At 3 PM, we decided to head to Chiko. We descended the rugged mountain road once again, and this time, Andrew and Raffy were coming along for the ride. Raffy wasn’t bothered by the car at all—he curled up next to me in the back seat while I dozed off. There was something so comforting about the drive, gently stroking Raffy’s fur as he squinted in the light streaming through the window. It felt like a perfect, quiet moment.
Chico, California, is a small town with a population of around 100,000, where the relaxed atmosphere blends with the inland heat. When we arrived in town and stopped by an organic grocery store, we unexpectedly ran into the promoter who had organized tonight’s show. He said to us:
“Buy whatever you want!”
We threw all reservations aside and filled his cart with 100% juice, blueberries, oranges, and other fruits. Quite generous of him. Yet, it’s funny how, in moments like this, the things we naturally end up buying are all healthy. It speaks to the challenge of managing our health on tour.
Argus Bar & Patio in Chico is a venue with an outdoor area of a bar-restaurant converted into a live space, capable of holding around 150 people. It’s the smallest venue on this tour. We took a quick look around Chico, and it seemed doubtful whether we’d even get 150 people to show up.
Once the load-in and soundcheck were finished without any issues, the promoter provided us with a meal. The Mexican taco rice plate we had here was exceptionally delicious.
When the venue opened and the DJ cranked up some cosmic funk records at full volume, Ms. Furukawa from SONY showed up. She’s a close friend of Mr. Kita and had come to California to join the ongoing US tour of “Hitsujibungaku” (Sheep Literature). I had hoped to check out their show if I had time, but unfortunately, it didn’t work out with my off day. Hopefully, I’ll catch them next time. She arrived holding a cup of instant udon as a souvenir, and honestly, she looked more at ease and open than I usually see her back in Japan.
I couldn’t help but remember the issue we had in Portland, where no one came to our merch table after the show. So I took a moment to tell Mikey that while he could enjoy his free time, he needed to focus and do his part after the show. He was totally on board with that.
Looking back, this was probably our first outdoor show of the US tour. In the end, a solid crowd showed up, and the night ended up being a blast. It’s funny how worrying about whether people will come always turns out to be unnecessary.
After the show, while I was standing at the merch table, Mikey tapped me on the shoulder.
“What’s up?” I asked. Mikey then said, “Jonathan Richman.”
Why Jonathan Richman? I thought, but when I looked over, there he was—the man himself. He looked exactly like his younger self from the album cover photos, just a little older. It was clear right away. It seemed that in this town, he’s living out his days as a legend, highly respected. We shook hands and exchanged a few words. He said something, but the sound of Etalan’s performance drowned it all out. He was probably giving us a compliment. I want to believe that’s what it was.
In the end, today’s sales totaled $1,294. The remaining amount is $8,706. Even with a small venue, we’ve been consistently exceeding our targets. I hope we can continue at this pace.
That night, we returned to Pulga and planned to wake up in the same bed the next morning. Andrew and Raffy joined us as we made our way back along the dark mountain roads.
Exhausted from the show, we enjoyed the leftover Mexican tacos in the office, having a pleasant conversation. It felt as if we’d been living in Pulga for years. There’s a mysterious power here that helps people relax. Though it’s not spoken, within our silly conversation, there was an unspoken sense of the farewell that would come the next morning.
The morning was clear again. Since we didn’t have access to water, we used the cold river as our makeshift bath. Even though the outside temperature exceeded 30°C, the meltwater from the upstream snow was still incredibly cold.
Tonight’s show in Oakland was approaching, so we had to leave Pulga by noon. This was the first time on the U.S. tour that I felt such a strong sense of reluctance to leave a place. If possible, I would love to visit again. Raffy seemed to feel the same way, as no matter how much we tried, he kept getting back into the car. In the end, Andrew had to drag him out.
Just as we were about to leave, a backpacker with a camera wandered into Pulga. We decided to take a photo with Andrew. It felt like another serendipitous encounter. Andrew is an amazing guy—kind, gentle, polite, and strong. He would pick the beautiful flowers blooming in Pulga and let us smell them. Thank you, Andrew. Thank you, Pulga.
Next, our destination is Oakland, California. It’s a city just across the bridge from San Francisco to the mainland.
In fact, I’ve been here before. It was when I was 20 years old, visiting my best friend who was studying abroad in San Francisco. I stayed for about two weeks, during which I also visited Oakland and its neighboring city, Berkeley. I wonder if anything looks familiar to me now.
The venue in Oakland, The New Parish, is a two-story building with an open layout, capable of holding 400 people. Upon arriving and taking a look inside, I started to doubt whether it could fit that many people, and I also had a feeling that the structure would make sound production difficult. With no time to spare, we began the soundcheck.
As expected, something was off with the sound. Specifically, the speaker on the right side wasn’t working. When I asked the PA about it, they assured me, “We’re fixing it! The sound will be fine for the show!” Upon closer inspection, I saw someone fiddling with the inner workings of the speaker using tools. This kind of looseness might be just part of the American way (though I also wondered how Eturan managed their soundcheck).
As the PA had said, the speaker was fixed and working fine by the time the show started.
During the performance, Takano and Ikeda made a mistake when they accidentally triggered a synthesizer sound at the beginning of a certain song. However, the Oakland crowd reacted with great enthusiasm to this mishap. Perhaps these kinds of accidents are part of the fun. It felt like the distance between the stage and the crowd shrank in that moment.
Thanks to the mishap, the merchandise sales were booming. Despite nearly running out of T-shirts (we’re expecting a restock before the upcoming Los Angeles show this weekend), today’s sales reached $2,026. The remaining unpaid expenses have dropped to $6,680. Things are going very smoothly.
Tomorrow is an off day, so we’re staying for two nights at Mikey’s friend’s house in the neighboring town of Berkeley. I was a little concerned, so I asked Mikey, “Is your friend’s house big?” He replied, “So big.” I felt reassured.
However, little did I know, this reassurance would soon be shattered.
To be continued next time
Click here to see 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.
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