Interview with: October Babies
From left to right: Mike, Ben, Toko, Erik, Dale
How about a general introduction of how you guys started the band?
Erik: I met her (Toko) in Tokyo and then about three years later she moved here, then we started writing stuff, got together a record. Then at the same time we were playing open mic around Ypsi with all these guys. First we play the record, and then we started writing more stuff and the new record came out.
Toko: There is one thing I really want to say, these guys really supported. I just started to sing. I could only sing in Japanese because I couldn’t speak English at all at that time. I couldn’t believe I could sing in Japanese in front of the American audience. I had no confidence. But these people said “No Toko, you gotta do this.” Then this all came together with people’s love and support. And we have been a band now since 2007.
So what is it that kept you guys together as a band?
Dale: Friendship. Erik, Ben and I, we all played open mic together. When Toko came over from Japan, we were already friends and just jam. Mike is also hanging out with us. So it’s all friendship that brought it all together.
Mike: I’ve known Ben for a long time and we went to school together and we were friends for a while. Then I started hanging out with the band, I was shooting photos for them, and I shot a video for them. Then Dale went off to Georgia for a while for a job and I started playing guitar with them to help them out, and I just joined the band.
How do you guys combine different music elements that Toko has brought from Japan in your music?
Toko: Usually, I make up some melodies and lyrics first, and then I present it to Erik. And the rest of the group will bring in interesting western music style. Then fun music collaboration happens when I least expected it.
Erik: Good thing is, we all knew each other through open mic, so we just love to jam. We like to take things into different genres and do wacky things on the spot. Just have fun and play music. That’s how we all met, was just playing together.
Ben: The other day we were talking and Toko said she would love to go play in Japan, and I said “Ok, we’ll go!”Then we set this path forward to do it. It’s not necessarily because of me but we have the support of craziness in each other. It happens in our music, and it happens in our action. When you hear this new recording we are putting out, you’ll hear absolutely how live and creative it is. But it’s just hours and hours of building.
Erik: And there’s different people writing different songs in the band too. Like we have some tunes mixing English and Japanese together. It’s either Japanese is the verse and English is the chorus or vice versa. But in any case, anybody can sing along. Because most of the choruses of the songs are just simple melody and they are simple syllables like “ah-ah-ah” or “wa-wa-wa”.
Dale:It was something we thought about when we started a Japanese band and how to make it accessible to American audience. It’s actually very accessible because we’re all from America.
Erik: And that’s the music power of language. You don’t necessarily have to know what each word is referencing, but there’s a vibe underneath it and you can express, you know?
Tell us about your upcoming plans?
Dale: We have an album coming out. Hope to have a last stretch this week.
Toko: There’s some Japanese fans that want us to perform in Japan next year.
Erik: So we’re raising money now for that trip to happen.
Dale: So if there’s anyone who wants to give us a lot of funding so we can go play in Japan, we’ll be very happy.
Check them out here!
Also be sure to check out their new song!
