Monkey Majik
Encyclopedia
Monkey Majik is a Japanese pop-rock band formed in 2000, consisting of two Canadian brothers (Maynard and Blaise Plant) and two Japanese members (Tax and Dick).
Much of the band's music has been cross-promoted via television programs, commercials, and movies. The band has been chosen as “Goodwill Ambassadors” for the 80th anniversary of Japanese-Canadian relations.
Monkey Majik is managed by Edward Entertainment Group and are signed to Binyl Records, an Avex subsidiary. Their live recordings are handled by Under Horse Records (a subsidiary of Edward Entertainment Group), where the band was signed on to before their major label debut.
The band, even after mainstream success, is still based in Sendai, located roughly 350 km from Tokyo. This is contrary to the majority of musicians in Japan, who often move to Tokyo after mainstream success.
where he was president of the Alma Mater Society. He was able to learn Japanese while working as an Assistant Language Teacher
. Blaise moved to Japan in 2001 to continue the band, after studying Drama at the University of Lethbridge
in Alberta
and spending some time as a solo-artist.
His Japanese came quickly as a result of memorizing Japanese songs.
The band started off as a hobby but quickly turned serious when in 2001 they released their first EP called TIRED, a self-financed release limited to 1,000 copies available at Tower Records
in Sendai. The EP attained the number one sales position for the store for six straight weeks. In 2002, they signed with the record label UNDER HORSE RECORDS. In 2003 the band released the first full-length album "SPADE", once again only available at Tower Records in Sendai. The album retained the number one in-store sales position for 13 consecutive weeks. "SPADE" was released nation-wide in 2004. The band's second full-length album, "eastview", was released in 2005. In the fall of the same year the band signed on to major label avex.
Their first major release single through avex was "fly" in 2006. The single was commercially successful, reaching #19 on the Oricon
charts. "Fly" was quickly followed by the release of their second single, "Around the World", which was used as the drama Seiyuuki's theme song. "Around the World" became their break out single, reaching #4 on Oricon charts and charting for 13 weeks. "Around the World" sold 164,299 copies in 2006, becoming the 62nd most selling single of the year in Japan.
In 2007 Monkey Majik released their fourth full-length album "Sora wa maru de", where the titled song "Sora wa maru de" became the first song in Japanese History to reach #1 on USEN Request Chart before being released. Since "Tired" the band has sold out every venue across Japan, and is often seen signing autographs after the shows.
Their 2008 album "TIME" opened its first week at #2 on the Oricon Chart.
In 2010, their songs "Fast Forward" and "Sunshine" were used as the first and second (respectively) opening themes for the anime Nurarihyon no Mago
.
" performed by Godiego
, which was the theme song to Saiyūki, which was dubbed into English for broadcast in Great Britain as Monkey
. The former drummer had watched the series as a child growing up in Britain and was a fan of the show and its theme song.
Profile
Monkey Majik is a Japanese band composed of two Canadian brothers, Maynard and Blaise Plant, who both perform vocals and guitar, drummer Tax and bassist DICK. The band is sometimes referred to as a "hybrid-band", as two members are Canadian and the other two Japanese, and the lyrics are sung in both English and Japanese.Much of the band's music has been cross-promoted via television programs, commercials, and movies. The band has been chosen as “Goodwill Ambassadors” for the 80th anniversary of Japanese-Canadian relations.
Monkey Majik is managed by Edward Entertainment Group and are signed to Binyl Records, an Avex subsidiary. Their live recordings are handled by Under Horse Records (a subsidiary of Edward Entertainment Group), where the band was signed on to before their major label debut.
The band, even after mainstream success, is still based in Sendai, located roughly 350 km from Tokyo. This is contrary to the majority of musicians in Japan, who often move to Tokyo after mainstream success.
Current members
- Maynard Plant (born August 6, 1975 from OttawaOttawaOttawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, OntarioOntarioOntario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada): Vocals and guitar. Monkey Majik Founder. Graduated from Queen's UniversityQueen's UniversityQueen's University, , is a public research university located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Founded on 16 October 1841, the university pre-dates the founding of Canada by 26 years. Queen's holds more more than of land throughout Ontario as well as Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex, England...
. Fluent in English, French, and Japanese, also able to speak in the nanbu dialect (なんぶべん). While living in Canada Maynard wrote songs as a hobby, but only performed privately. Moved to Japan to work as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT). Initially formed Monkey Majik in 2000 with Thomas Pritchard, Chad Ivany, and Misao Urushizaka. When Pritchard and Ivany quit the band, Maynard decided to invite his younger brother to join the band. He has high respects for GodiegoGodiegois a popular band from Japan, consisting of the Mickie Yoshino, Yukihide Takekawa, Takami Asano, Steve Fox, and Tommy Snyder...
, the band whose song "Monkey Magic" became the inspiration for the band's name, and even goes so far as to refer to them as "gods". Other Japanese musicians which he mentions in high regard include UAUA (singer), simply known by the stage name UA , is a Japanese singer-songwriter. She debuted under Speedstar Records in 1995 with the single "Horizon".-Biography:...
, Oda Kazumaza, and SpitzSpitz (band)is a Japanese rock band formed in 1987. They gained remarkable commercial success in the mid and late 1990s, and are known for their abstract and eccentric songs penned by primary singer-songwriter and guitarist Masamune Kusano....
. Maynard's solo project blanc., which started as far back as 2003, has gained recognition across Asia. blanc.'s collaborations with freeTEMPO and other Japanese underground artists have given him particular recognition in Korea and China. His father is also a professional musician who has played with Paul AnkaPaul AnkaPaul Albert Anka, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and actor.Anka first became famous as a teen idol in the late 1950s and 1960s with hit songs like "Diana'", "Lonely Boy", and "Put Your Head on My Shoulder"...
. - Blaise Plant (born March 18, 1980 from OttawaOttawaOttawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, OntarioOntarioOntario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada): Vocals and guitar. Maynard's younger brother whose full name is Blaise Joseph Anthony Plant. Fluent in English, French, and Japanese. Plays on a local ice hockey team in Sendai. He was active as a singer songwriter since he was in high school performing at clubs. While in Canada he studied at The University of Lethbridge and was a solo musician, while also pursuing an acting career. Blaise continued the band with Maynard in 2001 where they released their first EP Tired. In 2007 he began his own label, daydream PRODUCTIONS,and started his official blogBlogA blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
. On March 3, 2008 he launched his solo project "The Alphabet Project" where every song released hit Number 1 on the Syncl Download chart. Singing in English, Japanese, and French, "The Alphabet Project" has built a reputation across Canada, the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Blaise will be releasing his first full album "Painting Music" sometime this fall, and is currently working on a film, which he will be directing. - tax tax (Takuya Kikuchi, 菊池拓哉) (born August 31, 1975 from Sendai, MiyagiMiyagi Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku Region on Honshu island. The capital is Sendai.- History :Miyagi Prefecture was formerly part of the province of Mutsu. Mutsu Province, on northern Honshu, was one of the last provinces to be formed as land was taken from the indigenous Emishi, and became the...
, Japan): drums. tax partakes in the majority of songwriting. He had worked as a dental technicianDental technicianA dental technologist is a member of the dental team who, upon presciption from a dental clinician, constructs custom made restorative and dental appliances.There are four major disciplines within dental technology...
for five years, after which he switched to becoming a salarymanSalarymanrefers to someone whose income is salary based; particularly those working for corporations. Its frequent use by Japanese corporations, and its prevalence in Japanese manga and anime has gradually led to its acceptance in English-speaking countries as a noun for a Japanese white-collar...
. He was introduced to Maynard and Blaise through a friend. Before becoming Monkey Majik's full-time drummer his drumming experience only consisted of two years spent drumming during junior high school. - DICK (born March 10, 1978 from Sapporo, HokkaidōHokkaido, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
, Japan): bass. Has previously been part of a funk soul band called Soul Addiction under the name Hideki Dick Mori. Also was a member of a jazz band called Private Kitchen. The 3 members invited DICK, who had become a well-known bassist in Sendai, out to a bar in Kokubun Cho "The Party District of Sendai" and forced him to drink until he agreed to join Monkey Majik. Joined the band to switch in with Urushizaka with the release of the band's second indie album "eastview".
Past members
- Misao Urushikaka (漆坂ミサオ), bassist: Left the band with the release of the second independent label album, "eastview". Songs which credit Urushikaka with songwriting have been released even after his departure.
- Jan Kuypers, drummer: A British exchange student at Prof. Masayoshi EsashiMasayoshi Esashiis an engineer. He is a global authority of Microelectromechanical systems and serves as the professor of the Tohoku University graduate school engineering graduate course.Born in Sendai, Japan, in 1949, Masayoshi Esashi received his B.E...
's lab who was part of the original band in 2001 and recorded the first album "Tired" sold by Tower Records. He is now a leading researcher in MEMS/nanotechnologyNanotechnologyNanotechnology is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally, nanotechnology deals with developing materials, devices, or other structures possessing at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometres...
and working at a small start-up company (Sand9) in Cambridge, MassachusettsCambridge, MassachusettsCambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
. - Tom Prichard, drummer: An Englishman responsible for the naming the band Monkey Majik. Still known to visit Japan on occasion and meets with the members when doing so.
History
Maynard Plant moved to Japan in 1997 to teach English after graduating from Queen's UniversityQueen's University
Queen's University, , is a public research university located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Founded on 16 October 1841, the university pre-dates the founding of Canada by 26 years. Queen's holds more more than of land throughout Ontario as well as Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex, England...
where he was president of the Alma Mater Society. He was able to learn Japanese while working as an Assistant Language Teacher
Assistant Language Teacher
Assistant Language Teacher is a term that was created by the Japanese Ministry of Education at the time of the creation of the JET Programme as a translation of the term 外国語指導助手 or literally "foreign language instruction assistant." The terms AET , ELT and NESA Assistant Language Teacher (ALT)...
. Blaise moved to Japan in 2001 to continue the band, after studying Drama at the University of Lethbridge
University of Lethbridge
The University of Lethbridge is a publicly-funded comprehensive academic and research university, founded in the liberal education tradition, located in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, with two other urban campuses in Calgary and Edmonton. The main building sits among the coulees on the west side of...
in Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
and spending some time as a solo-artist.
His Japanese came quickly as a result of memorizing Japanese songs.
The band started off as a hobby but quickly turned serious when in 2001 they released their first EP called TIRED, a self-financed release limited to 1,000 copies available at Tower Records
Tower Records
Tower Records was a retail music chain that was based in Sacramento, California. It currently exists as an international franchise and an online music store....
in Sendai. The EP attained the number one sales position for the store for six straight weeks. In 2002, they signed with the record label UNDER HORSE RECORDS. In 2003 the band released the first full-length album "SPADE", once again only available at Tower Records in Sendai. The album retained the number one in-store sales position for 13 consecutive weeks. "SPADE" was released nation-wide in 2004. The band's second full-length album, "eastview", was released in 2005. In the fall of the same year the band signed on to major label avex.
Their first major release single through avex was "fly" in 2006. The single was commercially successful, reaching #19 on the Oricon
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
charts. "Fly" was quickly followed by the release of their second single, "Around the World", which was used as the drama Seiyuuki's theme song. "Around the World" became their break out single, reaching #4 on Oricon charts and charting for 13 weeks. "Around the World" sold 164,299 copies in 2006, becoming the 62nd most selling single of the year in Japan.
In 2007 Monkey Majik released their fourth full-length album "Sora wa maru de", where the titled song "Sora wa maru de" became the first song in Japanese History to reach #1 on USEN Request Chart before being released. Since "Tired" the band has sold out every venue across Japan, and is often seen signing autographs after the shows.
Their 2008 album "TIME" opened its first week at #2 on the Oricon Chart.
In 2010, their songs "Fast Forward" and "Sunshine" were used as the first and second (respectively) opening themes for the anime Nurarihyon no Mago
Nurarihyon no Mago
Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, known in Japan as is a manga series written and illustrated by Hiroshi Shiibashi. The series was first published in Shueisha as a oneshot in 2007. The manga has been continuously serialized in the Japanese manga anthology Weekly Shōnen Jump since March 2008 and has...
.
Band name
The band was named by a former band member Tom Pritchard, an English drummer, who was a part of Monkey Majik before their debut. The name is a tribute to the song "Monkey MagicMonkey Magic (song)
"Monkey Magic" is the 8th single by Japanese rock band Godiego. It is internationally known as the opening theme for the 1978 television series Saiyūki, known in the west as Monkey...
" performed by Godiego
Godiego
is a popular band from Japan, consisting of the Mickie Yoshino, Yukihide Takekawa, Takami Asano, Steve Fox, and Tommy Snyder...
, which was the theme song to Saiyūki, which was dubbed into English for broadcast in Great Britain as Monkey
Monkey (TV series)
Monkey is the dubbed English language version of the Japanese television series , based on the classic sixteenth century Chinese novel Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en. It was originally produced by Nippon Television and International Television Films in association with NHK.The series ran for...
. The former drummer had watched the series as a child growing up in Britain and was a fan of the show and its theme song.
Studio albums
- 2003: Spade
- 2005: Eastview
- 2006: Thank You
- 2007:
- 2008: Time
- 2011: WestviewWestview (Monkey Majik album)Westview is the 6th full album released by MONKEY MAJIK on February 2, 2011 in celebration of their 10 year anniversary. Westview is a follow-up album to their album eastview released in 2005. Most of the tracks recorded for westview were recorded in Greece...
Compilation albums
- 2006: Best 2000–2005
- 2010: Monkey Majik Best: 10 Years & Forever
- 2011: Rare Tracks
Extended plays
- 2002: TiredTired (Monkey Majik album)TIRED was the first studio album by MONKEY MAJIK. It was released on May 13, 2002 as a Limited Edition EP.-Track listing:# "i spy"# "tired"# "HayakutemoOsokutemo"# "they brought it down"# "wait"# "Fumidasuchikara"-External links:*...
- 2005: Lily
- 2005: Get Started
- 2005: Premium Box
RIAJ certified songs
- 2006: "Around the World"
- 2007:
- 2008: "Together"
- 2008:
- 2009: