Guitarist/vocalist Hisashi Yoshino for the band Eastern Youth picked up the guitar out of frustration. "I had a lot of emotions I wanted to get out of myself. As soon as I learned how to play, I decided I wanted to form a band."
Yoshino said during a telephone interview conducted in Japanese from Richmond, Va., that he listened to various punk rock bands while growing up in Tokyo. "They made me feel good. And in 1998, I knew I wanted to play guitar."
Then he hooked up with two friends — bassist Tomokazu Ninomiya and drummer Atsuya Tamori — and formed Eastern Youth. "We all had this aggressiveness inside ourselves that needed to be released."
Last month, Eastern Youth finally released an album in America — "What Can You See from Your Place" ("Uchi Kara, Nani ga Mieru Ka"). The catch is, it's sung in Japanese. In fact, the band makes it a point to play live shows in its native language.
"For me, it's important to do that," said Yoshino. "The energy is what the band is about. And the audience can feel the energy and get as much out of the music as they would if they understood the lyrics. To sing in Japanese is the way to present my culture to them. It's our way of representing our music as it is, and as it happens. And it's natural for me to sing in Japanese. It's truthful."
Playing in the United States is a huge reward for the band's hard work in Japan. "Getting here has been a step-by-step process," Yoshino said. "We have always had a status of being an independent band, and we have done things our way. Coming to the United States is a step beyond where we were in Japan. "
Still, he is hesitant to acknowledge the band's achievements until he is back in his motherland. "When the tour is finished, I will look back and assess our success. And then I'll look forward to our future, which will probably be comprised of writing better songs."
If you go
What: Eastern Youth, Enon
Where: Kilby Court,
738 Kilby Court (330 West)
When: Thursday, 7 p.m.
How much: $20
Phone: 320-9887
Web: www.kilbycourt.com
E-MAIL: scott@desnews.com