Tom Fallon is a bonafide Rock Star, but we’ll get back to that.
Tom’s from a small town in New York state called Cazenovia. Cool town name. Tom calls Cazenovia a “sweet little town”, but says he was “bored to tears” by his self-confessed “one stoplight town”. He says Cazenovia was snowy, cold, and slow.
Tom also says he’s lived in Nagoya for 7 years now, and says he works as a teacher at “a few of the local universities”. I know Tom recently copped his MASTERS DEGREE, which makes him a much better person than I am-at least in my book-the book which I’m still working on. Props to Tom for having achieved this great achievement. Seriously.
Tom lives in Motoyama, his fave Japanese food is SOBA with tsuyu sauce, and by the way, Tom also plays a mean-ass guitar in a dope band called GHOST OF MATSUBARA, therefore, in case you didn’t know, Tom is a total and complete ROCK STAR.
This interview is about that.
1. First of all, what or who the eff is a GHOST OF MATSUBARA.
No dancing around the big issues, I guess. I came up with the name “Ghost of Matsubara” while I was living in an area of Nagoya called, (dun dun dun) Matsubara. The idea of being a “ghost” came about out of the feeling of sort of transient transparency that you get as a foreigner in a foreign country. I’m not Japan bashing by any means. I imagine the same sort of feeling could happen to anyone in any country. You know, you’re here and people can see you and occasionally say “hi”, but as an ethnically different person who struggles with the language, you don’t fit in and you’re not really an accepted member of the community. So, sometimes I’d feel like a ghost. Thus, Ghost of Matsubara.
2. What ‘type’ or ‘genre’ would you consider your band’s music to be?
Well, I’m always fast to say punk, but when I really take a listen to what were doing, I’d have to say we’re much wide than that. I personally listen to lots of stuff, but most of it revolves around distorted guitars, hooky riffs, and catchy melodies. Recently, I’ve been listening to “The Black Parade” by My Chemical Romance. I didn’t really give it a chance when it came out, but it’s been blowing my mind the past few weeks. Anyway, GoM has a driving rock punch with lots of catchy melodies and thought provoking lyrics.
3. What recent CHANGES has your band gone through, and why?
Hmmmm….. Where to begin…Well, yes. Our original bass guitarist left us to pursue her academic career. It was a big shock and a bit of a heartbreak for me. I really liked her chemistry with Mike and I, but, ya’ know, you can’t force people to do stuff. I tried to make her stay, but she wasn’t having it.
But, as luck would have it, when we lost Keiko, we gained Tak!!! Tak Kudo is freakin’ amazing! He’s an awesome bassist, and probably a better guitarist than me!! I think Tak really brings a lot to the table, and I’m excited to see what the future holds.
4. What’s the HARDEST part of keeping a band together? Are there any EXTRA DIFFICULTIES that you have encountered HERE IN NAGOYA/JAPAN?
In my mind, the hardest part of keeping a band together is making sure everyone is on the same page. I mean, we’re all adults. We all have lives. And, unfortunately, sometimes in the midst of life’s hectic turmoil we end up shifting our priorities, and then suddenly people stop communicating, and the next thing you know, your band just dissolves. I’ve seen it happens many a time…
Mike Bagley, our drummer, is a rock. Of course, he’s in more band’s than Heffner’s got bunnies, but he knows what it’s about. He and I share the same mind in that long, long ago, we both decide that weather rich or poor, famous or obscure we will be play music until the day we die. I can’t express how good it feels to know that someone in you’re band has got your back!
5. What have your BEST MOMENTS in GOM been?
Oh, there have been lots! I had a blast at Oktoberfest in Tsuramai park. Saying farewell to the Nagoya Hard Rock Cafe rocked! We also played a killer show at DayTrive in Shinsakae. But if you wanna see a really fun show, go check out our Halloween gig at Six-Dog in Shinsakae. It’s up on YouTube. We went for the sick sexy haunted hospital theme!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDfT-qeNmXw
6. Best Case Scenario, what would you like to see happen with GOM?
Is world domination too ambitious? I joke, but I’m also stone cold serious. Of course, I have a day job that I love, and I think I’m quite good at, but, if I could I’d either be out on that stage or locked every night in that studio everyday! As they say in Japanese, 『音楽だけで食べたい！
(Ongaku dake de tabetai.)
7. Talk about the music scene in Nagoya, likes/dislikes/etc.
Love it or hate it, Nagoya is what it is: Nagoya. I’m actually one of the former, I love Nagoya! It’s the ugly sister city of Tokyo & Osaka, but what this sister lacks in appearance, she makes up for with personality! You know what I’m sayin’. You’re with me! As much as we bellyache sometimes, Nagoya has the tightest and coolest gaijin population in Japan! Our scene is eclectic. We’re all doing different things, be they music, art, theater, or other. I gotta say, this is my town.
8. Got a girlfriend man? Type?
Ah ha ha haaaaa!! I think that every good front man should keep an air of mystery about him. A type? How about cute, fun, and stress free. And, if you could have her here by 5pm, that’d be just great.
9. Any good groupie stories you can share?
Unfortunately, all our “groupies” live outside of Japan. I’d love to do a tour of Europe, Australia, and America. According to our YouTube and Facebook accounts, a European Tour might turn out some really interesting groupie stories in the future. But, here in Japan, the local population doesn’t really know what they got under their nose. That’s okay though. Our YouTube page has over 14,800 subscribers, and that’s a much bigger stage that we’re ever gonna play here in Nagoya. Now, all we need are some digital groupies…
10. After and since the Quake, thought about going home?
Really, no. Despite my mother’s tearful pleas of course… That earthquake was truly the definition of the word “awesome.” It was the shear power of nature showing us how small we really are. My whole apartment shook for like three minutes, and then I was glued to the TV, watching that tsunami just roll over those towns and cities… I was totally speechless… And, now we have to figure out how fucked the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Reactor really is…
But, again, I haven’t been inspired to leave. We here in Nagoya are luckily not in the way of the radioactive fallout. Gotta’ keep those fingers crossed though. There’s another nuclear reactor in Shizuoka. If we get smacked with another major quake, and that reactor gets effected, then I’ll be on my way back to the states.
I think most of us knew the risk we were taking by moving to the land of shakes & rumbles. Nagoya is still in good shape. I ain’t goin’ nowhere.
Connect with GoM
YouTube – youtube.com/ghostofmatsubara
Facebook –listn.to/ghostofmatsubara
Twitter – twitter.com/ghostofmatsbara
