Episode 19: We Decided to Start a Real Band
His name was Ippei. Two years older than me, a dental student.
I followed him back to his place, more out of curiosity than any real plan.
It was a beautiful old house near Oiso Station in Kanagawa. I had no idea that visit would turn into something close to living there.
In his room: a full drum kit. A Mackie and a Yamaha mixer. Recording gear, a Fostex D-80 and D-90. And about 2,000 metal CDs.
It was an unbelievable setup.
We started jamming almost immediately.
His power, his groove, his feel. All of it just fit.
You don't meet someone like that twice in a lifetime. What else would you call it but fate?
To this day, no one has come close to being that kind of partner again.
Before long, we were writing songs.
Somewhere in there we pulled an all-nighter. I think I ended up staying about five days.
We talked about everything. Favorite bands. The future. What kind of band we wanted to be.
By the end, we'd decided to start a real band.
Like James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich.
To be continued.
