 | 1. Name: Ishizuka Tomoaki(石塚 智昭)
2. Date of birth: 1965.11.04
3. Place of birth: Tateyama, Chiba
4. Type of blood: B
5. Height: ? см
6. Zodiac sign: Скорпион
7. Band status: rhythm guitarist
8. Place of living: Tokyo, Japan
9. Record label: ? |
Born to be a guitarist.
Pata, he has a poker face.
His guitar playing is orthodox and powerful.
He can't part with his guitar.
The guitar is part of PATA already.
He wants only to be a guitarist.
(c) X-ism 1990
 Pata is considered to be the most taciturn and mysterious band member. There is little information about him, and all that known is difficult to confirm by means of documents.
The only thing to say firmly: image of Ishizuka is the best for concept of the band - person-enigma, person-uncertainty. And at that time Pata-on-the-stage and Pata-in-real-life are two different people. In order to understand him a bit, let’s see this event more attentively.
Pata was born on November 4th in Tateyama city, Chiba prefecture. History of his family, childhood, school years remained behind the scene. Pata doesn’t like to talk about his past, there is little known about his private life. His feature – super short «long interviews»; if other band members may praise with 5 and moreover 6 pages of interviews in magazines, Ishizuka’s maximum – 1,5 pages. Information about Pata’s early music work can be known only by knowing his collaboration with other people in all times.
It’s known that in 1980 Pata begins to play guitar in Black Rose. According to one rumors, he was the leader, according to other – his close friend was the leader. In 1982 band changing current line up changed a title to Judy. And three years after it was disbanded, because all the members - with the exception of Pata – decided to give up music. Thanks to his high level skills of playing guitar record labels very often called for him as a session guitarist.
In February 1987 band X needed one more guitarist for recording song Stab me in the Back included in Skull Trash Zone Vol. 1 compilation made by Victor Record company. It was Pata whom Yoshiki, leader of the band, chose from all candidates offered by company. Yoshiki offered Pata to participate in recording. It worth saying that Pata firstly rejected Yoshiki’s offer, because he was busy with work of another band, but at last he agreed with the condition that it would be for one occasion only record.
On April 10th at the eve of Meguro Live Station performance X again remained without second guitarist – Isao (rhythm guitarist) got into hospital, crashed in motorcycle accident. Yoshiki didn’t deeply hope but he asked Pata for help again. Pata surprised Yoshiki by his agreement to replace injured member for that concert. After performance Yoshiki offered Ishizuka to become a fifth constant member of the band because Isai announced about his decision to leave the band. The reasons of Pata are unknown but he agree, so the performance on April 18th 1987 can be considered to be the official date of Pata as X member.
 All that can be said about this person is based on concert videos and that few backstages. And here we faced to amazing controversies characterized Pata from two completely controversial sides. If we looked at indies period of Pata’s career, we may see the calm, so rapidly different from other members’ behavior on the stage. But at the same time his appearance was one of the most extremal and punk-typical. Look at that 30-centimetres-high iroquois with shaved out temples and leather cloth with lots of massive metal staves and nails. Make up is featured by variety and multi-colors included almost all existing colors. And, of course, the main feature of Pata became an integral part of his image – a bottle of whisky Jack Daniels.
In 1991 Pata changed his image completely. Extraordinary make up, wild iroquois was changed by long brown curled hair. Follow experiments with appearance were bound exclusively by costumes. It’s worth saying that Pata was the only one who still has been keeping his image created during band activity.
 In public Pata is usually taciturn and sometimes he looks sleepy; if interviewers managed to get a few words out of Pata is the great luck. Regarding music Pata is professional in all senses and his level of guitar playing gets into real rapture.
At the same time people who communicated with Ishizuka characterized him as kind, open-hearted and responsive person. The thing that he was called “grandpa” in “family hierarchy” of the band says a lot about him.
In one of the joint interview Yoshiki said that Pata played tennis very well, that he is rather fast and deft and his appearance is just a kind of deception. But it is the thing to understand when looking how Pata is deft to play his guitar.
Moreover, funny story: in every-month fanclub magazine of X JAPAN Pata had his own section where different stories about cats and photographs sent by fans specially for Ishizuka were published. Beside that it’s known exactly that Pata had a cat named Kotesko, though many people convinced that he had two cats. Such little things became an important parts of this man’s image.
 The separate thing is solo works of Pata that also characterized him as a person. Style of Ishizuka’s projects tends to classical rock with blues elements. Most likely, it’s based on his own priorities. Pata is a fan of The Beatles music. One more interesting detail is his choice of music instrument. Pata is only member of X who play guitar non Japanese production. Famous yellow Gibson is inalienable part of Pata’s image together with his hair cut and all.
Back to solo works, it’s worth pointing out that first independent Pata’s album released in November 1993. It was called simple but not less interesting PATA. That album is the great mix of rock and blues. It was recorded in America, and Tommy Aldridge, Tim Bogart and James Christian as a vocalist contributed into it. After that Pata together with his band worked on recording the album had a tour.
 On September 21st 1994 Pata released a single Fly Away. PV on that song had a great success on TV and reached rather significant position in radio-charts. Slowly but constantly Pata’s solo works became more and more popular and got more and more fans. (see more – Discography).
At the same time Pata became a member of hide’s solo project - hide with Spread Beaver. He went on gig as a session guitarist together with the band to 1998.
On January 31st 1994 Pata published a book titled PATA’S Guitar Book but on April 21st first live DVD PATA’S Bootleg was released.
In 1995 the song Shine On Me from the second single of the same name that was on sale on January 21st 1995 was used as main theme in BOXER JOE movie.
After Х JAPAN disbanding in September 1997 Pata formed his own band titled P.A.F. that means "Patient Applied For". After releasing several albums it disbanded in 1999.
In May 1999 Pata together with heath and I.N.A (ex-hide with Spread Beaver) took part in recording of the song Celebration for hide’s tribute album hide TRIBUTE SPIRITS.
 In autumn 2000 Pata, heath, I.N.A. and JO:YA (vocalist) formed new project titled Dope HEADz. In 2002 JO:YA left the band and Shame became a new vocalist. But in February 2003 this band officially took a break in it’s activity because of all members’ being busy in other projects. At the same time it’s considered that work on Dope HEADz project is frozen temporally and it is in this state.
Several years later Pata as a guitarist took part in rather strange project called Miyavi Project. Also Sgt. Luke Takamura III (ex-Seikima II), Chirolyn (ex-hide with Spread Beaver), Shinya (ex-Luna Sea) and Miyavi (ех-Due le Quartz) also participated in it. Miyavi Project performed only once in 2003 in Hibiya Yagai Ongakudou, and after that it stopped. There were no official releases of Miyavi Project.
 It is worth say separately that in 2005 Pata met a singer Aikawa Nanase and the result was in their collaborative work. As a session guitarist Pata took part regularly in recording of her albums. At current moment four albums with Pata’s participating are released (see more – Discography).
In February 2007 it became known that Yoshiki and Toshi (leader and vocalist of X JAPAN) made up after long term quarrel. They began to work together on the memorial song for hide and on re-unioning of X JAPAN. Later information of re-unioning of the band was confirmed and on October 22d 2007 in Odaiba Aqua City shooting of PV on new song I.V. was held. Obviously, Pata participated in shooting as member of re-unioned X JAPAN.
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| Категория: General information | Translated by Sonette | 2008.03.22
| Author: drum&bass
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Reads: 5300
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