Kariyushi 58 is a four-man rock band from Okinawa. "Kariyushi" is an Okinawan term that has a very auspicious meaning, and is itself a symbol of Okinawa. Okinawa's main highway is Natio...

Kariyushi 58 is a four-man rock band from Okinawa. "Kariyushi" is an Okinawan term that has a very auspicious meaning, and is itself a symbol of Okinawa. Okinawa's main highway is National Route 58, and just as that road crosses the sea and connects with Kyushu, the band wants their music to cross the sea and resound in Japan.

A mélange of rock, traditional Okinawan elements, and reggae influences, their music transmits an atmosphere of chirudai, or "sacred laziness," (an almost spiritual, relaxed mood) that Okinawans have identified as something that distinguishes them from mainland Japanese. Upbeat and celebratory in tone, it might be described as positive floating rock. Melody lines that pierce the heart and the vocalist's direct, earnest voice have been cited as the Kariyushi 58's greatest charms. According to their singer, the band's songs are fairly simple because musically, their goal is to express their message using the minimum necessary words and sounds, so the components of each song are carefully chosen and the unnecessary elements cut out.

BIOGRAPHY

Kariyushi 58 was formed in 2005 from the three high school friends Maekawa Shingo (vocals/bass), Shinya Yukihiro (guitar), and Nakamura Hiroki (drums). However in 2008 they acquired a fourth member, Miyahira Naoki (guitar). In February 2006, the unknown band broke into the Japanese music scene with a release of seven songs, whose title track Koibito yo also appeared on the compilation CD Smart 10th & 200th ANNIVERSARY alongside famous mainland Japanese bands like THEE MICHELLE GUN ELEPHANT.

In July they released the single Anma, which means "mother" in their native language, in limited edition format only for Okinawa. To promote their CD, the band flew to Tokyo where they did their first oneman in mainland Japan. The exhibition was opened by Fuji Television on a specially installed stage and was a huge success. An Oricon news article reporting on the event referred to them as the "New Star" of Okinawa. In August, the single including Anma's PV went on sale throughout Japan.

After releasing the seven-track album Uji no uta, the band entered 2007, a year which would see the releases of the single Te to te, which ranked tenth on the Oricon Indies chart for nine consecutive weeks, and a thirteen-track album, Soro soro, Kariyushi, which ranked first on the same chart two weeks in a row.

2008 promises to be another exciting year for the band as they have a new single, Ukui uta, coming out in May. Maekawa's goal of having the band's music cross the ocean has already been achieved, but Kariyushi 58 is showing no signs of slowing down and will definitely have much more in store for their fans in the future.


Last edit by lifehappens on Sunday 22 Feb, 2009 at 06:00 +1.4%

Last edit by lifehappens on Sunday 22 Feb, 2009 at 05:54 +100%

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