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was a Japanese underground
indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...
band. Formed in 1998, the band is best known for their contributions to the soundtracks of
Sega is a Japanese video game company and subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings headquartered in Tokyo. It produces several List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises for arcade game, arcades and video game cons ...
's ''
Jet Set Radio (originally released in North America as ''Jet Grind Radio'') is a 2000 action game developed by Smilebit and published by Sega for the Dreamcast. The player controls a member of a youth gang, the GG's, as they use inline skates to traverse ...
'' and ''
Jet Set Radio Future is a 2002 action game developed by Smilebit and published by Sega for the Xbox. The sequel to the Dreamcast game ''Jet Set Radio'' (2000), it features refined gameplay mechanics, updated graphics, larger open world environments, new characters, ...
'' games. The band disbanded in 2007. Guitar Vader had two lead vocalists and songwriters, guitarist Miki Tanabe and bassist Ujuan Shozo. Tanabe's childlike voice and Shozo's tenor are often used in harmony and call and response, but many songs are sung exclusively by one or the other. Their music generally features pop-oriented melodies, often coupled with aggressive
power chords A power chord , also called a fifth chord, is a colloquial name for a chord on guitar, especially on electric guitar, that consists of the root note and the fifth, as well as possibly octaves of those notes. Power chords are commonly playe ...
and hard rock influences, and sometimes playfully shifts between genres in mid-song. Band members claimed influences like
Nirvana Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...
,
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
,
The Pixies The Pixies are an American alternative rock band from Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1986 by Black Francis (vocals, rhythm guitar, songwriter), Joey Santiago (lead guitar), Kim Deal (bass, vocals) and David Lovering (drums). The Pi ...
and the
Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band formed in the New York City neighborhood Forest Hills, Queens in 1974. Known for helping establish the punk movement in the United States and elsewhere, the Ramones are often recognized as one of th ...
, as well as lesser influences like
Air An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosph ...
and
Guitar Wolf Guitar Wolf (Japanese language, Japanese: Wikt:ギ, ギ Wikt:タ, タ Wikt:ー, ー Wikt:ウ, ウ Wikt:ル, ル Wikt:フ, フ) is a Japanese garage rock power trio founded in Tokyo in 1987. They coined the phrase "jet rock 'n' roll", which they ...
. Others have likened their sound to bands as disparate as
The B-52's The B-52s, originally presented as the B-52's (with an errant apostrophe; used until 2008), are an American band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider (vocals, percussion), Kate Pierson (vocals, k ...
and
Smashing Pumpkins The Smashing Pumpkins (also simply known as Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band formed in Chicago in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, guitarist James Iha, bassist D'arcy Wretzky and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. ...
.


History

Tanabe and Shozo first met in
Kawasaki, Kanagawa Kawasaki, officially Kawasaki City, is a Cities of Japan, city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, one of the main cities of the Greater Tokyo Area and Keihin Industrial Area. It is the second most populated city in Kanagawa Prefecture after Yokohama ...
while the two were in different bands. The two became friends, and after their other bands broke up, they decided to collaborate. Yuki Takumiya joined them as the band's drummer. The trio began recording at Berry Records soon after, and in October 1998, they released their first
cassette tape The Compact Cassette, also commonly called a cassette tape, audio cassette, or simply tape or cassette, is an analog audio, analog magnetic tape recording format for Sound recording and reproduction, audio recording and playback. Invented by L ...
, a collection of four songs titled ''Guitar Vader Vol. 1''. More than 1,000 copies were sold at an independent record store in Tokyo called High-Line. The tape was followed by another release, which sold another 1000 units. Empowered by their success, the two volumes were compiled along with new material and one remix onto the two tape set, ''Die Happy!''. The album gained distribution in
Tower Records Tower Records is an international retail franchising, franchise and online music store that was formerly based in Sacramento, California, United States. From 1960 until 2006, Tower operated retail stores in the United States, which closed when ...
and
HMV HMV is an international music and entertainment retailer, founded in 1921. The brand is owned by Hilco Capital and operated by Sunrise Records, except in Japan, where it is owned and operated by Lawson. The inaugural shop was opened on Lo ...
stores, but was never released officially on CD. This gave the band, who only performed live shows irregularly, their first real exposure to a larger audience. Later that year, they released one more tape, containing three new songs, including the exclusive rarity "Generation Revolution". Following ''Die Happy!'', Guitar Vader was asked to contribute original music to the
Dreamcast The is the final home video game console manufactured by Sega. It was released in Japan on November 27, 1998, in North America on September 9, 1999 and in Europe on October 14, 1999. It was the first sixth-generation video game console, prec ...
game RoomMania No. 203, a life sim following a virtual college student. Guitar Vader contributed ten songs to the game's extensive soundtrack. The successful release of the game suddenly skyrocketed Guitar Vader's profile and the need for a proper CD release became increasingly apparent. It was around this time that the band departed from the
lo-fi Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate stylistic ch ...
recording sensibilities of their earlier work with their second album ''Wild at Honey'' (a reference to the Beach Boys album '' Wild Honey'') containing two songs from ''Guitar Vader Vol. 3'' and new material. Shortly thereafter, the band released a single, ''Beach Panic'', containing two songs. Following its completion, drummer Takumiya left the band. Video game composer
Hideki Naganuma (born May 16, 1972) is a Japanese composer and DJ who primarily does work for video games. Naganuma is best known for his soundtrack for the game ''Jet Set Radio'' and its sequel '' Jet Set Radio Future''. Early life Naganuma started his musi ...
was among the many who discovered Guitar Vader through the ''Die Happy!'' tapes. A lover of underground music, Naganuma decided that they would be a perfect fit for the upcoming game ''
Jet Set Radio (originally released in North America as ''Jet Grind Radio'') is a 2000 action game developed by Smilebit and published by Sega for the Dreamcast. The player controls a member of a youth gang, the GG's, as they use inline skates to traverse ...
'', set in an alternate-reality version of
Shinjuku , officially called Shinjuku City, is a special ward of Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative center, housing the northern half of the busiest railway station in the world ( Shinjuku Station) as well as the Tokyo Metropol ...
, Tokyo. The game was widely praised for its soundtrack, which prominently featured Guitar Vader's song "Magical Girl" in the opening tutorial, and "Super Brothers" (another ''Die Happy!'' track) in a later stage. In 2000, Guitar Vader began work on their third album, ''From Dusk''. Joined by Suzuki Yoshifumi on drums, the album marked a major evolution for the band, particularly for its prominent use of keyboards, played by producer Taichi Ohira, as well as its more polished, melodic sound. The album was released in early 2001, and although it was not a big seller, the album remains Guitar Vader's commercial peak. ''
Jet Set Radio Future is a 2002 action game developed by Smilebit and published by Sega for the Xbox. The sequel to the Dreamcast game ''Jet Set Radio'' (2000), it features refined gameplay mechanics, updated graphics, larger open world environments, new characters, ...
'' was released in 2002, and featured a song from the album, "Baby-T" as well as a remix (by Naganuma) of "I Love Love You," which had previously been released on the
remix A remix, also sometimes called reorchestration or rework, is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, poem, or photograph ca ...
album ''Remixes GVR''. After the acquisition of Berry Records by
Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...
, Guitar Vader became increasingly unhappy with their contract, in particular their lack of ownership of their music, low royalties, and inability to get a new album released. At the time, both members of the band still worked part-time jobs to earn their living. The band left Berry in 2003 and formed an independent label, Plugs House. They built their own studio and produced a fourth album, ''Dawn''. The release marked a continued evolution of the band's sound, with synths and programming performed by Shozo. In 2003, the band also played two shows in
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
, hosted by Pixelsurgeon, their only shows outside Japan. To replicate these songs in live performances, the band recruited American keyboardist Steve Laity. Although Laity was made an official member of the band, he only appeared in live performances, not on the band's albums. In October 2004, Guitar Vader released what would be their final album, ''Happy East''. It continued the expanded sound of ''Dawn'' with an eclectic mix of songs, including an
electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that came to prominence in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mos ...
instrumental "Suspense" that marked the only song of its kind in the band's catalog. In 2006, the band began work on another album, and had nearly completed it, when Shozo suffered a vital heart infection that left him hospitalized for months, with continuing health issues long after. The band cancelled their first scheduled concert in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
at that year's
FanimeCon FanimeCon is an annual four-day anime convention held during May at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California, over Memorial Day weekend. Programming The convention typically offers an AMV contest, artist's alley, contes ...
. Although the album was either completed or close to completed, a falling out between Tanabe and Shozo prevented its release, despite pressure from Yoshifumi and Laity to release it. In 2007, Laity confirmed on Guitar Vader's message board that the band had disbanded and a "very large rift" had formed between the band's two key members. No official announcement was ever made.


Band members


Former members

* Ujuan Shozo - vocals, bass, programming * Miki Tanabe - vocals, guitar * Suzuki Yoshifumi - drums (2000-2007) * Yuki Takumiya - drums (1998-2000)


Touring members

* Steve Laity - keyboards, backing vocals (2004-2007)


Discography


EPs

*''Guitar Vader Vol. 1'' (1998) *''Guitar Vader Vol. 2'' (1998) *''Guitar Vader Vol. 3'' (1999)


Studio albums

*''Die Happy!'' (1999) *'' Wild at Honey'' (2000) *'' From Dusk'' (2001) * ''Dawn'' (2003) *''Happy East'' (2004)


Singles

*''Beach Panic!'' (2000) *''Baby-T/GVTV/Shimanagashi'' (2001)


Remixes

*''REMIXES_GVR'' (2001)


Other credits

*
Makoto Kawamoto , is a Japanese pop singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Fukui, Japan. She currently sings under the pseudonym Tiger Fake Fur. Biography Early life Kawamoto grew up hearing her mother playing the piano. Aside from learning pian ...
, "Gimmeshelter" (2001; production, instrumentation and backing vocals)


Notes


References


External links


Guitar Vader @ MySpaceKeikaku
- English Feature/interviews: Guitar Vader and Steve Laity {{Authority control Japanese indie rock groups Japanese alternative rock groups Musical groups established in 1998 Musical groups disestablished in 2007 Musical groups from Tokyo