Emanating from the fertile mid 90s college music scene in Kyoto, Mama Studio embodies all that was good about 70s rock- big guitars in the foreground, rock-solid drum beats, a bass that danced and dodged around the melody. Add to this the amazing harmonies (all members can sing), and the just the right touch of synthesizer on the left or right channel and you have the mythic Mama Studio. But Mama Studio is more than just a cookie-cutter pop band. There is something unique about their songs, a reinterpretation of the past, not just a regurgitation. They have an ability to write a great melody and song. They draw you in, then take you places with the beat and the melody that you weren't expecting.
Mama Studio's pop sound and awesome live presence became to bring them the attention young, Kyoto music-lovers in the know. When the Kyoto music scene was all the rage, the band was able to ride the concurrent success of fellow Kyoto rockers Kururi, to a sweet, major label deal with Pony Canyon in 2001. But their indie darling status did not translate as well, and the subsequent release of their first full-length album on Pony Canyon did not propel them to the national spotlight as it did Kururi. Mama Studio released another album and a series of singles, but their new-found success did not last long.
The singles and albums showcased the group's evolving style of songwriting with more and more songs by keyboardist Kawaguchi, and less and less by the former principle songwriter, Koizumi. The tension of the guitar-piano clash was at the center of Mama Studio's intriguing sound, but the delicate balance seemed to be giving way and foreshadowed differences between the two principle songwriters.
The last single by Mama Studio on Pony Canyon was in fact entirely written by Kawaguchi, and the accompanying video on the single has him as the lead singer with Koizumi relegated to the background, playing the keyboard. What is this? The guitarist is playing keys, and the keyboardist is now singing?! Would this be the beginning of a new revolving Mama Studio, or perhaps it constituted the final victory of the piano over the guitar in the Mama Studio sound?
Things must have come to a head after or during the single. Soon after it was released, a message appeared on Mama Studio's website thanking fans for their long support and saying that musical differences between band member had broken the band up, and they were calling it quits.
Luckily, it seems that the site is back up, with what seems to be a reconstituted band. And this time Koizumi is firmly at the helm(his cartoon-like figure even graces the new front page of their website). With the breakup and the new band, it is likely that Mama Studio will return to its roots of 70s inspired rock with more guitar. Keep checking the website and local Kyoto and Osaka/Kobe clubs to see the band and the new direction it will take.
SCENE: Kyoto
GENRE: Indie rock/pop
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