Flower Travellin’ Band interview

Hideki Ishima is legendary Japanese bassist for bands such as The Beavers, Yuya Uchida & the Flowers, Flower Travellin’ Band, Kuni Kawachi to Kare no Tomodachi.

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Who were your major influences?

At first I tried to copy “Take Five” when I was around 16. I remember other things as well such as “Morning”, “Caravan”, Work Song”, all kinds of jazz tunes. As soon as I heard The Beatles I became obsessed with them. They gave me a real shock therapy!

Your first band was The Beavers. You released a couple of singles and an album in 1968 called Viva! Beavers.

We had a lot of covers, including stuff from The Yardbirds, The Kinks, The Zombies, Manfred Mann, Hollies and other stuff. We had two guitarist. One of the guys played guitar parts and I played other parts on my guitar with some effects. That was really fun for me.

You started to play guitar in a band called Yuya Uchida & The Flowers. You released two singles and an album in 1969 called Challenge!.

We always played in Japan but we couldn’t take long tours because Remi and Kobayashi who played steel-guitar, had a plan to got to Seattle at the time.

What are some of the strongest memories from recording the album?

That was Yuya Uchida’s ideas. He produced and I think that we record it live? Am I there on the LP? Maybe I’m not, because I don’t have any recollections.

In 1969 you just started Flower Travellin’ Band and Kuni Kawachi to Kare no Tomodachi.

After Remi and Kobayashi left the Flowers we made Flower Travellin’ Band, And Kuni invited Joe and me to be part of his album.

You released Kirikyogen in 1970. 

I remember Joe sung Kuni’s lyrics. It was pretty strange because it was the first time for him to sing in Japanese.

Flower Travellin’ Band debuted with Anywhere.

We covered different tunes and really enjoyed it! The album was produced by Yuya Uchida. He really likes nude so we can’t help it. His opinion is that you have to do it “with your real self”, that’s why nude. I think that’s very cool.

Was it difficult to get contract and release it with such a cover artwork?

That was easy, I think but I don’t know how people like it.

What’s the story behind Satori?

It’s a pretty long story… At the time I have been thinking and doubting of myself. What I’m am doing? I still tried to play covers and I asked myself is something wrong with me? I’m just chasing other person’s sense or origins. Of course those bands gave me a lot of inspiration, but it wasn’t me. Then I realized I have to do original songs. I talked to other band members and they agreed. After that we tried to do all originals and added lyrics by our friend who we called “Stoner” from Texas. We often talked about many things.

Who did the cover artwork?

That’s friend of mine who is called “Shinobu-Ishimaru” but he is gone to the next stage.

How big was the band in Japan?

Actually I didn’t know that because we left Japan after we made Satori and we had just one concert in Japan. And since then we had play in Canada almost 2 and half years.

We had a chance with Lighthouse, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Dr. John, Bush (early-70s Canadian rock band) and many Canadian band.

We were under the Musician Union after we lived for more than half a year in Toronto.

I could tell you a crazy story. One time we lost power when we were opening act for Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Some roady cut off our power by his mischief. We decided to do a drum solo and in the meantime we fixed the problem. Our very first concert were as an opening act for Lighthouse in Ontario. We were nervous but at the end we received big waves of applause after our fourth song. At the time I thought people didn’t know how to handle our music. Maybe it was too strange at the start, but after we finished we had huge encore twice. Since we often burned all of our repertoire, we had to play the same songs again.

In 1972 you released another album with Kuni called Love Suki Daikirai. 

I don’t want to talk about it because at the time I was depressed and sick.

Your last album with the band was Make Up. Then you recorded your own solo album One Day. 

Yes, Make Up was a culmination of the stuff we were doing all these years, I think. One Day was my new try, much more personal. The cover artwork was made by Shinobu-Ishimaru from his imagination.

What happened next? 

I played with bands like Donjuan, Co-Colo and Pythagorus Party. They inspired me.

In 2008 you did another album with Flower Travellin’ Band. How was it to play again together?

Since almost 20 years ago people wanted restart it in Japan but we couldn’t make it until this time. We made a plan to reunite and I proposed to make a new album first and then tour in Japan, Canada and USA. The latest album was recorded in Toronto. We had a lot of fun.

Sadly we lost Joe last month from lung cancer. Now it’s over.

What currently occupies your life?

I have an instrumental band called View. I play with VJ, Keiongaku and Yuugen. Occasionally I play sitar with table and salod. I jammed with a lot of Japanese musicians. I will keep on playing my sitar and I’m looking forward what will follow.

Thank you for taking your time. Last word is yours.

Thank you. Many blessing Hideki Ishima from Japan.

– Klemen Breznikar

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