Marble Sheep interview

Interview with Marble Sheep

Café Cairo, Würzburg. I reached the club at about 6 p.m. After talking with Timo (bassist of their German support band Drive By Shooting) I asked Marble Sheep where they would like to do the interview. I went backstage and waited for the band. After they entered the room, each member introduced themselves with a handshake.

Please introduce yourself to the European fans
Morihide Sawada: Is it going to be in a magazine?

No, it’s an international website about Japanese artists. We also post interviews of Japanese bands coming here to Europe.
(Matsutani Ken asks his colleagues something in Japanese.) Ken: What do you think of our band? It’s very difficult. For us it’s just very hard to describe. Our music is a mix of psychedelic, punk and underground. It’s a mix, not only one genre. If you stay until after our show, you will be able to describe it.
By the way, Marble Sheep are Ken Matsutani (G,V), Brown’Nose (G,CHO), Rie Miyazaki (B, CHO), Taro Arakawa (D, CHO), Morihide Sawada (D, CHO).

On your homepage there’s almost no information available about the first years of your existence around early, mid 90-ies. Can you tell us something about this time? What happened then, or…?
Ken: Ah… It was a silent time.

How did you come together? Did you know each other beforehand?
Ken: Uhmm, yeah, yeah. The Marble Sheep members are always
changing, changing, changing, but the musical spirit is one....It’s trip music. We have been trying and searching for something new for us since 1987.

That would be the other question. How many members… (were in Marble Sheep from the beginning?)
Ken: Ahh… (laughing)

I ask because there is not very much information about it on your Homepage.
Ken: White Heaven and Ghost members… (Rie Miyazaki tells a number in japanese) Maybe around 25 (laughter)

How did the idea of two drummers come up?
Ken: I like twin-drum speed. After you’ve tried it one time, you cannot forget that feeling. That’s all. Twin-drum is a miracle. (I needed quite a long time to understand what Ken told, so everybody started to laugh) Anyway, don't you think twin-drums look good?

What bands have influenced you?
Ken: There are so many. Old Krautrock. Well, European rock and American, too. International Glam Rock, punk and Folk & contemporary music.

You dedicated your Album “FOR DEMOLITION OF A SPIRITUAL FRAMEWORK” to Naoto Hayashi.
Ken: Ah, ya, ya... he was my friend. He died.

What influence did he have on your music? Or were you just friends?
Ken: Yeah, just friends. He was one of my best friends and he was a great singer. He taught me the real rock spirit.

It’s not the first time you come to Germany, right? In 2002 you were on a festival with Guru Guru (a German band) or so. How do you feel about being here again?
Ken: Very nice. (laughing) Drive by shooting, the audience, stuff… Everything was very nice. We are very happy.

In 2004, you played with Damo Suzuki Network, a German band, in front of a Japanese audience. What does it feel like to play in Germany, with a German band in front of German fans? (bands starts laughing)
Ken: The German audience is very nice. The Japanese music scene is almost for children only, a young audience, and so is the Japanese world/culture. So, there’s no space for us in the Japanese scene, we’re very underground.

I read on your homepage, that you had planned a European tour in spring 2004. Did it take place?
Ken: Two years ago?

It was somewhere in the news on your English site.
Ken: Ah, yeah… Marble Sheep’s website is made by an old friend of mine. He is very smart and has a great memory. Yes, sometimes we got live offers from overseas (asking his colleagues in Japanese and discussing a little bit) but we have no memory about that, sorry. (the band starts laughing)

Will you also play in other European countries?
Morihide: You mean this tour?

Or, another time?
Ken: Next time? Yeah, everywhere… okay.
Morihide: We go everywhere, if we are welcomed there!

Are there any international or Japanese artists that you would like to play with on a tour or at a concert?
(The band starts a long discussion in Japanese) Ken: Could you repeat the question again? We’re confused. (After repeating the question, Ken explains it to the other members, after a short discussion) No, no. We’re always on our own. I don’t know so many Japanese artists. We would like to join Drive by Shooting again! If they are okay with it.

What’s the secret of staying together for almost 20 years?
Brown Nose No.2: A small brain. (laughter)
Morihide adds: A happy mind!
Ken: Happy people come to me and…
Rie: Problem child cares for problem child (again everybody’s laughing)

Did Marble Sheep ever have the opportunity to become major?
Ken: Uhm, no, because we are very difficult to be sold and to be promoted by a major company. In the early years, in the 80-ies a company asked me. They listened our music and said: “Ahh, very difficult!” (laughs) In that time we played songs that were longer than 20 minutes, so…
Now I have many friends amongst major record companies in Japan. But I can’t find a reason to join a major company, we joined an independent company and we are in Germany now.
Yes, this is the story about the Japanese major music world. I hope there’s a different situation in Europe than in Japan. I must say it again: the Japanese music scene is mostly for children, not for adults.
Morihide: Do you know that he has his own company?

No I didn’t know.
Morihide: It’s called Captain Trip.
Ken: It’s a Tokyo independent company, I’m a manager. It’s strange!

Oh, right! I heard of it, I knew the name. At the moment there’s an invasion of Japanese Bands in Europe. Some quite famous bands like kagerou, MUCC and Boris…
Ken: Boris? Ah, Boris, I know them, nice band.

Those bands will be playing here within the next few months. What do you think about this development; that Japanese music is becoming more and more popular in Europe?
Ken: I hope they will be more popular in Europe. Marble Sheep has a history of 18 years, and we have so many musical friends in Japan. But… (to other members) I don’t really want to talk about other Japanese group's stories now.
Brown Nose No.2: We are very happy to come here to Europe (everybody starts to laugh because of his random comment) I’m sorry… I’m so hungry.
Ken: Is it okay? (laughs)

In your opinion, why did it take so long for Japanese artists to become known here in Europe?
Ken (after asking his colleagues): Maybe a money problem. Maybe all bands should go to Europe and play a live-show. Unfortunately, Europe is a bit far away from the islands of Japan.

Bands like BALZAC or Guitar Wolf perform in Europe quite regularly, but why, do you think Europe likes those big Visual Kei bands like Dir en grey more?
Morihide: Dir en grey?? (the band starts discussing because they never heard the name before, except for Rie who heard it on television)

Probably you heard of Malice Mizer or some similar bands?
Ken: Ahh… (some discussions take place)

They are more famous in Europe than the other rock bands. What do you think are the reasons for this?
Ken: They are fashion music. Only fashion music…
Rie: We should all do make-up and diet! So we can be popular in Europe.
Ken: We think that Guitar Wolf and Boris have rock spirits. Visual kei is only fashion pop, they don’t have rock spirits I think. (laughs). They only have a rock style.
Brown Nose: Hey Ken, I’m very very hungry. When is this interview finished? (laughs)

Domo Arigatou!

All (little bit surpised): Thanks.


After the interview the band went back to the stage to do a sound check. The concert was to start at about 9 p.m., so they and “Drive By Shooting” had enough time to do a sound check. During the sound check the staff seemed to have problems with setting the two drum sets. After everything was finished Marble Sheep went backstage again where the club owner offered them something to eat.

The first visitors started to arrive about 8.30pm and the hall filled itself quite slowly. DBS started just in time at 9 p.m. but it took a while until the audience reached more than 50 strong. After 60 minutes DBS finished their last song and wanted to go, but the audience wanted an “encore”, so they stayed on stage for another 5 minutes. Then after a few minutes Marble Sheep appeared on stage and began to play. In the beginning they played two quite short songs before starting to play the style they are famous for: long psychedelic songs with few lyrics and many guitar solos. The audience, especially two women of elder age that seemed to have fallen in trance, started to move more and more with each song so that by the “last” song, as it was described by Rie, the audience was wound up with excitement.

Rie and Ken then left the stage, but because the two drummers and Brown Nose stayed, the fans knew that there would be an encore. This started with a very long improvisation of the twin-drums with Brown Nose encouraging both the drummers and the audience to give their best. Meanwhile Rie, dressed as Marby, and Ken returned to the stage. With Brown Nose playing the bass now, Marble Sheep played another quite long song, while Marby danced and entertained the more than surprised audience. After the last song around 11.25 p.m., the band retired for a short while backstage before returning to take places at the merchandise stand. While some members talked with fans asking for autographs or buying CDs, others started to pack away their instruments.


Many thanks to the band for taking time to answer the questions and thanks to the two Timo’s and Curi for organizing the interview.