ELLEGARDEN（ELLEGARDEN）

Ellegarden

Ellegarden

Ellegarden

主唱的英文采访

Hi, this is Takeshi Hosomi (vocal/guitar) answering the questions. First of all, apologies for my late reply. We just finished out Japan tour on March 3rd.

First, some of our readers may not be entirely familiar with Ellegarden. Perhaps you could describe the musical style of the band, and give a brief history of it’s formation.

ELLEGARDEN is a band that loves live gigs. We usually play fast BPM tracks but we also make sure to write songs with great melodies.

Some of the most interesting stories are those of a musician’s influences. Where did each of you grow up, and did growing up in that city or neighbourhood affect your individual musical style? Also, are there any influences to speak of that may have brought about the musical stlye of the band Ellegarden as a whole?

The drummer is from Tokyo and the rest are from Chiba prefecture. I grew up in the countryside so I tend to lean towards the more humane and natural qualities than the refined qualities that the city offers. Most of the band’s songs are written and composed by me so you may find those tastes reflected in the songs.

On the same topic of musical interests, is there an artist or band (indie or mainstream) that you make an effort to see whenever they are playing near you? Also, did you ever have the chance to be a supporting act for one of your favourite bands?

I went to most of Weezer’s Japan concerts. Last year we were the support band for my favorite Canadian band, SUM41.

Is there a particular venue and/or city in North America that you are looking forward to playing, whether or not you will actually be playing there during this tour? Why?

California, especially San Francisco, ‘cause I used to live there for a bit and my friends still live there

With that in mind, is there a venue or city in Japan which you (individually, or as a band) would consider your favourite to play in? Is it because of the fans, or is there some other sentimental value attatched?

The venue choice would be ZEPP Tokyo. The reason is because it’s where I saw Weezer for the first time. You might have noticed already but I’m a huge Weezer fan!

Have you had a chance to play with any of the bands that are also on the SXSW Japan Nite bill, or the Japan Nite US Tour? If so, where? And how was the experience?

I’ve met some bands through music events and festivals. STANCE PUNKS is our label-mate so we’ve done tour supports for each other before.

The bands of Benten have become mainstays in American indie clubs, but seem to have made less of an impact on the music industry as a whole (though not necessarily a bad thing). Do you see Ellegarden continuing to stay on the independant side of the scene here — continuing gigs with future Japan Nite tours? Or do you have greater — perhaps mainstream — ambitions on this side of the Pacific?

I’d like to have occasional tours and releases, without any linkages to events. If our music reaches a large number of people then I’ll have no complaints. However we are an Indies band in Japan too, so we don’t really understand the thin line that runs between the majors and indies.

Also, with the continued exponential growth of Ellegarden in Japan, the band has been gaining a reputation among fans of Japanese music in North America. Can we expect domestic (North American) album releases eventually?

A. The album we released last April, “RIOT ON THE GRILL”, is scheduled for a March 15th release in the States.

Once again, thank you for your time. I hope Ellegarden has great success during the Japan Nite tour and at SXSW. I will do my best to promote, and make that possible.

A.　Thank you! Hope to see you guys at the shows!