Report on the Talk Event for the Movie "Immediate Family" on July 13th! George Kuckel and Junichi Miyaji Appear! "Immediate Family" Was Born in Japan!

Behind the scenes of many hit songs were session musicians bound by sound, another family.

A music documentary tracing the careers of session musicians who have played behind the scenes of numerous hit songs.

The documentary film "Immediate Family," which depicts musicians who supported the West Coast sound in the United States, is now playing. This work is a music documentary that three-dimensionally depicts four session musicians, including Danny Kortchmar (guitar), Waddy Wachtel (guitar), Leland Sklar (bass), and Russ Kunkel (drums), who supported the recording and tours of artists such as James Taylor, Carole King, Linda Ronstadt, and Jackson Browne, along with testimonies from various musicians and related parties.

On July 13th (Monday), a talk event featuring radio DJ and producer George Kuckel and music critic and DJ Junichi Miyaji was held at Aeon Cinema Chigasaki in Shonan, which has a high affinity with the West Coast sound. At the talk event held on June 26th (Friday) last month, Mr. Kuckel also entertained the audience with behind-the-scenes stories about meeting the members.

July 13th (Monday) 15:30— (16:00 screening start) Venue: Kanagawa Aeon Cinema Chigasaki Speakers: George Kuckel (Radio DJ, Producer), Junichi Miyaji (Music Critic, DJ)

MC: Ai Sasamine (Actress)

George Kuckel said, "About 40% of the songs I play on my radio program are probably performed by these people. Their sound is so integrated into our lives. When you play West Coast music, they are usually the ones playing. The musicians you often hear on the radio are the stars of this movie."

Junichi Miyaji introduced, "These are not people who release records under their own name, but those who have played behind singer-songwriters. I have never seen them talk this much. Because they usually don't talk, there are many surprising stories."

As an impression of the movie, George said, "Jackson Browne's 'Doctor My Eyes.' I realized for the first time while listening to the bass in the movie that 'the star of this song is the bass.' It's not an ordinary bassline, but you can tell that it's that bass that moves the song. That was really interesting." He said excitedly.

George also mentioned that his interview with Waddy Wachtel at a cafe lasted for two hours without stopping, saying that they have many behind-the-scenes stories that cannot be published in magazines. Furthermore, regarding his memories of James Taylor's Japan tour in 1972-73, he revealed "The Immediate Family's" predecessor, "The Section," initially performed, and James' song did not start, surprising them. At the Shibuya Public Hall, Carly Simon appeared for an encore, among other "treasure experiences" from that time.

The two spoke about how the culture of buying records by checking the names of studio musicians on the back cover was born, and Miyaji said, "If I didn't know the names, I couldn't listen to the record, so I would check the back cover to confirm the producer, arranger, and performers. If there were names like Danny Kortchmar, Craig Doerge, or Russ Kunkel, 'It's definite.' That's how I bought them," he recalled.

Regarding the common points between Shonan and the West Coast, George mentioned the symbolic landscape of "palm trees and the vastness of the sea," explaining, "Route 134 is like Highway 1." Miyaji also agreed that the music of Shonan has a similar atmosphere to the West Coast. He also touched on the fact that in the 1970s in Japan, the West Coast sound was very popular, and many musicians were influenced by artists like the Eagles and Jackson Browne.

Furthermore, George mentioned, "Kaz Sakamoto of VIVID SOUND produced Danny Kortchmar's album 'Honey Don't Leave LA' in Japan, which led to the current members of The Immediate Family being gathered," revealing that Japan was like the one who "launched" this band.

Finally, Miyaji said, "The movie uses over 98 songs, and just clearing the copyrights must have taken a tremendous amount of time and money. The director is Denny Tedesco, the same as 'The Wrecking Crew.' It has become a profound work."

The content of the event talk was full of "the backstage of hit songs," and the two said that it was a work that made you want to listen to the songs again after watching it.

The movie "Immediate Family" is now playing in theaters including TOHO Cinemas Shintei and YEBISU GARDEN CINEMA.

From left: MC Ai Sasamine, George Kuckel, Junichi Miyaji

☆ Musicians, related parties appearing in the movie, and songs played in the movie can be found on the official website

https://malibu-corp.com/immediatefamily

<Next Talk Guest Appearance Screening>

◆ July 16th (Thursday) 18:30 start / 19:00 screening start (planned) Venue: Tokyo TOHO Cinemas Shintei Speaker: Masahiro Naoe ('Carnation')

*Note: Please purchase a ticket for the screening to attend the talk event.

Trailer for "Immediate Family"

Japanese title: Immediate Family Original title: Immediate Family Director: Denny Tedesco Running time: 100 minutes / Production: 2023 (USA) Subtitle supervision: Junko Asahi Presented by: Malibu Corporation, Osakana LLC., WADO WINGX Co., Ltd. Distributed by: Santa Barbara Pictures Screening: TOHO Cinemas Shintei, YEBISU GARDEN CINEMA, and other theaters nationwide

© 2023 THUNK ENTERPRISES, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Official HP: https://malibu-corp.com/immediatefamily Official X: https://x.com/ImmediateF26 Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/immediatefamilyjp/

#ImmediateFamily

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