Hikashu at The Garrison

Although recognized as a rock band, Hikashu has been incorporating elements of spontaneity and improvisation into their music for years. For instance, their concert has no setlist and with lots of room for experimentation.

In a sense, vocalist Koichi Makigami decided to pursue music accidentally. In his formative years, his main aspiration was to become an underground theater actor. But preparing some original music for his own theatrical work with friends, he soon discovered how enjoyable it was, and the friends felt the same, so they decided to form a rock band together instead of theater. They called themselves Hikashu and that’s how the band started. It was 1978....

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Although recognized as a rock band, Hikashu has been incorporating elements of spontaneity and improvisation into their music for years. For instance, their concert has no setlist and with lots of room for experimentation.

In a sense, vocalist Koichi Makigami decided to pursue music accidentally. In his formative years, his main aspiration was to become an underground theater actor. But preparing some original music for his own theatrical work with friends, he soon discovered how enjoyable it was, and the friends felt the same, so they decided to form a rock band together instead of theater. They called themselves Hikashu and that’s how the band started. It was 1978.

Among the friends was Freeman Mita, who was originally an actor but started playing guitar as well. He and Makigami met for the first time while attending the same high school and have been together ever since.

In 1979, Hikashu landed a major contract and released the first single called “At the End of the 20 Century.” The song, written by Makigami, featured his distinctive vocal and the sounds of synthesizers and rhythm box which were quite new then. They were accepted as a pop group with some strange twist. At that time, new wave rock and synth-pop were in full bloom, and as a part of the movements, they were widely recognized.

At first, they enjoyed unexpected popularity, but found there were some restrictions and uneasinesses about being a pop act. Soon they sought freedom and independence, so they started to take an self-sufficiency approach. About that time, bass player Masami Sakaide joined the band and has been staying since then. Despite difficulties, the band remained to be active in the live circuit and released albums steadily after that.

In 2003, Makigami invited keyboard player Kazuto Shimizu and drummer Masaharu Sato to the band. They were both experienced musicians and prominent improvisers as well, and their participation made the band into new direction again, leaning toward experimentation differently than before. In 2005, Hikashu recorded an album called Ten-Ten, which is solely consisted of genuine improvisations, lyrics and all.

Recently Hikashu often plays in jazz settings. They regularily perform at jazz festivals like Yokohama Jazz Promenade and Jazz Art Sengawa. Also in 2011, they played at an acclaimed avant-garde musical venue in Moscow called DOM Cultural Center. It was a huge success and the band was back to play there again this year.

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