During Sakura-Con 2024 in Seattle, WA, the Otaku Blend team was part of a roundtable interview with J-Rock band SPYAIR, best known for their songs from the Haikyu!! anime series.  All four members of the band, UZ (guitar, programming), MOMIKEN (bass guitar, leader), KENTA (drums), and newest member YOSUKE (vocals since April 2023), were present for the interview. The band came into the interview on the back of a rather unique situation, pinch-hitting for Survive Said the Prophet (who couldn’t make it due to visa issues) and performing a mini-live on Friday before their main concert on Saturday. It was a situation that they hadn’t experienced before, and between the band and their staff members had “no hesitation” in performing an extra set.

Embarking on a tour for their new EP “Orange”, YOSUKE expressed his excitement on being able to tour in China and Taiwan as it will be his first time visiting both places. Their Asian tour is currently going through Japan before hitting other parts of Asia in May.  Regarding the meaning behind the title track “Orange”, they explained that it was the color of sunset and sunrise, of the day ending and a new day dawning. For the overall theme of the “Orange” EP there was the thought of the “bittersweetness of youth ending, and also the start of a new journey.” They also (smartly) answered that Haikyu!! was their favorite anime series after originally saying they had “too many” favorites.

It may not surprise anyone, but SPYAIR and Haikyu!! seem intertwined, with UZ saying that “every time the band is going through something rough, Haikyu!! comes around and gives them some good times and helps cheer them up.” They also have seen the new Haikyu!! movie and were very moved when their song came on at the end.

When asked about their time in Seattle so far, they had the “typical” Seattle experience, visiting the first Starbucks and having clam chowder on the pier. With their remaining time they hoped to go to the aquarium, and enjoy a good burger (Five Guys being mentioned was a recurring theme during the interview, though people from Seattle may disagree).  They also had spoken to SHiNNOSUKE from ROOKIEZ iz PUNK’d, who’d been to Sakura-Con twice before, about what to expect from Seattle and the Sakura-Con experience. Regarding other places in the U.S. they would like to visit, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco were high on their list.

On their experience performing on Sony Music’s “The First Take” Youtube Channel, UZ said that the experience was very “nerve-wracking”, as they literally only have you on for “one take.” He didn’t elaborate on how much time it took to setup and prepare for that performance, just that it only took “one take.”

For their latest project (The “Orange” EP) the recording process took one day per song. Their process is to work on music and lyrics first, then practice until they get it right, then spend a day recording in the studio. Other stuff (sound editing, mastering, etc.) takes a longer time to process. They do feel “at home” when they’re in the studio.

In looking ahead to their Asian tour and possibly a world tour, YOSUKE said he’d like to learn Korean, while KENTA and MOMIKEN both would like to learn English. UZ, who split his answers between Japanese and English, also wanted to learn more English as well. Regarding differences between Japanese and International fans, YOSUKE remarked that International/American fans tend to shout or sing along throughout the whole song, while Japanese fans prefer to listen to the song being performed.

Photo by Jun Pua.

Switching up to their favorite hobbies, UZ likes running in his spare time while MOMIKEN likes to watch movies. KENTA and YOSUKE both like to golf, although neither would say which one is the better golfer.

If you’d like to know what their favorite beers are, MOMIKEN likes an IPA, while YOSUKE prefers Heineken.

UZ likes to read books on Zen, which seemed to surprise his fellow band members. It doesn’t mean it’s his favorite genre though, just something he picked up in passing.

On their favorite movies, both YOSUKE and MOMIKEN like Star Wars (Episode 1 and 3 respectively), while KENTA likes Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet, starring Leonardo DiCaprio (which elicited a response of “natsukashii” from the other band members.)  UZ’s favorite was Pixar’s Soul.

Photo by Jun Pua.

MOMIKEN is currently playing Dragon’s Dogma 2, while YOSUKE is a fan of the Yakuza video game series, currently playing through Yakuza 7 (a.k.a. Yazuka: Like a Dragon). KENTA likes to play Apex.  They also said they’d like to provide more songs for video games and that they provided songs for one of the Gintama games in the past.

When asked about how they came up with the band name of SPYAIR, they liked how the word “spyware” sounded, and they ended up with SPYAIR, something that sounded similar.

UZ, who usually switches between 3 different guitars during a show, explained that each guitar he uses is tuned differently and that he switches when appropriate.  YOSUKE, when asked about his pre and post-show routine, explained that he stretches, focusing on his neck and vocal cords, and he has to change out of his sweaty clothes after a show.

Photo by Jun Pua.

On their musical influences, UZ specified Japanese punk band Hi-STANDARD, while KENTA specified fellow Pearl sponsored drummer Shane Gaalaas (long time touring drummer for J-rock band B’z). MOMIKEN’s musical influence is Korn, while YOSUKE’s was Chester Bennington of Linkin Park. UZ was also pressed for an American musical influence and being in Seattle smartly said Jimi Hendrix.

In terms of other outside projects or collaborations, they mentioned they had done a tie-up with a basketball team in Japan and would like to do a car commercial in the future.

On the rise in A.I. in the music industry, UZ believes that A.I. will be making music, it’s just a matter of time, but he also believes that there will always be a space for live musicians.

YOSUKE loves the fact that he gets to see fans here (In Seattle) and in Japan and hopefully all around the world, and that the band enjoys each and every show that they do, and he hopes that the fans enjoy each and every show they do as well.

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