Japanese rock band
Ogre You Asshole
is a Japanese rock band formed in
Nagano
, taking influences from
Modest Mouse
,
Fugazi
,
Talking Heads
, and
Can
. They were signed to major label
VAP
in 2009 and have been praised by the notable guitarist
Johnny Marr
.
[1]
History
[
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]
Manabu and his elder brother covered
Nirvana
and
Beck
songs with original drummer Arata Nishi in the nineties under the name "
Joy Division
".
[2]
Manabu's brother left, but he was joined by childhood friend Norihito Hiraide and highschool classmate Kei Mabuchi.
[3]
Nishi then left for health reasons and was replaced by Takashi Katsuura. They produced their first demo in 2004 and went on to support many notable domestic and international bands including
Asian Kung-Fu Generation
,
Foo Fighters
,
Art School
,
The Dresden Dolls
and their biggest influence
Modest Mouse
.
[4]
When asked what he attributes their success to, Manabu answered, "I'm not sure. I guess it is because of our name". However, notable fan Johnny Marr said in an interview "I would love to play with Ogre You Asshole. I love 'em. They're not afraid to be poppy. Some guitar bands just don't have the nerve to be poppy and second-guess themselves, you know".
[5]
The band was signed to major label
VAP
in 2009 after releasing their previous work on their independent label OYA. Their major debut single 'Pinhole' was also featured on
Nano-Mugen Compilation 2009
and as an ending theme to the anime
S?ten K?ro
. Their first album on the label 'Foglamp' also included a DVD with the music videos of 'Pinhole' and 'Headlight'.
Origin of name
[
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]
The name originated when original drummer Arata Nishi saw
Modest Mouse
bassist
Eric Judy
on the street near the Hot Lab live house after a gig in Matsumoto during their Japan tour in May 2001. He asked Judy, who was drunk, to name their band. He replied 'I can't' before writing 'Ogre You Asshole' on Nishi's arm.
They were unaware of the exact meaning until
American Analog Set
told them that the name is actually from a line in the movie
Revenge of the Nerds
. This resulted in the group setting out to watch the 1984 American comedy and its three sequels, who then paid homage to it with their second album 'AlphaBeta vs. Lambda'.
They shared the tale with Judy in April 2008 when they opened Modest Mouse's show at Tokyo's Duo Music Exchange, but he had no recollection of the encounter.
Current members
[
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]
- Manabu Deto
(
出? ?
,
Deto Manabu
)
? vocals, guitar
- Kei Mabuchi
(
馬? 啓
,
Mabuchi Kei
)
? guitar
- Takashi Katsuura
(
勝浦 隆嗣
,
Katsuura Takashi
)
? drums
- Takashi Shimizu
(
?水隆史
,
Shimizu Takashi
)
? bass
Former members
[
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]
- Arata Nishi
(
西 新太
,
Nishi Arata
)
? drums
- The original drummer of the group, who left for medical reasons, now provides artwork for their CD covers.
- Norihito Hiraide
(
平出 規人
,
Hiraide Norihito
)
? bass
Discography
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]
Albums
[
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]
Ogre You Asshole
[
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]
Ogre You Asshole
is the first full-length studio album by Ogre You Asshole. It was released independently on December 7, 2005.
[7]
Tracks 4 and 7 are taken from their first demo, while track 3 was released before the album as a single.
Track listing
- Mata Ashita
(
また明日
,
Until Tomorrow
)
- Yuurei
(
ユ?レイ
,
Ghost
)
- Tanishi
(
タニシ
,
Pond Snail
)
- Kaisentou
(
カイセントウ
)
- Kapo
(
カポ
,
Capo
)
- Docchika no Kado
(
どっちかの角
,
Which Corner
)
- Lobotomy
(
ロボトミ?
,
Robotom?
)
- J.N
Ukareteiru hito's track listing:
- Balance
(
バランス
,
Baransu
)
- Tankat?ra
(
タンカティ?ラ
)
- Dochira ni Shiro
(
どちらにしろ
,
Which Shall we do
)
- Race no Course
(
レ?スのコ?ス
,
Race Course
)
- Mannaka de
(
?ん中で
,
At the True Center
)
Singles
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]
Pinhole's track listing:
- Pinhole
(
ピンホ?ル
,
Pinh?ru
)
- Necktie
(
ネクタイ
,
Nekutai
)
- Boat
(
ボ?ト
,
B?to
)
References
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]
External links
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]