiko’s shoulder. “See you this Saturday at the outdoor concert?” Hiko asks. “Only if I can buy you a drink after your gig and you tell me more about this online marketing stuff.” Mr. Hatoyama walks after Rena. “You did the right thing.” Yutaro’s voice sounds from the other side of the garden. “How the hell did you get up there?” Hiko asks. Yutaro jumps from a rock that is almost two meters high. “I was waiting for you to come back inside when I saw an open window that brought me on top of this huge rock. And since in some ways your future concerns me as well, I thought it would be good to listen to your conversation.” “You sneaky son of a gun,” Hiko jokes. “As I said, you did the right thing,” Yutaro affirms, again. “If Hatoyama-san wants to be your friend and help you succeed in the music biz, he can. You left him that door open.” Hiko picks up, “And we don’t need no manager. We got you. A great producer, event organizer, and friend.” “But don’t get too used to that. Sooner or later I won’t have time to do this for both your band and my band.” Yutaro smiles. Hiko smiles back. “Then we’ll leave our respective bands and start our own band, where it’s only about us boys.” They both laugh out loud. “I see, you really listen to me.” Yutaro is surprised that Hiko still remembers his statement from last week in class. 58
  • 66. “What are you guys doing out here, where no one can find you? Are you hiding from anyone?” Maki puts a rock in front of the door to keep it open. “Kick-ass performance, Hiko. You can really shred, but you know that. Are you coming to watch us rock the stage tomorrow?” Hiko nods. “You guys take care. I gotta look after my band. Want to congratulate them.” Hiko waves and leaves. “What was that about?” Maki asks Yutaro. “Nothing. We were just talking, and Rena’s dad offered them a management deal or something like that, but Hiko declined.” Maki shouts, “What? Why does that never happen to me?” Yutaro comforts her, “You don’t need that. Wait for your brand to grow and then you’ll be able to have the contract on your terms. But until then, you gotta work with social media and the power of the Internet. Just trust me on this one.” Maki smiles and hugs Yutaro saying, “You really make it hard for me not to like you as much as I would like to.” And they kiss. 59
  • 67. Episode 13 A new band is born The Kansai Gaidai International Festival is over and it was a great success for Yutaro’s music club, especially because of Hiko, Yuki, and Junji’s performances in the lounge and on the open-air stage. Sales for the Hiko/Yutaro-collab on iTunes have surged since the trio’s performance at the festival. Hundreds of people downloaded the song onto their cell phones right away during the concert and tweeted pictures and videos for thousands of interneters, who could not attend, to enjoy. Hiko’s and Yutaro’s Youtube channels registered hundreds of new subscribers in the week after the festival, and many asked for more Hiko/Yutaro- collabs. At the Miki Gakki music store in Shinsaibashi, one of the shopping districts of Osaka, Yuki and Maki are trying out some new guitars and basses. “You know, I’m really happy for Hiko and Yutaro that their music is generating all this buzz, but sometimes I wish they would include us more into their songwriting. I feel as if the two of them are a band and we are just supplements.” Yuki is walking her way through a 5- string bass neck. “I know what you mean,” Maki acknowledges. “But they are a great team, and even if both our bands end up playing pretty much the same songs, those songs are great and people like them a lot.” 60
  • 68. Yuki confesses, “I know, I know. I guess, sometimes I’m just jealous of Yutaro.” Yuki plucks the strings harder now. Maki frowns, “Why are you jealous of Yutaro? If, then you should be jealous of Hiko, or am I missing something here?” Yuki explains, “I’m jealous of Yutaro because he gets to spend so much time with Hiko and they share ideas, credits, and fans. I am just Hiko’s bass player and singer. Something like a sidekick.” That obviously bothers Yuki. “Why don’t they just start their own band and let us be. At least if it was like that, I could tell him how much I long for him, and this whole band thing would not stand in our way.” Maki puts down the guitar she’s been holding in her hands for 20 minutes and sits down next to Yuki. “Yuki-chan, I know exactly how you feel. Do you think it’s easy for me to play in a band with Yutaro and not being able to show him my love when others are around? I hate that, but that’s how it has to be for now. The day will come when Yutaro will leave our band and Hiko will leave your band to team up and start ‘their’ band. And then we will be able to be with them, for good. Unfortunately, we will then not be part of a great band and we will have to start over.” Maki’s eyes start getting glassy. Yuki engages in a hard one-bar T.M. Stevens-like slap- attack and tells Maki, “I’m sick and tired of this! Maki, let’s leave our bands and start our own band.” Maki can’t believe Yuki’s words. “Are you out of your mind?” she asks Yuki. “Not at all. Can’t you see it? Ever since they published their first collab on Youtube 61
  • 69. it has been about the two of them, not their respective bands. And if they can’t see it, we have to make them realize what’s happening here. What’s the worst that could happen? That they won’t get along? They are already a band on the Internet, and sooner or later they will form a band offline as well. We are just standing in their way. Hiko plays guitar, Yutaro plays bass, and Junji plays the drums. And all of them can sing. Problem solved.” Yuki has figured it all out. “And what about us?” Maki asks. “We start our own trio. We take everything we’ve learned from the guys and make it better.” Yuki winks. “But we have no drummer.” Maki walks to the classified ads on the wall of the music store. “Don’t worry about that. We’ll find a drummer in no time.” Maki turns to Yuki. “Okay, Yuki-chan. I’m in. How shall we tell the boys without making them mad?” Yuki puts on a mean smile. “Maki-chan, do you feel like jamming and recording something right here, right now? We could then post it right away onto my Youtube channel—which, btw, is in desperate need of a new video!” Maki starts jumping on the spot and shouts, “That’s going to be fun!” Yuki asks one of the clerks if she could film them with her iPhone, while jamming. They grab a couple of instruments and start playing a 90’s rock tune. ♫ I wish that I could fly, into the sky, so very high, just like a dragonfly … I want to get away, I want to fly away! ♫ The jam attracts basically every customer that is in the guitar 62
  • 70. section. Many sing along and the clerk catches the whole thing on Yuki’s iPhone. A customer approaches the store manager, who is enjoying this unexpected customer-generated show from the back of the room, “Those two girls are fantastic. Do they work for you?” The store manger replies, “Unfortunately not. But they are our loyal customers.” The customer suggests, “You should have them perform here with their band.” “I will definitely talk to them about that.” The girls are creating a great atmosphere at Miki Gakki and the store manager is very impressed. More customers are entering the store to take a glimpse and enjoy the positive atmosphere. The jam comes to an end and the customers applaud the duo. Maki and Yuki look around and can’t believe what just happened. “Arigatou gozaimasu!” Yuki turns to Maki and whispers, “See? I told you we could pull this off.” The clerk approaches Yuki and gives her back the iPhone she used to tape the performance. “You should publish this onto Youtube,” she suggests. “I will,” Yuki replies and edits the video with iMovie right on the spot. Then, she uploads it directly onto her Youtube channel. After a few minutes it’s up and she’s spreading it through different social networking websites and asks her friends on Mixi and Facebook to do the same. “Ready to hit the road?” Yuki asks Maki, when the clerk that taped the video stops them and approaches 63
  • 71. them very humbly. “You girls were amazing. Are you a band?” Maki and Yuki look at each other and nod at the same time. “Yes, we are!” The clerk continues, “Do you have gigs planned or a website where I can listen to more of your music?” Yuki replies, “Actually, we just started playing together. We just split from our bands and are now looking for a drummer.” “Seriously? Coz you sounded as if you’ve been playing together forever. And, by the way, I’m a drummer in search for a band.” Yuki asks the girl, “How long have you been playing the drums?” The girl answers, “I’ve been playing since I was 8 years old.” “And do you have live experience?” “My mom was a professional musician and always let me fool around on her drumset when I was little. I played many concerts through junior high and high school, but when I started university last year I stopped playing and focused on my studies. But watching you girls playing and spreading all that positive energy rocked my internal groove. I’d love to audition for you.” Maki looks at Yuki. “Then we need to set up an audition. And since we have no time to lose, we’d like to meet you as soon as possible. How’s tomorrow for you?” Maki asks. “I’m free tomorrow afternoon,” the clerk answers. “We’ll organize the studio in Amerikamura and will let you know exactly where and when to meet, okay?” Maki sounds very professional. “By the way, my name is Yumi.” Yumi bows. “I’m Maki, and this is Yuki.” They all shout, Hajimemashite! 64
  • 72. and they all bow. After exchanging their cell phone email addresses, Maki and Yuki leave Miki Gakki. “What do you think, are we making a mistake?” Maki asks Yuki. “Not at all. I’ve got a good feeling that Yumi is the perfect match for our band.” Maki affirms, “I feel the same way. I sure hope Yutaro, Hiko, and Junji won’t be too mad at us. Yutaro and Hiko are taking a break from working on different remote collaborations. “Check this out!” Yutaro tells Hiko over Skype and sends him a link to a Youtube video. “That’s Maki and Yuki jamming.” Hiko replies and recognizes that they sound great together. “Did you read the description of the video?” Yutaro points out. Hiko starts reading aloud; «Our first unrehearsed and unofficial band performance. More girl rock music coming soon.» Then he gets loud “Are you kidding me, they started their own band?” Yutaro calms him down, “Hey, take it easy. You had a second band as well in the beginning. And if it weren’t for Hatoyama- san’s grotesque contracts you would still have two bands. And FYI, we are a band as well.” “But only in the virtual world. We don’t spend time rehearsing and playing gigs,” Hiko justifies their band status. “Maybe we should, though.” Yutaro means it. 65
  • 73. Episode 14 We Are THE NOVEMBER SUN In a studio in Amerikamura, a retail and entertainment area in the Minami district of Osaka, Yuki and Maki are auditioning Yumi, a drummer whom they met the day before at Miki Gakki, a music shop in Osaka. They are overwhelmed with Yumi’s drumming and singing skills. The trio is rocking songs by Lenny Kravitz, Ayumi Hamasaki, Radwimps, and other artists. “Yumi, how come no professional band has signed you yet?” Maki asks. Yumi blushes and answers shyly. “I don’t know. Maybe because they didn’t think I was cool enough for them?” “Seriously, I think you are ʻcool enoughʼ and a great musician, and I would like you to join our band. What do you say?” Yuki asks with a serious face. Yumi nods fast. “Sure! I like the same music you like to play and I feel very comfortable around you girls.” Maki and Yuki look at each other, smile, and scream, “We found ourselves a drummer!!” Yumi laughs and claps her sticks. “Do you have a name for the band?” The girls are caught off guard. “Not really,” Maki admits. Yumi suggests, “What about The November Sun? It’s November, the sun is shining outside and I think it matches the mood of your music.” The three of them hold on still for a few moments. “We are The November Sun.” Maki mumbles softly. Yuki smiles and shouts, 66
  • 74. “We are The November Sun —Woohoo!!!” The three girls scream from the top of their lungs and they start jamming to what is going to be their first original song as The November Sun. After the jam, Yumi and Maki have to go to their respective part-time jobs and Yuki gets on the Keihan train to Hirakata, when she runs into Hiko at Yodoyabashi station. “Hey Yuki! Good to see you. Haven’t seen you at all this week.” Hiko is visibly happy to see Yuki, but he can feel that she is a bit tense and somehow distant. “Hi Hiko. Yeah, I was busy these past few days. I apologize for not having had much time to talk or chat online.” “Yeah, I saw your video with Maki at Miki Gakki.” He smiles. “That looked like big fun.” Yuki is embarrassed. “Yeah, it was fun.” “So, did you girls start a band?” Hiko asks. Yuki doesn’t know what to answer. After a few moments she gathers all her courage and tells Hiko exactly how she feels about the entire situation. “Hiko, I’m sorry if this comes unexpected, but I think I have to leave your band.” The conversation mutes. After a while Yuki continues, “I know it’s not fair from my part, especially since you could have gotten any bass player and singer you wanted for your band. And after our great gigs at the Kansai Gaidai International Festival we got so many contacts and opportunities to play live clubs and summer festivals and now you’ll have to 67
  • 75. audition a new bassist and teach him or her all details.” Hiko’s face shows no emotions. Yuki goes on with her explanation, “Please, don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I don’t like to play with you and Junji. Actually, it’s very much the opposite. I’d love you to include me more into songwriting, marketing, and band life in general. You spend all your free time with Yutaro producing songs and I feel you guys are the band and I’m just a sidekick.” Tears fall from Yuki’s eyes. “Yuki, I’m sorry you feel that way. But I don’t think I’m doing anything wrong here. You participate in the arrangements, you give your own touch to the songs, and without you our band is not the same. You are an indispensable part of the band.” Yuki dries her tears with her sleeves. “I know you’re not doing anything wrong. You are doing the right thing for the band. Yutaro and you together can write the greatest songs and view-counts on your individual Youtube channels are proof enough.” Yuki sighs. “Maybe the problem is that I’m in love with you.” There, she said it. The Keihan train enters the station. Passengers get off and it gets busy on the tracks. Yuki’s words still buzz in Hiko’s ears. ‘Maybe the problem is that Iʼm in love with you.ʼ “How can that be a problem?” Hiko asks himself and gets the answer from Yuki. “When we play music and you smile at me, when I sing a line and you add a harmony to it, or when you 68
  • 76. send me a message and tell me that you’re looking forward to seeing me at practice, in class, or at the bar, all I can think of is that it is not right for us to be together, because it would jeopardize the future of our band. I hate that bittersweet emotion. I want to be with you. And if it means that I have to leave the band, so be it. You and Yutaro are a band in any case. People ask for your music, not ours. I guess that is the only right thing to do then.” The train for Hirakata leaves without them. Hiko is speechless. Nobody is around anymore. They stand next to each other facing the same direction. Hiko turns to Yuki and moves closer to her. He wipes her tears with a soft handkerchief, caresses her left cheek with his thumb… and kisses her. Time stands still. At least that’s what it feels like for Yuki. As unexpected as her leaving the band might have been for Hiko, this kiss is for her. The next Keihan train for Hirakata is arriving at Yodoyabashi station. “Shall we get onto this one?” Hiko asks with a very soft and caring voice. Yuki smiles and they get on the train. Yuki and Hiko sit next to each other and Yuki puts her head on Hiko’s shoulder. The doors close and the train leaves for Hirakata. 69