Sakerock

Sakerock
Origin	Saitama, Japan
Years active	2000–present
Labels	Kakubarhythm Compare Notes
Associated acts	Asa-Chang & Blue Hats Cherry's Chopiiin Gentle Forest Jazz Band Good Dog Happy Men Goodluck Heiwa Killing Floor Natsumen Newday Shugo Tokumaru & The Magic Band Wuja Bin Bin Zainichi Funk
Website	Official Website

Members	Gen Hoshino Daichi Itō Kenta Hamano

Past members	Kei Tanaka Takuji Nomura

Sakerock (サケロック, Sakerokku), typeset as SAKEROCK, is an instrumental Japanese band.

Led by Gen Hoshino, the group was formed in 2000 by graduates of a high school in Hannō, Saitama. The band was named after a Martin Denny song and performs uplift, melodic instrumental music influenced by jazz, folk, Latin music and exotica.^[1]^[2]^[3] Over the decade, they released more than 10 albums and mini-albums, including soundtracks for Japanese movies, television dramas and stage plays.^[4] They are signed to the Kakubarhythm label.^[5]^[6]

Members

Current members

Gen Hoshino (星野源, Hoshino Gen) — guitar, marimba
Daichi Itō (伊藤大地, Itō Daichi) — drums, percussion

Member of Cherry's, Good Dog Happy Men and Killing Floor.

Kenta "Hamaken" Hamano (浜野謙太, Hamano Kenta) — trombone, scat

Member of Asa-Chang & Blue Hats (ASA-CHANG&ブルーハッツ), Gentle Forest Jazz Band, Killing Floor, Newday and Zainichi Funk (在日ファンク).

Past members

Kei Tanaka (田中馨, Tanaka Kei) — bass, hawaiian guitar

Left on 26 December 2011. Member of Chopiiin (ショピン) and Shugo Tokumaru & The Magic Band (トクマルシューゴ＆ザ・マジックバンド).

Takuji Nomura (野村卓史, Nomura Takuji) — keyboards

Still acts as a support-member. Member of Goodluck Heiwa (グッドラックヘイワ), Natsumen and Wuja Bin Bin.

Both Gen Hoshino and Kenta Hamano pursue acting careers; together with Kei Tanaka and Daichi Itō, they appeared in Kankurō Kudō's 2009 film The Shonen Merikensack (少年メリケンサック, Shōnen Merikensakku).^[7]

Discography

Albums

Yuta (2003)
Yuta (Renewal) (2003)
Life Cycle (2005)
Penguin Pull Pale Piles Sound Tracks 「Best」 (2005)
Tropical Dōchū (トロピカル道中, Toropikaru Dōchū) (2006)

with Asa-Chang and Ren Takada as Sakerock All Stars (サケロックオールスターズ)

Songs of Instrumental (2006)
Ojiisan-sensei (おじいさん先生) original soundtrack (2007)
Penguin Pull Pale Piles #12: Yurameki (ペンギンプルペイルパイルズ#12「ゆらめき」, Pengin Puru Peiruzu #12 Yurameki) original soundtrack (2007)
Honyarara (ホニャララ) (2008)
Muda (2010)

Mini-albums / EPs

Sakerock (2002) (demo)
Ian Ryokō (慰安旅行) (2004)
Catchball-ya (キャッチボール屋, Kyatchibōru-ya) original soundtrack (2006)

Singles

"Ana o Horu / 2, 3-nin" (穴を掘る / 2、3人) (2004)
"Kaishain to Ima no Watashi" (会社員と今の私) (2008)

They also contributed music to Isshin Inudō's film Yellow Tears (黄色い涙, Kiiroi Namida) starring Arashi and based on a manga by Shinji Nagashima.

Videos

"Gūzen no Kiroku" (ぐうぜんのきろく) (2005)
"Gūzen no Kiroku 2" (ぐうぜんのきろく2) (2007)
"Radical Holiday Sono 0" (ラディカルホリデーその0, Radikaru Horidē Sono 0) (2008)
"Radical Holiday Sono 1" (ラディカルホリデーその1, Radikaru Horidē Sono 1) (2009)
"Gūzen no Kiroku 3" (ぐうぜんのきろく3) (2009)
"Gūzen no Kiroku Final" (ぐうぜんのきろくファイナル, Gūzen no Kiroku Fainaru) (2012)