Land of the rising fun: The Depaysement head to MAMF

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Courtesy of The Depaysement

Land of the rising fun: The Depaysement head to MAMF

Waylon Sternhagen

By the time they hit the stage at Deano’s on Sunday, The Depaysement will have traveled roughly 7,300 miles in seven days.

The Japanese rockers embark on a month long U.S. tour this week, and will play a pair of shows in Ohio before heading to Ames for this weekend’s Maximum Ames Music Festival. According to bassist Hikaru Koyanagi, scheduling a stop at the festival to reunite with past tourmates, Mumford’s, was a no-brainer.  

“If your friends hold a festival, you want to be there, right?” said Koyanagi. 

Formed in Tokyo in 2008 by drummer Maresuke Nishimori and brothers Wataru, Satoru and Hikaru Koyanagi, The Depaysement drew on diverse influences such as The Ramones, Beastie Boys, and composer Ennio Morricone to create a sound they call “rock and roll circus.”

The band’s music is charmingly unorthodox, featuring fun, childlike lyrics set to loose instrumentation delivered with enthusiasm.

The band released their debut album, IPOH Horg Fung, in 2011. The following year the quartet ventured to Austin, Texas, to play at the South by Southwest festival.

There, they met Mumford’s, the band of Maximum Ames’ co-directors Nate Logsdon and Chris Lyng. According to Logsdon, the two bands bonded instantly over their mutual love of wild, live performances and unconventional rock and roll.

“Our bands played back-to-back,” said Logsdon. “They totally blew us away and then we totally blew them away. After the show we kept in touch online and stayed friends even though English is not their first language.”

The groups toured together later that year. As they crisscrossed the U.S. for six weeks, The Depaysement was exposed to the ways of the American indie circuit. While Koyanagi says that it was the best experience of the band’s career, Logsdon recalls that there were a few cultural hurdles to overcome.

“It was interesting to tour with them because they are not used to the way American bands often tour, especially in the underground, DIY circuit,” said Logsdon.

“Like, they had never slept on someone’s floor before, but sleeping on floors is all we’d ever done. So they stayed in hotels and we crashed at houses.”

Sleeping arrangements aside, Koyanagi says the band had no trouble getting around the States.

“We love junk food. America is the home of McDonald’s,” Koyanagi said. “Satoru likes to drive, so we can travel long distance. The Web makes [the] world small. We can contact our family or friends through Facebook.” 

Logsdon confirmed the band’s enthusiasm and love of American food.

“They love America. They ate fast food every single day,” said Logsdon.

The bands will reunite for one show at the festival this weekend. While Mumford’s has traditionally been the final band to play during the festival, this year The Depaysement is going on last.

Logsdon says those who have attended the rowdy festival finale in the past can expect The Depaysement to deliver an equally passionate performance.

Koyanagi promises The Depaysement will make a powerful impression on the audience as they bring the festival to a close.

“We can show you our sweat and soul,” said Koyanagi. “We will play with the full power of rock and roll.  If you give us your energy, we can show you the best rock and roll circus.”

The Depaysement with Mumford’s, The Wheelers, Nato Coles & the Blue Diamond Band will perform at 5 p.m. on Sept. 28 at Deano’s. Tickets are $7 and the event is limited to people 21 and older.

For the full festival lineup go to www.maximumames.com.