INDEX
Equality in the Rain of Music and Art
-In the song “To My Love,” there is a line that says, “To naively that sings. I feel that “naively that sings” is something that I feel from your vocals.
Tamas: This song is about a friend who lost her partner to cancer a few years ago, and I wanted to write lyrics about love. My friend and her partner went through a difficult time in their love. ＜To naively that sings is a passage where the two of them are reflecting on a time when they were “innocently (naively)” in love with each other. I don’t consciously try to sing naively myself, but I guess it’s something that shows up unconsciously.
-What can you tell us about the album title “To Drink up the Sea”?
Tamas: I happened to be reading a book by Nietzsche around the time the album was completed. It was about people of faith and their concerns about modern society. I used a striking passage I found in the book as the title of the album.
I am not a Nietzsche scholar, so I doubt I am interpreting it correctly, but I think the passage is about faith. If we humans are sailing on a ship, the sea on which the ship floats is faith and tradition, and if we drink those things up, we will not be able to sail. I interpret it to mean that to not believe in God is to be so reckless as to drink up the waters of the sea.
-I was thinking of the metaphor of the ocean, and your music is like a glass of water. Just as a glass of water soothes a weary body, your songs soothe the anxieties and loneliness for a short time.
Tamas: Thank you. It’s the first time I’ve heard you say that. I believe that music and art can have a positive impact on human beings, no matter how rich or poor they are.
-Since you were a child, you have been concerned about the inequality in society. Is the fact that music can give people something on an equal footing also a reason for you to continue your music career?
Tamas: I think there are many phases in life. A large part of my life is working in universities and non-profit organizations, where I have to deal with serious issues. I also need to learn more and more. Music is a different place from those practical issues. I create something there. It is important for me to feel freedom when I am making music.
-So music is an essential part of your daily life?
Tamas: Every day, holding my guitar and creating new songs is like rehydrating for me. Music is a glass of water for me, too. Thanks to music, I am able to face the harsh reality of my work. So music is a very personal thing, but I am happy if it has a positive impact on people as a result.
Tamas Wells performing “A Plea en Vendredi”
Saturday, April 20, 2024
Venue: Daikanyama, Tokyo
Guest: Saho Terao
https://tamaswells2024-day1.peatix.com
Sunday, April 21, 2024
Venue: Shibuya 7th FLOOR, Tokyo
Opening act: Kim Beals
https://tamaswells2024-day2.peatix.com
Tamas Wells China 2024
4.23 Beijing MAO Livehouse: https://showstart.com/event/221016
4.24 Shanghai MAO Livehouse: https://showstart.com/event/221009
4.25 Hangzhou MAO Livehouse: https://showstart.com/event/221933
4.26 Guangzhou SD Livehouse: https://showstart.com/event/221008
4.27 Shenzhen HOU LIVE: https://showstart.com/event/221630
Tamas Wells To Drink up the Sea Domestic Version（CD）
Release date: Friday, December 8, 2023
Price: 2,400 yen (excluding tax)
LIIP-1555
1. It Shakes the Living Daylights from You
2. Arguments That Go Around
3. Every Other Day
4. It’s Not the Same
5. Tooth and Nail
6. August I Think Nothing Much at All
7. A Little Wonder
8. Shells Like Razor Blades
9. The Tattoos on Anna’s Feet
10. To My Love
https://lirico.lnk.to/LIIP-1555
