On Sept. 30, guitarist Masayoshi Takanaka, formerly of pioneering rock outfit Sadistic Mika Band, stepped onto the stage at Shibuya Kokaido (Shibuya Public Hall) for a special show. Four days later, the venue, which had seen the likes of Buck-Tick, Boowy and, of course, Sadistic Mika Band, was shuttered (it will re-open as something new in 2018).
Takanaka¡¯s stage was decorated with fake palm trees and a sunset was projected onto a screen behind him. Among the red and orange hues, the 62-year-old¡¯s blue Fender Stratocaster stood out, but it was a gold version, which he later played, that caught people¡¯s attention.
¡°It¡¯s actually Kazuhiko Kato¡¯s guitar, the Ikebe music shop gave it to me just recently,¡± Takanaka tells The Japan Times backstage. Kato founded Sadistic Mika Band in 1972, but tragically killed himself in 2009.
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