Wag was a
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 ...
rock band under the
Giza Studio
is a Japanese record label.
The Giza Studio started as an indie label in the late 1990s under the name Garage Indies Zapping Association, but soon Being Inc. bought it as their sister label company. Giza Studio is located in Osaka, Japan and ...
label, active from 1998 to 2006.
Members
Members consisted of siblings, cousins and their childhood friends.
*Shinya Hirayama (平山進也) - vocalist (born 31 January 1979)
*Yuuji Hirayama (平山裕司) - side guitarist (born 18 October 1980)
*Keisuke Yanagida (柳田圭祐) - leader guitarist (born 16 March 1981)
*Tetsuya Oguro (小黒哲也) - drummer (born 29 November 1978)
*Kousuke Minami (南公祐) - bassist and member of band until 2004 (born 21 May 1977)
Biography
1998-2001
The formation of the band began in autumn 1998 by the Hirayama siblings, later other members joined the band.
In July 1999, under Giza Studio label they released their first single ''Odyssey''. The single was used as an image song for
Sanyo
, stylized as SANYO, is a Japanese electronics company and formerly a member of the Fortune Global 500, ''Fortune'' Global 500 whose headquarters was located in Moriguchi, Osaka, Moriguchi, Osaka prefecture, Japan. Sanyo had over 230 subsidiari ...
's radio recorder U4.
On 3 September 1999, the first mini album ''Waggish Tricks'' was released which includes previously released single ''Odyssey''. Minami Kousuke wrote all the lyrics in English for their indie releases.
On 13 September 1999, they launched their fanclub Wag-On with a monthly fanclub magazine ''Go For it!''
On 2 October 1999, they started broadcasting their own radio program ''Future Paradise Wag-On'' on ''
Kiss-Fm
KISS-FM (99.5 MHz) is a commercial radio station in San Antonio, Texas. It airs an mainstream rock format and is owned by Cox Media Group. The studios and offices are located on Datapoint Drive in Northwest San Antonio near the South Texas Me ...
'' radio station. On their official site under section ''Radio'' section they shared for listeners the complete radio talk and list of power-played songs. The final program was broadcast on 27 December 2003.
On 14 October 1999, they made a major debut with single ''Free Magic'' composed by
Makoto Miyoshi
is a Japanese musical composer and arranger under Giza Studio label from 1998 till 2007. In 2019, through social network he announced resume of music activities.
Biography
*He started playing on guitar during his high school days. He worked on ...
from
Rumania Montevideo
Rumania Montevideo is a Japanese pop band under the Giza Studio label. They were active from 1998 to 2002 and reformed in 2019. The band name comes from the combination of the Latin spelling of Romania and Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay.
Me ...
and written by
Nana Azuki
(born July 26, 1974) is a Japanese musical lyricist and keyboardist under Giza Studio label. She is a former member of the Japanese pop band Garnet Crow, primarily as the lead songwriter and keyboardist.
Biography
Since she was 4, and until she ...
from
Garnet Crow
Garnet Crow (stylized as GARNET CROW) was a Japanese pop/rock band formed in 1999 and associated with the Giza Studio record label. Members include Yuri Nakamura, Hitoshi Okamoto, Nana Azuki, and Hirohito Furui, with Nakamura leading on vocals. Mus ...
. The on-air version of this song was broadcast from 19 July. In media, it was used as an ending theme for popular Anime television series
Detective Conan
''Case Closed'', also known as , is a Japanese detective fiction, detective manga series written and illustrated by Gosho Aoyama. It has been serialized in Shogakukan's Shōnen manga, ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' ...
. On the weekly Oricon Charts it reached #33 rank and charted for 3 weeks.
In December 1999, they held a mini-live performance in Saison group
Shibuya Club Quattro.
In February 2000, there were plans to release another mini album ''Ri-Ra'' (GZCA-1018) however due to unknown reason the release was canceled.
In October 2001, they released their first studio album ''WAG''.
In December 2001, their single ''Kanashimi no Ame'' was included in Giza Studio's compilation album ''Giza Studio Masterpiece Blend 2001''.
2002-2006
From September 2002 to March 2003, they held seven Friend Man-three Live events ''Whisky a Go go!'' in Osaka Muse Hall.
On 21 December 2002, their single ''All For Your Love'' was included in Giza Studio's compilation album ''Giza Studio Masterpiece Blend 2002''. This single was exclusively released for this album, and does not appear in any of their studio albums.
In July 2003, Wag held a live performance Hills Pan Koujou ''GIZA studio presents THURSDAY LIVE "ROCK NIGHT"'' with guest Ami Matsunaga from
The Tambourines
''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 ...
and on October with indies band Elf.
In November 2003, they renewed and changed their website domain from ''giza.co.jp/wag'' into ''wag-net.com''.
In December 2003, their single ''Fight Song'' was included in Giza Studio's compilation album ''Giza Studio Masterpiece Blend 2003''.
In February 2004, their single ''Fukisusabu Kaze no Naka de'' appeared on the Oricon Weekly charts for the first time since 1999. The single was composed by
Akihito Tokunaga
(born 22 September 1971) is a Japanese musical composer and arranger under Giza Studio label since 2000.
Biography
Since college he worked as orchestrator, then start working as a bassist. For artists as Zard, Mai Kuraki, B'z and many others f ...
and written by Yuka Saegusa from
U-ka Saegusa in dB
was a Japanese pop rock band formed in Osaka in 2002. The band consists of lead vocalist U-ka Saegusa, lead guitarist Yūichirō Iwai, lead bassist Taku Ōyabu, and drummer Keisuke Kurumatani. Signed to Giza Studio, the band released four studio ...
. In media it was used as an ending theme for Anime television series ''
Saiyuki Reload
is a Japanese manga series by Kazuya Minekura which was serialized in ''G-Fantasy'' from 1997 to 2002. It spawned multiple manga sequels, several anime adaptations, live-action musicals, video games and other media. The Saiyuk ...
''.
In March 2004, Kousuke left the band.
In May 2005, the band released their final single ''Don't look back again''. In media, it was used as an opening theme for Anime television series ''
Saiyuki Reload Gunlock
is a Japanese manga series by Kazuya Minekura which was serialized in ''G-Fantasy'' from 1997 to 2002. It spawned multiple manga sequels, several anime adaptations, live-action musicals, video games and other media. The Saiyuk ...
''.
In November 2005, through official fanclub Wag-On they announced the. band's disbandment on 31 December 2006, a year after their official website was removed by Giza staff.
Discography
Indies singles
Singles
Studio albums
Indies albums
Magazine appearances
From Music Freak Magazine:
*Vol.59 1999/October
*Vol.60 1999/November
*Vol.61 1999/December
*Vol.62 2000/January
*Vol.63 2000/February
*Vol.64 2000/March
*Vol.67 2000/June
*Vol.68 2000/July
*Vol.70 2000/September
*Vol.73 2000/December
*Vol.74 2001/January
*Vol.78 2001/May
*Vol.81 2001/August
*Vol.82 2001/September
*Vol.83 2001/October
*Vol.84 2001/November
*Vol.86 2002/January
*Vol.87 2002/February
*Vol.88 2002/March
*Vol.89 2002/April
*Vol.93 2002/August
*Vol.94 2002/September
*Vol.95 2002/October
*Vol.96 2002/November
*Vol.97 2002/December
*Vol.98 2003/January
*Vol.99 2003/February
*Vol.100 2003/March
*Vol.101 2003/April
*Vol.102 2003/May
*Vol.104 2003/July
*Vol.105 2003/August
*Vol.107 2003/October
*Vol.108 2003/November
*Vol.109 2003/December
*Vol.110 2004/January
*Vol.111 2004/February
*Vol.113 2004/April
*Vol.114 2004/May
From J-Rock Magazine:
*1999/08
*1999/09
*1999/11
*1999/12
*2000/01
*2000/03
*2000/05
*2000/06
*2000/07
*2000/08
From Digital Creators DGCR
*Vol.5
*Vol.10
*Vol.13
*Vol.15
*Vol.16
*Vol.19
From J-Groove Magazine:
*November 2000 Vol.1
*June 2001 Vol.8
*September 2001 Vol.11
*November 2001 Vol.13
*April 2002 Vol.18
*January 2003 Vol.27
*February 2003 Vol.28
*July 2003 Vol.33
*September 2003 Vol.35
References
External links
*Official websit
*Renewed official websit
*Official website by Being (in Japanese
*Musing profile (in Japanese)
*Oricon profile (in Japanese
*
{{Authority control
Being Inc. artists
Japanese rock music groups
Anime musicians
Musical groups established in 1998
Musical groups disestablished in 2006
Year of birth missing (living people)