Page 6 - Black Velvet Issue 91

BV91 pg6&7 kemuri_BV90 pg06 08/12/2016 00:42 Page 1

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n early October, we headed to Birmingham to see Less Than Jake headline the Fireball - Fuelling
IThe Fire Tour. The UK tour ran from 3rd – 11th October and also featured The Skints, Mariachi El
Bronx and Kemuri, as well as a local opening band. Prior to the show we hadn’t heard Kemuri, who are
a Japanese ska punk band, but they impressed us a lot, being fun and full of energy. So much so that
we got in touch with frontman Fumio Ito shortly afterwards to find out more. Read on as Fumio tells
us about his positive mental attitude, how hard it was to write songs in English and how they managed
to get on a split 7” with Less Than Jake only a year after forming.

was 17 years old when I moved to the band’s lyrics are a mixture – some songs are helped. Aside from the song ‘PMA (Positive
“IUS. I couldn’t speak English at all and I written and sung in English, some are in Japan- Mental Attitude)’, the band also have an album
was travelling all alone by myself for the first ese. “English and Japanese are very different, called ‘Emotivation’. Fumio says his emotions
time. I got lost at the JFK International Airport as you know,” says Fumio. “Singing in English have motivated him in a number of ways.
and couldn’t make the transit. I don’t remember is not as tough as writing lyrics in English. Learn- “Maybe more than you can imagine. The joy of
how I survived but I am here today,” Fumio Ito ing English was hell.” He’s done a good job success and the sadness of failure, they both
tells Black Velvet. Living in Oxnard, California, though, with songs such as ‘Minimum Wage’, can be our motivation. We try to create new
he formed the band Kemuri. He says the band’s ‘PMA (Positive Mental Attitude)’, ‘Heart Beat’ songs every year. Sometimes you succeed and
objective back in 1995 was, “1. We wanted to and ‘Battle Against Fear’, all having great mes- sometimes you fail. We keep the dreams alive
perform in front of thousands of people. 2. We sages which us English-speaking folk can un- in ourselves and keep trying.”
wanted to tour the whole world. 3. We wanted derstand and relate to. Fumio’s positive mental attitude has rubbed
to record an album in the US.” It seems they In ‘Heart Beat’, he sings ‘segregation and off on fans. “A lot of my fans tell me that they
have made those dreams come true, at least discrimination, how much more can we accept?’ have learned to believe in themselves more than
numbers 1 and 3 – although there are no doubt Fumio says, ”When I first went to the US when I before. I believe that everyone has his own pos-
a few countries the band have not toured yet. was 17, I experienced the racism. To be called itive mental attitude towards life. They found
Their UK dream has only just come true, but it ‘Jap’ or ‘Chink’ even though I am not Chinese. something about themselves by listening to
seems it lived up to expectations. “Oh, yes! Yes! Those people never leave their small town that ‘PMA’. “ He says the band’s fans are what make
Yes! Yes! We loved it and we would go back to they are living in. I sing ‘Heart Beat’ to let people him proud. “I am proud of all the fans we have.
tour there again! We were happy to be perform- know that the world is made with so many dif- They are very supportive and they give us all the
ing in front of cool audiences. Yes!” ferent sense of values.” energy they have.”
Backtracking to the early days, Fumio says It is a shame that he was treated with dis-
he found it hard to write lyrics in English. The dain, but having a positive mental attitude has

KEMURI