NOT WONK’s Kato on “FAHDAY2024”: Preserving Culture in Modern Cities

Attempting to Manage Everything Solo for “YOUR NAME”: A Fruitless Endeavor

The event “FAHDAY2024” (FAHDAY), conceived by Kato, has been announced. A statement positioning this event as an ‘Exchange of Expression Market’ was also released. Could you share more about the spirit behind this concept and the background leading up to this event?

Kato: Since the ‘YOUR NAME’ event at ELLCUBE in Tomakomai in 2019, I’ve felt a strong urge to take action. For ‘FAHDAY,’ I’m relying on support from local friends and businesses, which is a departure from the approach I took with ‘YOUR NAME.’ Back then, I was determined to handle everything myself—from creating the tickets, which were hand-printed by the three members of NOT WONK, to managing the cloakroom and ticket checking. We prepared for the event in just six months, starting in July 2019, with the resolve to do it all on our own.

Kato: So, with 262 attendees and 24 opening bands (as noted), plus the staff, there were a total of 368 people. The way each person’s enjoyment connected truly made it a fantastic day. However, despite starting the event with the intention of handling everything myself, it proved to be utterly impossible. I wanted to create a DIY experience to connect with each individual, but in reality, I couldn’t even manage basics like filling the stove with kerosene. I ended up needing help for every little detail.

The opening bands at ‘YOUR NAME’ were those who performed during the open stage event. All artists who applied between July 5, 2019, 11:00 AM and July 6, 10:30 AM performed. The lineup included Gotch, Discharming Man, Totsuzenshoujo, Yahhoo, TIMELY ERROR, The Triops, SUP, Indie Girl, Yurina Maeda, BANGLANG, INViSBL, The Giraffes, Datto, Hue’s, SEAPOOL, And Summer Club, LADALES, JEEP, The Big Mouth, cult grass stars, zo-sun park, Dr. NY, MAPPY, and Mitsuru Okubo.“

Did your effort to manage everything solo reveal that seeking help from others is acceptable?

Kato: That’s right. I came to realize that I might have been the only one thinking I had to do everything myself. I understood that both the opening bands and the attendees felt they should pitch in. As a result, despite my intention to manage everything alone, ‘YOUR NAME’ turned out not to be a genuine DIY event. I believe DIY is most meaningful when it achieves the highest quality. Otherwise, it might be better not to organize a DIY event at all.

If the aim is simply to do everything solo and it results in lower quality, it’s ultimately counterproductive. ‘YOUR NAME’ was indeed a fantastic day with remarkable performances.

Kato: If I insisted on doing it all myself while still relying on others for help, it would be exploitative. I decided it was better to seek fair support from everyone and build something together. This approach was the foundation for “FAHDAY.”

The Futility of Hosting an Event Just to Showcase Personal Ideologies

Does the designation of this event as an ‘Exchange of Expression Market’ also imply sharing each person’s life experiences in a fair and equitable manner?

Kato: Yes, that’s right. For example, when organizing such an event, it often ends up that the initiator becomes the center of attention, and most of the benefits go to that person. I don’t resonate with that kind of system. If we’re combining everyone’s efforts, then the benefits should be fair, and that’s the kind of space I wanted to create, a thought I had right after “YOUR NAME.”

But then we entered the COVID-19 pandemic, and the sense of needing to assert my own principles or ideology seemed less relevant. Many people felt this during the pandemic: while everyone has their own life and important beliefs, the priority shifted to protecting one’s own life and the lives of those around them, which were constantly at risk. In such a society, organizing an event solely to express personal policies or ideologies began to seem nonsensical to me. It felt like a waste to insist on ‘doing it DIY!’ when the situation demanded more immediate concerns.

Facing a societal system that has long since failed, I also deeply felt that now is the time to create a new unity based on the connections between individuals.

Kato: That’s right. So, rather than creating a space to fulfill themes or ideologies I set up selfishly, I wanted a place where each person present could organically intersect as individuals and ultimately create a unified meaning or expression. This reflects a core belief of mine: that every individual’s footprint is a form of expression.

While I agree that individual daily activities constitute ‘expression,’ in what situations did you personally feel this?

Kato: Spending time in my hometown of Tomakomai during the pandemic was significant. From the start of my band, I never had the desire to ‘make it big in Tokyo,’ but I was often active in Tokyo while keeping my base in Tomakomai. I had some reactions to my expression from both Tokyo and Tomakomai, but I started to feel a gap in how my expression was received in both places. Both seemed disconnected, and I felt like a bat—neither bird nor beast—caught in an ambiguous state.

However, when I was forced to spend time in Tomakomai during the pandemic, I experienced a sense of merging where my musical expression, the reception in Tomakomai, the local situation, the state of Tokyo, and the understanding there all blended together. In essence, the boundary between what I wanted to express as a musician and my daily life in Tomakomai began to dissolve. I came to believe that both were valid expressions of myself.

Kato: Last year, I was working on an album for SADFRANK (my solo project) with the idea of distancing myself and drifting in a vast universe to find my true self. However, when I finished the album, I saw aspects of myself that continued to emerge despite my attempts to distance myself. Since then, I’ve thought that perhaps instead of viewing my identity as a grand, cosmic theme, it might be better to consider it as something smaller—something that changes in color and size with just a slight shift in perspective.

Kato: I believe that this journey has been an opportunity to realize the fundamental truth that minimal daily activities are each person’s form of expression, and that every place has its own culture. It’s not so obvious that the society outside of oneself is also part of ‘self.’ Yet, I feel like I had forgotten this aspect. The basic fact is that individuals live by exchanging their lives with one another. So, I thought it would be meaningful to have a place to loudly affirm this, and that’s something I wanted to achieve.

However, looking back on what I’ve done, it seems that what I once considered to be as vast as the universe actually connects to minimal answers, and that minimal things can sometimes be the largest worlds. It feels like I’ve been navigating between these extremes. But I believe that’s the essence of doing art.

Yes, expanding our options and perspectives on how we view things.

Kato: For example, a place that the local government decided to demolish because it didn’t meet their needs (the Tomakomai City Hall, which will be the venue for ‘FAHDAY’) can become an infinitely playful space with a slight change in perspective. Everything changes, but if it’s going to change, it should change for the better. In the case of Tomakomai City Hall, walking around the venue might provide hints for transformation, or considering its location within Tomakomai could be effective. Alternatively, reflecting on how the building has faded over time through my own memories might be valuable. I want to explore the concept of ‘existence’ from multiple viewpoints. I feel like this is a driving principle within me.

Information about the relocation of Tomakomai City Hall can be found here.

Embracing Each Day Without Desiring Change

The co-hosts include names from local dining establishments in Tomakomai. Were these individuals the ones who influenced your changing perspective on Tomakomai during the pandemic?

Kato: Yes. To put it bluntly, the people from Tomakomai I met during the pandemic seemed to be living each day without seeking change, and I found that really cool. Before the pandemic, I had always approached music with the mindset of changing everything from 1 to 10, so a lifestyle that didn’t seek change seemed to me like it was subtly giving up something. As a result, I had some difficulty fully adapting to the atmosphere of Tomakomai, and honestly, it wasn’t the most comfortable place for me. But now, I see the way people here cherish and enjoy what already exists as incredibly cool. That was fascinating.

Why does the seemingly resigned way of life now feel cool to you?

Kato: I’m not sure… It’s not that I think this is the best way to live as I get older. Rather, I think I’ve come to understand that valuing what you have now can also be enjoyable. It’s not about resignation, but about incorporating unchanging things and a sense of security into life, which can be very fulfilling. Also, I’ve thought that there might be many places and people where such a way of life isn’t possible.

Yes, especially in an era where factors threatening our way of life are increasing.

Kato: I think I used to see such a gentle lifestyle only in a superficial way. But stepping into the local scenery during the pandemic, I found that each person’s daily life continues to change gently in a well-ventilated space, creating a sense of time that wasn’t present in any other city I visited on tour. I realized how much I had overlooked.

Is it that the various ways of finding happiness and the fact that each person clings to it has become clearer to you?

Kato: I think that’s right. I spent a lot of time interacting with people who weren’t interested in things like bands or Tokyo. For instance, a 55-year-old New Zealander friend from Tomakomai took me to a local snack bar, and when the owner asked me what kind of music I played, I was able to say “punk” with confidence. And when she heard it, she said, “It’s good music, but it probably won’t be on TV.” Those moments were great. I realized that even in one-on-one introductions, it’s possible to convey your message. I saw that it’s not necessary to constantly shout about alternative or punk music. Instead, if you can create music that communicates well with people, it’s better to confront others more simply and directly.