Tokyo Tramps

Artist Information

Biography

Hailing from the Land of Rising Sun (Japan), TOKYO TRAMPS is on a mission to deliver joy and excitement of true American music, Blues and Rock'n'Roll. American music had a tremendous power to make three Japanese come down here. The musical journey started when Satoru Nakagawa left Japan to go to Louisiana searching for the roots of American music. Soon he found its father, the Blues. Yukiko Fujii left a very lucrative job in Tokyo and took a giant step following her heart to play music in America. Kosei Fukuyama had a dream of becoming the best drummer. His ambition is to hit the big time in America. These three had a chance to meet in Boston, where American revolution started. Satoru took its name TRAMPS from his early idol, Bruce Springsteen's song, Born To Run - "Tramps like us, baby, we were born to run." Coming to a foreign land, not having home or families, traveling from place to place searching for the best sounds of America, what else can we do to make our dreams come true except playing for a Rock'n'Roll band?

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TOKYO TRAMPS won the 18th Annual River City Ohio Blues Competition 2010 and proceeded to the International Blues Competition 2011 in Memphis, TN.

TOKYO TRAMPS was a Finalist for "Boston Blues Challenge 2011," and a semifinalist for "Boston Blues Challenge 2009."

TOKYO TRAMPS was the Runner-up winner of Boston Phoenix / WFNX 2010 and 2007 BEST MUSIC POLL Local Blues Act Category. TRAMPS also won Indie Artist of the Year from Immie Award 2007.

TOKYO TRAMPS was a semifinalist for "Boston Blues Challenge" in 2004. The winner of WMWM 91.7FM radio's Battle of the Bands in 2004.

TOKYO TRAMPS has been playing extensively in New England ~ Tri-State area. Some examples of apperances are:
Massachusetts - Ryles, Harpers Ferry, House of Blues, TT the Bears, Hard Rock Cafe, ChiliHead BBQ, Bull Run Restaurant, Smoken' Joe's BBQ, Lucky Dog Music Hall, Lizard Lounge, Abbey Lounge, Plough and Stars, Church, The Sea Note, Midway Cafe, Kirkland Cafe, Next Page Cafe, and many more!
New York - Kenny's Castaways, Baggot Inn, Blaggards Pub, Lion's Den, The Annex, Alphabet Lounge. New Jersey - the Buffstone's. Pennsylvania - Abilene, Club128, and the Tokio Ballroom. Rhode Island - The call. New Hampshire - Dolphin Striker, the Barley House. Maine - Port City Music Hall........and many many more!!

Showcase appearance are : Bignoise showcase (Providence, RI) in February2001, CuttingEdge Music Conference (New Orleans, LA), Midwest Music and Film Festival (Lexington, KY) in August 2002, and Indianapolis Music Conference in November 2003, Millennium Music Conference in Harrisburg, PA and Independence Music Conference in Philadelphia, PA in 2004/2005/2007, North By North East Music Festival in Toronto, ON in June 2006, NEMO Music Festival in Boston, MA in September 2006, and Independence Music Festival in Los Angels, CA in 2008. Keene Music Festival in Keene, NH in 2009 and 2010, Blues and Brews Festival in 2010.


A few example of TOKYO TRAMPS' appearances in local media are : Boston Globe, Boston Herald, Boston Magazine, Metronome magazine, Soundcheck Magazine, The Noise Magazine, WAAF, WFNX, 92.5 The River, WMWM 91.7FM, AOTV, WIN-TV, and so on.

Instrumentation

Satoru Nakagawa - Guitar/Vocal
Yukiko Fujii - Bass, Vocal
Kosei Fukuyama - Drums, Vocal

Discography

"With These Hands"
12 song CD released on October 31, 2009

"TOKYO GUMBO"
11 songs CD released on September 15, 2008

"Lucky Jive Will Come Home On King's Road""
4 songs CD released on May 17, 2006

"Bound For Glory"
10 songs CD released on June 1, 2003

"Long Way From Home"
7 songs CD released in August 2000

Links

• Facebook
• MySpace
• ReverbNation

Audio

• Holler And Shout
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• Highway 49
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• Rollin' And Tumblin'
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• Dance Of Kindred Spirit
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• Light On The Inside
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• Down On The Bayou
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• With These Hands
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• Chicken Teriyaki
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• Big Time Blues
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• Lucky Day
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• Lonesome In My Hometown
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• Someday You Will Come Home
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• Since I Got You
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• Bound For Glory
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• King's Road
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Lyrics

• Holler And Shout
• Dance Of Kindred Spirit
• Light On The Inside
• Down On The Bayou
• With These Hands
• Chicken Teriyaki
• Big Time Blues
• Lucky Day
• Lonesome In My Hometown
• Someday You Will Come Home
• Since I Got You
• Bound For Glory
• King's Road
• Giant Step
• House With No Love
• The Crow's Song
• Favorite One
• Thibodaux, Louisiana

Video

WithTheseHands0810

TOKYO TRAMPS plays "Big Time Blues"- November 2008

Photo Gallery

Press

• The Examiner (June, 2009) [+ Show ]
  

  TOKYO TRAMPS defy all categories The Tokyo Tramps are an anomaly, that’s for certain – three Ja...TOKYO TRAMPS defy all categories
  
  
  The Tokyo Tramps are an anomaly, that’s for certain – three Japanese musicians playing down-home American blues in their own unmistakable style. The Tramps are serious aficionados of old blues masters like Muddy Waters, they dip into Cajun zydeco, sprinkle in a little Latin influence and also love plain old American rock and roll. Rockers like Creedence Clearwater, Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen have influenced the Tramps, who take their name from the “tramps like us” line in Springsteen’s “Born to Run.’
  
  Guitarist/vocalist Satoru Nakagawa began a musical/spiritual quest as a young man, leaving Japan to visit Louisiana, where he experienced the blues up close and personal. He went on to study at Berklee College of Music, one of the few blues players among a sea of jazzers, and assembled the first version of the Tramps from fellow Berklee students. The current version of the band includes bassist/vocalist Yukiko Fujii (who is Nakagawa’s wife) and Kosei Fukuyama, on drums and vocals. They recently released a CD called Tokyo Gumbo, which has blues songs and tunes in a number of other styles, hence the Gumbo of the title. One of the songs, “Chicken Teriyaki,” is an instantly catchy novelty song that manages to channel both Carlos Santana and Weird Al Yankovic. It would fit perfectly in a Quentin Tarentino flick, though not his last one.
  
  Nakagawa is a virtuoso blues guitarist who plays his Fender Telecaster with a battery of technical chops and a bluesman’s soul. His singing is more of a croon than a blues growl, but you know that he means what he sings. Fujii also sings, conjuring up the voice of a soulful Yoko Ono singing straight. They can raise the temperature of a room and get the dance floor rocking, especially during one of Nakagawa’s extended solos. They’ve played everywhere in the greater Boston area – Harpers Ferry, House of Blues, TT the Bears, Hard Rock Cafe, ChiliHead BBQ, Dodge Street Grill, Lizard Lounge, Abbey Lounge, Plough and Stars, Church, Midway Cafe, Kirkland Café. It can be safely said that they’re different than most blues bands you’ve seen. They’re always playing someplace in the area, so check ‘em out when they come to town. The band’s CD’s are available on Itunes and sold at their live shows. The website is www.tokyotramps.com.

• Boston Herald (July 4, 2008) [+ Show ]
  

  The band: Satoru Nakagawa (guitar, voice), Yukiko Fujii (bass), Kosei Fukuyama (drums) The geogra...The band: Satoru Nakagawa (guitar, voice), Yukiko Fujii (bass), Kosei Fukuyama (drums)
  
  The geography: All three members of Tokyo Tramps hail from Japan and live in Boston's Fenway neighborhood.
  
  The sound: Blues rock with a big nod to Bruce Springsteen
  
  The back story: After finishing high school in Japan, singer and songwriter Nakagawa moved to Louisiana to explore his fondness for blues rock. He spent five years partying and playing music, which led to his expulsion (oops!) from the University of New Orleans. In 1996, he enrolled at Berklee College of Music to pursue his love of blues - without the distraction of Bourbon Street.
  Tokyo Tramps is a trio of Japanese Berklee grads that came together in 1999 when Nakagawa asked his then-girlfriend Yukiko Fujii, now his wife of four years, to fill in on bass.
  "I didn't want to play with my partner," Nakagawa said, "but my bass player left and I asked her to fill in. And then I couldn't get rid of her!"
  Recent Berklee grad Fukuyama joined last year after the Tramps' original drummer returned to Japan.
  "We didn't have a drummer for three or four months so we did the acoustic, street performer thing in Harvard Square," Nakagawa said. "We were also a wedding band and Kosei was hired for that. It was really lucky. I feel very fortunate."
  The name: "We didn't know what to call ourselves," Nakagawa said.
  So he looked to the lyrics of Springsteen's "Born to Run" for inspiration: "Tramps like us, baby we were born to run."
  The philosophy: Tokyo Tramps' blues rock is not a soundtrack for depression. The trio's songs convey messages of hope and happiness.
  "I'm a Buddhist," Nakagawa said, "which means you must become happy and recognize Buddhahood in yourself and in everybody around you. There is happiness in everybody, it's just a matter of finding it. That's what I do in my music."
  "We have a word in Japanese that means turning poison into medicine," Nakagawa said. "We all carry sadness and pain and agony and stuff, but there's always a way to turn it into joy. All my musical heroes are able to do that with music. They really touch my heart. That's why I became a musician - to repay a debt of gratitude. I've never met them in person, but I'm grateful, so I'd like to do the same with my music."
  
  The albums: Tokyo Tramps have released three albums: "Long Way From Home" (2000), "Bound for Glory" (2003) and "Lucky Jive Will Come Home on King's Road" (2006). The fourth will drop as soon as Fujii finishes the cover art.
  
  The show: Tokyo Tramps play Church tomorrow, with Geezer and the Ten Foot Polecats.
  
  
  
  

• The Noise (December 2007) [+ Show ]
  

  The Tokyo Tramps have the unfortunate timing of having to play during game two of the World Series, ...The Tokyo Tramps have the unfortunate timing of having to play during game two of the World Series, which is on a TV in the back corner. Guitarist/ lead vocalist Satoru Nakagawa wears a Red Sox shirt for the occasion and brings "greetings from Fenway," in this case meaning the neighborhood where he lives. This three-piece, whose shtick is that they're all Japanese playing American bluesy roots rock, is just so much fun that I even stop watching the game for awhile. Satoru's spare Telecaster sound is perfect for this classic rootsy style, which they interpret so well. Bassist Yukiko Fujii's backing vocals are simultaneously bright and haunting. And Kosei Fukuyama is simply an amazing drummer who kind of reminds me of Charlie Watts with his confident coolness. Of course, these three have a sense of humor about their origins: they even have a song about chicken teriyaki.

• ASIAN BOSTON (October 2007) [+ Show ]
  

  The All American Approach Of The TOKYO TRAMPS There is no guarantee for success in the music indu...The All American Approach Of The TOKYO TRAMPS
  
  There is no guarantee for success in the music industry and certainly no telling what genre of music will take off next. Bands come and go on the local Boston scene quicker than a magazine can write about them. But if you take a relative look at success, and gauge it as musicians doing just what they want to do without compromise, then the Japanese blues-rock band Tokyo Tramps would be considered very successful. Boston's "The Noise" appreciated their enthusiasm and described them as "sounding more American than most Americans." When a mix of Delta Blues, Bruce Springsteen and The Band are what you're aiming for, then this is a good thing.
  
  Singer, songwriter and guitarist Satoru Nakagawa came to America because it's the birthplace of rock'n'roll. Then he went a step beyond what many rockers do, he immersed in the culture of Louisiana, doing from town to town absorbing the mix of blues, rock'n'roll, country and gospel. Since 1996, Satoru has been in Boston honing his craft with a mix of all the music he loves in his band, Tokyo Tramps. His influences fall squarely in the genre of American rock, like the aforementioned bands as well as Creedence Clearwater Revival. The Japanese twist his band puts on the music makes it original. Although they sing in English, there are tell-tale hints of a cultural and musical experience from a life spent in Japan. The same would be true for say British bands that play "American" music; they put their own cultural spin however subtle.
  
  Satoru and the band will not change the current trends, or be forced to sell out to a specific genre. This no compromise attitude can either lose or win fans over, and Satoru is hoping that it will be the latter. The road has been difficult and finding new Boston venues is challenging, and discovering local bands with like-minded ideals is difficult. The Tokyo Tramps have struck to their guns, refusing to go the easy route; no top 40 covers for them even those shows are easier to get and pay well.
  
  Following their dreams is what this band's all about. Bass player Yukiko Fujii left a stressed-out overworked office job in Japan, and Satoru left behind gigs where you pay to play. They met their drummer Toshio Tanaka in the US; a jazz drummer by training, his amiable presence has helped them get gigs. They all enjoy the freedom of being musicians, and as difficult as the road is, it's their own journey. Satoru described the title reference to the phrase King's Road on his CD, "Lucky Jive Will Come Home On King's Road" as "the righteous road, the right path," and added that this was not meant in a religious sense, but certainly in a spiritual sense.
  
  Their hope and optimism is catchy-"everyday is your lucky day, every road is shining gold."
  
  
  

• Boston Globe (January 8, 2007) [+ Show ]
  

  Into the Boss and the Blues Don't be fooled by the look - or name - of the TOKYO TRAMPS. This thr...Into the Boss and the Blues
  
  Don't be fooled by the look - or name - of the TOKYO TRAMPS. This three-piece band from Japan plays as if its musicians were raised in the Deep South and brought up on Delta blues. The group, whose influences include Muddy Waters, named itself after a line in Bruce Springsteen's "Born To Run." Led by former Berklee College of Music student Satoru Nakagawa.

• Indie In-Tune Magazine (November 2006) [+ Show ]
  

  When the nights begin to draw in and the gloom of the coming winter seems fast approaching those of ...When the nights begin to draw in and the gloom of the coming winter seems fast approaching those of us whose mood is affected by seasonal shifts have two choices: Go on Holiday or listen to good music.
  
  Having spent nearly all my money on a holiday, which is completely out of the question, so I have taken to collecting all the feel-good music I can as my hobby in this gratefully received Indian summer. Now I have found the first song for my selection, Tokyo Tramps gBound for Glory.h
  
  The band is a blues/rock three piece, exclusively Japanese, hailing from Boston. Their sound is driven by catchy; uplifting pop melodies, tasteful guitar work and it encompasses country and blues within a pop setup. The way Tokyo Tramps skip through different styles and moods with ease keep the listener entertained and their gObsession with Southern Deltah ties everything together, preventing it from sounding too disjointed.
  
  The title track of their 2003 album, gBound for Gloryh is infinitely feel-good and a well constructed rock song. Coupled with a sing-along chorus and a screaming guitar solo this is a serious contender to be a classic rock anthem. Songs laced with guitar leads and catchy choruses are the norm especially in the faster tracks such as the country/rockabilly themed gDancin with Jive,h but they never begin to sound repetitive despite their simplicity.
  
  A more sensual side to the band is shown on their slower songs, especially on the more recent tracks. gSomeday youfll come homeh combines searing guitar leads with laid back, soulful chords and searching lyrics. The song is a showcase for the talent within this band - simple and less produced then some of their other offerings, the vocal harmonies are a great touch and the end result is a very decent song. Two of the four songs on their recently released album gLucky Jive will Come Home on Kingfs Roadh are in keeping with this more mature and soothing style and while they cannot be added to my get-through-winter-music-collection I will try and make sure that, come spring, Ifll give them another listen!
  
  Before I heard any of Tokyo Trampfs songs I read a review of them by Boston Globe in which their music is described as "An Eastern spin on the blues". This conjured up ridiculous images of a Japanese 3-piece dressing in Kimonos and trying to add traditional Japanese touches to the blues. Thankfully Tokyo Tramps are nothing like that and if there are any eastern musical influences within their music they must fit in very well with the music as they are far too subtle for me to notice. Maybe the reviewer at Boston Globe has a better ear than me, but I feel he/she has fallen into the trap of seeing an all-Japanese band and therefore assuming their sound will be like Japanese blues when really it is far from such gimmick laden crossovers.
  
  A modern and pop take on traditional musical styles such as blues and country, the tramps from Tokyo were semi-finalists in the Boston Blues Society's Blues Challenge 2004 and have released three albums over the past six years.
  
  Ifd definitely recommend giving them a listen, even if itfs just to hear gBound for Gloryh and get some inspiration.
  
  Extra information:
  Tokyo Tramps latest album is available from www.cdbaby.com/tokyotramps2
  Tokyo Tramps are named after a Springsteen's song, "Born to Run" (tramps like us, baby we were born to run.)
  The homeless in Tokyo often inhabit strange and smart boxes,
  made of cardboard, wood, sometime bamboo,
  sheltered by blue fabric sheets. They are usually seen as being far more respectful than tramps in the US or UK.

• Intermixx Webzine (December 2005) [+ Show ]
  

  TOP10 OF 2005 #2- TOKYO TRAMPS My next choice for Top Ten is a great CD entitled "Bound For Gl...TOP10 OF 2005
  #2- TOKYO TRAMPS
  
  
  My next choice for Top Ten is a great CD entitled "Bound For Glory." This disc was actually released in 2003 but since I have some catching up to do I'm including it. Besides, in the independent music market, the rules are not quite the same as the mainstream market. Artists often work a release for two or three years before a new disc is produced. The fact that this band's founder began his musical journey in Louisiana where he moved from town to town just to absorb the culture and the sounds of blues, country, gospel and rock'n'roll, may not make it surprising that they perform songs with a decidedly southern blues style. When you hear the skillfully produced results of all that gathering of influences and experiences you may not be surprised that he also attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. As you listen to how tight the band is and how professionally they perform you will not be surprised to hear that the other members also attended Berklee...But when you SEE the band... it may surprise you to hear this very well performed and very American style of music coming from three natives of Japan!
  Satoru Nakagawa leads the Tokyo Tramps on vocals and guitar, while the lovely Yukiko Fujii backs him on vox and brings up a solid bass line. Drummer Toshio Tanaka keeps time and assists capably with harmony vocals. Satoru often triple-duties by playing a mouth harp while still strumming. Neither suffers from distraction and these demonstrations of his multi-talented abilities always bring applause. My favorite cut on "Bound..." is "Thibodaux, Louisiana" which can be heard at www.IndieGate.com/tokyotramps.
  In the tune Satoru pays homage to the aforementioned experience with life in southern Louisiana. He humorously acknowledges his efforts to soak up all things American at an accelerated rate with the line "I hope my English gets better..."
  The best part of a Tokyo Tramps performance is watching the reactions on the faces of the uninitiated audience members. When the band launches into their brand of rock, the expressions begin as mild surprise, then turn to hesitation and incredulity, to quickly melt away as the sounds and talent overwhelm. With all traces of ridiculous ethnic stereotypes quickly and completely swept away, the crowd soon finds common ground in their enjoyment of excellent music performed by a great band... of MUSICIANS. No other qualifying descriptions are needed. Visit the Tramps at... www.TokyoTramps.com

• Metronome Magazine (October 2003) [+ Show ]
  

  Music is truly a universal language. Take for example, the band, Tokyo Tramps; four Japanese kids wh...Music is truly a universal language. Take for example, the band, Tokyo Tramps; four Japanese kids who attended Berklee College and have two albums out of american based, original blues/rock. Singer-songwritr-guitarist Satoru Nakagawa is the heart and soul behind the Tokyo Tramps and he along with bassist Yukiko Fujii took time out to talk about coming to America and making their rootsy style of music.
  
  METRONOME: Where are the Tokyo Tramps from?
  SATORU NAKAGAWA: I am from Gunma, Japan. About two hours out of Tokyo. Yukiko is from Tokyo. Our guitarist Yoshi Hayata is from Hiroshima and our drummer Wataru Hirohara is from Tokyo.
  METRONOME: Did any of you come from musical families?
  SATORU: No, none of us.
  METRONOME: So you four are pioneers?
  SATORU: I would say so.
  METRONOME: What brought you to Boston?
  SATORU: Berklee College.
  METRONOME: Did you all know each other in Japan?
  SATORU: No. We all met at Berklee.
  METRONOME: Did you all graduate from Berklee?
  SATORU: Yes, we all graduated.
  METRONOME: tell me how the Tokyo Tramps were started.
  SATORU: I assembled some guys from my show. Back then we called ourselves The Cotton Fields Club Band. We got our name from a Leadbelly/Creedence Clearwater Revival song. Tokyo Tramps came later in 1999. An American friend suggested that we should take advantage of being Japanese like Los Lobos are all Mexican. Even though I’m not from Tokyo, it is the most known place in Japan. Tramps came from Bruce Springsteen's song "Born To Run." That's how we came up with Tokyo Tramps.
  METRONOME: Do you all have the same love for the style of American music that you play?
  SATORU: I'm the one that really likes this country roots stuff. The others are into 80s arena rock, Top 40 and hard rock.
  METRONOME: What got you interested in American roots and blues music?
  SATORU: The eighties were my time. I used to listen to it with my friends in Junior High in '83, '84 and '85 in Japan.
  METRONOME: Does Japan have the radio stations that play just American music that you can listen to?
  YUKIKO: Yes. I grew up listening to the radio network for American military people.
  METRONOME: How did you dial into that?
  YUKIKO: It's on normal FM.
  METRONOME: So the Japanese public can listen to it too?
  YUKIKO: Yes. Top 40... Casey Kasem and those kind of things. I'm not sure how far it reaches but in Tokyo, we can get it with no problem. Satoru never heard it, though.
  SATORU: I never listened to the radio when I was in Japan. But back then, we had something like MTV. That was my main source.
  METRONOME: Who are your biggest musical influences?
  SATORU: In the beginning, it was Bruce Springsteen. Born In The USA era. When I heard that, I thought this is what I want to do.
  METRONOME: Were you playing guitar at that time?
  SATORU: That's how I started playing guitar.
  METRONOME: How old were you when you started playing?
  SATORU: I was fourteen.
  YUKIKO: I started some time in Junior High... eighth or ninth grade. Actually I started practicing piano when I was seven years old. I practiced for ten years. Classical, not jazz.
  METRONOME: Yukiko, what made you get into bass guitar?
  YUKIKO: At that time, a couple of girls started a girls band and I wasn't really interested in playing drums, so I just picked up the bass guitar. I guess it's just part of my nature or something.
  METRONOME: Who are your musical influences?
  YUKIKO: American Top 40. At first, I was quite influenced by Queen, Journey and Styx. All those groups played in Japan.
  METRONOME: Now that you have all graduated rom Berklee, do you work in the music business during the day as well as play in the band?
  YUKIKO: Right now, no.
  SATORU: No, None of us.
  METRONOME: What was your major at Berklee?
  SATORU: Songwriting
  METRONOME: So, Tokyo Tramps give you a good outlet for your songwriting..
  SATORU: Yes.
  METRONOME: What was the name of your first CD?
  SATORU: Long Way From Home.
  METRONOME: What year did you release it?
  SATORU: In 2000. It had 7 originals on it.
  METRONOME: What inspired you to write the music for Long Way From Home?
  SATORU: Springsteen was definitely my main guy but I wanted to create my own identity. I knew that I couldn't be Springsteen. i had to find my own voice. Then I got into the Beatles and The Stones. That's how I got into the blues. I realized if I was going to play rock&roll I would have to listen to the blues. Of course if you listen to our CDs, you don't hear Springsteen at all. But, I like the hopes and dreams in his music.
  METRONOME: Tell me some of the blues people you admire.
  SATORU: Definitely B.B. King. I love Taj Mahal. He's my favorite guy.
  METRONOME: Tell me about your new album Bound For Glory?
  SATORU: It's the best blues rock album you hear in years.
  It's got ten songs. I wrote nine songs by myself and I co-wrote one song with Yukiko.
  METRONOME: How long did it take you to record Bound For Glory?
  SATORU: It took a year to finish it (laughing). The recording part was not so bad. We spent a lot of time mixing. The difference between the two albums was the first one was our first effort. It was really the extension of demo. We only spent two or three days in the studio. But for Bound For Glory, I knew that I wanted to make a good CD. I wanted to take the time to polish it.
  METRONOME: What made you go to record at Woolly Mammoth?
  SATORU: Our original drummer Kaoru Suzuki went back to Japan, but he used to be in a band with Dave Westner from Woolly Mammoth Studio.
  METRONOME: What kind of feedback are you receiving for your new album?
  SATORU: Actually very good feedback.
  METRONOME: Are you receiving good feedback in Japan as well as here in the states?
  SATORU: Nobody in Japan knows us yet. We have not sent anything back to Japan. Only to a couple of friends. It’s funny, a couple of months ago, we were chosen to play at the House of Blues in Cambridge. Livingston Taylor was the MC and raved about us. He loved our songs. He said we would be really well received in Japan. But we never really thought about selling it in Japan.
  METRONOME: I think you would do really well there...
  SATORU: do you think so?
  METRONOME: Yes.
  SATORU: I don't think we would be accepted like I would like to be. This is just what I think. I’ve always had that problem. But I never really thought about it. I would hope it would happen. Every time I go back to Japan, I bring CDs of American music but they don't mix too well with the environment. I've probably been here too long. In Japan, every time you turn on TV you hear Japanese music and it's so natural to me. It isn't just my own problem.
  METRONOME: So what are Japanese kids listening to now in Japan?
  SATORU: I have no idea. Hip-hop?
  METRONOME: American Hip-hop?
  SATORU: Yes, you must remember, Japan is the second largest market in the world. Whatever sells here, sells in Japan.
  METRONOME: Tell me about some of the instruments that you play on your new album.
  SATORU: I playa Fender '52 reissue Telecaster. My amp is a Fender Super 60. It's a tube amp that you rarely find. It was made in 1992. I'd love to get some nice vintage Fender amp but money is always the issue. Fender is really my sound. I've never played a Marshall. I've never given a thought about it.
  METRONOME: Yukiko, what instrument do you play?
  YUKIKO: I used to play in punk and heavy metal band so my gear is made for that. An Ibanez bass. But recently I got an old late 60's Gibbon Bass. It looks like an SG. I love the Heartache bass amp. I have a 4x10 cab and a HA3500. I also use a SWR2x10 cab.
  METRONOME: What equipment does Yoshi and Wataru play?
  SATORU: Yoshi plays a Gibbon ES-335 through a Fender Blues Junior. Wataru plays DW drums.
  METRONOME: What clubs have you been playing locally?
  SATORU: harper's Ferry, House of Blues, Midway Cafe, the Linwood Grille, Chitchat Lounge...
  METRONOME: Do you play outside of Boston?
  SATORU: We played once in New York City at The Lion's Den.
  METRONOME: Have you played any festivals?
  SATORU: Yes, we participated in The Cutting Edge Music Business Conference in New Orleans last summer. At the same time, we performed at the Midwest Music & Film Conference in Lexington, Kentucky.
  METRONOME: What's in the future for Tokyo Tramps? Will you return home to Japan or will you stay here and keep making music?
  SATORU: I have no plans to go back to Japan. I don't know if we will stay in Boston area but we would like to stay in the United States. I used to live in New Orleans... in Louisiana. That'll where my song 'Thibodaux, Louisiana" came from because I used to live there. I lived there for five years. In the beginning, I went there to go to college. I never planned to study music but I wasn't doing well in school. My last school was the University of New Orleans and I got suspended because my average was low. Then they told me I could not come back to school for one year. I was on a student visa so I had to maintain good status. A friend of mine told me about Berklee so I sent my application and they accepted me. It was not my original plan( to go to Berklee).
  METRONOME: Yukiko, what brought you to Boston?
  YUKIKO: I used to work as an editor in Japan. I graduated from a college in Japan and I was in the middle of business career. But I felt like I was working many hours for something I was not into. So I thought the United states might be the place to go. My parents were quite against me coming to the States, but I said please let me go. So I took a business program for three months in Nashville, Tennessee and then six months in Boston. Then I took a summer semester at Berklee. I also promised my parents that I would come back home. But once I got back in school, I asked then again, please let me graduate. Eventually I graduated and found a job and said, please let me stay longer. Nine years later, I’m still here.
  METRONOME: Do yo have any plans to record another album?
  SATORU: Actually I have a side project going on. I'm working with a friend of mine who went to Berklee. His name is Doug Reed. He lives in Philadelphia. Another friend of ours Sean Baillie that we went to Berklee with owns a studio in Toronto. He is Canadian. We are recording there. So Doug and I are writing five songs each and recording them.
  METRONOME: What kind of music is it?
  SATORU: It's more acoustic... country.
  METRONOME: When will it be released?
  SATORU: Probably next spring. It's going to take while. We used accordions, mandolins......., and pedal steel. It's something I always wanted to do.
  METRONOME: Who is your favorite local ban/ Artist? and who is your favorite national band/artist?
  SATORU: I don't know much about the local scene... we played with Lovewhip. They were really good. A good band! the problem is that when we play out we are always paired with a punk band or a heavy metal group. Nationally, I love the Band. Los Lobos and Taj Mahal...those guys are my main influence right now.
  YUKIKO: I used to play in a Boston band called The Swallows and the band was between punk and pop. I haven't seen too many local bands since I've been with Tokyo Tramps. Personally I love Bon Jovi. When I was in Berklee, if I said I liked Bon Jovi, the teachers would say, Shame on you. I'm a big fan of Bon Jovi. I went to eleven shows this year in Japan, Connecticut, New Jersey & Boston. I'm not like a groupie. I like the guitar player, Richie Sambora. He's a very good guitar player. I went to an Etta James concert this year and it was amazing. She was sitting in the middle of the stage because her knee was bad. But I could only imagine, if she could move around on the stage what kind of show would she put on. i would like to learn more from her.

• Boston Magazine (October 2002) [+ Show ]
  

  Dis-Orient-ed Even Japanese Berklee students get the blues. In Boston, THE ALL-JAPANESE BLU...Dis-Orient-ed
  Even Japanese Berklee students get the blues.
  
  
  In Boston, THE ALL-JAPANESE BLUES OUTFIT TOKYO TRAMPS are perennial outsiders: Few of their countrymen in the area share their obsession with Americana, and local blues partisans tend to cast suspicious eye over anyone who writes fondly about the Mississippi Delta. In New Orleans, and Kentucky, however, where the band recently toured, it all makes perfect sense.
  They really liked my song about living in Thibodaux, says Tokyo Tramps frontman Satoru Nakagawa. There's a line that says: " will get so lonely in December / I hope my English gets better / in Thibodaux, Louisiana."
  Nakagawa feels he has as much right as anyone to create music in the style of American greats such as Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. After all, it was the Boss' performance in Japan during the 1988 Amnesty
  International Tour that first inspired him. He suddenly knew he wanted to experience firsthand the roots of American music. "I wanted to see the Mississippi River and breathe the air Muddy Waters breathed," he explains.
  Eventually, after unsuccessful stints at two universities in the South, Nakagawa wound up at the Berklee College of Music. There he formed Tokyo Tramps ( the name is taken from Springsteen's song "Born to Run"), with bassist Yukiko Fujii, guitarist Yoshi Hayata, and drummer Wataru Hirohara---all of them likewise smitten with American roots music. Knowing his accented voice could never approximate the growls of Dylan, Springsteen, or Waters, Nakagawa developed a smooth croon that sounds like a cross between Roy Orbison and David Hidalgo of Los Lobos. His lyrics remain focused on his love for Louisiana area and the average person' daily battle for survival.
  For Japanese musicians who originally came to the United States on student visas, that daily battle is not just for popular acceptance. "Our
  ultimate goal,"says Nakagawa, who just received a work visa, "is to get
  green cards for all of us."
  ( Tokyo Tramps---10/18. The Linwood, 69 Kilmarnock Street, Boston. Call
  617-267-8644.)

• Boston Globe (May13, 2001) [+ Show ]
  

  Satoru Nakagawa, singer/songwriter in the Japanese blues/R&B group Tokyo Tramps feels he has as much...Satoru Nakagawa, singer/songwriter in the Japanese blues/R&B group Tokyo Tramps feels he has as much right as anyone else to create music in the style of American greats like Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, and his all-time favorite, Bruce Springsteen.
  "I saw Springsteen in Japan during the 'Born In The USA' tour around 1988, and decided that I wanted to be him," said Nakagawa, 29. "After high school I failed my college entrance exams and moves to Louisiana. I wanted to see the Mississippi River and breathe the air that Muddy Waters had breathed."
  Nakagawa eventually ended up at Berklee College of Music, where he met bassisit Yukiko Fujii,33. Both had to come to the college in the hopes of learning to play American music, unaware that the curriculum had such a strong jazz base.
  While Nakagawa was from the small suburban town of Gunma, Fujii had grown up in Tokyo where she had listend to a lot of '80s area rock and '70s Top 40 music. They formed Tokyo Tramps with two fellow Berklee students, drummer Wataru Hirohara and lead guitarist Yoshi Hayata.
  The Tramps part of the name was taken by Nakagawa from the "tramps like us" line in Springsteen's "Born To Run." Like the protagonists in the song, the members of Tokyo Tramps quickly became outcasts among the jazz technicians at their school, and although they found fans among some of their Japanese, Asian, Korean friends, their most enthusiastic response came at some of the bluesier clubs around town.
  Nakagawa worked hard to find his own voice as a singer and a songwriter. Knowing he could never convincingly approximate Springsteen or Dylan's growl, he develop[ed a smoother approach, a gentle croon that sounds like a cross between Los Lobos and Roy Orbison. HIs songs such as "The Day You Cried" and "The Crow's Song" from the group's debut CD "Long Way From Home," show an unusual lyrical sensitivity that heads in a far different directions than the tough approach favored by his heroes.
  While American music is big in Japan, both Nakagawa and Fujii agree that they could never have followed their dream of playing American music while they are still living there.
  "I want to write and sing in English," says Nakgawa. "What is the point of singing in English to Japanese who don't understand English?"
  

Setlist

TOKYO TRAMPS plays both originals and covers.
3-sets-a-night mix (Blues, Roots Rock, '70's, '80's and originals) sets or Energetic Original Set!!

A. Covers

I Got My Mojo Workin
Night Time Is The Right Time
Never Make Your Move Too Soon
Further On Up The Road
Key to the Highway
Lonely Avenue
Crossroads
Let Me Love You Baby
The Stumble
Thrill's Gone
Nadine
Baby What You Want Me To Do
Baby Let Me Hold Your Hand
Sittin' On Top Of The World
Little By Little
She's About A Mover
Slippin' and Slidin'
The Voodoo Music
Get Rhythm
Big Legged Woman
Wild Night
Proud Mary
Drift Away
Tush
Gloria
I Won't Back Down
That'll Be The Day
Tumbling Dice
Up On Cripple Creek
Blue Suade Shoes
Pretty Woman
Rockin' Me
Sultans Of Swing
Knockin' On Heaven's Door
I Heard it through the Grapevine
Cotton Fields
Tupelo Honey
Revolution
What's So Funny 'bout Peace, Love, and Understanding?
Jambalaya
Mystery Train
Dock of the Bay
Mustang Sally
Jersey Girl
La Bamba
The Weight
People Get Ready
Dont Think Twice, It's All Right
It's All Over Now
Fire
Stay
Her Coms The Sun
I've Just Seen A Face
Iko Iko
Reason To Believe
Dead Flowers
Sweet Virginia
Down on the Corner
Going Down The Road Feelin Bad
Freight Train
Tennessee Waltz
Reason To Believe
Good Times
Hey Pocky A-way
Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad?
Baby Please Come Home
Midnight Special
Looking Out My Back Door
.............. and more!

B. Originals

Giant Step
Lonesome In My Hometown
Chicken Teriyaki
Big Time Blues
Since I Got You
This Bird Must Fly
Owner Of Heart And Soul
Love Power
Baby Please Come Home
'Til The End Of Time
Johnny Guitar
Someday You Will Come Home
Dancing With Jive
Lucky Day
King's Road
Security
Love's So Strong
Betty Queen
Faith&Courage
Lift Your Head
Let's Play Again
Boogie Woogie To Be Free
Bound For Glory
Old River Road
Tchaiko
Long Way From Home
The Day You Cried
Favorite One
Change My World
The Crows Song
Set Me Free
Judie
Hero
Down on The Buyou
Key Of Love
Thibodaux, Louisiana
Can We Talk About It
........... and more!

Basic Requirements

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