“Radio Shimo-Kajiro – From the music of that time and town, to here and now” is a project being carried out in Shimo-Kajiro Housing Complex, a prefectural disaster-recovery public housing complex in Fukushima’s Iwaki City. Under this initiative, which began in December 2016, project organizers create radio shows featuring recordings of memories of the towns where people once lived, together with well-known music. The recordings are distributed and released as a CD to residents only. By focusing on this practice, project organizers are trying to provide a link between residents with different positions, and a connection to people’s hometowns.

Additionally, in 2019 we put together a “BSB (Support band)” to provide live accompaniment to residents’ “memory songs,” songs of nostalgia for residents which we’ve heard many times during our visits to the complex. The Kanto area-based musicians visit residents of the complex for activities such as the holding of concerts based on residents’ anecdotes; and because they are far away from the complex, the musicians have managed to strengthen their relationships with residents using the power of imagination through music.

And now 2020. Under the scourge of coronavirus, we will hold a three-part series of report-based events while continuing with online visits, looking even more closely at the relationship between creative expression and support, a relationship which is possible precisely because we are in the situation of not being able to meet. Centered around radio-style talk as we play music, we will offer a screening of video footage, as well as live performances by the BSB, and a broadcasting spot with residents. Please join us for this meeting, which is both a debriefing and a concert.

For the second debriefing and concert session, we bring you the “BSB (Support band) edition.”
How has communication through music been conducted at a time when the coronavirus pandemic has made physical interaction more difficult?
On the day of the event, we will screen video recordings, connect with residents of the housing complex online, and give a live broadcast to the accompaniment of the band.