Ellegarden (stylized as ELLEGARDEN) is a Japanese

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band formed in December 1998 in

Chiba Chiba may refer to: Places China * (), town in Jianli County, Jingzhou, Hubei Japan * Chiba (city), capital of Chiba Prefecture ** Chiba Station, a train station * Chiba Prefecture, a sub-national jurisdiction in the Greater Tokyo Area on ...

, Japan. Ellegarden consists of

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one mem ...

Hirotaka Takahashi,

vocalist Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselv ...

Takeshi Hosomi, guitarist Shinichi Ubukata, and

bassist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a Bass (instrument), bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), synthbass, keyboar ...

Yuichi Takada. In 2008, Ellegarden announced an indefinite hiatus, which lasted almost 10 years. In May 2018, Ellegarden announced a reunion with their first national tour since the hiatus.

Background

The English lyrics of the band's songs, which are mostly written by Hosomi, are usually grammatically sound and well pronounced. In the Summer 2006 issue of the American Japanese rock magazine ''Purple Sky'', Hosomi accredited this to the time he spent working as a computer engineer in

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

and later in Japan, where he had English-speaking co-workers.

History

Ellegarden modeled their sound after North American bands such as

Blink-182 Blink-182 (stylized as blink-182) is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Poway, California in 1992. Their current lineup consists of bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though their ...

Sum 41 Sum 41 is a Canadian rock band from Ajax, Ontario. Originally called Kaspir, the band was formed in 1996 and currently consists of Deryck Whibley (lead vocals, guitars, keyboards), Dave Baksh (lead guitar, backing vocals), Jason "Cone" McCas ...

and

Good Charlotte Good Charlotte is an American rock band from Waldorf, Maryland that formed in 1996. Since 2005, the band's lineup has consisted of twin brothers Joel Madden (lead vocals) and Benji Madden (guitar and vocals), Paul Thomas (bass), Billy Martin (g ...

, while also displaying the influence of Hosomi's favorites,

Weezer Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Patrick Wilson (drums, backing vocals), Scott Shriner (bass guitar, keyboards, backing v ...

. In the fall of 2001, Ellegarden signed with the Japanese Dynamord label, and released their first EP, Bare Foot, with a full-length album, '' Don't Trust Anyone But Us'', following in the spring of 2002. The album was a hit, and Ellegarden followed with a new LP every year. In 2004, they took part in the '' Synchronized Rockers'' tribute album to

The Pillows are a Japanese alternative rock band formed in 1989. The group has released 22 studio albums, several Extended play, EPs and compilations, and over 40 singles. Outside Japan, they are best known as the group responsible for the soundtrack to the ...

. 2006's '' Eleven Fire Crackers'' became the band's first

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

n release when it was issued by

Nettwerk Nettwerk Music Group is the umbrella company for Nettwerk Records, Nettwerk Management, and Nettwerk One Publishing. Established in 1984, the Vancouver-based company was created by Nettwerk principals Terry McBride and Mark Jowett as a record ...

in 2007. Accustomed to playing major shows in Japan, where they've shared stages with the

Foo Fighters Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Foo Fighters was initially formed as a one-man project by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. Following the success of the eponymous debut album, Grohl (lead vocals, guitar) re ...

and

, Ellegarden made their American live debut in 2006 with a seven-city tour as part of

Japan Nite Japan Nite is an annual music event in North America which began in 1996, featuring Japanese rock, pop, and alternative music artists. Originally centered around South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, the event expanded in later years to include mu ...

, which included a stop at the

South by Southwest South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in m ...

Music Conference. In 2006, Ellegarden performed in numerous Japanese Summer Music Festivals, such as

Fuji Rock is an annual rock festival held in Naeba Ski Resort, in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The three-day event, organized by Smash Japan, features more than 200 Japanese and international musicians, making it the largest outdoor music event in Japan ...

Summer Sonic The , also known as Supersonic, is an annual two- or three-day rock festival held at the same time in Osaka and Chiba, Japan. The majority of the bands playing in Osaka the first day go to Chiba the following day and vice versa. The line-up cont ...

, Nano Mugen Festival and

Rising Sun Rock Festival Rising Sun Rock Festival is an annual rock festival held in Ishikari, Hokkaido, Japan. The two-day event is organized by WESS. It chiefly features Japanese rock and indie Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to: ...

. Their final tour of the year featured the American band

Allister Allister is an American pop punk band from Chicago, Illinois. The four-piece formed in 1994 when the original band members were still in high school, and was originally named Phineas Gage. In 1998 Allister became one of the first bands to sign ...

, who they became acquainted with during

SXSW South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Te ...

2006. In addition, they supported

in their concert at

Osaka Castle Hall is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...

. On May 2, 2008, the band announced they would be going on hiatus with a message on their official website:Ellegarden official site
; each instance of "ELLEGARDEN" converted to "Ellegarden".

"Ellegarden has been in the process of creating a new album since last year, however, during the band’s activities, there arose a difference in opinion regarding the motivation for creating a new album. We no longer feel we are able to create an album that we would be satisfied with, and after much discussion we arrived at the conclusion to end the creation of the album and suspend the band’s activities indefinitely. All previously decided shows (including shows not yet announced) up until early September 2008 will still be performed.

We want to thank everyone who has supported Ellegarden from the bottom of our hearts. In order to once again create new music as Ellegarden, each of us wants to work on our own personal growth and development. Thank you for everything." – Ellegarden
leader Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. The word "leadership" often gets vi ...
, Shinichi Ubukata

Following the recording hiatus announcement, the band has continued to perform live and announced a

greatest hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

album entitled '' Ellegarden Best (1999-2008)''. The album consists of 21 songs and was released on July 2, 2008. After appearances at several high-profile festivals (including Rock in Japan Fest, Sky Jamboree, Nano Mugen Fes, and Treasure 05x: The Greatest Riot Returns), the band performed four one-man shows in early September to give its fans a send-off before the hiatus; two performances at

Zepp Osaka The Zepp music halls are a group of Japanese music venues covering every area of the country. They play host to many international tours and are a popular stop among Japanese musicians. Each venue takes the Zepp name, along with the city in whic ...

followed by two performances at

Shinkiba Studio Coast ageHa (also as 'AGH') was a weekend club event in Tokyo, Japan. It was held on Friday and Saturday at the Usen Studio Coast event space in the Shin-Kiba district, which also hosted live concerts and other events. The word ''Ageha'' is Japanese fo ...

in Tokyo. In 2018, Ellegarden announced their first tour in 10 years, ending their hiatus. The tour, titled "THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN", kicked off in August 2018 at Shinkiba Studio Coast, the same venue as their send-off concert. In 2020, the group had announced scheduled performances at several music festivals in Japan, but most of them had been cancelled or postponed due to effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In September 2022, Ellegarden released the single "Mountain Top". In December 2022, they released their first full-length album in 16 years, ''The End of Yesterday''.

Band members

* –

rhythm guitarist In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...

** Hosomi is the main

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

. He writes almost all the lyrics and music. ** He announced in October 2008 that he was active as a solo artist on his official blog, and that he formed

The Hiatus The Hiatus is a Japanese rock supergroup formed by Takeshi Hosomi, lead vocalist of Ellegarden. Members * – vocals, guitar (Ellegarden, MONOEYES) * Masasucks – guitar (Fullscratch) * – bass (Radio Caroline, ex-Thee Michelle Gun Elephant ...

. * –

lead guitarist Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featured ...

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...

** Ubukata is the leader of the band. ** He formed a new band,

Nothing's Carved in Stone Nothing's Carved in Stone is a Japanese rock band formed in January 2009. After Ellegarden decided to go into hiatus in 2008, the group's guitarist Shinichi Ubukata created Nothing's Carved in Stone as his solo project. Their debut album ''Paral ...

in 2009. * –

, backing vocals ** Takada is part of the band Meaning. ** He is also a member of the band the End, with former BiS member Nakayama "UK" Yukiko. * –

, backing vocals ** Takahashi is the

godparent In infant baptism and denominations of Christianity, a godparent (also known as a sponsor, or '' gossiprede'') is someone who bears witness to a child's christening and later is willing to help in their catechesis, as well as their lifelon ...

of the band. ** He formed Scars Borough after the group's hiatus.

Equipment

*Takeshi Hosomi (vocal & guitar) **Gibson Les Paul Std./ Gibson Historic Collection 1956 Les Paul Gold Top **Diezel Herbert/ Marshall JCM-800 *Shinichi Ubukata (guitar & chorus) **Gibson ES-355 (with no Varitone control)/Gibson Shinichi Ubukata ES-355. **VHT. Pittbull Hundred CLX/ Marshall JMP 2203 *Yuichi Takada (bass & chorus) **Fender Precision Bass/ Ampeg SVT-810 E *Hirotaka Takahashi (drums & chorus) **Ludwig Classic Maple Drum Set/ SD Gretsch G4160 **Paiste 2002 Series/ Stick Pearl Standard Hickory 190 STHSource for all
Ellegarden site
.

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

EPs

Singles

Videos

Other appearances

Tours

''Dates shown are announcement dates'' *''First tour'' (August 2002) – 20 stop tour through Japan *''My Own Destruction Tour'' (October 16, 2002) – 30 stops in Japan to promote album of same name *''Bring Your Board!! Tour'' (July 10, 2003) – 25 stops in Japan with one extra live performance *''Jitterbug Live Tour'' (November 12, 2003) *''Pepperoni Quattro Tour'' (June 12, 2004) – toured 19 cities in Japan *''Bad for Education Tour 2004'' (November 2, 2004) – 15 cities *''Riot on the Grill Tour'' (May 5, 2005) – 39 stops *''Space Sonic Tour 2005–2006'' (December 3, 2005) – 36 stops *''

Tour 2006'' (January 16, 2006) – first US tour with appearance at

followed by 7 cities *''Ellegarden Tour 2006–2007'' (October 12, 2006) – 54 stops, first half featuring

*''Supporting Act for''

(December 5, 2006) –

*''Ellegarden Tour 2007'' (June 10, 2007) – 31 stops in Japan *''First Korean Show'' at Melon AX (October 7, 2007) *''THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN TOUR 2018'' (May 10, 2018) – 3 stops in Japan to promote return, guest act

ONE OK ROCK (stylized in all caps as ONE OK ROCK) is a Japanese rock band, formed in Tokyo, Japan, in 2005. Originally five members, the band currently consists of vocalist Takahiro Moriuchi, guitarist and bandleader Toru Yamashita, bassist Ryota Kohama, a ...

*''NANA-IRO ELECTRIC TOUR 2019 –'' 3 stop reunion tour with fellow bands

Asian Kung-Fu Generation (stylized as ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION) is a Japanese alternative rock band formed in Yokohama in 1996. For its entire career, the band has consisted of vocalist Masafumi Gotoh, guitarist Kensuke Kita, bassist Takahiro Yamada, and drummer Kiyo ...

and Straightener

References

External links

Official website

Morning Scene interview with Ellegarden
{{Authority control Japanese pop punk groups Japanese alternative rock groups Musical groups established in 1998 Musical quartets Musical groups from Chiba Prefecture English-language musical groups from Japan EMI Records artists Universal Music Japan artists