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Witches of the Week #6: SecondLady



1- Where is the band from and what's the best thing to do there?
Yun (bass): We're from Osaka, so Osaka Castle! It's like a modern Japanese castle
Yuki (lead guitar): I think the best place is USJ (Universal Studios Japan)!
Junna (drums): In Osaka? Eating takoyaki, of course!
Alyse (vocals/guitar): I think I agree with Yuki. I love going to USJ! I even have a season pass lol

2- What does your name stand for and what was the runner up?

Junna: I think it was because it was easy to remember? Maybe the other name was Monster Lady??

Yun: I joined after this so I dunno.
Yuki: Same, I have no idea.
Alyse: Hahaha, well at the time, Lady Gaga was really popular in Japan, so we thought using a name with lady in it would somehow help people remember our name?? I think that was the logic we used lol Before that, we were going to call ourselves The Grenadines, but that name was already taken. Then the two other original members suggested First Lady, but I told them that was already taken too lol

3- Describe your sound using a movie title.

Junna: Movies?! I don't know anything about movies!

Yun: I have no idea. Someone please give me a suggestion!
Yuki: I can't think of anything...
Alyse: OHHH probably something very 90s/00s like Josie and the Pussycats. That movie was actually a really big influence (definitely for me) when we first started playing and making music together.
Clueless would also be a good one too! Maybe we should wear more matchy suits...

4- Describe each band member using a meal.

Yuki: Ahhhh, I think this is too difficult for me!
Yun: Alyse reminds me of Baskin Robbins, Yuki would be rolled cabbage, and Junna would be chawamush (a type of Japanese egg custard with chicken and mushrooms).
Alyse: Junna reminds me of Okonomiyaki, because she's kind of all over the place, but a combination of all the best things. Yun is probably like spicy noodles, but the kind without the red sauce so it's unassuming until you take a bite. Yuki would probably be something fluffy like lemon meringue pie.
Junna: I think we would be Yami-nabe (a stew made up of ingredients brought at random to a party, then eaten in the dark.
Alyse: Damn... Yami-nabe would be an awesome band name lol

5- Name 3 bands who would headline your dream fest?

Yuki: Green Day, Blink182, Zebrahead
Yun: Hmm, a festival... Maybe Kanjani8, BABYMETAL, and Funasshi, even though one of them isn't really a band
Junna: Green Day, The Offspring, NOFX
Alyse: Incubus, A Perfect Circle, NIN

6- For or not being described as "female fronted"?

Yuki: I've never really thought about it.
Yun: If it helps us get noticed, I don't mind!
Junna: I think it's fine, right??
Alyse: Haha, I suppose this is where cultural differences come into play. It does kind of bother me because, in Japan, it's kinda assumed that their fans will be male or that they're performing for the male gaze in a way? Then there's the pressure to be young, cute, approachable, etc. Like, we've had some female-fronted bands say they would be afraid to perform with us because of our "powerful" sound (I suppose they just mean loud lol).
Of course, this isn't always the case, there are quite a few female-fronted bands that have male and female fans, but I kind of just wish they would just focus more on the music, and less on the gender.

7- Are you signed on a label and why?

Junna: No, we aren't. Because we want to be free!

Yun: We aren't! But we're taking applications
Yuki: Yeah, we're not very well-known, but it would interesting to try. Though maybe it could be too restrictive...
Alyse: We've only ever been approached by really shady companies here in Japan lol I would love to join a cool indie label in the UK or the US though. They seem like fun.

8- What's the most punk thing you've seen on tour/in a show?

Yuki: When we were playing in Hong Kong, we had the police show up to shut us down. Guess we were too loud lol
Junna: Yeah, I thought they were gonna arrest us!
Alyse: I think our shows in New Caledonia were really awesome though. That's where we saw our first mosh pit! (they don't really mosh at small indie shows in Japan lol)

Yun: I don't have much live experience, but once, on the way to a show, we got stuck on the highway during a typhoon and busted a tire. (I joined after all these cool adventures!)

9- Best quarantine activies?

Yun: Watching lots of TV dramas!
Yuki: I've been in the backyard playing with my dogs and BBQing! Also making songs!
Junna: I hate being stuck at home, but I've been able to practice some cover songs!

10- What's the best way to support your band?

Junna: We really want to connect with more bands overseas or play in festivals overseas, so introduce us to someone! Or just share our stuff lol

Yuki: Yeah, we really want to play more shows outside of Japan so please share out music!!

Yun: Share us on your favorite social networking service!


Alyse: Everything they said! We're on YouTube, Spotify, Google Music, Apple Music, Instagram Music, pick your service! Share! Tag us! We love interacting with everyone! We're planning on uploading some neat cover songs once the studios open back up, so definitely keep us on your playlists!


http://secondlady.net
https://www.facebook.com/secondladyrock/
https://www.instagram.com/secondlady_japan/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/1tgQsbDARFrFRjOUNscbdK

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