Kemuri (Japanese for ''smoke'') is a Japanese-American

ska punk Ska punk (also spelled ska-punk) is a fusion genre that mixes ska music and punk rock music together. (sometimes spelled skacore) is a subgenre of ska punk that mixes ska with hardcore punk. Early ska punk mixed both 2 tone and ska with hardc ...

band formed in

Oxnard Oxnard () is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. On California's South Coast, it is the most populous city in Ventura County and the 22nd-most-populous city in California. Incorporated in 1903, Oxnard lies approximately west ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

in 1995. They have an upbeat sound with positive lyrics which they refer to as PMA (

positive mental attitude Positive mental attitude (PMA) is a concept first introduced in 1937 by Napoleon Hill in the book ''Think and Grow Rich''. The book never actually uses the term, but discusses about the importance of positive thinking as a contributing factor of s ...

). While the majority of their songs are in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, they also have some songs in

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

. After their reformation in 2012, they released four more albums and continue to tour actively.

Break up and reunion

On December 12, 2007, Kemuri posted a message on their website stating they would no longer play together as a band. They said they had done much more than they expected as a band and that this break up would be the most positive conclusion to their band (keeping in line with their PMA message). Their last show was on 9 December 2007, at the

Zepp 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 which ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

also their final show in

Oxnard, California Oxnard () is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. On California's South Coast, it is the most populous city in Ventura County and the 22nd-most-populous city in California. Incorporated in 1903, Oxnard lies approximately west ...

. In 2012, Kemuri made their reunion tour in Tokyo and in the U.S. The first new album after the reunion, "All for This!," was released on 6 June 2013. In 2012, the band re-formed again and continues to perform in all over Asia, Japan, Europe and in the United States and in other countries worldwide.

Band members

* , Vocals * , Bass * , Guitar * , Drums * , Saxophone * , Trumpet * , Trombone

Former members

* , drums 1995–1996 *

Mike Park Mike Park is a Korean American musician and progressive activist. His musical ventures include Skankin' Pickle for whom he both played the saxophone and sang, The Chinkees, The Bruce Lee Band, and Ogikubo Station, as well as an acoustic solo proj ...

, tenor saxophone, Mike left kemuri in 1997 after kemuri's first album little playmate. * Ryosuke Morimura (Deceased) * Hidenori Minami

Discography

* ''Little Playmate'' (1997) * ''77 Days'' (1998) * ''Senka-Senrui'' (2000) * ''Emotivation'' (2001) * ''Circles'' (2004) * ''Wating for the Rain'' (2005) * ''Principle'' (2005) * ''Our PMA'' (2007) * ''All for This!'' (2013) * ''Rampant'' (2014) * ''F'' (2015) * ''FREEDOMOSH'' (2017) * ''Ko-Ou-Doku-Mai'' (2018)

References

External links

Universal's Band Web site
{{Authority control Japanese rock music groups Japanese ska groups Musical groups from Ventura County, California Musicians from Oxnard, California Ska punk musical groups