Magenta Beach

Some bands make it, some bands don't. Some bands have great music, and terrible PR. Other bands just don't give a f*** and make music for the love of it. Magenta Beach is one of those bands...

Magenta Beach has 5 members:

Ali (Vo,)

Candy (Bass, Vo.)

Kosuke (Guitar)

Maro (Drums)

Chemizalfa (DJ)

I can't accurately recall the first time I met these guys. I want to believe it was in 2008, at a show at Club Asia in Shibuya. At the time, I had no idea their music would find its way to my iPod, but flash forward to 2012 and I can't help but smile every time I hear one of their songs come up on shuffle.

Let me describe the scene: It's another late night in Shibuya, and I'm walking around town with one of my good friends, OG (name has been changed). A group of guys passed by us and OG stopped to talk to the little guy he recognized in the front holding a stack of CD's (Keep in mind OG looks like one bad ass mofo).

Magenta Beach - 49 the Ocean / Third

"Hey, give me some CD's!" OG said in his native Japanese.

"No, I can't... These are for sale tonight at the show." The stranger said.

"I don't think you understand me, GIVE ME A F****** CD RIGHT NOW!" OG replied.

The stranger proceeded to hand OG two albums, before he hurried off (presumably back to Club Asia). OG looked smitten with how the situation played out. He smiled and said:

"I don't want this s***." OG joked as he handed the albums over to me.

I graciously accepted the gifts, and tucked away the memory of that night, saving it for a time like now when it seems worth sharing. I'll always remember how intimidating OG looked, and how nervous the kids we bumped into were. I found out later on that those kids were Magenta Beach, and the small guy OG punk'd for some albums was actually Magenta Beach's bassist.

Later on in the evening, Magenta Beach hit the stage and put together an awesome set. I ended up being extremely stoked on my two new albums. When I got home that night, I immediately ripped them open and started copying them to my computer. My personal favorite Magenta Beach songs are: "49 the Ocean" and "Third" (See above video). The live version doesn't do the song justice, but I couldn't find any better recordings on the internet to share with you.

In 2010, I was hanging out in Osaka when I bumped into Candy, the bassist for Magenta Beach. After a solid night of drinking, we bonded over my story about how I got my Magenta Beach albums. Candy told me that he too remembered the night, and he knew exactly what I was talking about because he remembered giving OG the CD's outside of Club Asia. We laughed about the coincidence for a good fifteen minutes before we were able to resume normal conversation. We ended up having an awesome time together, and it's always great to catch up with people from the bands you like. As a fan I appreciate it, and as the artist, I think they did too.

I can't find any information online about the band to confirm that they are officially "split up" or not, but if I remember correctly, the band broke up in late 2010. It's a shame to see a great band fall apart but I am appreciative for the opportunities I had to see them perform live while they were active.

More information about Magenta Beach (and higher quality audio tracks) can be found on their out-of-date MySpace page here.