Musical mission

Dan and Aeh busk around Japan

By Tatat Bunnag
Photos by Varuth Haranyatheb
and courtesy of 999 Project

Showing in movie theatres this week is Kyushu the Movie, a reality road-trip comedy starring the multi-talented entertainer Worawech Danuwong (Dan). He’s teamed up with musician Pongchuk Pissathanporn (Aeh) of the pop band La-Ong-Fong, and the film follows their new SanQ Band as they travel around Japan’s Kyushu Island.

In order to promote tourism and cultural exchange between Thailand and Japan, Kyushu the Movie was made as a reality documentary and that gives SanQ a mission to travel and busk on the streets of seven different provinces around Kyushu Island. The duo have 999 yen to survive on for 30 days, with the goal to perform at the Fukuoka Asian Party 2015 at the end of the month.

Student Weekly caught up with the two stars to talk all about the making of the movie and their experience in Kyushu.

Student Weekly: How did this project start?

Aeh: It came from Connect Japan, a community that promotes tourism and cultural exchange between Japan and Thailand. In the past few years there have been so many Thai tourists in Japan, and more Japanese tourists here.

Dan: I’ve been working in Thai show business for a long time. I’ve made music and directed movies, and Aeh is an expert on almost everything about Japan. So I think this is why Connect picked us to do this job.

Student Weekly: Have you two ever worked together before?

Dan: Not really. We’ve met a few times at events but never really talked.

Aeh: But that makes this project more interesting and challenging.

Student Weekly: Why did you form the SanQ Band?

Dan: The goal of the project was to live in Kyushu for a month. We had to find a job and survive, and I didn’t think I could work in an office [Laughs]. So, we thought we should form a band, write some songs and sell our CDs.

Student Weekly: Can you tell us more about the band’s name and music?

Aeh: San means three, and Q means nine, so together it means triple nine. It’s a lucky number for Thais, and it’s also the name of the project, which is 999 Project.

Dan: SanQ Band is pop music, but not the same pop you’ve heard before from me or La-Ong-Fong. This group was formed to sound like a singer-songwriter, so it’s based on two acoustic guitars and a lot of vocal harmonies. The lyrics are mostly about life and our journey.

Student Weekly: Does Kyushu the Movie have a story?

Aeh: It’s like a documentary or reality show so there’s no plot or director. There were just two of us and a couple of camera guys who followed us around.

Dan: It’s wasn’t a holiday because we had to live with local people. Everything was real. We had no money, so we had to do the jobs they gave us to get some cash and a place to stay.

Student Weekly: Can you tell us about the Fukuoka Asian Party?

Aeh: It’s a huge music festival in Fukuoka city with up to 100,000 visitors each year. During the month before it, we had to travel around seven provinces playing our songs and busking on the streets. If we could gain enough Thai or Japanese fans within 30 days, then we would be allowed to perform at the festival.

Dan: You’ll have to see the movie to find out if we got to perform at the festival or not [Laughs].

Student Weekly: What are some of the most memorable moments in Japan?

Aeh: All our memories are great. Every place we went and the friendship from local people was all very memorable.

Dan: When you see the film you’ll experience almost every moment the same as we did. The film shows our attempts to make it big in Kyushu and our struggles to find food and shelter during our trip.

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