Grapevine

Grapevine is a popular JRock band. Grapevine took their name from the Marvin Gaye song, "I heard it through the grapevine." Kazumasa Tanaka (vocals/guitar, born 15th January 1974), Hiroyoshi Nishikawa (guitar, born 14th November 1969) and Toru Kamei (drums, born 2nd August '1972) presently make up the band. The original lineup also included Makoto Nishihara (bass).

The band first came together in Osaka in November 1993 but their career started seriously in July 1994, when they began writing original songs. Their first demo tape was produced in January 1995, and their live concerts, mainly in the Osaka area, led to three songs being included in the independently released compilation Hybrid Soup in October of that year. Invitations to play elsewhere followed and in September 1997, the band released their first album Kakusei.

On meeting Negishi (Dr. Strange Love) in 1999, Grapevine’s sound was tightened up and led to successful sales of the singles Slow and About Light and the album Lifetime. The band was at the forefront of guitar rock until at the end of 2002 when Nishihara had to leave owing to dystonia of an arm.

The remaining three continued and the following year released a single Going to See You. The subsequent album, The Idea Tank, was appraised as their best album yet. By January 2007, Grapevine had issued nineteen CDs and seven albums. A straightforward rock band, Grapevine has steadily built a sizeable fan base and a solid and original repertoire. Their sound is a guitar-oriented, melodramatic classic rock. All three members of the band write songs. They are heavily influenced by 70s rock with its fast guitar passages and Tanaka’s nasal high-toned voice. Their song’s lyrics, penned by Tanaka, reference literary figures such as Kafka, Maupassant, Ango Sakaguchi and Kobo Abe.

Grapevine Members

Core Members

• Vocals/Guitar: Kazumasa Tanaka
• Guitar: Hiroyoshi Nishikawa
• Drums: Toru Kamei

Support Members

• Bass: Satoru Kaneto
• Keyboards: Isao Takano

Grapevine Discography

Singles

• Sora (1997)
• Kimi wo mastu aida (1998)
• Hakujitsu (1998)
• Surou (1999)
• Hikari ni tsuite (1999)
• Hane JIVE (1999)
• Reverb (1999)
• Furete itai (1999)
• Our Song (2001)
• Discord (2001)
• Kaze machi (2001)
• Natsu no hikari (2002)
• Blue Back (2002)
• Ai ni Iku (2003)
• Bokura nara (2003)
• Breakthrough (2004)
• Sono mirai Adabana (2005)
• Hourou freak (2005)
• Fly (2006)
• Yubisaki Come On (2007)

Mini albums

• Kakusei (1997)
• Everyman, Everywhere (2004)

Albums

• Taikutu no hana (1998)
• Lifetime (1999)
• Divetime (1999)
• Here (2000)
• Circulator (2001)
• Grapevine Live 2001 Naked Songs (2002)
• Another Sky (2002)
• Outcast: B Sides Rarities (2003)
• Idea no suisou (2003)
• Single Collection: A Young Person’s Guide to Grapevine (2004)
• Déraciné (2005)
• From a Small Town (2007)

Videos and DVDs

• 7 Clips (1999)
• Grapevine Live 2001 Naked Film (2002)
• 10 Clips (2002)
• 7 Clips and More (2005)
• Sweet Home Adabana (2005)

External Links

• Grapvine Official site (Japanese)