On the road with Big in Japan
Photo by Chris Carnel
Words by Jason Gentile

BANG! The steering wheel began to shake and I was losing control of the van. Fuckin Joey, the pink haired and tribal tattooed bass player of Big In Japan, yelled for me to pull over. The van nearly clipped a semi as it sputtered and shook to a stop on the road side. Upon examining the tire, we realized this was no ordinary flat; the entire tread was gone. Sweating in the 100‚ sun, Joey summed it up for the entire band when he yelled with his thick east coast accent "FUCKIN FIYASTONES!!" I had only been on tour with BIJ for 2 full hours before the Firestone incident but I had been hanging in LA with them for a few days. I --had a good idea what to expect from them on tour:

Zac Damon, from Reno, currently lives in LA (according to Zac it's "shitty La-la-land"). With a rock resume that reads like an indie labels wet dream (Screeching Weasel, Common Rider, Zoinks, and Crushstory) he is the bands songwriter and founder, guitar player and lead singer. Then there's Fuckin Joey from Rhode Island. A punkrock and roll machine. He's studied classical music and theory but elected to use his powers for evil. Joey honed his bass playing skills in The Gain. Corky is a Hollywood local and former childhood star (Freddy on Silverspoons) who walked away from the cameras to play drums in The Gain. Corky and Joey have been playing together for eight years. The rhythm section of BIJ is so tight, an appropriately placed lump of coal would become a diamond. Toddball was born and bred in the San Fernando Valley. BIJ's newest recruit; He provides the much needed silliness, sarcasm, bad jokes, and half Japanese fleshy confection for all 19 year old groupies. He also plays guitar. I am a friend of Todd's who volunteered to chauffeur the West Coast leg of their summer 2001 US tour. Having spent the last year at Medschool in Chicago, I was way ready to hit the road and be a "punker" for a few weeks.

"So an indie record label is like a bank without interest?" My question posed to Zac, refers to their record deal with Honest Dons records. We were sitting outside of a sandwich shop in San Rafael, CA north of San Francisco. It was 100‚ outside, 110‚ inside the shop, and the 500 lb. employee finally left us to our sandwiches, only after telling us his life's story which included: pimping, hustling, and drug dealing. I asked the band about the label because of relatively poor attendance at their Santa Cruz and San Francisco shows. Zac said he could not be happier with Honest Dons tour promotion and monetary support to record the album. BIJ now needs to sell CD's so Honest Dons can make their money back. If the album does not sell, the band may be forced into pimping, hustling, and drug dealing (or making sandwiches).

15 hours for 45 minutes…the words repeated in my head over and over as I sat in the van. A line that represent the quandary of many less than famous bands poised to breakout of obscurity. 15 hours is the length of the drive we made from Seattle to Reno. 45 minutes is the average time BIJ spends on stage during a show. Further analysis of this situation reveals that the band might just be crazy. Leaving Seattle at 1:30 am to drive all night and most of the next day to play in Reno is not unreasonable by punkrock standards. Take into account all the work, planning, emotional and monetary investment, and being away from home (and girlfriends). For what? To play for 45 minutes in a sweaty unventilated club in front of 30 cynical punkers? It's a wonder they bother at all. Different bands will have different reasons for touring. Many will argue that fun, friendship or adventure of life on the road makes it all worth it. For some bands just the hopes of "making it big" is all the motivation they need. After a week on the road with Big In Japan their answer is obvious. Music. Music. Music. These guys fucking love music. Creating music, listening to music, performing music, talking about music…ad naseum. Their passion for music cannot be contained and it radiates from the band (like Zac's flatulence) with every show and lingers in the air (like Corky's breath) with every listen to the CD. Music drives BIJ forward and is the saving grace for BIJ's difficulties on tour.

"This is a song about my home town." Zac Damon introduces his song "Hell Before Reno" to a packed bar in a suburb of the very same city he sings about. A song which uses pop melodies and poignant lyrics to capture the bittersweet feelings of growing up in, and moving away from, the suburbs. Not an uncommon theme for a punk song but never has it been done with such clarity and sincerity to rival RKL's Coming Home. Zac's relationship with his home town takes on a new meaning this night in this crowded bar. It is during this song the crowd really reacts to BIJ's music and people begin to sing along and bounce with every beat. The show had the unity of a mob mentality turned "welcome home" party for Zac, and party they did. The show lasted well into the night with the packed room begging for more songs and the band begging for more (free) beer. Zac Damon has found a home (he is moving back to Reno after this tour) and BIJ has found an audience one that loves them.