What is "SE-BANARU"? |
| 1: It means; You can do it if you really want to. If you think you can, you can. If you think"not", you are right. 2: It is Niigata dairect; "SE-BA"≒"YAREBA" means "If you do something" or "at least if you have a will to do something." or "How strong our 'will' is to do something" In our case, we attach great importance to this matter. We have to be active and impulsive. Possessing power, working like mad, and being aggressive and "hot" weigh a lot with us. Detailed plans are not necessary. We are based on the ideas of self-interest. If it makes sense to us, we could be an exclusive group. Things which are passive, conservative, and fair in words only are out of our concept. "NARU"≒"DEKIRU" means "you can make it." As you can see, because this word is paired with "SE-BA" mentioned above, which does not need detailed plans, it does not consist of a sense of "completeness" or "achievement." It has rather a sense of "Oops, we have done it!", "Well, well, well, this is it!" or something like that. It just means "the passage of time" or "finishing." However, fun, laughter, and afterglow are strongly required. Moreover, a sense of "Oops, we have done it!" could be "addictive." |
[Rome was not built in a day... SE-BANARU was not built in a day!] |
| In 1986, "YOMEBA WAKARU-SHA", a
group of people in the Tagami area
of
Niigata, was lacking an idea for some entertainment
for their regular
party. Since the members were from various
fields and good at creating
amusement, "they" had been successfully
providing "fun" on their own.
However, this was the time that "they"
ran out of ideas... Then, one
member said "How about a BBQ?"---
What a great idea!?!?!? "I know some bands. Why don't we let them play some music for us?" "One guy owns a farm , so let's do it there!" Once "they" decided, "they" just started rushing without thinking of the consequences, even though there was nobody among "them" who knew "music." Thus, there were no detailed plans, preparations or anything. "They" just used their connections to get the music equipment for their own sake. "They" just used their connections to get the bands for their own sake. Again, there were no detailed plans, preparations or anything. What were there were the equipment and some bands who were just gathered without knowing that they would be a side dish for "those guys'" party. What poor bands...! This is the beginning of "SE-BANARU." |
[Thinking over? Regreting? These things are useless!!] |
| On the day of the first SE-BANARU. There
were bands who were deceived
into playing music as a side dish for "these
guys'" party. And there
were drunks who just used the occasion as
a vent for their instinctual
desire to shout, move, and release stress.
The great party, the first
SE-BANARU was over. "Oops, we did it!" The party went on into the wee hours of the morning. After the party, what "they" got were tons of garbage, telephone calls of complaints about the loud music, and a serious case of the blues thinking about work next day... No, no, no! "They" were the experts of having fun actively. "They" just ran into the second party not thinking it over, with no regrets, and saying "Wow, let's do it again, next year!" |
[No pay? How merciless!] |
| Because of the unpredictable power of SE-BANARU,
the size of the audience
(people who are sick of their daily life
with no excitements) has been
increasing every year. And then, it has
become a great stage (it could
be EL-Do-ra-do or Heaven!) for the bands
who usually play only among
their own buddies, and they can be a "star"
for a while once a year,
there. There are no ways for them to
get
to know that it's a total
misunderstanding, though... Thus, the number of band willing to play also has been increasing. Good! Everything has been going well for the members of "YOMEBA WAKARU-SHA." Since then, those bands have been eager to help prepare for it in order to win a limited number of the tickets to play on the stage of the SE-BANARU. Of course, it's no pay!! |
 |
[Rain? Wind? They are nothing!] |
| The day before SE-BANARU in a certain year, the T.V. weather forecast reported a huge tropical cyclone coming over Niigata, and it actually started raining cats and dogs. If "they" had had a common sense, "they" would have canceled the concert. As you see, however, "they" were not ordinary people. "They" were dancing fools, singing fools, and drinking fools! There was no one who had doubt about the bad weather. "They" just got ready for it with a huge blue sheet for roof... Just do it!? |
 |
| Besides this, there were no one who had worried
about less people coming
in rain. "They" rather enjoyed
working in the rain. Many difficulties... "They" were not sensitive enough to suffer from those. SE-BANARU just has been going on every year. Well, it was true that some of them who could not catch up with their bottomless energy left there. Sometimes it was in danger of being a working place for yakuza-san (Japanese mafia), sometimes it was a target of the critics of people who called themselves "professional musician", sometimes it was almost hijacked by the group of exclusive bands, and sometimes it was almost utilized for the political purposes. "They" experienced fighting against 0-157. Financial problems? "They" always had them!! However, fortunately or unfortunately, nobody care!! |
[Be careful of imitations!] |
| SE-BANARU has no exact organizers. But if
still you want to know who
organizes it, well, I say they are just
some people who take the lead in
enjoying the event. Since SE-BANARU does
not want to give up any of its
freedom, it has never had sponsors,
never
accepted bribery from bands who wanted to play on its stage. Only the
bands which work hard, sell
the tickets by themselves, buy tickets for
themselves, and survive in
unreasonable, outrageous, absurd requests
from "them" can win the right
to play there. However, the bands which
desire to play on its stage
have never been absent.
Up until now, there have been many similar concerts and they've disappeared. Those are the events with purposes in the common sense such as; for culture, art, community, promotion of the local music, painting the town red, the gate to success of professional musicians, and so on. SE-BANARU is still going on. SE-BANARU which has no purpose in the common sense... |
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[This is it!] |
|
If "they" are asked "so what?",
they proudly answer "this is it!"
Yes,
SE-BANARU is nothing but "this is it!" |