Husking Bee is a
rock and roll group from
Tokyo, Japan. They formed in 1996 and released a handful of independent recordings before signing with one of Japan's largest
independent recording labels Toy's Factory. Here in the states, their albums are released by
Doghouse Records, the same label that carries fairly popular
"emo"/
punk bands like
Gameface,
The Get Up Kids, and
As Friends Rust.
Husking Bee tends to sound more like
American punk rock bands that I grew up with as a
teenager, and perhaps that's why I find them more accessible than
j-rock groups like
The Pillows and
Supercar - both of which are still worth listening to. Most of
Husking Bee's music is sung in
English, but the way the words are pronounced and the syllables are paced is distinctly not American.
I originally discovered them during the Winter of 1999/2000 when
Screeching Weasel's second collection of
b-sides and rarities entitled "
Thank You Very Little" was released. After listening to the song "
Anchor" on the first disc,
I scoured the liner notes hoping to discover the origins of such an excellent song.
Ben Weasel mentioned that it was a
Husking Bee song, and little else.
They
rock my world.