The Ricecookers is an alternative rock band formed in Boston, Massachusetts by Tomomi "Tomo" Hiroishi, Kota Fujii, Daisuke Wakabayashi and Sohei Oyama.
The Ricecookers’ songs are written by Tomo Hiroishi and Kota Fujii in English and Japanese. The band writes from different influences across a variety of genres including blues, funk, techno, and jazz. The band is known for flashy live performances.
History
Hiroishi was born and raised in Mexico City, while the rest of the band grew up in Japan. They met while studying at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, and formed the band in 2004.
Early years (2004-2006)
In 2004, Tomomi Hiroishi asked Kota Fujii and Masaki Minami to start a rock band, hoping to bring together their interest in different genres of music. The original members of The Ricecookers were Tomomi Hiroishi (vocals, guitar), Kota Fujii (guitar), Masaki Minami (guitar), Daisuke Wakabayashi (bass), and Tom Ulichny (drums). The band performed at a wide range of venues in Boston and surrounding areas, with most of their music inspired by groups like Rage Against the Machine, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Maceo Parker and Audioslave. In 2006, Masaki Minami decided to leave the band to go back to Japan, and Sohei Oyama replaced Tom Ulichny as the official drummer. That same year, they released their first self-produced album, 1st Blood in the United States.
2008-Present
In 2008, The Ricecookers met New York producer Shunji Okada, and collaborated to record their first EP, Four of Our Songs. They participated in events such as Japan Day @ Central Park to broaden their horizons.
As they worked towards becoming known in the New York area, they made their Japanese debut with a Tokyo tour in the spring of 2010 in Japan. There, film director Yukihiko Tsutsumi saw their performance and quickly bought the rights to their song Nami No Yukisaki for his upcoming television drama series, “Spec” on Tokyo Broadcasting System Television Network in Japan. The Ricecookers made history in Japan by becoming the first unknown indie band to be featured as the theme song for a drama series. They were also the first band to custom produce different versions of the same song to fit each episode of the series.
After the tour, The Ricecookers returned to the United States and relocated to New York City from Boston, where they recorded their second EP, Chacmool. Soon after its release in September 2010, Chacmool became the number 1 selling alternative rock album on iTunes Japan. The Ricecookers once again traveled to Japan for their second tour, this time hitting 5 different cities throughout the country. The Ricecookers started a two-band event called “Under the Shoes” with fellow Japanese rock band Response. Their final event at Star Lounge in Tokyo was filmed and aired on BS Fuji TV Network and later released on DVD.
On October 8, 2010, their single Nami No Yukisaki aired on a Friday night weekly drama series on TBS Network, “Spec” as its theme song. Along with the premiere of the program, the band became the number 7 most searched keyword on GOOGLE Japan. In December 2010, Anchor Records released the 10 different bilingual versions of Nami no Yukusaki and its music video as a CD-DVD set titled Nami no Yukusaki TV Special Collection. This CD ranked number 1 on the Indie Album & Single Sales Chart on the Billboard JAPAN and number 6 on Oricon Charts. During the same month, The Ricecookers travelled to Japan for their last tour of the year, and once again hosted “Under the Shoes Vol. 2” event in Tokyo. They ended the tour headlining for the “Spec Final Episode Event” at Akasaka Blitz in Tokyo. Live recordings from this performance along with their new single, “Lost Raven”, was released by Anchor Records as a mini album titled, Eat, Breathe and Live in April 2011.
Shortly after its release, “Lost Raven” was featured as the theme song for the Japanese variety show, “Summers no Yaritaga☆ga~ri~” airing weekly on Thursday nights on the TBS Network. The release of this album caught the eye of a renowned bilingual magazine called Commons & Sense Man, who interviewed The Ricecookers, furthering the band's exposure to a wider audience.