With the colors of passion

YOU PAINTED A NEW HORIZON

Hi my loving bros and sis!

This past week has been really full in action and emotion! We’ve been working on the live performance in the Studio B, crafting not only the sound of the show but also its spirit. We asked ourselves the question: “What do we want to give to all our friends who will travel across oceans and lands to share a special moment with us… what will we offer… dying on stage every night to seed life and pull down heaven”. We’re also in the midst of recording the core of the album, every day allowing us to touch something completely crazy. The final touches are being made to the new website and SFCC… Are you excited about it? I AM!!! And then, as we were all passionately busy in Studio A, Studio B and other YFE HQ offices, we were invited to stop and discover another creation that had been crafted here in the Studio/Church, in a “little” corner where no one really goes, no one but the sound of the music that echoes day and night… Our brother Kosho had been working on a painting and he invited us to unveil his creation. It was obvious that Kosho was more than proud and it was more than obvious that we were all speechless, in awe and just moved by this image…

We filmed this magical moment… and I think you can feel how Life creates Life through the love and sharing that goes on in it:

I pushed that sharing a little further by asking Kosho a couple questions. I could see it was hard for him, not to answer the questions, but to trust he could expose himself in words just as powerfully as he does with his brushes and colors…
Here are his words:

Can you tell us how you met YFE?

I went to their concert at first. It was in 2008 in Osaka which was the very first show for YFE in Japan.

When we both met last October for the filming in Japan of ‘Voyage A La Mer’, we spent wonderful moments, talking about music, art and life.

And now you’re here with us, creating every day visual art that gets its roots from the music you hear ringing in the studio. The last painting you did strikes anyone who’s looking at it… I’m still wondering how simple colors can capture our eyes, reminding us of the spirit of the song and bring the whole experience even further… it’s so nice to SEE the way you express your experience with the song…

What was your spirit before you started the painting?

My feeling is always unstable before I start to paint or create any art work. Every time I feel like so angry or very sad or frustrated for something… anxious but being excited at same time. You don’t really know what the feelings are all about. I guess it would be easier if I could describe it by words. But one thing I’m sure about is that it’s not just something to be ‘explained’, It has to be ‘expressed’ somehow by using any kinds of material you have. I do make sculpture, take photos or just do sketches on paper. This time, it was painting for me. The band express feelings through music, but the spirit to create something would be the same I guess.

What did you want to express?

I was so related to the lyrics of “I Just Want You To Know” at the time. And again, I didn’t really know what were the feelings I had inside, whether it was sadness or anger or anything else but I think it’s all about the passion I felt through the song.

It’s funny because every time I look at the painting, the face in the painting looks different. Sometimes he looks like he’s crying, sometimes looks very angry..

Can you describe the emergency you had to create this piece of art?

In that song Alex is singing “you can’t stand these feelings anymore. it’s killing you inside.”

In this part I found my emergency and a hope at same time, because the feeling which is trying to ‘destroy’ you could turn out to be the feeling of the passion to ‘create’ something. I think this is the beauty of the emergency of this song and this was the first point to start the painting. I needed to expose myself and pour everything inside out.

When you were watching the Sounds and Noises about the song “I Just Want You To Know” it seeded something in you… how would you describe it?

I’ve been listening to the song even before the video was released, so I already had my own perspective of the song. But after watching the video and listening to the interviews, the song became very three dimensional by their perspective as well. The song became more alive and real.

It was very inspiring for me to know the whole making process of the song because I believe that music or art or any types of creation can give the same kind of impact even though the way to express it, is different. Sounds and Noises gave me the way to express ‘the sound’ of the painting.

What did you want to do with that spark?

I’m really interested in how music and art bring us further and what really makes us so excited and what makes you just stop and listen and look at. The materials we use are different but everything is all about ‘how to capture the moment’. So I just wanted to capture the moment and feelings I had about the song into the painting.

Is there a part of the lyrics of the song that inspired you? What did you feel about it?

The part that says ‘So much more than noise’ became a message of realization for me and for the process of my creation.

Especially in this song, there is a massive noise guitar part. So I wanted to find a way that I could possibly make this painting ‘so much more than the noise’. I thought it would be great if my painting could be quiet but not silent. That was a big challenge for me to do.

Our heart since the beginning is for each and everyone to share, bridging people through music and hoping that each person will step out and shine. You’re definitely shining beautifully lately Kosho…

What inspires you to shine more and create something incredible?

The people around me are the most important thing for me. It’s been my dream to work with very creative people and inspire each other. Everything here is so inspiring. I just realized we have to live like the band, even if you don’t play any instruments. Always you need to ‘input’ everything around you, and, when your turn comes, you need to ‘output’ and play loud as much as you can with your own tone and unique sound.

The music inspired you to create this piece of art. Now that the painting is born… what’s next?

Now I’m planning to make a big sculpture of Sef’s head. lol

Well, I don’t really know what’s coming next, so I can be excited as well! It’s always so exciting to see the first blank canvas before painting because there is nothing but possibility. I just want to keep my hunger for the excitement.