Shin Miyata: Chicano Music's Bridge To
Japan
by Mark Guerrero
Shin Miyata,
who was born and grew up in Japan, is the owner of Barrio Gold Records/Music
Camp, Inc., based in Tokyo, Japan. He has spent a great deal of time,
energy, and a lot of his own money over the past twenty years to bring Chicano
music to Japanese audiences. Shin has reissued CDs by artists such as Malo,
Tierra, East LA Sabor Factory, Slowrider, Mezklah, Ray Sandoval, Queztal, The
Village Callers, Eastside Connection, and various compilations. He's also
released CDs by rap artists such as Aztlán Underground, Kemo, and Aztlán Nation.
In addition, he writes articles on Chicano music and culture for various
publications in Japan, including a regular column called "Que Pasa Aztlán" for
Lowrider Japan. Yes, you read that right, there is a Lowrider Japan and it has around
70,000 readers. You may wonder how this all came to be. Well,
according to Shin, it all started with him being a regular watcher and fan of
the 1970s American television show "Chips," starring Eric Estrada, which was
very popular in Japan. He liked Eric's character of Ponch and particularly
enjoyed the episodes and scenes that depicted Chicanos and the barrios. He
liked the way they dressed, talked, and customized their cars.
He thought they were cool. This led him to movies such as "Boulevard
Nights," starring Richard Ynequez and Danny De La Paz. When Shin graduated
from high school, he went to a Japanese University and studied Spanish.
Rather than go to Spain to practice and study the language like most other
Japanese students would normally do, Shin took a year off from school and headed
directly to East L.A.! Orale! The year was 1984 and he was only 21
years of age. He wound up living in the City Terrace and Boyle Heights
districts of East L.A. Through a reverend from Japan he met at an
English school in L.A., he was introduced to the first of two Chicano
families with whom he lived during this period. Through people in these
adopted families, he was introduced to the
low rider car scene, which included cruising Whittier Boulevard listening to
Chicano music. In 1985, he attended a Cinco de Mayo concert at Lincoln Park
in East L.A., where he saw Los Lobos at a time they were just starting to break
out in a major way.
When Shin
returned to Japan, he began writing articles on Chicano music and culture.
He interviewed Chicano artists including Rudy and Steve Salas of Tierra, Poncho Sanchez, Freddie Fender, Tejano musician Estevan
Jordan, and others for articles in various publications. Eventually Shin got a job with a major record company,
BMG Records Japan, for whom he worked for many years. The day came
however, when Shin decided to take the leap and leave his secure job with
benefits to start his own record company. Barrio Gold Records was born.
One of the most significant contacts for Shin in East L.A. was Hector Gonzalez
of the Rampart Record Group. Hector inherited the Rampart Records
collection of records, publishing, and archives from "Eastside Sound" impresario
of the 60s and 70s, Eddie Davis. This collection includes recordings by
legendary East L.A. groups Cannibal & the Headhunters, The Premiers, The
Blendells, El Chicano, Little Ray Jimenez, The Village Callers, The Mixtures,
Little Willie G., The Jaguars with the Salas Brothers, and many others.
Shin has reissued various albums and compilations from this treasure trove of
seminal and historic recordings. Historic as they are, the excitement and
energy still emanate from these recordings thirty and forty years after they
were originally recorded. In November of 2006, Shin brought Quetzal to
Japan for a promotional tour. (Quetzal is part of a new generation of East
L.A. bands who came up in the 90s.) Shin, who's very interested in a
cultural exchange between Chicanos and the Japanese, has his own theory as to
why many Japanese youth are attracted to Chicano music and culture. He's
been quoted as saying that despite their obvious differences, Chicanos and the
Japanese similarities. "They have similar skin tones and are both
physically small in stature. They also share a love for music, mellow with
sabor. Japanese youth also relate to things against the mainstream,
against authority, especially because their society is so structured and
controlling." Shin has virtually dedicated his life to Chicano music and
culture. He loves it himself and wants to share it with others in Japan.
Although there are many fans of Chicano music and culture in Japan, at this
point it's still a small niche market so he does a lot of work for little
monetary gain. Hopefully, it will continue to grow which will be great for
Chicano music and for Shin, who deserves any rewards that come to him for his
efforts.
I first
heard about Shin Miyata from Hector Gonzalez about ten years ago in the mid-90s.
I heard about him again around 2005 from Frank Miranda, the owner of the
internet radio station from which my show "Chicano Music Chronicles" was
broadcast, crnlive.com. Both Hector and Frank had nothing but good things
to say about Shin and his efforts to promote Chicano music in Japan. In
October of 2007, after performing with El Chicano at the Gibson Amphitheater in
Universal City, CA at the benefit for the Garfield High School Auditorium, I was
talking with Sal Rodriguez, the drummer for War. He mentioned that I
should really meet Shin Miyata. Apparently Sal was the first Chicano music
contact with Shin. A week or so later I got an e mail from Shin saying
that he enjoyed my Chicano music website and the articles I've written and
wanted to know if there was something we could do together to benefit Chicano
music. I wrote him back that I would be interested to talk with him about
some possibilities. We agreed to meet a couple of months later when he
would be in Southern California. Here's the itinerary for his trip that
included our meeting. Shin flew to Mexico City for a Chicano film
festival, took a bus north to Tucson, Arizona, rented a car, and drove to Los
Angeles. Palm Springs, where I live, is on that route 100 miles east of
Los Angeles. So Shin drove directly to my house so we could meet in
person. After meeting in person for the first time and breaking the ice so
to speak, Shin interviewed me on video for a book he's writing on Chicano music
for Japan. I, in turn, interviewed him about his life and career for my
website. He gave me two of his recent CD releases, "Eastside Soul
Classics 1963 - 1977" and "Eastside Connection," which is an album recorded by
Hector Gonzalez' band of the same name in the late 70s. The packaging for
his releases are first class, with booklets with photos and detailed information
on the artists and the songs. Shin puts tender loving care into his
releases because he cares and believes the music deserves the respect. I
gave him two of my CDs, "Tango," an album I made with my 70s rock/country rock
band of the same name, and my solo anthology album, "On the Boulevard."
I took Shin
to dinner at a unique restaurant in Palm Springs that serves Mexican and
Japanese food, a rare combination in one restaurant. The architecture and
motif of the restaurant was Japanese because it used to be exclusively a
Japanese Restaurant. It also has a great view of the beautiful mountain
that overlooks downtown Palm Springs. After dinner, we went to my gig
downtown at Las Casuelas Terraza, where I regularly perform in an outdoor
nightclub with my band, Hot Rox. Shin had a drink and enjoyed the music in
the beautiful setting that includes palm trees, a tropical thatched roof bar,
stage, and overhangs, lovely women, and fresh air to breathe. I know it
sounds idyllic, but it is. After hearing a couple of sets, Shin left for
his two hour drive to Los Angeles, the final destination of his latest
trip. He figures he's made the trip to California from Japan around fifty times to date. I found Shin Miyata to be a very nice and
personable guy who is passionate and sincere about Chicano music and culture.
He and his story are nothing short of extraordinary. Hopefully, our
meeting is just the beginning of a mutually beneficial relationship that will
further advance the cause of Chicano music in Japan. Shin asked me to
mention that he's interested in finding out about any Japanese-American and
Chicano interactions in East L.A., for example, Japanese-Americans who were
members of bands, car clubs, or part of the Chicano movement. If you have any relevant information on
the subject, please e mail me at
info@markguerrero.net and I'll pass it on to Shin. You can visit Shin
Miyata's Music Camp Entertainment website at:
www.m-camp.net.
This article is based on an
interview by Mark Guerrero with Shin Miyata in Palm Springs, CA on December 9,
2007.
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Shin Miyata (2008)
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Contact me at:
info@markguerrero.net
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