35th NEW YEARS WORLD ROCK FESTIVAL 2007-2008

Asakusa Rockza, Tokyo, Japan

Now, what ROCK can do! STOP GLOBAL WARMING!
"35th Aniversary! NEW YEAR ROCK FESTIVAL!"

Message from Yuya UCHIDA

Now, what ROCK can do!
STOP GLOBAL WARMING!
“35th anniversary! NEW YEAR ROCK FESTIVAL! ”

This concert began with ‘Carol’, ‘Funny Company’, ‘Sadistic Mika Band’ and some other bands in 1973. It has continued from the 20th century to the 21st century, and greeted the 35th anniversary! Everything has greatly changed (the place of the concert, performing bands, the period, ROCK itself, our world, etc???). Masahiro Kuwana, Mick(in charge of PA), Sogo Butai(in charge of lighting up), Ikeda of STAGING M, HOTSTUFF, and so on have been our permanent members. “35 years!”???time flies!
When I see the poster of the first concert which was made by Tadanori Yokoo, I find the Martial’s amplifier in front of Mt. Everest, an animal of half-ox half-tiger which represented the transition from the Ox Year to the Tiger Year, artificial satellites of John Lennon and me are flying in the sky (it wasn’t long before John and Yoko had met first). John has become a star in the sky but I’m still struggling on the earth.
I was really shocked when I saw ‘Peace Bed’ John and Yoko were seriously ‘fighting!’ in order to go beyond the ‘BEATLES’ which had won the championship in the world! John Lennon refused to go along the way of many ‘ROCK STAR?’ with Yoko’s help, such as creating selling music, making CDs and selling them all over the world, merchandizing concert tours, pleasure and dilemma, big money and slump, haughtiness and jealousy, and becoming inhuman!
He created music that objects wars and took actions with true heart!
He shared the same will with ‘Black Panther’ and ‘Chicago Seven’ and supported them. He made ‘ROCK’N’ROLL’ more than just a show business, conveyed the true meaning of ‘LOVE & PEACE’ to the world with its power, created “Imagine” and then was killed!
I really wanted to advance a little from a green rock’n’roller and to do something challenging with Rock’n’Roll. “Let’s hold the concert with the common slogan through the world!!” Four years ago, ‘Joe Yamanaka’ went to ‘Shanghai’ where the ‘Anti-Japan Demonstrations’ were being held. ‘Hakuryu’ who has the pride of a Korean living in Japan went to ‘Seoul’ with ’Before Christ Butterfly’. ‘David Yohansen, Saku, Bob Gruen and I went to ‘New York’. ‘Hiro’ and ‘Sheena & Rokkets’ went to ‘Tokyo’. All of us began to take actions as ‘Rock Ambassadors’! Our slogan was ‘STOP WARS!’ and ‘STOP NUKES!’
And then, this year, we are going to go to ‘Los Angeles’ for the first time. New comers this year were Japanese guitarist & bassist who ran into at the bar in ‘Melrose Ave.’ last year. They are sisters, daughters of the band ‘Yonin Bayashi’ who often appeared at my concerts 35 years ago.
With American vocalist and drummer this international band named ‘Binges’ are exactly my policy of “New Year Rock Festival (NYRF)” and my symbol of the continuity of 35 years. I listened to this band’s music at a small and shabby rehearsal room in West Hollywood and was strongly impressed because they stood aloof from national boarders, vogues, races etc???! ‘At that time, a large forest fire was going on in L. A’. With refusing to sign up Kyoto Protocol what does American Government think of the ‘troublesome truth’ ? Our theme of this year is “GLOBAL WARMING!”
Our members in four countries do the countdown concert of “STOP!” with ROCK. On the same day, there is a popular TV program of “KOHAKU” (the red team and the white team fighting by singing)” in Japan! We can’t catch up with ‘John Lennon’ or ‘Bob Marley’ however I believe we are much better than ‘Sex Pistols’ who reorganized and hold money- making tour.
In the age of the Internet, we Rock musicians still distribute handbills for 35 years. Hey, Eikichi Yazawa, you should bring about 169 towels because you quickly rose. Be active until you become 69 years as a performer of our first concert! (*In Japanese 69 sounds like ‘ROCK. And Yuya will be 69 years old in 2008.)
We’ve got to Tokyo, Shanghai, Seoul, New York and Los Angeles! A big forest fire was following close behind the city of Angel!
We’ll by all means go to ‘London’, ‘Toronto’ and ‘Moscow’!
The ‘Agency for Cultural Affairs’ still neglects us.
Shanghai celebrates the 35th Anniversary of the restoration of the Diplomatic relations between Japan and China (the same as ‘NYRF’)! Joe, I trust you!
Staff! Frank Zappa! Elvis Presley! Jimi Hendrix! Janis Joplin! Jim Morrison! Bob Marley! Otis Redding! and ‘John & Yoko’!
Now, what ROCK can do! is ‘STOP GLOBAL WARMING!’, ‘STOP NUKES!’, and ‘STOP WAR!’
I sincerely thank all of rock musicians simultaneously on stage in four countries, our seniors and friends who have assisted us!!
We have changed our concert’s name to the “NEW YEAR’s WORLD ROCK FESTIVAL”!
Please remember our ‘NYWRF’ that is the only one in the world!!

Rock’n’Roll
Yuya Uchida
(Translated by Toru Utsumi)

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