Kome Kome Club (米米CLUB, Kome Kome Kurabu) is a Japanese pop rock band formed in 1982 which achieved commercial success by blending soul and funk musical styles.[2][3] They also use the style of rakugo.[4]
History
1982–1997: Commercial success
Kome Kome Club was founded in 1982 by vocalist Tatsuya Ishii (sometimes credited as "Carl Smoky Ishiii") and fellow members.[5] They released their debut single and album in October 1985. In 1990, "Roman Hikō" became a hit song. In 1992, "Kimi ga Iru Dake de" topped the Oricon chart, remaining in the charts for 33 weeks.[6] It was the fifth best-selling song in Japan since Oricon's establishment,[7] and the second best-selling J-Pop single, slightly behind Southern All Stars' "TSUNAMI", (released in January 2000). "Kimi ga Iru Dake de" was written around the marriage of band members Minako (also Ishii's sister) and Kaneko, the saxophone/keyboardist.
Drummer Ryo-J and guitarist Joplin Tokunoh parted ways with the band in 1995. Ishii tried to continue the band, but in the end he officially dissolved it in March 1997.
2006–present: Reunion
With the two members returning, the band reformed in the middle of 2006 for a series of concerts as well as a few new recordings, including "Well Come 2" [sic], which spurred a video where the band members were depicted as toys (complete with enlarged doll-like heads, UPC bar codes and one, "James" Onoda Yasuhide bursting out of his "box"). The video also gives a nod to all of its members by having a screen shot with their name and them playing in the scene, this includes members of Big Horns Bee and Sue Cream Sue. It is a part of Sony Music Japan. Sony has frequently had appearances of the "Well Come 2" video on various streaming websites pulled while leaving other videos from the same DVD online.
A combined CD/DVD release featured a parody of the "hentai" (aka "racy') videos where the two dancers (Minako and Mari, also known as "Sue Cream Sue") dance to songs of Kome Kome in various states of dress and undress (and strange costumes like animals). However, this being 20 years later, their costumes are not as skimpy as the ones in their famed "Costume Dance" videos during Kome Kome's heyday. They do poke a bit of fun with it and guitarist, Be, narrates over the slow-motion action when their skirts fly up a little.
Although there was a very long layoff, "Well Come 2" still became a Top 10 hit on the Oricon charts.[8] On October 22, 2006, they announced that they completely revoked their breakup.[9] In September 2007, their new studio album komedia.jp was released. On December 31, 2007, they took part in the 58th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen.
Members
Current members
Carl Smoky Ishii (カールスモーキー石井, Kāru Sumōkī Ishii, Real name: Tatsuya Ishii (石井 竜也, Ishii Tatsuya)) born 22 September 1959 (1985-1997, 2006-) - vocal
James Onoda (ジェームス小野田, Jēmusu Onoda, Real name: Yasuhide Onoda (小野田 安秀, Onoda Yasuhide)) born 8 November 1959 (1985-1997, 2006-) - vocal, chorus
BON (ボン, BON, Real name: Kensaku Ookubo (大久保 謙作, Ōkubo Kensaku)) born 5 March 1960 (1985-1997, 2006-) - bass
BE (ベー, Bē, Real name: Naoki Hayashibe (林部直樹, Hayashibe Naoki)) born 29 July 1965 (1985-1997, 2006-) - guitar
Flash Kaneko (フラッシュ金子, Furasshu Kaneko, Real name: Takahiro Kaneko (金子隆博, Kaneko Takahiro)) born 22 March 1964 (1985-1997, 2006-) - Saxophone, Keyboards, Flute
Minako (ミナコ, Minako, Real name: Minako Kaneko (金子 美奈子, Kaneko Minako)) born 18 December 1961 (1985-1997, 2006-) - Vocal, Dance (younger sister of Ishii and wife of Kaneko)
Mari (マリ, Mari, Real name: Mari Amagaya (天ヶ谷真利, Amagaya Mari)) born 20 November 1966 (1985-1996, 2006-) - Vocal, Dance, Percussion
RYO-J (リョージェイ, Ryōjei, Real name: Ryouji Sakaguchi (坂口良治, Sakaguchi Ryōji)) born 25 April 1959 (1985-1995, 2006-) - Drums
Joplin Tokunoh (ジョプリン得能, Jopurin Tokunō, Real name: Ritsurou Tokunou (得能律郎, Tokunō ritsurō)) born 10 August 1959 (1985-1995, 2006-) - guitar
Live-band support members
Mataro (マタロー, Matarō, Real name: Matarou Misawa (三沢またろう, Misawa Matarō)) born 23 October 1960 (1990-1997, 2006-) - Percussion, Chorus
Machiko (マタロー, Machiko, born 23 December) (1991-1997, 2006-) - chorus
Tequila Masaharu (テキーラまさはる, Tekīra Masaharu, born 17 December 1985) (2013-) - dance, MC, subvocal
^米米ＣＬＵＢ (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 2008-11-22.
^Mark Schilling The Encyclopedia of Japanese pop culture 1997 0834803801 p.230 "In the latter half of the 1980s rock bands like Rebecca, Checkers, Hound Dog, Tube, Anzen Chitai, Bakufu Slump, and Kome Kome Club began to take center stage on the pop scene. Unlike earlier bands, who played Western-style rock for hard-core fans, these groups had a more Japanized sound that ordinary kids could relate to. Also, taking a hint from New Music queen YUMINC, who mounted spectacular stage shows.."
