With a few hours to spare before the show, the three of us got dropped off near the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles. Mikey took the time to drive his girlfriend—who had joined us in Jacumba—and her roommate Gina back home.
We visited an archive exhibition dedicated to Alice Coltrane, known as the mother of spiritual jazz. Afterward, we took a city bus to the night’s venue, the Teragram Ballroom.
Unlike usual, we arrived nearly two hours early—not only to prepare thoroughly, but also because the exhibit hadn’t quite lived up to expectations.
The Teragram Ballroom, the largest venue on this tour, offered the best setup we’d seen so far: excellent sound, a spacious green room, and overall ideal conditions. After ten-plus shows, we were now comfortable communicating with the PA in English. Soundcheck went smoothly—fine-tuning the front-of-house mix and monitor levels without issue. Everything pointed to a solid performance ahead.
After finishing soundcheck, the three of us began setting up the merch table. For the first time in a while, we had everything fully stocked and ready to go. Knowing we could expect strong sales, we naturally put extra care into the layout.
Before long, doors opened. Compared to other venues, the crowd seemed to arrive earlier. Even with an hour still to go before the show, the room was already more than half full. The merch area also started to get busy.
At shows that include a guest band, like tonight’s, the merch table typically sees three waves of activity.
The first comes during the hour between doors opening and the guest band’s set. Most of the customers at this point tend to be our core fans—people who came specifically to see us and want to pick up merch before the music starts.
The second, and usually biggest, wave hits right after our performance. At shows abroad, it’s common for the crowd to head to the bar or grab a drink after the first set. That’s when they often spot us at the merch table—fresh off stage—and come over to chat or browse. To catch this window, we always move quickly: sometimes two of us stay behind to break down gear while the third heads straight to merch. This wave continues at a slower pace even during the headliner’s set, as some people begin to drift out early or take breaks.
The third and final wave happens after the main act finishes. The post-show rush toward the exit brings another flood of people through the merch area. It’s usually when we see lines forming for autographs and photos. We stay behind the table right up until the venue closes.
During all this, there’s barely any downtime. But being at the merch table doesn’t feel exhausting—if anything, the constant conversations with the audience are energizing. It’s not just where we sell things; it’s where we connect.
Eventually, the first hour after doors opened flew by, and it was time for our set. This marked our 10th show since the U.S. tour began. By now, even the cheers as we walked on stage felt familiar.
We picked up our instruments and began to layer sounds, one by one. This is how we always ease into the performance—testing the dynamics on stage in real time. It’s something you can’t gauge in rehearsal. Frequencies overlap and dissolve, and we build on each other’s sounds, one layer at a time. It felt balanced, fluid—like an ongoing experiment that was clicking into place. The onstage sound was perfect. We knew it was going to be a great show.
We have a lot of friends in Los Angeles, and from the stage, we could see their faces clearly. Everything felt sharp and effortless—like we were operating with extra awareness. Time stretched and compressed. We must have played for dozens of minutes, but it felt like a few seconds. Maybe time doesn’t just move forward—maybe it shifts, stretches, and folds.
The final round of applause broke out before the last note had fully ended—perhaps the audience couldn’t wait any longer to cheer. Coming to America was the right decision. It already feels like Los Angeles could be the final stop. Thank you, Los Angeles.
When I ran to the merchandise booth, a large crowd had already gathered. I quickly started taking care of them. Even as Etran’s performance began, the crowd remained, staying until the venue closed. In the end, the day’s sales reached $4,354, our highest ever.
This meant that the remaining expenses were $4,081, and in just one day, we managed to eliminate half of the expenses that had been lingering from the previous days. Los Angeles truly proved itself.
After the show, Yousuke Kitazawa, the former owner of “Light In The Attic Records” and now the owner of “Temporal Drift,” came by. He played a key role in curating the 2019 Kankyō Ongaku compilation, which won a Grammy for its showcase of Japanese ambient music. Now, with his own label, he’s been involved in reissues like The Naked Lallis and helping out musicians he’s closely connected with. Yousuke-san told me, “I was truly moved.” His words always give me great strength. I’m really grateful (and by the way, he’s the one who took the live photos above).
While I was busy working at the merchandise booth without a break, someone I never expected to see appeared.
“Andrew!”
I called out and immediately hugged him. It was Andrew, the manager of Ghost Town Pulga. Seeing him in his white outfit brought tears to my eyes. Why did that happen? Perhaps it was because I thought I’d never see him again. Life on tour moves so fast, and even though only five days had passed since we last parted ways, it felt like he had been gone for much longer. Pulga is 800 kilometers away. Thinking about his kindness stirred something deep inside me. Maybe it was his thoughtfulness that made me tear up.
I met plenty of people and had so many conversations, but it would take too long to go into all the details, so I’ll leave it at that for now.
It was an amazing day. As I settled into bed at Mikey’s place, I drifted off to sleep, wrapped in deep thoughts of love.
Continue to next article
＞Click here to read the article in the series.
maya ongaku US TOUR dates 2025
Apr 08 Seattle, WA, US｜Neumos
Apr 09 Bellingham, WA, US｜The Shakedown
Apr 10 Victoria, BC, Canada｜Wicket Hall
Apr 11 Vancouver, BC, Canada｜The Pearl
Apr 12 Portland, OR, US｜Wonder Ballroom
Apr 14 Chico, CA, US｜Argus Bar + Patio
Apr 15 Oakland, CA, US｜The New Parish
Apr 17 San Luis Obispo, CA, US｜SLO Brew Rock
Apr 18 Jacumba Hot Springs CA, US｜Jacumba Hot Springs Hotel
Apr 19 Los Angeles (LA), CA, US｜Teragram Ballroom
Apr 20 Flagstaff, AZ, US｜Coconino Center for the Arts
Apr 22 Santa Fe, NM, US｜Tumbleroot Brewery & Distillery
Apr 23 Oklahoma City, OK, US｜Resonant Head
Apr 24 Austin, TX, US｜APF 25: Kickoff Party
maya ongaku
maya ongaku is a three-piece band formed in 2021 by Tsutomu Sonoda, Ryota Takano, and Shoei Ikeda, hailing from a coastal village near Enoshima, Japan. Rooted in an organic, psychedelic sound that feels both grounded and untethered, their music draws from collective improvisation and the atmosphere of their local music scene.
The band’s name—maya ongaku—is a coined term, not taken from ancient history, but imagined as a landscape beyond the visible frame, hinting at the spiritual and the unseen. The group sees their beginning as a kind of spontaneous emergence—like life arising from non-life—something that simply happened, without pretense or planning.
In May 2023, they released their debut album ‘Approach to Anima’ via Guruguru Brain and Bayon Production, followed by a successful EU/UK tour in November and a domestic tour across Japan in December.
Their latest EP ‘Electronic Phantoms’ was released in August 2024. That same month, they hosted “rhythm echo noise” in collaboration with WWW, inviting Dutch artist Felbm to Tokyo. The band was also named Best Breakthrough Artists at the inaugural TOKYO ALTER MUSIC AWARD 2024, a new platform highlighting emerging voices from Tokyo’s independent scene.
maya ongaku has performed at major Japanese festivals such as Mori, Michi, Ichiba, FFKT, FUJI ROCK, Asagiri JAM, and FUJI & SUN. Internationally, they have appeared at festivals in Korea and China, steadily expanding their presence in Asia and beyond.
maya ongaku ｜ linktr.ee/maya_ongaku
Instagram ｜ https://www.instagram.com/maya_ongaku/?hl=ja
X ｜ https://twitter.com/maya_ongaku
