Sakura Merry Men. Is that some Japanese ripoff of Robin Hood’s posse? Not quite. Sakura Merry Men (サクラメリーメン) are in fact Japanese but they are a band, not a menagerie of thieves.

Formed in Kobe in 2004, the trio is vocalist/guitarist Konishi Tohta (小西透太), bassist Ippei (イッペイ), and drummer Morinishi Ryota (森西亮太). They started playing when high school classmates Konishi and Ippei met Morinishi through an acquaintance. They do have a slight age gap with the Konishi and Ippei both born in 1986 and Morinishi in ’80.

(L to R) Morinishi Ryota, Konishi Tohta, Ippei

Sakura Merry Men’s music is certainly…merry (I couldn’t resist). A number of thier songs have been featured in TV commercials including CMs for A-list brands like Calpis and DoCoMo.

As of April ’08, Sakura Merry Men have released six singles and a full-length album [Longroad Journey (ロングロード・オデッセイ)]. They’re currently signed to SPEEDSTAR RECORDS.

Sakura Merry Men fit in well with other SPEEDSTAR artists, having a similar-but-different sound. Perhaps they fall somewhere in between Quruli (くるり) and Remioromen (レミオロメン).

Often upbeat, their songs rock with a lively melodies and catchy hooks while lead singer Konishi Tohta’s discernible high vocals lead.

Sakura Merry Men’s forthcoming single, “待ちぼうけ” (Machibouke, Waiting in Vain) comes out April 2.

Watch the PV for Sakura Merry Men’s third single, “マーガレット” (Margaret):

Official Site

Buy Sakura Merry Men CDs

Listen to tracks from their first album
Video interview on ORICON

a good band with one of my new favorite names