JET Band Profile
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Guitar……………………….Atsushi (Appin) Shinjo
Drums/vocals………………….Koji (Kozi) Nagahama
Bass guitar/lead vocals……Takashi (Taki) Furugen
Taki and Koji first played together in the early seventies in a band known as Kotobuki. Koji quit Kotobuki in 1972 and eventually joined Marie with Medusa. In the ’80s he joined forces with George Murasaki in the band Okinawa, and in the ’90s Katchan in Katchan Band. Koji rejoined Taki in March 1998.
Taki continued to play in Kotobuki until his departure to Guam in 1976. In Guam he played Japanese tourist hotels in Prism. He moved to the U.S. in 1978, playing and recording with STP (Steve Tingen Plus) in Washington D.C. and the surrounding areas. Taki returned to Okinawa in 1980 and helped form the band Bullet, which played the Okinawan military circuit and various local concerts throughout the ’80s. In 1994, the original JET band began when he financed and opened Live Music Bar JET
Appin and Koji originally played together in Katchan Band in the ’90s. Appin had been the JET stand-in guitarist whenever needed for four years. In May 2004, he began playing as JET band guitarist on a regular basis and officially took over the role in September 2004.
The combination of this trio of independent Okinawan musicians culminates in a band that focuses on outstanding music, not outrageous behavior. The result of that combination is a sound that is infused with a seasoned talent that is difficult to match.