WATER GARDEN

Neo-Prog • Japan

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

Tour & shows updates
Press & news updates
Forum discussions
Videos (Youtube)
Buy music
Discography
Reviews
Official website

Water Garden biography
The roots of Water Garden go back to 1991, when Koji ATOU (guitar) and Hiroki NAKAGAWA (drums) met and formed a band that specialized in playing covers of various anime songs. The project was short lived however, and NAKAGAWA continued with a different partner in a new band that just played pop music. This partnership also broke up fairly swiftly (in 1993), and the alliance between ATOU and NAKAGAWA was re-established, with a vocalist (known as 'Mr T') brought in to complete the band's line-up. They were booked to play at a friend's wedding reception shortly after their debut live performance, and once again just played simple pop music in these very early days.

However after this second performance ATOU and NAKAGAWA decided that they wanted to play more ambitious material, and began to incorporate fantasy-based progressive rock elements similar to CAMEL and RENAISSANCE, hard rock/AOR elements such as those associated with bands like ASIA and JOURNEY, and Japanese folk music of a healing nature into their repertoire. The theme for the new style of music was largely inspired by Japan's largest lake Lake Biwako in Shiga Prefecture, and when ATOU suggested that the name of the evolving band should be 'Water Garden', NAKAGAWA immediately agreed that this would indeed be the case.

A four-track EP called "In A Celebration Day" was recorded in 1994 while they were still essentially performing as a pop band, but Vocalist Mr T did not approve of the impending change in musical direction, and left that same year.
After this, ATOU and NAKAGAWA concentrated on studio work rather than live gigs, and used guests to fill out the vacant roles in the band.

In the spring of 1995 a three-track EP called "Windy Memories" was released using a guest vocalist whom NAKAGAWA had previously played alongside in a hard rock band called AFTERIMAGE - A LADY NAMED CHIFUMI ABE - with just 50 copies of the EP produced in total, and each accompanied by a questionnaire postcard. The response to this EP far exceeded the duo's expectations, and they thus decided that a permanent vocalist was now necessary to enable the band to move forward.
A formal vocalist called 'Mr K', who, of the candidates auditioned, seemed most at ease with the fantasy concepts the duo were looking to explore with their music, was recruited, and in the summer of 1995 a three track EP called "Since You're Here", was produced - followed by another at the end of the year with a Christmas theme...read more

WATER GARDEN Videos (YouTube and more)

Showing only random 3 | Search and add more videos to WATER GARDEN

Buy WATER GARDEN Music

DOUG LARSON IMPORTS — Buy prog rock music and rarities (Free shipping on orders over 10 CD's)
AMAZON.COM — Best-selling prog vinyls

WATER GARDEN discography

Ordered by release date | Showing ratings (top albums) | Help Progarchives.com to complete the discography and add albums

WATER GARDEN top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.57 | 7 ratings

Himiko - Prayer In the Land of the Rising Sun
2014

WATER GARDEN Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

WATER GARDEN Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

WATER GARDEN Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

WATER GARDEN Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

WATER GARDEN Reviews

Showing last 10 reviews only

Thanks to Roland113 for the artist addition.