Japanese band supports Black Lives Matter
“I came back to the states in January 2020 as tour manager for an all-girl math rock band from Osaka, Japan, named Paranoid Void. Although it was short-lived, it was one of the most fulfilling tours I’ve been on. So many people turned out in Texas and California.
“But by early February, we all realized that because of COVID-19, we were not going to be able to continue the tour. So I came back to Baytown to be with my family, and the band returned to Japan.
“For quite a while after that, I lost touch with a lot of people. Then shortly after the George Floyd incident, I saw the most wonderfully resonating thing on Facebook. The girls posted this video saying that they wanted to help raise money for Black Lives Matter. In the video, you could see the anguish on their faces. Through their words it was like they were saying, ‘We went to the U.S.A.. We met so many people. We love them. We know they love us. We recognize that you are struggling right now. And we want to help.’
“I have never seen an instance like that, where cultural exchange is helping work toward a solution. Right then and there, my life’s work, my dream, was validated. It didn’t matter how much money I made on that tour, which wasn’t much. It’s a matter of what was accomplished.
“For the girls, it wasn’t a political debate or anything like that. It was so simple. It was just them saying, ‘We want to help you.’”
— David Isaac
Prior to COVID-19, David spent the better part of seven years in Japan as a tour manager, booking agent and promoter for various musicians through his company, Dead Foxx. In the post-pandemic world, he hopes to bring more bands from Japan to Baytown.
Through the sale of band T-shirts, Paranoid Void members Yuki (bass), Meguri (guitar) and Mipow (drums) helped raise $455 for a Black Lives Matter support fund.
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