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Centenary Event "Hyakunen no Kodo, The Pulse Behind The Music for 100 Years Day 1/Day 2" (2008/10/31)

Following the May 22nd Centenary Party, we hosted a celebratory event "Hyakunen no Kodo, The Pulse Behind The music for 100 Years Day 1/Day 2" was held over the next two days at Zepp Nagoya. The event, hosted by Hoshino Gakki, was open to all comers. The Hoshino Gakki motto is "The contribution to the music culture" and the event was a chance for us to show our gratitude to all the musicians out there who perform on Ibanez guitars and TAMA drums, and to everyone who loves listening to music.

There is an unbreakable bond between musicians, instrument makers and music lovers. Indeed, it would not be going too far to say that the raison d'etre of a musical performance is to delight an audience. To this end instrument makers refine and improve the quality and function of their instruments based on the advice of musicians, and the judgement of their keen ears, so the latter can perform on those instruments all the more passionately. The audience listening to the performance of the musicians may become interested in music through Ibanez guitars and TAMA drums to enjoy music as a player. It is our great joy when this kind of chain reaction triggered by music allows us to give "The contribution to the music culture."

With the centenary as a perfect opportunity to give our gratitude shape, we held an event over two days, "Hyakunen no Kodo, The Pulse Behind The Music for 100 Years". This is how it went.

Hyakunen no Kodo, The Pulse Behind The Music for 100 Years Day 1 (May 23rd)

1.Keisuke Komori~ Session of Comorhythm ~ (Dr: Keisuke Komori, Ba: Toshimi Nagai, Gt: Yuya
   Komoguchi)※Titles omitted, as below

Session of Comorhythm is a band which came together especially for this event "Hyakunen no Kodo, The Pulse Behind The Music for 100 Years". Yuya Komoguchi is a young guitarist of just 20 years, but he held his own magnificently playing with the two veterans.

The simple line up of drums, guitar and bass accentuated the broad expressive power of Komori, playing a big double bass drum kit. The audience listened and enthralled by the sounds.。

2.TRIX (Dr: Noriaki Kumagai, Key: Hiroshi Kubota, Gt: Takeshi Hirai, Ba: Mitsuru Sudo)

TRIX's drummer Kumagai's beaming smile said all that needed to be said about the joy of performing. The front members stamping out the beat with their feet as they played also left a deep impression. The self-styled "comic band" put on a real show, overturning, in a good way, the image of the fusion band, and clearly reveling in the joy of becoming one with their audience.

At the end of the performance, all the members ran around the auditorium, descending from the stage and treating the audience to a full-power performance up close.

3.SIMON PHILLIPS BAND (Dr: Simon Phillips, Ba: Del Atkins, Gt: Andy Timmons, Sax: Everette Harp,
   Key:Steve Weingart)

The Simon Phillips Band, who studded their music with compound rhythms, to great effect.

Including Andy Timmons, the members took turns playing bewitching solos with shifting sound-colors, delivering high-tension, where-will-they-take-us-next playing, while all the time holding everything together with their presence and skill, so the listeners surrendered themselves completely to the music.

4. Co-Starring Three Drummers

Finally, a splendid performance by the three drummers. The sound had real substance, and resounded through the body. We were treated to a solo-ensemble which made full use of each musician's individual style. In particular, the audiences were riveted by continuous, dizzyingly fast interactions. Day 1 of "Hyakunen no Kodo, The Pulse Behind The Music for 100 Years" was rounded off with a fantastic display of precise and emotive playing, with ever-shifting tempos.

Hyakunen no Kodo, The Pulse Behind The Music for 100 Year Day 2 (May 24th)

The second day was totally different in atmosphere from the first day, with bands and artists gathered around core drummers Takashi Furuta and Koichi Kawanishi.

1. JET-KI (Dr: Kawanishi-Jet, Vo: Miyata-Jet, Gt: Akkin-Jet, Ba: Noda-Jet)

Anticipation mounts for the performance opening with a count-down to blast off. As soon as the band started, the audience answered their powerful playing with cheers, clapping their hands to the beat, and the whole place sprang to life. Nobody could resist moving their body to the powerful rhythms which Kawanishi wove about them.

2. Takuya Ohashi with Drunk Monkeys (Vo: Takuya Ohashi, Dr: Takashi Yoshida, Key: Yuta Saito, Gt:
   Takeshi Arai, Ba: Hiroo Yamaguchi)

For Sukima Switch's Takuya Ohashi, this gig was the first time to take the stage as soloist. Even though the songs combined elements from so many diverse genres, you still found yourself humming along, and Takashi Furuta's lyrical drumming was a perfect compliment.

3. Tamio Okuda

Next, a solo stage spot for Tamio Okuda, who sang free and easy while playing the guitar. The unique, nonchalant tones of his flavorsome voice filled the hall.

4.PUFFY (Vo: Ami Onuki , Vo: Yumi Yoshimura Dr: Koichi Kawanishi, Ba: Hiroharu Kinoshita, Gt:
   Shigeo Naka, Gt: Etsuomi Nakamura, Key: Naoki Masumoto)

The duo of PUFFY sang well-known songs that everyone could sing along with. Once the performance was underway, Takashi Furuta also joined the stage. Furuta and Kawanishi's powerful, perfectly balanced drums accompanied PUFFY's performance. During one of the songs, Tamio Okuda suddenly appeared at one end of the stage and banged a gong, upon which an interesting little vignette unfolded which they had been keeping hidden up their sleeves, as it were.

5. Encore 1

Encore gave everyone the chance to see something that can almost never be seen: the two drummers fronted the band on vocals, while Tamio Okuda played the drums at the back of the line-up. Then all of a sudden Yoshiharu Abe appeared on stage. With the company offices projected on the screen behind, as he sang lyrics adapted to a theme of Hoshino Gakki. The company staff in attendance were also very moved. The whole venue resounded to emotional shouts of "Hoshino!"

6. Encore 2

Once more the Encore beat echoed through the hall, and JET-KI's Miyata-JET, PUFFY, and Takuya Ohashi also took the stage to complete the magnificent, energetic line-up. To finish, Furuta and Kawanishi faced off in a heated drum solo battle, bringing the curtain down on the three-day Hoshino Gakki Centenary Party Event, "Hyakunen no Kodo, The Pulse Behind The Music for 100 Years" in style.

Hoshino Gakki was able to celebrate its centenary through the help and efforts of a great many people. Having reached the landmark 100th year, the company will continue to strive towards "The contribution to the music culture" with renewed vigor, never forgetting the debt of gratitude that it owes to lovers of music everywhere.

The centenary party was held on the day before this event (May 22nd).
Attendance at the party was by invitation only.
For more details, please see Topics, Centenary Party "Hyakunen no Kodo, The Pulse Behind The Music for 100 Years".

Many people gave their kind assistance so that The Hoshino Gakki Co., Ltd., Centenary Event "Hyakunen no Kodo, The Pulse Behind The Music for 100 Years " (May 22nd – 24th) could be held. We would like to express our sincere thanks to the following (in alphabetical order):

Ando Forest Music
Augusta Publishing
BIG 1
DEUCE
HIBINO
Hit & Run
IEC
J-mans Club
Jail House
LEO MUSIC
MSI JAPAN
Office Augusta
O.S.T.
Shibaura Studio
SMA
ToTo
TWO-MIX
VERNIER
Westin Nagoya Castle Hotel
Yoshika Hotta
Zepp Nagoya

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