Rosso

Rosso's lifespan was brief, but the Japanese supergroup still left a visible mark on the national scene with their exclusive blend of punk, blues, hard rock, and pretty much everything else in between. Their robust record activity helped as well, as the band, born as a side project, squeezed two studio albums and an EP into a four-year period. Rosso was a vehicle for the vocalist/guitarist Chiba Yusuke, a former member of Thee Machine Gun Elephant, and the bassist Toshiyuki Terui of Blankey Jet City, who teamed up with the drummer Masato of the charmingly named Assfort to record their debut album Bird in 2002. The record was supported by a big tour, but by the end of the year Yusuke returned to Thee Machine Gun Elephant, only to ditch the band in 2003. Rosso was resurrected, this time with Imai Akinobu on second guitar and Sato Minoru on drums instead of Masato (Toshiyuki was still onboard as well). The band's second full-length Dirty Karat came out in 2004, followed by the Muddy Diamond Sessions DVD (2005) and supported by a tour that included a stint at Fuji Rock Festival, which also saw the likes of Foo Fighters, Coldplay, and New Order. The touring resulted in the live album Diamond Dust ga Futta Yoru (2005) but it also did the band in: the burned-out Rosso announced their split in 2006. They still released the EP Emissions (2006), and Yusuke didn't miss a heartbeat before founding the like-minded act Birthday together with Akinobu. ~ Alexey Eremenko, All Music Guide