OWN INTERVIEW CONTENTS Vol.23 KEMMY3000 (DMB PRODUCTION / DREADEYE)
OWN (hereinafter O): I've always wanted to interview KEMMY. However, there's been a flurry of interviews with KEMMY in various media outlets recently...
KEMMY (hereafter referred to as K): It was just a coincidence that the timing coincided (laughs).
O (laughs). So, for OWN's interview content, I wanted to take a slightly different angle, or rather, to do a more straightforward interview. So, this time I'd like to interview KEMMY as a "bandman/guitarist"!
K: Personally, this is the part I'm least good at... I wonder if it'll be okay (laughs).
Oh no (laughs). First of all, please tell us about your profile!
K: My name is KEMMY3000. I play guitar in a band called DREADEYE. DREADEYE is a band that promotes itself as "POWER VIOLENCE." We've been using the term POWER VIOLENCE since before anyone even said it, but we've missed out on the recent trend...
O (laughs) Oh, and I'd also like you to introduce DMB.
K : Ah, that's right (laughs). I also run a label called DMB PRODUCTION. In addition to releasing music, I also hold events and pop-ups, and make T-shirts. 
OYou've also invited foreign bands to Japan.
K IRON LUNG also did a Japan tour. I also helped out with some of the Japan tours of THE SHRINE and FALL SILENT. In terms of hip-hop, BUN B and Le$ too. But with the COVID-19 pandemic making it impossible to hold live shows, I started to think maybe I didn't really need to do it (laughs). I haven't been able to do much in recent years.
So , before you started the band, could you tell us about what inspired you to choose the guitar as an instrument?
K: I don't remember at all, but I started listening to Western music around junior high school. Then I went to see Eric Clapton's concerts in Japan with a friend. I don't think that was the trigger, but Clapton is a guitar hero after all. So maybe that's when I started wanting a guitar and got one.
What kind of guitar did you get first?
K: My first guitar was a Fernandes. It was an entry-level model with a gaudy red and black wood grain (laughs). I think the amplifier set was around 50,000 yen.
O I see. What was KEMMY's guitar life like from then on?
K: I've loved magazines ever since then, so once I started playing guitar, I started reading "Guitar magazine" and "YOUNG GUITAR" a lot (laughs).
O "Player" or something like that (laughs).
K : That's right (laughs). I just bought them.
Those kinds of magazines often include tablature within the pages, but did you practice while reading them?
K: I didn't do that at all. I just bought and read books (laughs). I had a beginner's textbook, but I couldn't remember the chords at all. It gradually became too much of a hassle, and I started thinking nonsensical things like, "Metal is all about playing single notes!"
Who was your hero at the time?
K : Definitely Metallica. At the time, they had just released the album "Reload," and I went to see their live show at Yokohama Arena. The show itself was great, of course, but there were people in the audience burning flags and stuff (laughs).
O : Wow! It was that extreme!
K: Because of that, I got quite a bit of flak. METALLICA has hooligans! That's crazy!
Since you got into O METALLICA, have you also listened to the so-called Big Four of Thrash Metal?
K: That's why other thrash metal bands didn't really appeal to me. Even now, I don't really like any bands other than METALLICA. The first METALLICA album I got into, "Reload," had some progressive elements and contained some grandiose songs. I think now that those were the things that really appealed to me.
Were you already in O- Band at that time?
I had a friend in my class in my first year of high school who loved music. He liked Japanese rock bands like Blankey (BLANKEY JET CITY) and Michelle (THEE MICHELLE GUN ELEPHANT). He and another close friend would go into the studio without a drummer. We weren't really a band, but we did try to imitate it. We would bring our favorite songs and practice.
A mixture of O Blankey and METALLICA (lol).
K: I was practicing songs like "Gasoline's Rocking Form" (laughs). Around that time, loud, mixed genre bands like KoЯn were becoming popular, and I started to like that kind of intense music. I remember seeing live footage of COCOBAT and THE MAD CAPSULE MARKETS on TV Kanagawa, and I thought, "There are bands like that in Japan too!" That's when I started going to live music venues. On the day of my high school graduation, I went to a three-man show with COCOBAT and BALZAC at Zepp Tokyo as part of THE MAD CAPSULE MARKETS' album release tour. That's when I threw away my school uniform (laughs).
It's a page from my youth (laughs).
It was the heyday of K Megaforce, and I listened to Tekken and Minor League. I also saw STATE CRAFT at an all-night event at Ebisu Milk. That's how I got into New York hardcore and new school hardcore.
O Were you playing guitar at that time?
In the latter half of my high school years, I saved up money from part-time work and bought a Gibson Flying V. It was the same white one as James from METALLICA (laughs).
O Love of METALLICA (laughs). Is that what led you to start playing in a band?
Around the time I graduated from K University, I started going to see STRUGGLE FOR PRIDE, and Imazato-san introduced me to OS3 (DREADEYE vocalist). After that, I often hung out with OS3. One day, while we were waiting for a train on the Inokashira Line platform, I saw a boy with a guitar on his back walking with a cute girl. I was watching them and asked him if he would be popular if he started a band, and OS3 asked if he wanted to join DREADEYE, so I did. It was a complete mistake to join the band POWER VIOLENCE just to be popular (laughs). 
O (laughs) After joining DREADEYE, what kind of stance did you want to take in your activities, KEMMY?
K : No, I haven't thought about it that deeply. It's just that it's fun to get together with friends. So I don't really have a strong sense of myself as a band member.
O I see. So how is it from a guitarist's perspective? Sorry for the forced question (laughs).
K: It's okay (laughs). When I joined DREADEYE, there was already another guitarist, so I was conscious of doing something different. I admire James, so I wanted to create solo phrases that were unique.
O : I'd like to hear about the equipment as well. 
First up is the Gibson Les Paul Custom, the main guitar used in DREADEYE. It's a Randy Rhoads model made by the Custom Shop.
Speaking of O KEMMY, this white Custom comes to mind. Please tell us about the modifications you made.
The K pickup has been changed to one made by LACE. LACE is a manufacturer that supported INTEGRITY, and that was one of the reasons I chose it. It sounds quite heavy when you add distortion. I also like the fact that it looks active but is actually passive. Other than that, I haven't changed anything about the exterior, but I have changed the capacitor to a 1960s Bumble Bee.
Has the sound changed much compared to the stock version?
K: It really has made a difference. The core of the sound comes out, and even when I use a lot of distortion, it still feels like a proper guitar sound.
Is there any reason why you choose this white Custom as your main model?
K: If you want a heavy sound, you need a heavy guitar, so I bought the heaviest one in the store. I'm a firm believer in the superstition that heavy guitars produce a heavy sound (laughs). I tune it down two steps, and it produces the heavy sound I want. The body is about twice as thick as the SG next to it. It's super heavy, and the neck is really thick. DREADEYE's live shows usually last about 10 minutes, but by the end I'm so tired I can't even open my arms. 
Next is the Gibson SG. What year is this model?
K: I think it was a regular line-up from around 2007 or 2008. I've been using it since I joined BREAKfAST. When I first joined BREAKfAST, I was using a Les Paul Jr. because I had an image of the exhilarating yet distorted guitar sound of the previous guitarist, Sakai. But maybe because it had P-90 pickups, there was a ton of feedback. Also, the guitar picked up the nuances of my picking very easily, so it was obvious I wasn't very good at it (laughs). I managed to get through BREAKfAST's US tour with that guitar, but I wanted a bit more depth in terms of sound, so I switched to this SG. Oh, by the way, I still lend that Les Paul Jr. to Keisuke (CHARM/ex. BREAKfAST) (laughs).
Please let me know if you have any modifications to this.
K: I also changed the capacitor on this SG to a 1960s Bumble Bee. Also, the bridge pickup was transplanted from a Fender Japan Strat. Of course, it's still a humbucker pickup, so it doesn't really produce a Strat-like sound, but I feel like it gives it a crisper sound.
Is the front pickup left as normal?
K: That's right. I haven't used the front ones at all. I've changed both of the white Les Paul Customs, but I've only used the rear ones. 
The third one would be the Gibson Explorer.
K: This Explorer is on loan from Gutchin, the guitarist for STRUGGLE FOR PRIDE. It's the white Flying V I've been using since high school, as I mentioned earlier. I got a little carried away after drinking too much tequila during a DREADEYE gig in Kyoto, and I threw the guitar and broke it. I was drunk at the time and not really thinking about anything, but then I remembered, "Oh no! What should I do about the gig that's coming up?" Gutchin lent it to me. Even though it was on loan, I'd removed the volume and tone control knobs and even changed the rear pickup to a distortion pickup...
O ...Is this what they call borrowing and stealing?
K : No! It's not! I just borrowed it (laughs)! I used this guitar quite a bit in live performances. It was around 2006-7, around the time I released my first 7-inch record ("THIS IS FOR THE NEWBREED EP"), so I used it frequently. 
So , this is a cliched question, but are there any guitarists that have influenced you? I'm not talking about James Hetfield or Randy Rhoads (laughs).
K (laughs). It's not a playing style influence, but I'd say Gucchin from STRUGGLE FOR PRIDE. The sound itself is incredible, but I think his guitar sound is one of a kind, as it really expresses emotion. Like Yoshimura from The Butchers (bloodthirsty butchers), Gucchin's guitar sound is also incredibly emotional, and I'm always struck by how emotional it is. I can't play like that.
Do you have any stories about playing guitar with Gucchin?
K: I was talking to Gucchin once and he said that playing power chords with your index and ring fingers is the punk way. I guess METALLICA fans like me tend to play power chords with our index and pinky fingers. But that's the way metal is played, so he said that punk is played with your index and ring fingers, which made a big impression on me. After that, I started playing power chords with my index and ring fingers too. But using my ring finger requires more grip strength, so it's really tiring (laughs).
The O -neck is thick, after all (laughs). Are there any other people who have influenced you?
Randy Uchida! GISM is of course great, but RUG (Randy Uchida Group) is great too. His guitar playing is unmatched. Even his mispicking is captivating.
So , are your current activities with DMB PRODUCTION and your work related to US gangsta rap linked or connected to your own work as a band/guitarist?
K : Well, it may seem like each of my activities isn't connected, but I started doing them all as I became friends with people I met or was introduced to through my work with DREADEYE. I did make my own zines, though. As for gangsta rap, I got into it when I started going to II TIGHT MUSIC in Machida because it was close by, and the person who made "GANGSTA LUV" was the father of a classmate. So I feel like I've been able to do all these different things through my love of music and connecting with people. I guess I was just blessed with good friends.
Personally , I like the writing and photography in KEMMY's zines, so I asked her to contribute to OWN LOOK BOOK Vol.3 . Thank you very much.
K : No, thank you very much. I don't think there are any other eyewear brands that create interview content and lookbooks, right? I thought it was a very unique and interesting development.
O KEMMY, you are a big fan of OWN's #09 BLUE×CLEAR/CLEAR GREY . What do you think of it when you use it on a daily basis?
I'm sorry I'm so short on words , but I think it's really cool. As for #09, the two-tone color is beautiful. I also like the midnight blue color scheme. I wouldn't go so far as to say blue is my theme color, but the bike I ride is this color, and the Sketch Monster figure released as a collaboration between BOUNTY HUNTER and DMB was also this color. I just like it (laughs). 
Thank you very much! Finally, is there any information you would like to share?
K I'll be doing a pop-up with my friend BROWNBAG at adan in Tohokuzawa for two days, on September 29th and 30th. I'll also be holding a joint pop-up with Setagaya select shop 16 (Sixteen) at MOBILE SPOT , a select shop in Saga Prefecture that's also an OWN dealer. The dates are October 14th and 15th, and there will be limited items, so I hope you'll come.
By the way, how is the band?
K: DREADEYE's final live show of the year will be on November 18th, planned by ELMO. We've had two live shows this year (laughs). I also want to release a new DREADEYE album next year! Because we couldn't do any live shows due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I was thinking about writing new songs, but in the end I didn't get to write a single one... I'm going to keep working hard from now on (laughs).
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