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| ACME |
Thank you for granting us a second interview. Could you please introduce yourselves to the readers of Summon the Roses?
HAL: I’m HAL, ACME’s drummer. My hobby is mountain climbing. I recommend it to everyone because it makes you healthy both mentally and physically.
SHOGO: I’m SHOGO, ACME’s guitarist. My favorite animals are dogs and sloths. I love metal.
RIKITO: I’m ACME’s bassist, RIKITO. I’m the strongest in the band. I like to fish and I like to visit aquariums.
CHISA: I’m CHISA on vocals. I’m into watching movies and cameras.
You recently traveled to North America for your Wildfire Tour and sold out two shows, how did it feel to be welcomed with love from your fans?
HAL: We were so happy. It really means a lot to us as a band that there are people very far away who are waiting for and supporting us.
SHOGO: Super happy. I want to sell out even bigger shows from now on so more people will get to know us.
RIKITO: I never imagined that so many fans would be waiting for us, so I was really happy. I want to work even harder in Japan so that even more people can see ACME perform live the next time we visit the U.S.
CHISA: It was like a dream, honestly. I was a little nervous to perform for the first time in so many new cities, but the second I hit the stage I felt so welcomed that my fears were instantly blown away.
How was your experience traveling to North America this year? How was it different from your last tour?
HAL: This time was Los Angels, and as for Austin we performed with Demondice but we received a lot of positive response (from the audience.) I think sometime I want to perform together with them again. For New York and Toronto, I am happy so many people came despite it being the first time we performed there.
SHOGO: The fact that our show was sold out, many people came, more than our previous shows. I want to do these challenges abroad more!
RIKITO: We were able to make so many memories through doing events such as the live shows and sightseeing events with our regular fans and our new fans. In particular, New York was a place I always wanted to check out so I am really happy we could do a show there. I was also really happy that the number of guests increased more than our previous tours.
CHISA: Previous times, we were able to enjoy Halloween and Black Friday in the US since we toured in the fall, but because this time was a summer tour, we were able to be in the US for the Fourth of July for the first time.
Did you get to enjoy delicious food on your tour and visit many places?
HAL: I ate a ton of things like hamburgers and pizza. Out of all of that, the thing that left the biggest impression on me was eating a hand-made hamburger, which was the tastiest burger I have ever had, on the rooftop of a friend’s apartment building during the Fourth of July in LA. It’s something that can’t be experienced in Japan.
SHOGO: I have the same opinion as HAL, haha!
RIKITO: I ate a lot of tasty hamburgers at every place we went to. Also, we did another fan trip event this time for Disneyland in California; I feel like I have come to like Disney even more than the last time.
CHISA: I ate a lot of tasty stuff, but for the first time in Pittsburgh I ate bison meat, which you can’t eat in Japan. It tasted unlike anything I’ve ever eaten before!
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| ACME |
You performed two shows in extreme Texas heat. Was it hard to perform in your costumes in such extreme heat? How did you handle it?
HAL: Because I normally do rock climbing under the blazing sun, this doesn’t bother me, but my computer wasn’t working because of the heat. I thought I had to cool it down and I saved it when I found frozen hamburgers in the dressing room freezer and placed my computer on them. It was a very American memory.
SHOGO: We put fans blowing on our electronics, and our PCs were spread out on top of frozen hamburgers, haha! To combat the heat in my body, I could only drink water. The wind from the fans was hot and the water quickly became lukewarm.
RIKITO: Anyway, to combat the heat we countered with taking tons of water, but even so, during the live we thought we were going to give in to the heat many times, the heat of the fans was more than the heat of the air, so without losing to the heat, we were able to play until the end and had an awesome performance.
CHISA: During rehearsal, there were times our Macbook got hot and wouldn’t work and there were many worries if we could do the live performance that day, but we combined everyone’s power and got through it! The Texas summer really was so hot it made you dizzy.
What is your favorite memory from the Wildfire Tour?
HAL: We did an event were we rented an entire café in Dallas. Then, we did things like hand sumo and a karaoke request with the fans. So then, I sang Sawasa Kenji’s Darling. That reaffirmed to me that music can overcome languages and borders.
SHOGO: (For me) it was the trip seeing the bats in Austin with fans. They were gross, but I had never seen a scene like that and that left the biggest impression on me.
RIKITO: It is really hard to decide what the best memory was because no matter what show it was, it became an awesome memory. But, if I had to pick, the show in Pittsburgh really left a memory in me. In Pittsburgh, we performed with NANO, but being able to see her perform live also is a really good memory.
CHISA: No matter which show they were all memorable! If I had to name one, for New York City there was one place I absolutely had to see, which was a place from Metal Gear Solid. I’m a huge fan of the game, so being able to see Federal Hall, which is the last stage from MSG2.
Your popularity has risen overseas, and you have an incredible fanbase. Did you ever imagine you would make it this far?
HAL: Upon starting the band, I never thought such a thing would be possible. But I did have the desire to go. If you work hard all your dreams can come true!
SHOGO: I never imagined that I would be able to perform overseas. And even the first time I went to America I didn’t think there would be a next time. But there were people who supported us, and then more and more people came to support us, and thanks to them we are where we are now. I want more people around the world to know us.
RIKITO: Honestly I never imagined that we would be able to perform overseas this much, and it still feels very much like a dream even now. On top of that I’m so happy that we could meet so many of our fans overseas because of it.
CHISA: I never imagined it. The first time I went to America I went by myself without the band, got ACME’s name out a little bit, and finally recently we’re able to have our own shows. I’m so happy to see something we’ve spent the last 4 years building together as a team and the fans become a success!
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| (Vo) CHISA |
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| (Gu) SHOGO |
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| (Ba) RIKITO |
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| (Dr) HAL |
HAL: Since I came all the way to America I try to make the most of my limited time there, so I’ve never felt homesick. But I went around the tour thinking that when I returned home, I wanted my Japanese fans to hear about my memories.
SHOGO: After about two weeks, I start thinking that I’d like to go home for a bit. The reason why is that I can’t go out alone because I can’t speak English and I get stressed because I can’t eat the kinds of food I expect to.
RIKITO: During the tour, every day is so fun and exciting that I don’t really feel like I miss home, but there are times I wish I could eat some of Japan’s delicious sushi.
CHISA: Being able to go to various places while on tour gives me the best moments of my life, so I don’t miss home at all! If everyone were cool with it, I would want to keep traveling to many places and hold live concerts there without ever going back home.
You recently released your 14th single, "kagaribi". Can you please tell us the inspiration behind this single? What message are you trying to deliver to your fans?
HAL: Since the beginning of COVID-19, and even now, it’s become much harder for people to come to live houses. Many bands suspended activities and there were many people who were no longer able to come to live houses. We wanted to make a song that held our wish that even in such circumstances, rather than letting the fire in inside their hearts die out, that we would make that fire even bigger!
RIKITO: In a time where COVID-19 made it difficult to do band activities and many bands ceased activities, rather than losing to COVID-19’s influence, we wanted to do whatever we could, no matter how small, and give it our all to cut out a new path. We packed that feeling at the center of our song “kagaribi”.
CHISA: It was really hard to do activities due to COVID-19, but we wanted to protect those places were we could be together with our fans. This song is about our determination to continue protecting these places so that we could always come to them.
What can we expect from Acme in the future? Where do you see yourself in the next 10 years?
HAL: Of course, I’m sure I’ll be standing on the stage together with our current members. I don’t think anything will change.
SHOGO: Even 10 years in the future I want to be active in the band, so I think I’ll be doing that. But I’m pretty sure the music’s contents will change, though LOL.
RIKITO: I think that 10 years from now I’d like to spend fun days together with our members and fans, just like now. But I think since I’ll be older I’ll have to be a bit more careful with my health LOL
CHISA: If we get a chance, I’d like to go on tour in South America and Europe soon. And 10 years out, I want to keep on enjoying holding live concerts with those who support me.
Lastly, do you have a message for your fans?
HAL: Those who like ACME’s music have good taste! Recommend us to your friends, family, and lover with confidence. Please spread the word slowly but surely with your good impression of us! Thank you for reading our interview.
SHOGO: If you tell us “please come here!”, I believe we will grant that wish one day. Cheer us on, okay?
RIKITO: From here on out, ACME will continue to evolve and bring cool music to you, so keep your expectations high. Also, we will stay positive that we will go to places we haven’t yet visited so that those who haven’t been able to go to an ACME live concert will be able to see one, so please look forward to it.
CHISA: I’m always grateful for everyone’s support! Let’s meet at a concert!
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