Despite the sleepy image their name might suggest, The Pillows have been relentlessly rocking for over 15 years, and
handling many of the details of their careers themselves. The group formed in 1989, with Sawao Yamanaka on guitar and vocals,
Shinichiro Sato on drums, Yoshiakai Manabe on guitar, and Kenji Ueda on bass. The Sato and Ueda rhythm team had previously
played together in the popular rock band Kenzi & the Trips. After leaving that band, they drafted Yamanaka, who brought
strong songwriting skills in addition to a powerful voice, and lead guitarist Manabe from the visual-kei leaning group Persia.
At the start, they called themselves the Coinlocker Babies, recording a five song demo under that name. The band played over
70 shows a year, developing a tight but passionate brand of alternative rock. Their hook-filled, guitar driven sound, matched
with Yamanak's spirited singing, has recieved a wide range of comparisons including the Jam, Oasis, REM and Weezer. After
nearly three years of playing clubs, The Pillows signed to the indie Captain Records where they re-recorded their demo songs
and released an EP under the name The Pillows. In 1991 the band moved up to the larger Pony Canyon Records, where they made
their first full album
Moon Gold. In 1992, Ueda left the band, after which they carried on with "support members".
In 1994 the band jumped to King Records, where they released
Kool Spice, on which they expanded their sound to include
a wider range of influences including reggae, blues, and retro rock elements. Starting in 1996 The Pillows began producing
their own live events, using the moniker "Delicious Bump Show". While the band enjoyed a strong following since their earliest
days, their commercial breakthrough was 1997's
Please Mr. Lost Man. In the same year the band ventured to London to
play their first shows outside Japan. In 1999 Yamanaka, the band's de facto leader, started his own record label, Delicious
Records, and has since signed and produced the female duo The Noodles. Also in 1999, The Pillows were approached by the anime
studio Gainax, known for their hugely successful
Evangelion series, about using music from three of their albums for
a wildly creative new anime called
FLCL (Furi Kuri). The band agreed, also providing the new singles "I Think I Can"
and "Ride A Shooting Star", the latter of which was used as the closing them, becoming their biggest hit. The experimental,
arty, inside joke-filled
FLCL (Furi Kuri) became a favorite of anime otaku the world over, and their involvement has
given The Pillows a substantial international profile. In 2004 a Pillows tribute album,
Synchronized Rockers was released,
featuring such major artists as Bump of Chicken, Mr. Children and Jiro of
Glay. The group also marked their lengthy history with the lengthily entitled DVD
916-15th Anniversary Special Live- Thank
You Very Much I Like You Busters. In March 2005 the band will perform at SXSW, a huge international music industry event
held annually in Austin, Texas.
