Thanks so much to Satori and Ishida for the interview! I wrote about this superb Japanese band some time ago and I was lucky to get in touch with Satori and she was even nicer that she was up to answer all my questions and also get Ishida on board! Hopefully in the future I will bug them for interviews on the many other bands they’ve been too!

Oh! and for those that prefer reading the interview in Japanese, find it here!

++ Hi Satori! Thanks so much for being up for this interview! How are you? Still making music?

Hi Roque.
We are all well.  Daffodil-19 is inactive at the moment as a band, but we are making music individually.

++ Let’s go back in time. What are your first music memories? Do you remember what was your first instrument? How did you learn to play it? What sort of music did you listen at home while growing up?

Satori:  I sang with my mom’s “Sound of music” soundtrack, which she use to play in the house when I was in elementary school.  Played flute in the school marching band.  (I was never good at any instrument, so did not try much.)

Ishida: My family was not much interested in music. When I was in elementary school, I’d listen to robot-anime and super-hero theme songs.
My first encounter with rock music was Kraftwerk etc., under influence of my elder brother, who liked German progressive music.  I joined my first band with my high school classmates (it was a band for the “bunkasai” – an annual school festival), a bass player taught me how to play guitar. The first song we covered was Siouxsie And The Banshees’s “The Staircase”. Since I was a total beginner, I could not hold all 6 strings, so learned the basic major and minor chords using the 1-3 string only. I called these chords “cranes” and “tortoise” for my convenience (Note: “cranes and tortoise” – good luck symbols in Japan), and played like “3 fret tortoise” then “5 fret crane”. I still don’t know much about chords.

++ Had you been in other bands before Daffodil-19? What about the rest of the members? If so, how did all of these bands sound like? Are there any recordings?

Satori:  Ishida-kun and I were in Penny Arcade.  After Penny, I joined Marble Hammock (with Hirotaka Shimizu and Mayumi Ikemizu of Bridge.)
Marble Hammock left some tracks for compilation albums “Blow up” and “Innocence and Peppermints”.

Ishida-kun and Don-chan (Donaka) were in Venus Peter.  Yoko-san (Yoko Ito) was in Soul Mission, Sugar plant, Three Berry Icecream (band) etc.

Ishida: Before joining Penny Arcade, the first band I ever played in the live-house was MDC (monkey dance club), which we started with my high school classmates. We played ska, new wave, covered Melon. We even had a horn section. 12 band members, although we rarely had all of them together.

Just before starting Penny, I was in a band called “clap trap” with rhythm box + female vocal + bassist. The bassist was Saito-kun, who was the first bassist for Penny. He also played with the Bachelors for sometime.

After Penny split up, I started Venus Peter, and after Venus Peter split, we became Daffodil-19, but along with Daffodils, I was also in the band called Jupiter Smile. (Jupiter Smile was Ishida, Donaka, KOGA, Sotomura & Daizo, and had one album out from KOGA records.)

++ Where were you from originally?

Satori: I was born in Tokyo. (spent some years in the US)

Ishida: I am from downtown Tokyo.

++ How was your town at the time of Daffodil-19 Were there any bands that you liked? Were there any good record stores? Or what about the pubs or venues to go check out up and coming bands?

Bridge and Philips were still playing when we started. Advantage Lucy, Sugar Plant, Swarm’s arm, Moools played great shows.
Used to hang around Maximum Joy (Ikuhiro Susukita’s record shop) on weekends. As for the venue, Que and Shelter at Shimokitazawa were very good. (Both venues are still very good.)

++ When and how did the band start? How did you all meet? How was the recruiting process?

After the Venus Peter ended (in 1994), Ishida-kun came to me that there are several unfinished songs he wanted to release. So we finished them up, and wrote some new ones as well. The first line-up of Daffodils is Ishida, Donaka, KOGA from Venus Peter, Ofuruton (a friend drummer) and me. We got together to release one mini album.  But gradually shifted to continue as a hobby.

++ How was the creative process for you? Where did you usually practice?

Music is a hobby to us.  So we write and create when we have spare time.  (which we don’t at the moment, personal lives are too busy). When we practice we play at the rental studios.

++ What’s the story behind the band’s name?

We got it from Kurt Vonnegut’s “slapstick”.  We also liked the band names with numbers (like Galaxie 500) so it goes.

++ And who would you say were influences in the sound of the band?

Galaxie 500, Velvet Underground, Wedding Present, XTC, Magazine, Buzzcocks

++ Your first release came in 1994 and was an EP titled “Audrey Carson”. I was very curious about the name of the EP, but I can’t seem to find any answers. Who is/was Audrey Carson?

Sorry, it was Audrey Carsons first.  But dropped the last “s”, as it didn’t sound well in the song. I got it from “Wild Boys” by William S. Burroughs.  Not recommend for everyone (but great!)

++ Before this EP had you released demos? Or made recordings? Or was this time around the first time you went into a recording studio?

Daffodil-19 initially started as a band to record this EP.  So had few rehearsals as practice and went into recording right away.
We were in recording studios with our previous bands, but as Daffodils this was the first.

++ Wonder Release Records released this EP. I don’t know anything about them. Care telling me a bit about them? Who where they? How did you know them?

Wonder Release is an indie label, founded by Taro Yoda (Yoda is his real name, BTW) in 1991.  Released Venus Peter, Debonaire, Sugar plant, etc.
Yoda-san is such a passionate music lover, he is now running Kilikilivilla (Should check out Not Wonk). Yoda-san told me that Venus Peter’s first gig (in 1990) changed his life, he was a just college student then, but couldn’t stand still after the show, and asked them to sign his label (as the first band!).

++ After a 4 year hiatus you reappear with the album “Daffodilic” on Cardinal Records. Why did it take that long? Again, this label is unknown to me. Who were behind Cardinal? How was your relationship with the label?

As music is a hobby, we had no urge to release anything.  But after 4 years, we had enough new songs, and had saved up enough money to do recording on our own.

We chose Cardinal Records which was Beikoku Ongaku’s music label to release it.  Because we had total freedom on music direction this time.

++ This album is beautiful and I notice there have been some lineup changes. What happened? And what did the new members add to the sound of the band?

As we shifted to a hobby band, those who could enjoy this remained.  New members joined were old friends, they added new dynamics to the band, which you can hear clearly.

++ You covered New Order’s “Leave Me Alone” for a New Order tribute. Why did you pick that song in particular? And have you recorded any other covers?

This was the first time we tried semi digital (still mostly analog) recording.  We wanted to restructure a song, rather than just covering.  “Leave me alone” was an ideal one for us.  I also liked this song for a long time.
As for the other cover, we did “Presence Dear” on the first EP.  (not a very good cover though.)

++ For your second album you changed labels, you went with Clover Records to release “Circuit”. Why the change? And how did you end up working with them?

Again, Circuit was recorded by ourselves.  When we completed the recording,  we chose Clover Records, because I loved their beautiful package works.

++ On this album you worked with Noboyuki Ohashi from Bridge as your producer and Masako Kato from Pervenche did the art. How was that experience working with them?

Ohashi-kun is an old friend (we know each other before he joined Bridge),  I liked his solo works which he recorded mainly at home.  Back then, home-recording had just started and he was one of the few, who knew how.  We recorded materials on his 8 tracks, and mixed at this home.  He understood our intension, and was able to realize them into sound.

As for Masako-san, she was my favorite designer (that’s why we chose Clover).  I cannot thank her enough for the beautiful package.  She even  drew daffodils on the cover!

++ Are there more songs by the band? Perhaps some that remain unreleased?

Yes, there are some new ones after Circuit.  (But don’t know when we will have time to record them.)

++ I really like the song “Cicada Daze”, it might be my favourite of yours! I was wondering what inspired this song? What’s the story behind it?

We wrote it on the extremely hot summer, with cicadas bursting like endless feedback of MBV.  (really)
I stuck the microphone out of the window, and took that intro sound.

++ If you were to choose your favorite Daffodil-19 song, which one would that be and why?

Satori:  Sleepyhead (sounds simple, but very complicated rhythm, fun to play)

Ishida: Inbetweens (because it’s dramatic), Tangerine (cuteness), Memory circuit (played rare good solo)

++ What about gigs? Did you play many? All over Japan?

When we did play (back then), once or twice a year.  Only in Tokyo.
(I guess we played in Nagoya/Kyoto/Osaka…but can’t remember when.)

++ And what were the best gigs you remember? Any anecdotes you can share?

I can’t remember my own gig…  But we played with Softies (when they toured Japan), and Mayumi (Ikemizu) and I went shopping with them on the next day. That was really fun.

++ And were there any bad ones?

Too many, but again can’t remember details.

++ I believe the band is still going, right? Are there any plans for the near future?

We are still connected (which we only do at the moment). We may play together when we all have spare time.

++ You all have been involved with other bands, right? Which are they?

Too many to list, so just recent / current ones: Ishida-kun and Don-chan are in Venus Peter (restarted this year).
Nomoto-kun is in SevenZ
Yoko-san is running her own label “333 discs”. (with artists Goro Ito, Naomi & Goro, Tico Moon etc.)
Ishida-kun & I were involved in the recent reunion of Penny Arcade (2017).
My latest project is Smokebirds (collaboration with Smokebees,)

++ Did you get much attention from the radio?

No.

++ You appeared on the legendary magazine Beikoku Ongaku. How important was this magazine for the Japanese scene? Were you big fans? How many times did they feature you?

We were old friends of Beikoku Ongaku. That’s why we were featured. (twice ? 3 times?) Back then, there were no spotify nor youtube, so Beikoku and the CD that came with it, was about the only way for amateur bands to attain wider audience.

++ What about the rest of the press? Did they give you any attention?

Cookie Scene also liked us.

++ What about from fanzines?

I don’t know.

++ Looking back in retrospective, what would you say was the biggest highlight for the band?

I don’t keep track of anything.  So I can’t remember much. (sorry)

++ Aside from music, what other hobbies do you have?

Satori: I enjoy running. (marathon)

Ishida: Watching StarTrek on Netflix.

++ Never been to Japan. So I will ask for some recommendations. If  I was to visit your city what shouldn’t I miss? What are your favourite sights? And any particular food or drinks that you think one shouldn’t miss?

Satori:  Never visit Japan in summer (dreadful).
Recommendation: “Tofukuji” temple is Kyoto, with beautiful Japanese garden.
Food: “Matsuya” soba in Kanda, Tokyo.

Ishida: Shin-Okubo. (Not only Korean, but international cuisine and culture. This area symbolizes today’s Japan)
And of course, Akihabara.
As for food, there are very good eating places around Nihmbashi-Ningyocho, my home town.

++ Anything else you’d like to add?

Thank you so much for discovering us. We are in a stage of life, when family/day job are top of everything. However, our love for good music is always with us. So when the time comes, will hope to restart.

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Listen
Daffodil-19 – Cicada Daze