Happy!Mari
Yoshifumi Shinmen (Vo/Gt)
Koutarou Takaishi (Dr)
Yuushi Fukuda (Key/Seq)
Hideyuki Aoki (Ba)
Happy!Mari are a young underground pop band from Kashiwa. Founding the band in high school guitarist-vocalist Shinmen remains the sole original member and his high pitched voice and vocal gymnastics underscore Happy!Mari's unique sound. Drummer Takaishi joined the group four years ago and took over song-writing duties drastically changing the tone and style of Happy!Mari's music; although, Shinmen continues to pen all lyrics. Happy!Mari's willingness to experiment with their sound from one song to the next allows for a degree of creativity and freshness rarely seen in bands today. Their music is difficult to pin down but combines the uber-melodic orchestral pop of Supertramp, the quirky emo of Cap'n Jazz and the leftfield indie chaos of one of Happy!Mari's favorite bands: deerhoof. Though far from elite musicians they play incredibly tight as a unit and infuse a ferocious degree of passion and energy into each live performance. Shinmen's occasionally whiny voice and unusual vocal style may take getting used to but the creativity and raw power of Happy!Mari's music hits you unexpectedly and blindsides you into a state of appreciative awe.