DRUMKAN

Drumkan, hailing from Tokyo, Japan is a miraculous achievement in Japanese indie rock. Since forming almost ten years ago, the band has managed to release six full length albums as well as several EPs and has toured Japan, Australia and America extensively with such bands as Sunny Day Real Estate, Elliott, Your Black Star, Mae, Further Seems Forever and numerous others.

Forging a sound from the raw punk of the indie underground with the power and melody of the Pixies and Nirvana, Drumkan has managed to create a sound which is one part wall-shaking punk to one part infectious pop. Seen live, the band is a staggering prospect, and an experience that will leave you humming their tunes for days afterward.

A unique indie success story, Drumkan started out small and worked their way to the top, eventually signing with Japanese major, Limited Records, in 2000 and ultimately choosing to drop themselves from the label shortly after their first release in favor of the freedom of releasing records on their own label, maintaining their relationship with Limited on a distribution basis only. The band has since released records on their Waver-Waver label not only by themselves but also by Your Black Star, Jeff Caudill, and Long Since Forgotten.

Any band that has been together will go through a lineup change or two and that is certainly true for Dumkan. The one constant through the years has been the steady guitar work, rough voice, and amazing songwriting of frontman Satoshi Tsugahara. Tsugahara has led the band from the start and is currently managing the band's label as well as handling the booking of all the band's and label's Japanese tours.

A group that has found a way to stay independent––as well as balance the expense and business end of touring and recording––is a rarity and few have done this as well and as gracefully as Drumkan. If you've never had a chance to experience this powerfull band, do yourself a favor: navigate to waver-waver.com or better yet, look for a Drumkan show near you. This truly powerful band will challenge your perceptions of indie rock for sure.