Camino

Camino emerged as a Japanese rock quintet built around the compositions of Kiku, previously a collaborator with Ayumi Hamasaki, and the voice of Hayato. Kiku and Hayato fused the theatrical hard-rock guitar approach of fellow countrymen B'z with the exaggerated vocal stylings typical of visual kei performers such as Dir en Grey’s Kyo and Psycho le Cemu’s Daishi. Already established through his tenure in the major-label yet modestly selling J-pop group Misty Eyes and his songwriting credits for J-pop queen Ayumi Hamasaki, Kiku launched Camino—Spanish for “pathway”—in 1999. The initial roster, completed by bassist Morrisey, drummer Tetsu and keyboardist Ai, remained intact only until spring 2003, when those three departed soon after the band’s first album Arise appeared. Bass, drums and keyboards passed to Taka, Noriaki and Ryosuke. Arise reached stores in Japan via the small indie imprint Kismet and simultaneously in the United States, where the group subsequently toured. Noriaki exited shortly after Camino’s appearance at the A-KON 14 anime convention in Dallas, and original singer Jun departed in August 2004 to begin a solo career.

Even after the further lineup adjustments that brought Rehit in as the third drummer and installed Hayato on vocals, Camino gained wider attention by contributing “Double Standard” to the soundtrack for TV Asahi’s series Kamen Rider 555. The yearlong sci-fi program offered a contemporary reinterpretation of the 1970s cult “special effects” television franchise and its later manga adaptation. The band next issued its sophomore album IC Brain and played at Fanime Con in San Jose, California, as well as a return engagement at A-KON in Dallas, where more than 1,000 anime enthusiasts watched sets shared with Psycho le Cemu and J-pop acts Do as Infinity and Nami Tamaki.

The following year Camino transported its live presentation to Japan for a slot at the Aichi World Expo, an event that also featured classical artists Sarah Brightman and Yo-Yo Ma across its six-month run attended by roughly 15 million visitors. Kiku and Taka further sharpened their skills as backing musicians for rapper MCU, formerly of hip-hop outfit Kick the Kan Crew, during his performance at Rock in Japan Fes 2006, the country’s largest festival by attendance. In 2007 Camino’s “Nostalgia” served as the theme for the TV Tokyo anime Kotetsu Sangokushi, prompting Konami to issue the track as a single that summer. The group sustained its relationship with the network by supplying the theme for Tomika Hero Rescue Force, released as a single on the Avex Trax subsidiary Tearbridge Productions in June 2008.