Hiro Yamamoto | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Hiro D. Yamamoto |
Born | Seattle, Washington, U.S. | April 13, 1961
Origin | Park Forest, Illinois |
Genres | Heavy metal, grunge, alternative metal, garage rock, surf music, exotica |
Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter |
Instrument(s) | Bass guitar, vocals, guitar |
Years active | 1984–2006 2008–present |
Labels | Sub Pop, A&M |
Member of | Truly, Stereo Donkey |
Formerly of | Soundgarden |
Hiro D. Yamamoto [1] (born April 13, 1961) is a Japanese-American bassist who was a founding member of grunge band Soundgarden, along with Kim Thayil and Chris Cornell in 1984. [2] He left the band in 1989, and two years later, he started the independent rock band Truly together with Screaming Trees drummer Mark Pickerel and Robert Roth from The Storybook Krooks. In 2016, Yamamoto co-founded the surf trio Stereo Donkey.
Hiro Yamamoto was the founding bassist of Soundgarden. He performed with Cornell, Thayil, and drummer Scott Sundquist on the Deep Six compilation, and performed with Cornell, Thayil, and drummer Matt Cameron on the EPs Screaming Life , Fopp , and Loudest Love , as well as on the albums Ultramega OK and Louder Than Love . He departed the band following the spring 1989 European tour. Jason Everman (formerly of Nirvana) replaced him on the bass briefly, after which Ben Shepherd became the permanent bassist. After Yamamoto departed, he completed the requirements for his master's degree in physical chemistry at Western Washington University. He is currently the Chief of Organic Chemistry at Edge Analytical in Burlington, Washington. [3]
As did Cornell, Thayil, Cameron, and Shepherd, Yamamoto actively wrote songs for the band:
In 1991, Yamamoto formed a three-piece indie band, Truly. The other members were former Screaming Trees drummer Mark Pickerel and singer Robert Roth. Truly released two studio albums and a compilation of unreleased material before breaking up in 2000. The band reunited in 2008.[ citation needed ]
Following a successful 2016 jam session, Yamamoto formed a surf-inspired trio, Stereo Donkey, with drummer Mike Bajuk, and guitarist Pat Wickline.
In November 2018, the band released an eponymous six-track EP, recorded in the old church that Wickline lives in. According to Wickline, "The room is a fourth member of the band." The recording reportedly works as both surf music and exotica, yet is still rooted in, "Pacific Northwest rock history". [4]
On November 8, 2021, Yamamoto performed with other noted musicians at an event in Seattle honoring the Asian Hall of Fame's 2021 inductees, and the 35th anniversary of the Robert Chinn Foundation. The other performers included Jeff Kashiwa, Krist Novoselic, Ed Roth, and Danny Seraphine. [5]
Soundgarden was an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1984 by singer and drummer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto. Cornell switched to rhythm guitar in 1985, replaced on drums initially by Scott Sundquist, and later by Matt Cameron in 1986. Yamamoto left in 1989 and was replaced initially by Jason Everman and shortly thereafter by Ben Shepherd. The band dissolved in 1997 and reformed in 2010. Following Cornell's death in 2017 and a year of uncertainty regarding the band's future, Thayil declared in October 2018 that Soundgarden had disbanded once again, though they did reunite in January 2019 for a one-off concert in tribute to Cornell. Not counting the one-off concert, Cornell and Thayil were the only members to appear in every incarnation of the band.
Screaming Trees were an American rock band formed in Ellensburg, Washington, in 1984 by vocalist Mark Lanegan, guitarist Gary Lee Conner, bassist Van Conner, and drummer Mark Pickerel. Pickerel was replaced by Barrett Martin in 1991. Screaming Trees became known as one of the pioneers of grunge along with Melvins, Mudhoney, U-Men, Skin Yard, Soundgarden, Green River, and Malfunkshun, among others. Although widely associated with grunge, the band's sound incorporated hard rock and psychedelic elements.
Screaming Life/Fopp is a compilation album by the American rock band Soundgarden that combines their debut EPs in their entirety into a single release. It was originally released on May 11, 1990, through Sub Pop Records. Sub Pop later remastered and reissued the album on November 24, 2013.
Ultramega OK is the debut studio album by American rock band Soundgarden, released on October 31, 1988, by SST Records. Following the release of the EPs Screaming Life (1987) and Fopp (1988), both for the Sub Pop record label, Soundgarden signed with SST and went to work on their debut full-length. The resulting album contained elements of heavy metal, psychedelic rock, and hardcore punk. The band supported the album with a tour of the United States, as well as its first overseas tour.
Louder Than Love is the second studio album and major-label debut by American rock band Soundgarden. It was released on September 5, 1989, by A&M Records. After touring in support of their debut album, Ultramega OK (1988), Soundgarden left SST, signed with A&M and began work on its first album for a major label. The songs on the album featured a metal-leaning grunge sound with some songs featuring unusual or unorthodox time signatures.
Kim Anand Thayil is an American musician best known as the lead guitarist of the Seattle-based rock band Soundgarden, which he co-founded with singer Chris Cornell and bassist Hiro Yamamoto in 1984. Cornell and Thayil remained as the original members of the band until Cornell's death in 2017, and the band's subsequent split in 2018. Thayil was named the 100th greatest guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone in 2010, and the 67th greatest guitarist of all time by SPIN in 2012. Thayil has won two Grammy Awards as a member of Soundgarden.
"Flower" is a song by American rock band Soundgarden. Featuring lyrics written by frontman Chris Cornell and music written by guitarist Kim Thayil, "Flower" was released in May 1989 as the only single from their debut album, Ultramega OK (1988). The song was included on Soundgarden's 1997 greatest hits album, A-Sides. An alternate BBC version of "Flower" recorded on May 14, 1989, appeared on the Deluxe Edition of the band's 2010 compilation album Telephantasm.
Screaming Life is the debut EP by American rock band Soundgarden, released in October 1987 by Sub Pop. Screaming Life was later combined with the band's next EP, Fopp (1988), and released as the Screaming Life/Fopp compilation album in 1990.
"Hands All Over" is a song by the American rock band Soundgarden. Featuring lyrics written by frontman Chris Cornell and music written by guitarist Kim Thayil, "Hands All Over" was released in 1990 as the second single from the band's second full-length studio album, Louder Than Love (1989). It also appeared on the band's EP Loudest Love, released in 1990. The song was included on Soundgarden's 1997 greatest hits album, A-Sides and appeared on the band's compilation album Telephantasm.
"Loud Love" is a song by the American rock band Soundgarden. Written by frontman Chris Cornell, "Loud Love" was released on August 30, 1989 as the first single from the band's second studio album, Louder Than Love (1989). It is the quasi-title track from that album, and was also the basis for the EP Loudest Love and the live video Louder Than Live. The song was included on Soundgarden's 1997 greatest hits album, A-Sides.
"Blow Up the Outside World" is a song by the American rock band Soundgarden. Written by frontman Chris Cornell, "Blow Up the Outside World" was released on November 18, 1996, as the third single from the band's fifth studio album, Down on the Upside (1996). The song topped the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, where it spent a total of four weeks at number one. The song was included on Soundgarden's 1997 greatest hits album, A-Sides.
Fopp is the second EP by the American rock band Soundgarden, released in August 1988 through Sub Pop Records. Fopp was later combined with the band's first EP, Screaming Life (1987), and released as the Screaming Life/Fopp compilation album in 1990.
Mark Pickerel is an American musician best known as the original drummer for the alternative rock band Screaming Trees. He is also an active session musician and has released several solo albums as a singer/guitarist.
The discography of Soundgarden, an American rock band, consists of six studio albums, two live albums, six compilation albums, eight extended plays, 24 singles and 23 music videos.
Loudest Love is an EP by the American rock band Soundgarden. It was released in October 1990 through A&M Records.
Truly is an American rock band formed in the wake of the grunge era. It featured singer-guitarist Robert Roth, bassist Hiro Yamamoto, and drummer Mark Pickerel. Yamamoto and Pickerel were founding members respectively of Soundgarden and Screaming Trees. While not a commercially successful group like some of their Seattle contemporaries, the band lasted a decade with two studio albums to their name.
Deep Six is a 1986 compilation album featuring six Seattle-based rock bands. It was the first release by C/Z Records, with a catalogue number of CZ01 for 2,000 copies. The album was reissued as a joint C/Z Records/A&M Records release on April 5, 1994.
The Dark Fantastic was an American rock band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1997. They began as a solo project of Mark Pickerel while he was still a member of Truly. Following the disbanding of Truly, Pickerel turned his project into a band, enlisting guitarist Jesse Roberts and bassist Mike Elkins in 1997. They released their self-titled debut album in 1999 and their second album entitled Goodbye Crooked Scar in 2001, both through Up Records, before disbanding.
6 Songs for Bruce, also commonly known as the 4-Track Demo, is an early single-sided demo cassette tape by American rock band Soundgarden.
Echo of Miles: Scattered Tracks Across the Path is a 3-CD compilation album by the American rock band Soundgarden. It was released on November 24, 2014. The album is a collection of rarities, live tracks, and unreleased material spanning the group's history. It includes previously released songs, such as "Live to Rise", "Black Rain", "Birth Ritual", and others, as well as a newly recorded rendition of a song from the band's pre-Matt Cameron 1985 demo, "The Storm", now simply titled "Storm", which was produced by Jack Endino.