Hiroshima

Since Hiroshima's inception in 1980, the group has assumed the artistic mission of bridging cultural divides through the power of music. Hiroshima has borrowed from numerous cultures - Asian, Latin American, African American and more - and merged these influences into a unique and innovative whole that is solely their own. The result is a brand of music that speaks to nearly every aspect of contemporary culture.

The goodwill mission continues with the May 22, 2007, release of Little Tokyo (HUCD 3123), Hiroshima's fourth album on Heads Up International. The album title, a reference to the well known Asian neighborhood in southern California, is Hiroshima's nod to the increasing importance in 21st century America of maintaining a positive and all-inclusive world view from our own respective back yards.

"We're always looking at things from a multicultural perspective," says Kuramoto. "We live in southern California, where the ethnic population is in the majority. We see this as the coolest thing about America. Its strength and its vision comes from its multi-ethnicity. Those differences are going to give us the strength to be more unified. The more we homogenize, the more we give up that notion of cultural diversity, and the less we'll understand each other."

"Everything is just so marginalized these days, and played so safe," says Kuramoto. "So many musicians are so afraid to stretch themselves. There's so little that they're allowed to play if they want to survive commercially. But we as a band have always believed that there's more to it than that, and we will continue on our journey to explore those possibilities, regardless of the next fad on the horizon." ~ hiroshimamusic.com/