Hi-Standard is a Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese punk rock

Punk rock

Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...

 band who formed in 1991. The release Making the Road

Making the Road

Making the Road is the third album from Japanese punk rock band, Hi-Standard. Recorded back in their native country, it was released on American label, Fat Wreck Chords, in November, 1999....

sparked sold-out Japan shows and US/European tours with punk bands such as NOFX

NOFX

NOFX is an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California .The band was formed in 1983 by vocalist/bassist Fat Mike and guitarist Eric Melvin. Drummer Erik Sandin joined NOFX shortly after. In 1991 El Hefe joined to play lead guitar and trumpet, rounding out the current line-up...

, No Use for a Name

No Use for a Name

No Use for a Name is a punk rock band from San Jose, California, United States formed in 1987 by Chris Dodge , Steve Papoutsis , Rory Koff and John Meyers...

 and WIZO

WIZO

Wizo is a punk rock band from Sindelfingen, Germany. The band was formed in 1985. Their messages run from political to humorous, and they are strongly opposed to Nazism, fascism, racism, and "all of that crap"...

. Although members of Hi-Standard were Japanese born, all of the band's major releases were sung in English. Live footage of the band shows them talking to the crowd in their native Japanese and then immediately changing to English for the songs.

Hiatus

After recording five albums, the band entered a hiatus in August 2000, shortly after playing "Air Jam 2000". Ken Yokoyama began working on other projects, including BBQ CHICKENS

BBQ CHICKENS

BBQ Chickens is a Japanese hardcore punk band, created in 2000 by former Hi-Standard member Ken Yokoyama. All four members have been "buddies since childhood", and convened to form the band when Ken announced the hiatus of Hi-Standard...

. Yokoyama revisited the bands original label Pizza of Death Records

Pizza of Death Records

Pizza of Death is a Japanese record label based in Tokyo, Japan, and was founded by Hi-Standard front man Ken Yokoyama. It was created in 1994 as a record label inside a record label , and officially established itself as fully independent in 1999 with the release of Hi-Standard's Making the Road...

, which has since signed many punk and alternative rock bands. Akihiro Nanba's newest project is Ultra Brain. According to CDJapan, Nanba proclaims their debut album, Neo Punk, to be the birth of neo punk. Akira Tsuneoka now provides the drums for the group Cubismo Grafico Five.

Discography

Year	Title	Label
1996	Growing Up	Fat Wreck Chords Fat Wreck Chords Fat Wreck Chords is a San Francisco, California based independent record label, focused on punk rock. It was started by Fat Mike and his ex-wife, Erin, in 1990....
1996	California Dreamin' EP	Fat Wreck Chords Fat Wreck Chords Fat Wreck Chords is a San Francisco, California based independent record label, focused on punk rock. It was started by Fat Mike and his ex-wife, Erin, in 1990....
1997	Angry Fist Angry Fist Angry Fist is the second album from Japanese punk rock band, Hi-Standard. It was released on American label, Fat Wreck Chords, in July 1997.-Track listing:*All songs written by Hi-Standard, unless otherwise stated....	Fat Wreck Chords Fat Wreck Chords Fat Wreck Chords is a San Francisco, California based independent record label, focused on punk rock. It was started by Fat Mike and his ex-wife, Erin, in 1990....
1997	Weihnachten stinkt!	Hulk Räckorz
1999	Making the Road Making the Road Making the Road is the third album from Japanese punk rock band, Hi-Standard. Recorded back in their native country, it was released on American label, Fat Wreck Chords, in November, 1999....	Fat Wreck Chords Fat Wreck Chords Fat Wreck Chords is a San Francisco, California based independent record label, focused on punk rock. It was started by Fat Mike and his ex-wife, Erin, in 1990....
2000	Last of Sunny Day	Fat Wreck Chords Fat Wreck Chords Fat Wreck Chords is a San Francisco, California based independent record label, focused on punk rock. It was started by Fat Mike and his ex-wife, Erin, in 1990....
2001	Love Is a Battlefield (EP) Love Is a Battlefield (EP) Love Is a Battlefield is a four-track EP from Japanese punk rock band, Hi-Standard. It was released on American label, Fat Wreck Chords, in July 2001.-Track listing:...	Fat Wreck Chords Fat Wreck Chords Fat Wreck Chords is a San Francisco, California based independent record label, focused on punk rock. It was started by Fat Mike and his ex-wife, Erin, in 1990....

• The full length Last of Sunny Day contains songs from their prior releases and original songs. The band have an additional single "The Kids Are Alright" available only in Japan
• Hi-Standard performs punk covers of American songs like "California Dreamin'", "Green Acres", "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" and "Can't Help Falling In Love".