The song is the latest from its new album TMG II
After a 20-year hiatus, Tak Matsumoto Group (TMG), featuring guitar virtuoso Tak Matsumoto with Night Ranger’s Jack Blades and Mr. Big’s Eric Martin, reunites for its sophomore album TMG II. The album is available digitally now with the physical versions coming on December 6th. TMG has unveiled its new single “Guitar Hero” and teaser video.
Tak Matsumoto originally formed TMG in 2004, bringing together rock legends Eric Martin and Jack Blades. Their debut album, TMG I, was a smash hit, topping the Oricon National Chart and spawning the single “Oh Japan – Our Time Is Now”, which became a theme song for Japanese television.
The group embarked on a sold-out tour across Japan, culminating in a legendary finale at the Nippon Budokan. TMG’s blend of Eastern and Western rock influences resonated with fans and critics alike, making them a force to be reckoned with in the world of hard rock.
This new work features Matsumoto’s solid and delicate guitar playing, Martin’s vocals, which emotionally sing fantastic melodies, and Blades’ bass lines, which aggressively liven up the song.
“TMG ll has a fresh and alive feel born out of the friendship and camaraderie that Tak, Eric and I share with each other,” Blades says of the project. “Throw in a healthy dose of my good buddy Matt Sorum on drums and you have a hell of a recipe for some seriously kick-ass rock n roll. The songs tell the stories, the music rocks the soul, and woven throughout the fabric is the amazing guitar playing of Tak Matsumoto—a true ‘Guitar Hero.’ Enjoy the ride!”
“I was the singer of the Tak Matsumoto group in 2004. We had an incredible experience, writing/recording a heavy melodic hard rock state of the art sounding record that went platinum, sold out tour all over Japan, It was perfect timing and one of the biggest highlights of my life,” Martin states.
Martin continues, “Tak Matsumoto is the guitarist, main composer, and producer of B’z!, the best music-selling rock act in Japan! So here we are, 20 years later… This time we have powerhouse drummer Matt Sorum from Guns & Roses/Velvet Revolver/The Cult and B’z support guitarist/chorus Yukihide ‘YT’ Takiyama to round out the group. TMG ll has got a Japanese/American rock feel to it and it’s badass. We are on tour right now in Japan and killing it. I am hanging with the coolest musicians on the planet… Life is good. The record… is really good!”
“Twenty-one years ago, I met Jack and Eric at The Fillmore in San Francisco. I suggested we collaborate, and that’s how TMG was born,” Matsumoto adds on how the band came together. “We came together in LA to write our first single, ‘Oh Japan,’ which sparked the creation of our debut album, TMG I, and an incredible tour throughout Japan, ending with a memorable performance at the Budokan. Though we’ve stayed in touch, life pulled us in different directions, and two decades slipped by. In 2022, I reached out with a proposal to reunite. Now, in 2024, TMG has completed our latest album, TMG II, featuring the talented drummer Matt Sorum. We’re excited to share this album, a blend of Japanese and American musical sensibilities. We hope you enjoy it!”
The recording line-up for this album includes Guns N’ Roses and Velvet Revolver drummer Matt Sorum and Yukihide “YT” Takiyama, who is well known for recording and live support for B’z, on guitar and arrangements.
The album opener “Crash Down Love” is impressively catchy and symbolizes the new TMG sound, while “Guitar Hero,” whose lyrics were written by Jack Blades with Tak in mind, might be the best example of the band’s evolved sound.
