PIKADON in Earth Day Tokyo


Earth Day Tokyo was April 23rd. This time, I performed along with the great
Toshinori Kondo as part of the “Pikadon Project.” Seitarou Kuroda, an
amazing painter and Shigeru of Anarchy [1] took part as well. Playing with
them, my good friend TETRA, bandmates K-TA and Kenji, and the ever-hip DJ
TAKADA was an amazing feeling and one of the most wonderful performances I’
ve been part of in a long time. It was a great improvisational jam
accompanied by live painting, and turned out to be a huge success.

“Pikadon,” totally against war and nuclear power, is a cry for peace.
Kudoda conveyed this simple and yet extremely powerful message through his
artwork. I was really excited to be onstage for the first time with painting
happening at the same time. It was truly something. So amazing that it almost
hurt. And playing along with Kondo, becoming one with him for the space of a
brief second, was a feeling I can’t even describe. The sound of it was so
beautiful, so sublime…my mind boggles to think of it! And Shigeru’s roars
seemed like they would drive off every negative feeling in the whole area!
Kondo said that he thought the whole performance was a kind of miraculous
dynamism. Kuroda’s painted spirals called up images of the double helix that
unites the very cosmos with the cells of all living things. Like they were
connecting the earth and sky together. It was a very blissful time, and the
audience’s energy and overall atmosphere was great as well. I felt like I
was able to taste a true kind of freedom. I hope that we can continue on
playing as a band! After Earth Day, I don't know what I’ll do if we can’t!

It was also our first live performance of the song that Kondo and I wrote
together for Earth Day, called “Pray for Mother Earth.” I’m not really
sure when it will be available for sale, but I want you all to hear it so
much! I’ll tell you know the details as soon as I know them.

The canvases that Kudoa used for his painting were really beautiful. In fact,
they had been drawn on by children that day at the Pikadon booth workshop.
Starting with these pure, peaceful, powerful drawings from the hands of
children, Kudoa built up images, destroyed them, and gave birth to new forms
that seemed infused with unbelievable power, sadness, and hopes and prayers.
They turned out to be incredibly beautiful pieces of work. I heard that they’
re going to be auctioned off, but the truth is that I really want them for
myself!

This year I wasn’t able to take much time to wander around and look at the
booths, but I did get to see the members of LOVE PSYCHEDELICO for the first
time in a long while and eat some delicious organic carrot and celery. It was
really fun. (On a sad note, our performance the next day at Shounan was
canceled because of rain…)

Next is NEO ASCENSION GROOVE on the 29th! SHAG will be there along with
S.T.K., an electronic group started last year by TETRA and KNOTO. I’d call
it shamanic primitive ambient electronica. I hope you’re all looking forward
to it!


Sugizo

Posted by SUGIZO : April 26, 2006 12:35 AM