Many of you remember barefoot Gara’s acrobatics that accompanied their performance on the Jrock Revolution Festival. Merry sat down with JRR to talk about their band name, their albums, and their thoughts on Japanese rock music.
JRR: Why and how did you pick the name "Merry"? (It means "happy" in English.)
Merry: We were an opening band for an American band before and were told that our music style wasn’t so “Merry.” It was funny.
It’s easy to read “Merry” and it’s very simple. Our band name doesn’t suggest any type of music.
JRR: How did you become involved with J-rock Revolution? How were you approached about performing at this festival?
Merry: We want our music to be more accessible overseas than it is now. We are very honored to be in this event, let alone be selected. We are sure many bands in Japan also wanted to be in this event. We are very thrilled to be here! Thank you!
JRR: Do you think J-rock Revolution will differ from or be similar to your past musical experiences?
Merry: If we try to do something special, we usually don’t do it well. (Laughs) So we will try our best and hope people see the real Merry and style.
JRR: Are you looking forward to seeing any of the other artists perform? If so, which ones?
Merry: We want to see everybody from day one. We want to see how the audience would react.
JRR: Peep Show is a “very sexy” album. Will you show us a “sexy” show?
Merry: Is it sexy? Really? Peep Show has a certain distinguished and unusual style. That’s good if you feel sexy by listening to Peep Show.
JRR: What kind of impact do you want your performance to have? What kind of effect do you think the festival will have overall?
Merry: Everything is new to us and I am sure many people in the audience are new to us as well. So we have the same feelings of being beginners and new to ourselves.
JRR: Besides the festival, is there anything in particular that you look forward to doing or seeing during your stay? What other U.S. cities would you like to perform in?
Merry: America is a big country! We have so many places we want to see, but we came here to do the live. We want to see some concerts in the US.
JRR: What message would you like to convey to the American public?
Merry: We have songs about the US because the roots of music come from America. We interpret our music through these roots. We know American artists have plenty of energy and originality, and so we hope that we can convey Merry’s good elements.
JRR: If you could describe your music in three words, what would they be?
Tetsu: Retro, Explosive, “Pop” sound
Kenichi: Retro, Melancholies, Mixture
Nero: Rock, Retro, all out!
Yuu: Only one, Melancholies, Retro
Gara: Revolution, Revolution! Big Money!!!
JRR: What are some of your fondest or most memorable moments to date?
Merry: Many things – we feel that if we don’t do our best right now, we won’t have a future.
JRR: Explain your past projects and current ones.
Merry: We released an album about War. We have had many experiences and different concepts. Currently our theme is “Oriental circus,” which we hope to bring to America in the future. It’s a very interesting set!
JRR: Please describe your experience working with Kiyoharu.
Merry: He is like our mentor. We respect him as a musician so much. He has a great concept and good band spirit. He debuted a long time ago and has been through many things as a musician including struggles.
JRR: What is your ultimate goal as musicians/artists?
Merry: We want to make everyone who is involved with Merry happy. We try our best and that should lead us to happiness.
JRR: What are some of your plans for the future?
Merry: We will release a new single and also our 3rd major album.
JRR: Yuu-san, what is “Hemimaru”?
Yuu: That the name of my pet cat. While I’m in away, my friend is taking care of Hemimaru.
JRR: Message to American fans:
Merry: Nice to meet you America! We will try our best at JRR! We hope you will like our concert, and we hope to come back to America again!!!!