Kenji Ueda (上田ケンジ ''Ueda Kenji'', nickname ウエケン ''UEKEN'') 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 ...

musician and producer. He is known for his solo work, as well as his work with Kenzi & The Trips and

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 ...

Biography

Early life and influences

Born August 30, 1965 in

Sapporo ( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous city ...

, Ueda began playing acoustic guitar at age 9. Seeing a television appearance by

Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

inspired him to take up the electric guitar. He also cites influential punk bands such as

The Sex Pistols ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

The Star Club is an influential Japanese punk rock band that was formed in Nagoya in 1977 and has been based in Tokyo since 1987. The band has had a long career with numerous lineup changes, all centered on vocalist Hikage. Biography The Star Club was the ...

, ARB, Anarchy and

The Roosters are a Japanese rock band formed in Fukuoka Prefecture in 1979. Their music has mixed rock and roll, punk rock, British blues, ska, and new wave. Originally active from 1979 to 1988, they performed at the 2004 Fuji Rock Festival before restar ...

as early influences. In 1983, Ueda quit high school at age 18, and went to

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 ...

by invitation of Kenzi who was a senior at the school. Ueda joined the punk band Kenzi & The Trips, in which Kenzi acted as the

lead vocalist The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

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 ...

. This band subsequently disbanded. The other member of the newly formed band was Shinichirou Sato, who would later go on to form

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 ...

with Ueda.

The Pillows

In 1989, Ueda left Kenzi & The Trips. Immediately after that, Ueda invited

Sawao Yamanaka 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 ...

of The Coinlocker Babies, and formed

on September 16. The lineup was Ueda (bass guitar and leader of the band),

(rhythm guitar and vocals),

Yoshiaki Manabe is the lead guitarist for the Japanese rock band The Pillows. As a mixing engineer, Manabe has worked on albums by The Pillows and The Stereo Future. He enjoys reading in his free time and is an enormous fan of Bob Marley. He also has his own ...

(lead guitar), and

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

(drums). He and Yamanaka were the main song writers. They released their first official album

Moon Gold ''Moon Gold'' is the debut studio album released by Japanese alternative rock band the Pillows are a Japanese alternative rock band formed in 1989. The group has released 22 studio albums, several EPs and compilations, and over 40 singles. O ...

under the Pony Canyon record label in 1991 and also released their second album

White Incarnation ''White Incarnation'' is the second studio album released by the Pillows on May 21, 1992. It is the band's last record to feature the original lineup, as bassist Kenji Ueda left shortly after. Recorded in Britain, the album shows heavy influence ...

under the same label in 1992, but, in the same year, Ueda left The Pillows owing to discord with other members and difference in musicality. The Pillows would not release another album until 1994. Ueda has since been replaced by bassists Tatsuya Kashima, Jun Suzuki, and Yoshinori Arie, respectively. Both Kashima and Suzuki have been called “support members” rather than permanent replacements out of “respect for the original line-up.”

Solo career

Ueda participated in various musicians' recording as a session bassist after leaving The Pillows. On the other hand, he began to provide other singers with his songs, or to produce them. Ueda started john? label in 1999 and has also worked as a producer with the record label, producing work from artists such as

Going Under Ground are a Japanese alternative rock band, formed in Okegawa, Saitama, 1991. Sometimes referred to as just "Going", they got their name from the British hit single, "Going Underground" by The Jam. Members *Matsumoto Sou – lead vocals, guitar *Naka ...

. He also sponsored the tamtom label from 2002. In 2000, Ueda released his first solo album ''Forever Love'' (フォーエバーラブ) under Bumblebee Records. He has gone on to release two more major albums with the Bumblebee label: ''Ambivalence'' (2002) and ''Ao'' (青, Blue) (2006).

Discography

References

External links

Ueda Kenji Official Site (English and Japanese)

Bumblebee Record Label (Japanese)

The Pillows Official Site

The Pillows Official Myspace
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ueda, Kenji Japanese rock musicians Japanese alternative rock musicians Japanese punk rock musicians 1965 births Living people Musicians from Sapporo