Editing Guitar Vader

{{Short description|Japanese underground indie rock band}}
{{refimprove|date=November 2009}}
{{Infobox musical artist
|name                = Guitar Vader 
|image               = 
|caption             = 
|image_size          = 
|background          = group_or_band
|origin              = [[Tokyo]], [[Japan]]
|genre               = {{flatlist|
* [[Alternative rock]]
* [[Rock music|rock]]
* [[indie rock]]<ref name=UNF>{{cite web|url=https://unfspinnaker.com/75942/features/for-your-consideration-guitar-vader-from-dusk|title=For Your Consideration: Guitar Vader – "From Dusk"|date=3 April 2019 |accessdate=January 5, 2021|via=UNF Spinnaker}}</ref>
}}
|years_active        = 1998–2007
|label               = Berry, Plugs House
|associated_acts     = [[Hideki Naganuma]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqKUjgtPzn4 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/GqKUjgtPzn4 |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live|title=Guitar Vader remixed by Hideki Naganuma - I Love Love You [Love Love Super Dimension Mix]|accessdate=January 5, 2021|via=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
|current_members     = 
|past_members        = Ujuan Shozo<br>Miki Tanabe<br>Yuki Takumiya<br>Suzuki Yoshifumi<br>Steve Laity
}}

{{nihongo foot|'''Guitar Vader'''|ギターベイダー|lead=yes|group=lower-alpha}} was a Japanese [[underground music|underground]] [[indie rock]] band. Formed in 1998, the band is best known for their contributions to the soundtracks of [[Sega]]'s ''[[Jet Set Radio]]''<ref name="pixel">{{cite web|url=http://www.pixelsurgeon.com/reviews/review.php?id=94|title=Guitar Vader - From Dusk|year=2002|publisher=[[Pixelsurgeon]]|accessdate=9 November 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite video game|title=Jet Grind Radio|developer=[[Smilebit]]|publisher=[[Sega]]|date=October 31, 2000|platform=[[Dreamcast]]|level=[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0b4mF2nEQEI Credits]}}</ref> and ''[[Jet Set Radio Future]]'' games.<ref name="allmusic">{{cite web|url={{Allmusic|class=artist|id=p872396|pure_url=yes}}|title=Biography—Guitar Vader|last=Macgregor|first=Jody |publisher=[[Allmusic]]|accessdate=8 November 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite video game|title=Jet Set Radio Future|developer=[[Smilebit]]|publisher=[[Sega]]|date=February 25, 2002|platform=[[Xbox (console)|Xbox]]|level=[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OX0VHT80Fk Credits]}}</ref>  The band disbanded in 2007.

Guitar Vader had two lead vocalists and songwriters, guitarist Miki Tanabe and bassist Ujuan Shozo.<ref name="allmusic" /> Tanabe's childlike voice and Shozo's tenor are often used in harmony and call and response, but many songs are sung exclusively by one or the other. Their music generally features pop-oriented melodies, often coupled with aggressive [[power chords]] and hard rock influences, and sometimes playfully shifts between genres in mid-song. Band members claimed influences like [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]],<ref name="sf" /> [[The Beatles]],<ref name="sf">{{cite web|url=http://www.sfburning.com/guitar_vader.html|title=Guitar Vader|last=Martin|first=Keith|publisher=SFburning|accessdate=2009-11-09}}</ref> [[The Pixies]]<ref name="allmusic" /> and the [[Ramones]],<ref name="allmusic" /><ref name="pixelsurgeon.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.pixelsurgeon.com/interviews/interview.php?id=43|title=Guitar Vader|last=Arber|first=Jason|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030922091839/http://www.pixelsurgeon.com/interviews/interview.php?id=43|archive-date=2003-09-22}}</ref> as well as lesser influences like [[Air (French band)|Air]] and [[Guitar Wolf]]. Others have likened their sound to bands as disparate as [[The B-52's]] and [[Smashing Pumpkins]].<ref name="pixelsurgeon.com"/>

==History==
Tanabe and Shozo first met in [[Kawasaki, Kanagawa]] while the two were in different bands.<ref name="allmusic" /> The two became friends, and after their other bands broke up, they decided to collaborate. Yuki Takumiya joined them as the band's drummer. The trio began recording at Berry Records soon after, and in October 1998, they released their first [[cassette tape]], a collection of four songs titled ''Guitar Vader Vol. 1''.<ref name="allmusic" /> More than 1,000 copies were sold at an independent record store in Tokyo called High-Line. The tape was followed by another release, which sold another 1000 units. Empowered by their success, the two volumes were compiled along with new material and one remix onto the two tape set, ''Die Happy!''.  The album gained distribution in [[Tower Records (music retailer)|Tower Records]] and [[HMV]] stores, but was never released officially on CD. This gave the band, who only performed live shows irregularly, their first real exposure to a larger audience. Later that year, they released one more tape, containing three new songs, including the exclusive rarity "Generation Revolution".

Following ''Die Happy!'', Guitar Vader was asked to contribute original music to the [[Dreamcast]] game RoomMania No.&nbsp;203,<ref name="allmusic" /> a life sim following a virtual college student. Guitar Vader contributed ten songs to the game's extensive soundtrack. The successful release of the game suddenly skyrocketed Guitar Vader's profile and the need for a proper CD release became increasingly apparent.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.berry-records.com/hello-e.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021001072127/http://www.berry-records.com/hello-e.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 October 2002|date=1 October 2002|publisher=|title=Berry records web }}</ref>

It was around this time that the band departed from the [[lo-fi]] recording sensibilities of their earlier work with their second album ''Wild at Honey'' (a reference to the Beach Boys album ''[[Wild Honey (album)|Wild Honey]]'') containing two songs from ''Guitar Vader Vol. 3'' and new material. Shortly thereafter, the band released a single, ''Beach Panic'', containing two songs. Following its completion, drummer Takumiya left the band.

Video game composer [[Hideki Naganuma]] was among the many who discovered Guitar Vader through the ''Die Happy!'' tapes.{{Citation needed|date=November 2013}} A lover of underground music, Naganuma decided that they would be a perfect fit for the upcoming game ''[[Jet Set Radio]]'', set in an alternate-reality version of [[Shinjuku]], Tokyo. The game was widely praised for its soundtrack, which prominently featured Guitar Vader's song "Magical Girl" in the opening tutorial, and "Super Brothers" (another ''Die Happy!'' track) in a later stage.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Nice: Only two songs missing from Jet Set Radio HD|url=https://www.destructoid.com/stories/nice-only-two-songs-missing-from-jet-set-radio-hd-229708.phtml|access-date=2020-06-12|website=Destructoid|date=18 June 2012|language=english}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Webb|first=Charles|title=Yes! "Super Brothers" Will be in the New "Jet Set Radio" Soundtrack|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/2464755/yes-super-brothers-will-be-in-the-new-jet-set-radio-soundtrack/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171216153059/http://www.mtv.com/news/2464755/yes-super-brothers-will-be-in-the-new-jet-set-radio-soundtrack/|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 16, 2017|access-date=2020-06-12|website=MTV News|language=en}}</ref>

In 2000, Guitar Vader began work on their third album, ''From Dusk''. Joined by Suzuki Yoshifumi on drums, the album marked a major evolution for the band, particularly for its prominent use of keyboards, played by producer Taichi Ohira, as well as its more polished, melodic sound. The album was released in early 2001, and although it was not a big seller, the album remains Guitar Vader's commercial peak. ''[[Jet Set Radio Future]]'' was released in 2002, and featured a song from the album, "Baby-T" as well as a remix (by Naganuma) of "I Love Love You,"  which had previously been released on the [[remix]] album ''Remixes GVR''.

After the acquisition of Berry Records by [[Sony Music]], Guitar Vader became increasingly unhappy with their contract, in particular their lack of ownership of their music, low royalties, and inability to get a new album released. At the time, both members of the band still worked part-time jobs to earn their living. The band left Berry in 2003 and formed an independent label, Plugs House. They built their own studio and produced a fourth album, ''Dawn''. The release marked a continued evolution of the band's sound, with synths and programming performed by Shozo. In 2003, the band also played two shows in [[England]], hosted by Pixelsurgeon, their only shows outside Japan.

To replicate these songs in live performances, the band recruited American keyboardist Steve Laity. Although Laity was made an official member of the band, he only appeared in live performances, not on the band's albums. In October 2004,<ref>{{cite web |title=Guitarvader.com |url=http://guitarvader.com/}}</ref> Guitar Vader released what would be their final album, ''Happy East''. It continued the expanded sound of ''Dawn'' with an eclectic mix of songs, including an [[electronica]] instrumental "Suspense" that marked the only song of its kind in the band's catalog. 

In 2006, the band began work on another album, and had nearly completed it, when Shozo suffered a vital heart infection that left him hospitalized for months, with continuing health issues long after. The band cancelled their first scheduled concert in the [[United States]] at that year's [[FanimeCon]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Guitar Vader Pulls out of Fanime |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2006-04-25/guitar-vader-pulls-out-of-fanime |accessdate=15 January 2020 |work=Anime News Network |language=en}}</ref> Although the album was either completed or close to completed, a falling out between Tanabe and Shozo prevented its release, despite pressure from Yoshifumi and Laity to release it. In 2007, Laity confirmed on Guitar Vader's message board that the band had disbanded and a "very large rift" had formed between the band's two key members.<ref name="allmusic" /> No official announcement was ever made.

==Band members==
===Former members===
* Ujuan Shozo - vocals, bass, programming<ref name=interview>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSN3OT-GGlw |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/vSN3OT-GGlw |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live|title=Lost Guitar Vader Interview|accessdate=January 5, 2021|via=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
* Miki Tanabe - vocals, guitar<ref name=interview/>
* Suzuki Yoshifumi - drums (2000-2007)
* Yuki Takumiya - drums (1998-2000)

===Touring members===
* Steve Laity - keyboards, backing vocals (2004-2007)

==Discography==

===EPs===
*''Guitar Vader Vol. 1'' (1998)
*''Guitar Vader Vol. 2'' (1998)
*''Guitar Vader Vol. 3'' (1999)

===Studio albums===
*''Die Happy!'' (1999)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ma5nQ1mKmhQ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/Ma5nQ1mKmhQ |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live|title=Guitar Vader-Die Happy! (Full Album)|accessdate=January 5, 2021|via=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
*''[[Wild at Honey]]'' (2000)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1po34OEsC7M|title=Guitar Vader - Wild At Honey [2000.04.25] (Full Album)|accessdate=January 5, 2021|via=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}{{Dead Youtube links|date=February 2022}}</ref>
*''[[From Dusk]]'' (2001)<ref name=UNF/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpBQBzRvCrM |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/XpBQBzRvCrM |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live|title=Guitar Vader - From Dusk [FULL ALBUM] 2001|accessdate=January 5, 2021|via=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
*[[Dawn (Guitar Vader album)|''Dawn'']] (2003)
*''Happy East'' (2004)

===Singles===
*''Beach Panic!'' (2000)
*''Baby-T/GVTV/Shimanagashi'' (2001)

===Remixes===
*''REMIXES_GVR'' (2001)

===Other credits===
* [[Makoto Kawamoto]], "Gimmeshelter" (2001; production, instrumentation and backing vocals)

==Notes==
{{notelist}}
==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.myspace.com/guitarvader Guitar Vader @ MySpace]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110429012202/http://keikaku.net/features/19 Keikaku] - English Feature/interviews: Guitar Vader and Steve Laity

{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Japanese indie rock groups]]
[[Category:Japanese alternative rock groups]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1998]]
[[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 2007]]
[[Category:Musical groups from Tokyo]]