OVERLOAD Voyager

About ten years ago, when I had the chance to create an interview article for a certain band, there was a phrase that has stuck with me ever since. “When we start touring right after making an album, we end up performing the songs live before they’ve had a chance to grow.” I can’t recall the exact words or the context, but what struck me was the concept of “songs growing.”

Back then, this idea was a revelation to me. Although I had intuitively felt it, putting it into words allowed me to recognize it concretely. What does it mean for a song to “grow”? While it partly refers to getting better with practice, I feel it’s more akin to a break-in period or aging process. No matter how precisely crafted parts are, they inevitably have minor discrepancies that get smoothed out through use. With songs, especially since they’re performed by humans, the discrepancies are likely even greater than in a machine. As a band performs a song live repeatedly, the members’ performances become more in sync, and the experience of performing in a live setting helps the song settle into itself. I believe this is what it means for a song to “grow.”

For us in BUXUS, a self-proclaimed street jam band, the concept of “songs growing” is quite important. Our jamming often involves not just improvisation and spontaneous song creation but also pushing the idea of “songs growing” to the extreme. Whenever we perform live, we are conscious of the “flow of the live show.” Most people who stop to watch our street performances are seeing us for the first time. Unlike typical live shows where most of the audience knows the artist, street performances can’t rely on inside jokes or established familiarity. It would be like showing someone the second or third movie in a series without any context. No matter how good it is, it’s hard to enjoy without knowing the backstory.

Street performances are not just about overcoming a dislike for live houses; they’re also a form of training to engage and entertain first-time listeners without any preparation. Leaving new listeners behind defeats the purpose of a street performance. How should we convey music to everyone, including those who just happen to be passing by? We aim to “play in a way that makes passersby stop” or “makes people want to throw money.” In other words, we’re trying to control the atmosphere.

We start by feeling out the crowd with light jabs, then choose songs that maintain the energy once the audience is into it. Sometimes we deliberately leave them hanging, and towards the end, we bring out a big, climactic number to wrap up the performance. In this sense, what we do is similar to what a good DJ does, sensing the crowd’s feedback and connecting the best songs. Even the same song can take on different meanings and purposes depending on the day’s conditions, the venue, and the audience, as well as whether it’s played at the beginning or end of the set. This is why I consider music a form of language—live performances are not one-sided but a form of mutual communication. This is the essence of being in a jam band.

Now, let’s talk about the song. The concept of “songs growing” is most evident in the track “OVERLOAD,” specifically in the version we recorded, “OVERLOAD Voyager.” “OVERLOAD” was originally created during the era when BUXUS had five members. Tsuge and I came up with the main riff, and the band fleshed it out.

So why did this song change so much that it needed a new title? From the perspective of “adapting to the atmosphere of the moment” in live performances, the original arrangement had little room for flexibility. The initial arrangement had abrupt transitions, which felt awkward during live performances. We often had to move to the next part prematurely, even if the band and audience hadn’t warmed up yet, or cool down the energy when we wanted to keep it going. Consequently, there was a period when we didn’t perform it live very often. However, we liked the song and kept experimenting with it.

Through repeated live performances, the song naturally evolved. Changes in band members also led to new arrangements. Eventually, the song grew so much that it warranted a new title.