This Doctor Bankrolls Japanese Bands to Tour Across Canada

Usually, when you think of an individual flying in musical acts around the world on their own dime, it’s some despot’s wish fulfilment for a pop sensation to deliver the hits in their throne room. You probably, almost certainly, don’t think of an anesthesiologist and Bad Brains fan in Toronto funding a showcase of unknown Japanese bands across his country, in small venues, for zero revenue or financial reward.

Yet for five years, Dr. Steven Tanaka has bankrolled the Next Music from TOKYO series, which plucks four to five underground, underdog Japanese acts of assorted sensibilities and sees them across Canada. This year, Tanaka toured bands jizue, Uchu Conbini, Kinoko Teikoku and Happy! Mari to Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, sinking tens of thousands of his personal dough and time into making this all happen.

I spoke to Dr. Tanaka on his way back from Niagara Falls, showing the first-time tourists the Canadian water wonder and discount Vegas strip, about how he pulls this all together, what he looks for in these acts, and what Japanese bands think of poutine. For accuracy, every time money comes up, just imagine a sigh accompanying the answer.

Noisey: What did the musicians think of the Falls?
Dr. Steven Tanaka: They were pleasantly surprised. We went on Maid of the Mist and they all got soaked.

So what prompted you to start doing these tours?
I’m Japanese-Canadian, born and raised in Vancouver, and grew up listening to alternative punk, hardcore American stuff. Minor Threat, Bad Brains, Fugazi, Cap’n Jazz, Gorilla Biscuits. I never had much exposure to Japanese music, and when I eventually did it sort of fit the stereotype I had. But five or six years ago, while I was visiting Japan, I actually went to an underground show and I was completely blown away, and I wanted to introduce Canadians to that too.

Why did you decide to pop in to some local underground show?
I just wanted to see what the show would be like. In terms of quality, it seemed a lot of Japanese bands were much more creative from each other. In Canada, a lot of the bands we’ve been seeing are starting to feel homogeneous. They don’t stray too much outside the box. When you hear the word ‘indie’ in North America, you’re usually thinking of some singer-songwriter, folky experience. A lot of Canadian indie bands have a certain feel, Death Cab for Cutie, Arcade Fire. In Japan, they try a lot harder to sound different. Not just being gimmicky, working on making songs on different time signatures and interesting arrangements.

Do you think Canada’s music scene is overdue for some new blood?
I’m not saying Japanese bands are more talented, but recently they have had an affinity for being more progressive. Adding a little bit of complexity, but keeping it accessible enough, having an audience in mind.

Is there something in particular you look for in the bands you select?
Yeah, when I choose the bands I always have to see them live first. There have only been one or two bands I brought over based on the strong recommendations of friends. I go watch the shows, and they have to have very good stage presence. Of course they need good music to back it up, but they’re going to be singing in Japanese, a foreign language, so they have to form enough energy and passion so that, even if the audience doesn’t understand the lyrics, the music is able to shine through a language barrier. One thing I also look for is something special about them, nothing gimmicky but something that stands out as a little bit unusual. A bit of precedence.

So not only are you paying to get the bands over, you’re flying all the way there to scout bands, THEN bring them back over. How much does this all cost?
It usually costs around 50 grand a year, and I could write that off I guess. This is just a hobby. My actual position is as an anesthesiologist. I use that money to fund this little project of mine.

How much time does this take?
Well, time is actually more of a burden than the financial side. Well, the financial constraints definitely hurt too, but I do spend a good portion of the year preparing for the tour. I don’t have any sponsors and I try to do this myself with some friends helping me out. One really good friend, Jeff Spence, has essentially volunteered to become my publicist. I don’t know what it is about his lifestyle, but he’s been very persuasive, a big help.

Why don’t you use any of your money to hire some staff?
Hmm, because it’s like, my baby, and I kind of want to have the hands-on in all aspects of the tour. I seem to complain about it a lot. And even though I whine about how much of a pain in the ass it is, how much money it costs, how much time it takes, I do enjoy it. It makes it more worthwhile in the end.

Do you see a lot of return from the shows?
The shows themselves do very well, they usually sell out. I do choose smaller venues, though, like the Rivoli is relatively small, but we’ve sold out that place the last four years. And I like that, I find them more intimate. I don’t like watching shows in an arena, or even a venue the size of the Phoenix in Toronto.

But there’s no financial gain for you in any of this.
Oh no no no, I lose quite a bit of money doing this. A lot is on travel expenses alone. I lose close to $30,000 each tour.

Have there been some hard lessons over the years?
Oh for sure. Because I have no experience in the entertainment industry, I just assumed you’d need a visa to play in a foreign country, a work permit. The first three years I actually struggled to get these Labour Market Opinions, work permits for the bands, but the whole time, as long as it’s not really a restaurant, playing a venue that’s exclusively for the performance of music, they’re work permit exempt. All you need is a little letter saying that this venue is exempt, and all the bands show customs this to get past the border. Used to stress big time over those Labour Market Opinions, and now I learned you don’t even have to have them.

So what are the highs of doing this?
Definitely seeing the bands, when a Canadian audience gives them a great reaction, how they get so moved by that. Vicariously seeing through their eyes makes me overjoyed. Having the bands feel good about themselves for playing a country that doesn’t understand their language.

And this isn’t like they’re touring the States, they’re touring Canada, which I’m betting is a relative unknown to most of the world.
For sure, I would definitely say touring in the States sounds a lot sexier than playing in Canada. Most of these bands I’ve brought here have never even travelled outside of the border. I’m not saying performed, they haven’t even travelled outside of Japan. Some of them didn’t even have passports when I invited them. They’re elated. Basically for them it’s this big exciting trip. Just any foreign country is a big deal.

Have you treated them to any poutine and Nanaimo bars?
Nanaimo bars! That’s one thing I haven’t thought of as a Canadian specialty yet… But definitely poutine, Beaver Tails, what else… Burger’s Priest, which isn’t a Canadian thing but, like, with Schwartz's in Montreal, they freak out with the size of those sandwiches. Poutine? They love it, but they know if they eat that stuff every day they’ll become the size of sumo wrestlers. Trying it once, they love it. One thing they really seem to like are Montreal bagels.

What do your friends and family think about all this?
Well, my parents know about the tour, in fact I crash at their place a lot when we stop in Vancouver. But I’ve kept it a secret that I fund them, they think the bands are paying their own way across Canada. I haven’t told them that I’m paying for everything. This fact has sort of been leaked out in the media, they probably do already know and just haven’t told me. My friends have been supportive. They don’t normally listen to this kind of music, but when they come out they do enjoy themselves.

How do you balance all this with your day job?
When it gets close to the tour, I’m up really late, because of the time difference I’ll be waiting on emails that’ll usually arrive around 3am, or emergencies about documents. And an email that someone might write in English might take me a half-hour to translate to Japanese. That can leave me pretty tired, but work comes first. I make sure it doesn’t impact my life at work too much.

Is this kind of your vacation?
It is sort of my vacation, yes.

Zack Kotzer is a writer living in Toronto. He's on Twitter.