HI-STANDARD

Hi-Standard

Origin Japan

Genres Pop punk

Years active 1991–2000

Labels Pizza of Death Records, Fat Wreck Chords

Members

Akihiro Nanba

Ken Yokoyama

Akira Tsuneoka



Hi-Standard is a Japanese punk rock band who formed in 1991. The release Making the Road sparked sold-out Japan shows and US/European tours with punk bands such as NOFX, No Use for a Name and WIZO. Although members of Hi-Standard were Japanese born, all of the band's major releases were sung in English. Live footage of the band shows them talking to the crowd in their native Japanese and then immediately changing to English for the songs.



They are ranked at No.63 in the list of top 100 Japanese musicians provided by HMV.[1]



[edit] Hiatus

After recording five albums, the band entered a hiatus in August 2000, shortly after playing "Air Jam 2000". Ken Yokoyama began working on other projects, including BBQ Chickens and Ken Band, which is now simply known as Ken Yokoyama. Yokoyama revisited the bands original label Pizza of Death Records, which has since signed many punk and alternative rock bands. Akihiro Nanba's newest project is Ultra Brain. According to CDJapan, Nanba proclaims their debut album, Neo Punk, to be the birth of neo punk [2]. Akira Tsuneoka now provides the drums for the group Cubismo Grafico Five.



[edit] Discography

Growing Up (1996) Fat Wreck Chords

California Dreamin' EP (1996) Fat Wreck Chords

Angry Fist (1997) Fat Wreck Chords

Weihnachten stinkt! (split EP with WIZO) (1997) Hulk Räckorz

Making the Road (1999) Fat Wreck Chords

Love Is a Battlefield (EP) (2001) Fat Wreck Chords

Last of Sunny Day (2000)

The full length Last of Sunny Day contains songs from their prior releases and original songs. The band have an additional single "The Kids Are Alright" available only in Japan

Hi-Standard performs punk covers of American songs like "California Dreamin'", "Green Acres", "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" and "Can't Help Falling In Love".