36th NEW YEARS WORLD ROCK FESTIVAL 2008-2009

ROLLING HALL, Seoul, Korea

ROCK'N ROLL CHALLENGE!
Now, what ROCK can do! STOP GLOBAL WARMING!

Message from Yuya UCHIDA

ROCK'N ROLL CHALLENGE!
Now, what ROCK can do!
STOP GLOBAL WARMING!
36th NEW YEARS WORLD ROCK FESTIVAL

In 1973, this concert began with ‘Carol’, ‘Funny Company’, ‘Sadistic Mika Band’ and some other bands. It has continued from the 20th century to the 21st century, and greeted the 36th anniversary this year!
The place of the concert, performing bands, the period, ROCK itself, and our world has greatly changed.
“36 years! Time flies!
When I see the poster of the first concert made by TADANORI YOKOO, I find the MARTIAL’S amplifier in front of Mt. Everest, an animal of ‘HALF-OX HALF-TIGER’ which represented the transition from ‘the OX YEAR’ to ‘the TIGER YEAR’. And JOHN LENNON, who had met Yoko, and I were somehow flying in the sky as the figure of artificial satellites!
Unfortunately JOHN became a star in the sky but I’m still struggling on the earth!
I was really shocked when I saw ‘PEACE BED’!
John and Yoko were seriously FIGHTING!
They were doing it in order to go beyond the BAND named ‘the BEATLES’ which had won the championship in the world!
Creating selling music, making CDs and selling them all over the world, merchandizing concert tours, pleasure and dilemma, big money and slump, haughtiness and jealousy, and becoming inhuman!
JOHN LENNON refused to go along the way of such ROCK STARS(?) with Yoko’s help!
He created music that refuses WARS and took actions with true heart!
He shared the same will with ‘BLACK PANTHER’ and ‘CHICAGO SEVEN ’and supported them.
He made ‘ROCK’N’ROLL’ more than just a show business, conveyed the true meaning of ‘LOVE & PEACE’ to the world using its POWER as a WEAPON, created “IMAGINE” and then was … killed!
I really wanted to advance a little from a green Rock’n’Roller and to do something challenging with ‘ROCK’N’ROLL.’
“Let’s hold the concert with the common theme through the world!!”
Five years ago, Joe Yamanaka went to SHANGHAI where the ‘Anti-Japan Demonstrations’ were going on!
SHEENA & ROKKETS and HIRO went to ‘TOKYO’!
HAKURYU who had the pride of a Korean living in Japan went to ‘SEOUL’!
To ‘NEW YORK’, DAVID YOHANSEN and BOB GRUEN!
To ‘LOS ANGELES’,
I had run into the guitarist and the bassist who were the children of the members of ‘YONIN BAYASHI’ in MELROSE AVE. They are playing with American vocalist and the drummer. I strongly felt that this international band named ‘BINGES’ is the exactly my policy of NYWRF and symbolization of the continuity of 36 years.
And this year, '‘FLOWER TRAVELLIN’ BAND’!
35 Years ago, I produced ‘FTB’ next to ‘FLOWERS’ aiming at an INTERNATIONAL ARTIST.
They had ‘signed a contract’ with ‘ATLANTIC RECORDS?AHMET ERTEGUN, had been sold all over the U.S. and Canada, ‘SATORI’ and ‘HIROSHIMA’ which ran up the hit chart!
They reorganized themselves with the original members. Let them take heartfelt ‘ROCK REVENGE’ on folk music lovers and music commentators who tried to get rid of the FTB and on the nationalist-musicians who said “We’ll aim at ‘Folk and Rock by our own language’”!
To ‘CANADA?TORONTO’!
ROCK’N’ROLL accepted through the world! and ‘NYWRF’ performed by the pioneers?I’m really glad with them.
Our world is full of serious depression, unemployment! Terrorism and wars!
‘GLOBAL WARMING’ that despaired of all of them!
People do not notice yet!
‘AMERICA’ that had refused to sign up Kyoto Protocol elected ‘OBAMA’ as the first African American President in American history.
He said ‘CHANGE!’ and they said ‘YES, WE CAN!’
‘SHANGHAI’, ’TOKYO’, ‘SEOUL,’ and ‘LOS ANGELES’.
And ‘TORONTO - CANADA’. It was exactly the city where John & Yoko did “BED IN with PEACE FESTIVAL”!
The ROCK’N’ROLLERS in five countries do the countdown with the slogans of ‘STOP GLOBAL WARMING!’, ‘STOP NUKES!’, and ‘STOP WARS’!
If you want to laugh at us, you don’t have to hesitate!! I strongly believe that we have only tiny little power but it can ‘CHANGE’ something!

I sincerely thank all of our seniors, friends, and staff!!


P.S.
I rode a bike on the long road of ‘NIAGARA’ in the coldest snow and rain singing ‘SATORI’!
The earth was still???’BEAUTIFUL’!

Rock’n’Roll!
Yuya Uchida
(Translated by Toru Utsumi)

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