In 1999 I was fortunate enough to stumble upon POLYSICS' first album "P" at a Tower Records kiosk
in the Kitchiyoji prefecture of Tokyo Japan.
The tracks that POLYSICS lay down engage the listener with breakneck tempo changes, unexpected bridges,
multiple layers of electric beats and synths. The genius of POLYSICS is their canny ability to streamline all these disparate
elements into one supertight and energized Rock machine.
In March we were honored to meet POLYSICS for an interview during the Japan4sale U.S. tour.
*****
SFB: How did you guys meet and form into a band?
Hayashi: I am the only original member of the band now that our drummer just quit. Our first show was actually at our High school graduation where Kayo and Fumi first saw us. After that they started coming to our shows. One of the members quit and Kayo and Fumi joined. Since then, we have been together close to four years.
SFB: You have a drummer for this tour?
Hayashi: Yes, we have a back up drummer, he is very good.
SFB: How have Americans been reacting to your shows so far?
Hayashi: American audiences have been responding very well. Our fan base has grown a lot since we first toured in America three years ago. Some of our fans drove all the way from Michigan to see our show in Chicago last night.
SFB: Have you played any festivals?
Hayashi: Yes, we played at Fuji Rock Festival in 1999 and some other festivals too.
SFB: Are there any bands in particalur that have inspired you?
Hayashi: We got much of our inspiration from New Wave bands like Devo, early XTC, The B-52's, Kraftwerk, YMO(japan), and Plastics(japan). We draw inspiration from all kinds of music...garage, punk...and Metallica-one of my favorites.
SFB: Do you have any advice for young people that would like to form a band our break into music?
Hayashi: You have to have the will to do cool things. You have to think to yourself -"I AM cool."
SFB: Is there a philosophy behind your band and music?
Hayashi: We want to be as out of control and abnormal as possible. We want to escape what is normal.
SFB: When do you plan on touring the U.S. again?
Hayashi: We are hoping to come back in September for a one month tour representing only ourselves. Not like for Japan4sale or anything.
SFB: What are your hobbies?
Hayashi: I collect action figures and models like Ultraman.
Kayo: I like to watch movies. Especially Japanese ones.
Fumi: Drinking.
SFB: Do you have a message you would like to give to American music fans?
Hayashi Come and see our show. Don't just listen to our CDs. We are determined to give you a shocking performance.
SFB: And they will...
An interview with POLYSICS
by Keith Martin & Nobuyo Kinoshita
