JPHiP Interview: bamboo of milktub @ Lantis Festival in Las Vegas
JPHiP was given the chance to interview bamboo of milktub. Topics included their thoughts on the brief boys and his longevity in the anisong industry as the duo milktub Read on to hear what one half of the talented duo milktub had to say!
JPHiP: For those new to you and your music, tell us how you got involved in anisong and the Lantis Festival.
bamboo: I was playing my band, milktub while I was composing music for video games, then Lantis asked me to challenge myself even more by becoming an Anisong singer. My major debut was with the anime BAKA and TEST – Summon the Beasts –. I played at Lantis Festival not only this year but 5 years ago, too, so I was offered the chance to join this Las Vegas show based on the expectation that “bamboo can do something crazy wherever he is.”
JPHiP: Who and what are your influences on your music and how do they work into milktub’s sound and visual style?
bamboo: I was influenced a lot by Japanese punk bands. I inherited their concept of “men and women from all ages can enjoy this” and arranged our music to fit that theme. That’s the music part. The visual style is… not related to much of anything. (laughs)
JPHiP: Briefly explain the origin of your backup dancers the brief boys and will fans at ANISONG World Tour Lantis Festival in Las Vegas get a taste of them live?
bamboo: I came up with the idea when I was cooking nimono, a Japanese traditional food, in my kitchen. There are more than ten thousand people at the Tokyo show, so I’d be boring them if I just did normal stuff, and I really want to leave a huge impact on them. I wish I could bring them with me but I don’t want to get caught by the FBI, and they probably wouldn’t get a visa at the first place, so I gave up! (laughs)
JPHiP: milktub has been around since 1991, what would you credit to your longevity with Hikari?
bamboo: Hikari and I are friends since when we were in elementary school so our friendship has lasted more than 30 years. We’re like brothers or husband and wife because we’ve been always encouraged each other to “make things whenever and however we want to make them.”
JPHiP: Our members at JPHiP informed me that you are the president of an eroge developer called OverDrive. How did you get involved with this project?
bamboo: I was already in milktub when I started making games. 9 years ago OVERDRIVE was established as an independent company which I became the CEO of. Aside from that, I am producing a download site called “Mangagamers” to bring the fantastic visual novels of Japan to the world. I am a singing, dancing, game-making rock musician!
JPHiP: You’ve used kickstarter and crowdfunding to source your projects, how does it feel to have people all over the world support your projects and would you crowd source future milktub ventures?
bamboo: As of right now, we are only crowdfunding in Japan, but as we gradually release more content to our overseas fans, we are considering using Kickstarter for global support. We feel that many of our overseas fans have been introduced to us by our games, and the global audience has been increasing every year.
JPHiP: What is the difference between doing theme songs for anime and theme songs for games?
bamboo: Not much. I make music that best represents the work in 90 seconds.
JPHiP: How did you get involved with Act Against AIDS 2014?
bamboo: Last year, I was invited to participate in the event as part of a team called “Endohkai” led by JAM Project’s Masaaki Endoh, after I performed with them as a guest artist. I definitely want to set time aside to participate in charity events a few times a year and continue this tradition for years to come.
JPHiP: What do you want everyone to pay special attention to at the concert?
bamboo: Like rock’n’roll, anisong is music that crosses borders. Even if you don’t know the song, just feel the music. I’m sure we can all enjoy the show in the same light.
JPHiP: This is your first time performing in America. What do you like about traveling to other countries to perform?
bamboo: I’ve actually performed in China and Germany last year. It’ll be my first time performing in America, the birthplace of rock’n’roll, and I’m super excited. I always try to speak the language of the country we’re in during performance. My English isn’t very good, but I’ll try my best to communicate to the audience what milktub and the Lantis Festival is all about.
JPHiP: Do you have anything you want to say to your overseas fans?
bamboo: Let’s rock’n’roll !!!
bamboo (milktub) performs live in America at Lantis Festival in Las Vegas on January 16 & 17 at The Joint – Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.
Information
https://www.facebook.com/ANISONGWorldTourLantisFestivalinLasVegas
VIP and General Admission tickets at AXS.com
http://www.axs.com/artists/1100442/anisong-world-tour-tickets
Special thanks to Mr. bamboo, Lynks International, RESONANCE Media, and Amuse USA for making this interview possible.
