Shuhei Yamamato's first band might have been a little out of this world. But his newest one is downright wild.
Yamamoto, Trinity '07, is the bassist and co-founder of Pet Lions, a Chicago band whose Soft Right EP recently became available on iTunes. Before starting Pet Lions, Yamamoto was an original member of Duke band Stella by Starlight, playing alongside Nathan Fowler, Trinity '08, Greg Laird, Trinity '08, and Sonny Byrd, Trinity '08, throughout his senior year.
Following graduation, Yamamoto left Stella to work as a development coordinator for Teach For America. And as his former bandmates were being recognized with mtvU's Best Music on Campus Woodie in 2008, Yamamoto was busy looking to form a group of his own.
After a few months of trolling Craigslist for potential collaborators, Yamamoto discovered Karl Ostby, a solo musician living in Wisconsin. What happened next sounds like the musical version of a whirlwind Hollywood romance. The two met at a diner in Chicago to discuss their musical interests, which led to a two-day jam session in Ostby's basement the week after and an agreement to form Pet Lions. The original lineup had Yamamoto on bass, Ostby on guitar and both sharing vocal duties.
"The whole thing definitely sounds sketchy if you take out the music part," Yamamoto said.
By June 2008, Pet Lions had played their first show, and they recorded Soft Right in November. The five-song release showcases Pet Lions' own brand of what Yamamoto calls "pretty, tight, guitar-driven pop songs." He compares the sound to that of Phoenix and the Strokes, an appropriate association, considering that much of Soft Right sounds like b-sides from It's Never Been Like That or Is This It. The end result is a brief introduction to a band that shows just as much promise as reverence for pop history.
Ostby, who now attends college in Chicago, said the group's fans notice their array of influences as well.
"We've got a blend of eras. After shows, people will come up and say, 'Yeah, you've got a real '60s thing' or an ''80s thing.' It's all dance-y and upbeat."
The band has already started to make noise in the Windy City. Four songs from Soft Right have received airtime on two Chicago radio stations. The group also performed a February show at Metro, one of the city's most popular indie music venues.
"Playing at Metro was the most I've ever thought I was in a real band," Yamamoto said. "When we arrived, people were there to unload our stuff and set up for us. That's never happened before."
Yamamoto credits a lot of Pet Lions' success and sound to his time spent in Stella. Because of their style and proclivity for radio-friendly covers, his old band provided a detailed education of what goes into a winning pop song.
"In Stella, I had some creative input, but it wasn't exactly what I wanted to do," Yamamoto said, "I figured out how pop songs work, because we were playing other people's.... But it also helped me improve a ton as a musician. It helped me develop as a songwriter."
In the last couple of months, Pet Lions has added two more permanent members: Tom Owens on guitar and synthesizer and Matt Dahl on drums. Now with a full band, Pet Lions continues to gather acclaim in the Chicago music scene, hoping to eventually get signed to a major independent label. Of course, they continue to eye possibilities for more national exposure. After all, the band takes its name from the hugely popular "Christian The Lion" video, which has garnered more than 11 million views on YouTube and tells the poignant story of a released lion being reunited with its former owners. When told about the upcoming motion picture based on the video, the potential for cross-promotion was clear.
"Maybe we can get on the soundtrack," Ostby said.
To stream audio of tracks from Soft Right, go to playground.chronicleblogs.com.
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