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Hiroki Kamemoto (Japanese: 亀本寛貴, born August 24, 1990) is a Japanese musician, best known as lead guitarist of the rock band Glim Spanky since 2007. Formed while the members were in high school, the group made their major label debut in 2014 and consists of Kamemoto and vocalist and rhythm guitarist Remi Matsuo.

Early life and joining Glim Spanky

Hiroki Kamemoto was born in the rural Zakoji village of Iida, Nagano, Japan on August 24, 1990. He has always been a fan of soccer and took lessons as a child. But because he was the only boy from his school there, he joined his elementary school's baseball club. The first CDs Kamemoto ever bought were SMAP's "Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana" and Naotarō Moriyama's "Sakura". However, he then fell in love with the rock bands Glay and L'Arc-en-Ciel, and realized he wanted to play music over soccer. He started playing guitar in his first year of high school after seeing bands like Glay on television. Kamemoto bought an electric guitar from a Yahoo! Auction for about 8,000 yen, but did not have enough money for an amplifier, and so played without one. He and a friend who was also just starting an instrument formed a band, and he became more and more engrossed in music.

Kamemoto attended Matsukawa High School, where he was the president of the student council and a member of the soccer club. In 2007, a fellow student whom Kamemoto worked with at the same part-time job became the bassist for Glim Spanky, a band formed and fronted by their underclassman Remi Matsuo. In November, the bassist assumed it was difficult for Matsuo to sing and play all of the guitar by herself, and recruited Kamemoto into the band without her permission. However, Matsuo found that Kamemoto was not only committed to the band, but was also able to immediately understand and provide the guitar parts she wanted for songs. They then began writing their own material and started focusing on the band full time. Kamemoto noted that Matsuo's parents and their acquaintances were all writing original songs, so it only felt natural for them to do so as well. On days off from school, they would practice from 8:00 in the morning, until 1:00 am at night. By 2009, Kamemoto was attending Aichi Gakuin University in Nagoya, but traveled back to Nagano once a week for band activities. When the younger Matsuo enrolled in Nihon University's College of Art, Kamemoto transferred to the economics department of the closer Dokkyo University so the two could continue the band in Tokyo. Kamemoto explained that he had looked for musicians to form another band with in Nagoya, but could not find anyone good. Because he knew Matsuo was a good vocalist, he was confident they would be successful and said he had no hesitation transferring and moving to Tokyo. His parents told him he could go to Tokyo and play music during his four years of college, but that he must get a normal job after graduating. However, Kamemoto never had any intention of getting a company job and figured he just had to produce results in music within those four years.

Career

Kamemoto and Matsuo resumed Glim Spanky activities as a duo in April 2010, utilizing support musicians. Matsuo stated that their first four years playing live houses in Tokyo were difficult, but because they were particular about their sound, stage presence, costumes and artwork, she was confident that the music industry would not leave behind a band with such a complete package. Glim Spanky had their first release in December 2013 when Space Shower Music released the mini-album Music Freak nationwide. In June 2014 the band released their second mini-album and their major label debut, Shōsō, via EMI R (now known as Virgin Records). They have since released six full-length studio albums, with 2017's Bizarre Carnival being their highest-charting to date.

Kamemoto composed the music to "Kill Bear", the ending theme song of the 2016 film Hentaida. He then provided guitar to the theme songs of the 2020 anime film Earwig and the Witch. For the film's 2022 album Āya to Majo Songbook 13 Lime Avenue, which is credited to the fictional band "Earwig", Kamemoto played on every track and Glim Spanky contributed the songs "The House in Lime Avenue" and "A Black Cat". Kamemoto was asked to produce and co-arrange Crispy Camera Club's 2022 song "Natsu no Nukegara". He is a featured artist playing lead guitar on the track and appears in its music video. In 2024, he composed the music to "Rain Bird" and "To the Mothership", two songs by singer Xai. He also played guitar on the 2024 song "Nande Desu ka?" by Nijisanji's virtual YouTuber Ryushen.

Kamemoto has also provided several songs to other recording artists, where he is credited as the arranger and co-credited for the music together with Matsuo as Glim Spanky. Such as 2019's "Lady May", which they gave to the idol group Momoiro Clover Z and which features Kamemoto on guitar, "From the Seeds", a song that Mone Kamishiraishi sang as the opening theme for the 2020 second season of the 7 Seeds anime and also features guitar by Kamemoto, and "Kagami yo Kagami", a song they provided to the virtual singer KAF.

As part of Glim Spanky, Kamemoto collaborated with Tomoyasu Hotei on the song "Savage Sun", which they co-composed and co-performed for his 2020 album Soul to Soul, and worked with Kamishiraishi again on covers of "Aozora" by The Blue Hearts and "Ikareta Baby" by Fishmans for her 2021 album Ano Uta -2-. Also in 2021, they provided the song "Mikansei na Drama" to the band DISH, which Kamemoto arranged and provided guitar to. Kamemoto co-arranged and played guitar on "Candy Moon" for Maki Nomiya's 2022 album New Beautiful.

Since 2017, Kamemoto and Glim Spanky have appeared numerous times on the NHK television show The Covers, where recording artists discuss songs and perform covers. Kamemoto and Matsuo have made three guest acting appearances in the TV Asahi show Keishichō Sōsa Ichikachō, for which they contributed several theme songs. They appeared in episode six of 2017's second season as passersby, in the sixth episode of 2018's season three as street musicians, and in episode 16 of 2020's fourth season as different street performers. Kamemoto appears in the music video for Keisuke Kuwata's 2022 song "Nagisa Hotel".

Musicianship

Kamemoto started playing guitar because of Glay, then moved on to Nirvana, Guns N' Roses, Oasis, Jimi Hendrix and Cream. He has studied the guitar playing of Glay's Hisashi, as well as Joe Bonamassa. Kamemoto said he started listening to Western music of the 1960s and 1970s because Matsuo insisted he listen to it everyday. When approaching a song, Kamemoto said he thinks about the tone and "touch" very carefully, and tries to match the image of the song. He makes a clear distinction in his guitar playing when there is singing and when there is not. When there are vocals, he emphasizes the layering of notes and the depth of the sound. When there is not, he plays the melody freely, as if his guitar were the vocalist. Kamemoto said he usually utilizes vibrato in his solos or extends notes.

Matsuo is the principal songwriter of Glim Spanky's lyrics and music, but when she only has a guitar riff, chord progression or drum phrase before working with Kamemoto to turn it into a song, then both get credited for the music as Glim Spanky. Kamemoto is, however, frequently credited with a song's arrangement. "I am influenced by Remi", "I believe that she has a one-of-a-kind view of the world" and put a lot of effort into the arrangements in order to interpret the original songs she creates and make them sound like Glim Spanky. In arranging songs, the guitarist believes that the chorus is the most important part, followed by the intro.

Equipment

Kamemoto has around 25 guitars, and is usually seen playing the Gibson brand. He previously used a single coil guitar. But Matsuo's Gibson Les Paul Special with a P-100 pickup provided a thicker sound, so the two switched guitars and Kamemoto used her Special early in their career. After their debut, he bought a goldtop 2015 Les Paul Deluxe and it became his main guitar for both recording and live performances. In addition to liking its appearance, he said its mini-humbuckers give it a nuanced sound unlike any other guitar. In 2018, he bought a black Les Paul Custom around the time of Glim Spanky's Nippon Budokan concert. The Custom and a semi-acoustic Gibson ES-345 were said to be his favorites as of 2023. Both have whammy bars, specifically Bigsby vibrato tailpieces, which are uncommon on Gibson guitars. In an interview about Walking on Fire (2020), Kamemoto said he mainly used a Marshall Super Lead Model 1959 amplifier for recording, and occasionally a Fender Deluxe Reverb. He wanted a Marshall Super Lead because of its use by Hendrix and Jimmy Page, but found it too loud, so he took tubes out to use it as a 50-watt amp. However, he still found it loud and therefore uses a smaller version for live performances. He also uses his roadie's Shinos 50-watt amp.

As of 2020, Kamemoto had two guitar pedalboards. The smaller vertical one has a volume pedal, a wah pedal, an EarthQuaker Swiss Things, an Electro-Harmonix Nano POG, and EarthQuaker's Bit Commander and Tentacle pedals. The larger horizontal one is organized into two halves; one has a Providence PEC-2 with a KarDian overdrive, a Manlay Sound M-200, a Manlay Sound Ronno Bender, an EarthQuaker Black Ash and a MXR EQ, while the other has a Free the Tone with an Arion phaser, a Lunar Echo for strong delay, a Malekko for soft delay and an EarthQuaker Levitation for reverb. For arranging songs, he uses a Korg nanoKey2 MIDI keyboard, which is compact for use on the go.

Discography

1. ^ Co-credit as part of Glim Spanky.

References

1. ^ "特別取材 GLIM SPANKY × ONE PIECE FILM GOLD". Iida City Web Site (in Japanese). July 25, 2016. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
2. ^ "あの人の音楽が生まれる部屋 vol.27 GLIM SPANKY". Cinra (in Japanese). February 4, 2016. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
3. "ＧＬＩＭ ＳＰＡＮＫＹ、高校野球の思い出を語った". The Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). July 11, 2018. Archived from the original on July 11, 2018. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
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5. ^ "グリムスパンキー ニュース 2023.04.16". Minamishinshu Newspaper (in Japanese). April 22, 2023. Archived from the original on April 23, 2023. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
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8. ^ "新世代男女ロック・ユニット、GLIM SPANKYメジャーデビュー". Fanplus Music (in Japanese). June 13, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
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15. "R18青春ロックポルノムービー『変態だ』亀本寛貴（GLIM SPANKY）× みうらじゅんコラボ楽曲「Kill Bear」がEDテーマに". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). September 9, 2016. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
16. "「アーヤと魔女」サントラ発売決定、CDには宮崎吾朗の手描きアナザージャケット封入". Natalie (in Japanese). December 22, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
17. "ジブリ美術館オンラインショップ限定企画！CD『アーヤと魔女』SONGBOOK ライムアベニュー13番地". Ghibli Museum (in Japanese). December 24, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
18. ^ "Crispy Camera Club × GLIM SPANKY・亀本寛貴 「好きな音楽」を現代に鳴らすということ". Spice (in Japanese). December 14, 2022. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
19. "Crispy Camera Club、本日デジタルリリースされたGLIM SPANKYの亀本寛貴がプロデュース、アレンジ、ギターで参加した新曲「夏のぬけがら」のMUSIC VIDEOのプレミア公開が12月8日（木）21:30に決定！ さらに公開直前には、コラボインスタライブ配信も！". Rooftop (in Japanese). December 7, 2022. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
20. ^ "XAI、5年ぶり新曲はGLIM SPANKY亀本寛貴と制作 春にはO-WESTで2ndワンマン". Natalie (in Japanese). May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
21. ^ @XAI_desu (April 18, 2024). ▶︎New single released! 𝕿𝖔 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖒𝖔𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖘𝖍𝖎𝖕 Music by 亀本寛貴(@glim0kamemoto) Lyrics by XAI Mix&Mastering by 中村涼真(@Nakamura_Ryoma) Photo by aika (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved April 23, 2024 – via Twitter.
22. ^ "にじさんじ緑仙がロックナンバー配信、GLIM SPANKY亀本寛貴やcinema staff三島想平ら参加". Natalie (in Japanese). June 14, 2024. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
23. ^ "ももいろクローバーZ、明日発売のアルバムより"レディ・メイ"＆"The Show"のMV公開". Rockin' On (in Japanese). May 16, 2019. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
24. "上白石萌音、GLIM SPANKYとコラボ". Barks (in Japanese). February 4, 2020. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
25. ^ "GLIM SPANKY提供楽曲 上白石萌音さん「From The Seeds」本日配信開始！ミュージックビデオ（Full ver.）公開". glimspanky.com (in Japanese). February 25, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
26. "花譜、GLIM SPANKY提供曲「鏡よ鏡」のミュージックビデオを本日プレミア公開". Natalie (in Japanese). October 27, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
27. "布袋寅泰、40本の愛機が一堂に会する企画展決定＋コラボアルバム詳細発表". Barks (in Japanese). October 29, 2020. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
28. "上白石萌音がカバーアルバム2枚の収録曲発表！キャンディーズ、沢田研二、フィッシュマンズらカバー". Natalie (in Japanese). April 29, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
29. ^ "DISH//のアルバムにGLIM SPANKY、くじらが楽曲提供". Barks (in Japanese). February 2, 2021. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
30. ^ "野宮真貴×松尾レミ（GLIM SPANKY）、確固たる自身のスタイルを持つふたりの対談". The First Times (in Japanese). May 30, 2020. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
31. "グリムスパンキー ニュース 2022.02.20". Minamishinshu Newspaper (in Japanese). February 23, 2022. Archived from the original on February 23, 2022. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
32. "GLIM SPANKY、TVドラマ『警視庁・捜査一課長』で路上ライブ". Barks (in Japanese). May 11, 2018. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
33. "GLIM SPANKY、ドラマ『警視庁・捜査一課長2020』で主題歌「Singin' Now」を熱唱！". OK Music (in Japanese). September 3, 2020. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
34. "グリムスパンキー ニュース 2022.11.20". Minamishinshu Newspaper (in Japanese). November 19, 2022. Archived from the original on November 19, 2022. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
35. "GLIM SPANKYが見据える、世界進出の見取り図「『こういう音もメジャーになれる』ということを証明したい」". Real Sound (in Japanese). July 22, 2015. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
36. ^ "弦の上げ下げで感情を表現せよ！個性を出す！チョーキング入門書（講師：GLIM SPANKY 亀本寛貴）【Go!Go! GUITAR プレイバック】". MySound (in Japanese). March 3, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
37. "GLIM SPANKY「Next One」インタビュー - 音楽ナタリー 特集・インタビュー". Natalie (in Japanese). Retrieved January 8, 2019.
38. ^ "GIBSON SPECIAL TALK SESSION 亀本寛貴（GLIM SPANKY）×長谷部悠生（Kroi）". Gibson (in Japanese). Retrieved September 11, 2024.
39. "Interview｜亀本寛貴（GLIM SPANKY）ギター・ソロの魅力を再確認させる『Walking On Fire』". Guitar Magazine (in Japanese). November 4, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
40. ^ Kamemoto, Hiroki (October 11, 2020). Board to Death : Hiroki Kamemoto (GLIM SPANKY) (video). EarthQuaker Devices. Retrieved May 28, 2023 – via YouTube.
41. "映画『変態だ』クレイジーケンバンド/真心ブラザーズ/GLIM SPANKYメンバー参加のサントラ発売＆記念イベ開催". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). September 29, 2016. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
42. "上白石萌音がカバーする理由 「あの歌」を歌い、残していく意志を語る". Natalie (in Japanese). June 23, 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
43. "GLIM SPANKY参加の上白石萌音カバーアルバム『あの歌』収録楽曲全曲解禁". glimspanky.com (in Japanese). April 29, 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
44. "アーヤと魔女 SONGBOOK ライムアベニュー13番地". E-onkyo Music (in Japanese). Retrieved July 10, 2023.
45. "野宮真貴、松尾レミとコラボ初歌唱したライブ映像を公開 横山剣がゲスト出演した40周年記念ライブのアンコール配信も決定". Spice (in Japanese). May 31, 2022. Retrieved July 10, 2023.

External links

• Hiroki Kamemoto on Twitter
• Hiroki Kamemoto on Instagram

• 1990 births
• Living people
• 21st-century Japanese guitarists
• Japanese rock guitarists
• Musicians from Nagano Prefecture
• Dokkyo University alumni
• Japanese lead guitarists