Grass Arcade
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1998 |
| Defunct | 1999 |
| Headquarters | Japan |
| Products | Music recordings |
| Owner | Giza Studio |
Grass Arcade was a Japanese rock ensemble affiliated with the Giza Studio label, active between 1998 and 1999, and managed by Ading.
History
The band was established in 1998 by high school friends Seri Kamimine and Keishi Sanada, with Kouji Ueno joining later that summer. Prior to their professional debut, the three members performed live street shows.
In February 1999, Grass Arcade made their official debut alongside fellow Giza Studio artists Sweet Velvet and New Cinema Tokage with the single Brave, available in both 8cm and 12cm maxi CD versions. This song was featured as the fourth opening theme for the anime Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo, achieving a peak position of number 36 on the Weekly Oricon charts, remaining for two weeks, and selling upwards of 10,000 copies.
Also in February, they released an independent mini album titled ! through Garage Indies Zapping Association. This release included a demo version of Brave, the B-side track So Long, as well as cover renditions of songs originally by Happy End and The Spiders.
Their second and final single, Butterfly, was issued in June 1999 and served as the theme for the NNS television program Tokoroteki Dazoku Kousa. Shortly after this release, bassist Hiroyuki Wakita became part of the group.
Although preparations for their debut full-length album Sing-a-horic (catalog number GZCA-1010) were in progress by July 1999, production ceased when the band dissolved during recording sessions. Hiroyuki departed in August 1999 and subsequently joined New Cinema Tokage as their bassist in June 2000.
To commemorate their 15th anniversary in 2014, Seri and Keishi reunited to perform as Grass Arcade at the live event QUNIWO☆SONIC held in Osaka; however, Ueno and Hiroyuki were not involved in this reunion.
Members
- Seri Kamimine (上峰芹) – vocals
- Keishi Sanada (早灘圭志) – drums
- Kouji Ueno (上野幸司) – guitar
- Hiroyuki Wakita (脇田啓行) – bass
Mini albums
| # | Release Date | Title | Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1999/10/20 | ! | UCR-001 |
Singles
| # | Release Date | Title | Rank | CD Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1999/2/10 | Brave | 36 | GZDA-1002 |
| 2nd | 1999/6/23 | Butterfly | - | GZDA-1007 |
Unreleased studio album
| # | Release Date | Title | CD Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1999/7/28 | Sing-a-horic | GZCA-1010 |
Magazine appearances
The band gained exposure through features in industry magazines including Music Freak Magazine (issues 51, 55, 56 in 1999) and J-Rock Magazine (March, April, August 1999), enhancing their profile within the market.