Marty Friedman – Beast From The East

On the goosebumps-inducing Tokyo Jukebox 3, shred great Marty Friedman tackles the japanese pop charts: “it’s pretty much straight-up j-pop that I put on steroids”

- By Joe Bosso

While most musicians’ tour plans are still sidelined by COVID-19, Marty Friedman happily reports that he’s already played live dates — in Japan. “Gigs are happening here, and for a lot of people that’s a great thing,” says the guitarist, a Tokyo resident since 2003. However, he’s quick to point out that, for the time being, concerts in his adopted homeland have been a far cry from what he’s used to. “There are very strict guidelines everybody has to follow. We can’t go beyond 50 percent capacity at any venue, and the other restriction is, artists can’t use their voices on stage. So there’s no singing.”

Which, of course, isn’t a big deal for Friedman, whose setlists, as usual, have been comprised of instrumentals. “Yeah, I’m fortunate in that regard,” he says. “Don’t get me wrong — touring now requires 10 times the effort to achieve half the results, but if that’s what it takes to play, that’s what I’ll do. Everybody needs music. I mean, sure, there are other priorities in life, but music is really important. They need something that makes them happy, now more than ever. If I have the chance to play, I’m there.”