Irish whiskey brand Busker takes pride in connecting musicians together, and here in Shibuya, they sponsored an event featuring local Shibuya musician Takeshi Tesui, and his band “Chase Down.” Hosted at “The Music Bar,” this bar is known as a vinyl record mecca in Shibuya. In addition to the vinyl music, this bar also occasionally features live music.
Besides the music, this event prominently featured two renown cocktail bartenders in the Shibuya area, making four designer mixed drinks that featured Busker whiskey.
Bringing Value to Busker in Japan
Our role as an agency was to combine our photography prowess through our partners at Phoenix Film Productions, with our experts in audio engineering helping assist the bar staff in setting up, running, and producing the audio for the live band.
These live events, as stated earlier, feed into the narrative Busker set up for itself, the name standing for ‘street or local performer.’ Value in this sort of production comes with direct interaction and engagement with the local venue. Additionally, the band was very engaging and helpful. We again are grateful for Takeshi-san for his patience and collaborative energy!
One can easily make an argument about reaching much higher and activating at a larger concert festival, but the brand truly values local musicians much more. The more grassroots an operation can be, the more widespread and effective the engagement can be, even for a global brand.
Challenges We Faced
Respecting the Busker brand and engaging with the resources we had, while satisfying the needs of multiple collaborators, those are what we had to deal with going into this project. There wasn’t much pressure, but we only had limited time to muster resources and supplies.
The Music Bar is a much respected local bar with a regular clientele base, so we didn’t want to disrupt their operations. We showed up at 5 when the performances began at 9, and made sure everything was set up, tested, and operational before the regular bar guests arrived.
Very Low Light Photography
One challenge faced is the fact the venue is very poorly lit, by design. Smartphone cameras and regular-grade consumer cameras aren’t usually up to the task of photographing subjects adequately in low light. Our partners at Phoenix Films, however, have trained in photographing in low light, using a full-frame professional Nikon Zf camera.
Photos taken during the event should also be color-graded to reflect the cozy and grassroots energy that comes with local music. Additionally, the vibes and energy from the bartenders are a must capture for such an event.
What We Learned from Working with Busker
For our agency, this is a first for us, working with a global whiskey brand. Learning nomenclature related to alcohol distribution and sales, collaborative efforts between multiple parties (in this case being the brand, import company, venue, band, and bartenders), and expanding our own agency’s reach further into live music events, all of this sets our agency up for more effectiveness in brand marketing.
Live music is such an important medium these days as people seek real-world experiences. Our ability to work with musicians and producers, such as our audio engineer Harry, stand us above other agencies in that regard.
Staff and Crew
- Producer, Audio Engineer, Sound Check: Thom Peace, Peace Works Japan
- Chief Audio Engineer: Harry Herco
- Host, Busker Intermediary: Jarom Reid, Whisk-E Japan.
- Band Leader, Venue Coordination: Takeshi Tetsui, The Music Bar
- Photographer, Sound Check, Assistant Audio Engineer: Zach Kuhn, Phoenix Film Productions
