Kohei's guitar is reconstructed Aria TS-500.
This guitar was made in '70s Japan.
Kohei bought it very cheep price from his friend.

Q: When did you begin to play the guitar?

Kohei: I was 11 years old. Then my father bought a YAMAHA's dreadnought type acoustic guitar (FG-180) for me and my older brother.
And my brother, Shuhei told me how to play it and showed me some guitar's chords, as he could play the piano very well,too.

Q: Did you start to play the guitar by Folk music?

Kohei: Yes, I did. Because From late '60s to early '70s, there was a little boom in folk songs. These songs were almost sung by japanese, but the melody or the picking form was American style.
Then my brother Shuhei was a junior high school. But his mental age was high. One day, he knew about Wataru Takada's songs by radio, and bought his record soon.
Wataru Takada is famous Japanese Folk singer. He adored Woody Guthrie. We learned many American old music and spirits from Wataru Takada's records. And we tried to play the guitar like the Carter Family,too. And after, we got into Bluegrass and Country Blues,too.

　

Wataru Takada 　　 HAPPY END

Q: Then, How did you think about Rock?

Kohei: I was greatly infulenced by Japanese early '70s band, named HAPPY END. Their sound was like Buffalo Springfield.
And I was 12 years old in 1970. I went to see the movie of WOODSTOCK,too. Then I was a little boy, but I felt energetic rock's culture. But the electric guitar was too expensive for me. My first band was a copy band of CSN&Y in junior high school. Sure we could not sing well... I only found the cost of freedom..... in it.

Q: And you knew the Grateful Dead...

Kohei: Yah!, The first time I listened to CSN&Y "Deja vu" 's steel guitar.
Jerry Garcia played the steel guitar on "Teach Your Children". I loved this album very much. And I bought a record of Grateful Dead's "Working Man's Dead". Working Man's Dead.....It has the double meaning. But they didn't say "Working class Hero", they said only "Working Man's Dead". It's more deep meaning, I think so. It's a good title and my favorite DEAD's album.

Q: Have you ever gone to the concert of Dead?

Kohei: No I haven't. I only have listened to their albums and some tapes.
I had many friends of japanese Dead Heads, since I released my album "Grateful Bed". But Himeji is rocal town. I didn't know how to go to the Dead's concert long time. In that I have not met to Dead Heads in my town. I have been on my bed.

Q: Were your CDs given to the band members of the DEAD?

Kohei: The week when I received a sample CD-R of "Grateful Bed" from american factory, Jerry Garcia died.......Oh, I could not believe the news. But I had to wait for my CD's completion till October '95. And I sent my CDs to the Dead office soon. DEAD HEADS gave me a letter in '96 summer. They let me know that my CDs were given to the band members. I was very surprised it. And I touched their kindness.

▼MUSHROOM A Go Go! (GYUUNE/HOREN)

Q: Were you the manager of a rock club in Himeji?

Kohei: Yes, I was working at rock club "MUSHROOM" since 1994 to July 2000. I managed a gig's hall and three practice studio. MUSHROOM joined the Kansai (almost Osaka's area)'s Alternative Rock Scene. But we offered all music more wide. As an example, from Folk music to Electoric Noise, Hard Core And Jazz, Blues, Bluegrass..... Because I seeked all music. It was for not only business. It was the space of MUSHROOM.
And in Dec 1998, we released a Mushroom's omnibus album named "MUSHROOM A Go Go!". I produced this album what has many kind of music. You can listen to the Grateful Bed's "Blues For Garcia" and my Bill Monroe's cover song in this album. And the first song titled "SORE WA BOKU JA NAIYO /by COA & Wataru Takada" won the 7th place in the Chart of CRJ (the College Review Japan) Tokyo in march 1999.

Q: Please tell me your favorite guitarist.

Kohei: From EDDIE LANG to JAMES BLOOD ULMER. I can't count them all.
Sure, I like specially JERRY GARCIA and CLARENCE WHITE.
Sometimes I look up to the sky and think that they are playing the guitar together now in the sky.

Shuhei and Kohei at "Guwaran-do" in Tokyo 1977