Do you know something about Japanese music?  It’s not only enka.  We also have punk, rock, pop, rap, and R&B.  Japanese music is not famous like American music, but it’s good stuff as well.  I want many people to know about Japanese music, so I’d like to introduce my favorite Japanese artist, Crazy Ken Band. 

Actually, even Japanese don’t know much about Crazy Ken Band.  In 1997, Crazy Ken Band was organized around Ken Yokoyama.  The band’s central location is Yokohama, which also their home town; their music has many place names of Yokohama.  Moreover, they made a song to call people to reduce the amount of trash in Yokohama and wrote the anthem of Yokohama baseball team.  These are ways they contribute to their hometown of Yokohama. 

Yokoyama said, “I want to tell young people about cool stuff from the Showa era.”  As he said, their music sounds like Japanese classic pop, kayokyoku.  It sounds a little bit old and uncool, but these aren’t weaknesses but are attractions.  Listening to their music make you know the roots of Japanese music.  Yokoyama also got close to foreign music since he was a kid.  Though their music sounds like kayokyoku, elements of rock, funk, bossa nova, and soul are included in it.  Therefore, it has the attraction of Japanese music, and it has the attraction of world music.  It means that you can approach their music easily. 

Then, I’ll show you some songs from Crazy Ken Band.  My favorite is “GT”.  Yokoyama is also well informed about the car.  GT consists of Gran Turismo.  This song is about going girl-hunting by the sea in his dream car, GT.  This rhythmical and up-tempo sound makes you want to have fun.  The next song is “Tiger and Dragon”.  This song is the opposite of “GT”.  This song, “Tiger and Dragon”, can make people feel like Japanese very much.  The sounds, lyrics, and his way of singing, brings us the atmosphere of Japan. 

I have one more thing I want to say.  Yokoyama always says his favorite phrase, “Ii-ne! (It’s okay!)”  As this word shows us, he is a positive person.  He says that 30 percent of his music is funny.  I always get energy from his positive and funny songs.  Are you getting interested in Crazy Ken Band?  If you are, let’s enjoy it together.  Say, Ii-ne!