Are they a Japanese band, a gaijin band, a bit of both—or does it even matter? In an ideal world where identity is no longer tied to a narrow definition of race, the last is the preferred answer. By current standards, though, Canadian-Japanese quartet Monkey Majik are more Japanese than most.

Brothers Maynard and Blaise Plant can sing in proficient Japanese, and have even had a song used as the theme for a TV drama starring Shingo Katori from SMAP.

“It took nearly six years for the Japanese music industry to accept the fact that we were a ‘Japanese band,’” notes elder brother Maynard from the group’s base in Sendai in northern Japan. “I suppose it must have seemed gimmicky for two foreign brothers to sing in Japanese. It’s always a challenge for anyone, in any profession, to overcome stereotypes.”

Foreign musicians have a checkered history in Japan. Although many continue to make a living in bar bands or working as hired studio guns, few have achieved commercial success. But in the wake of pioneering mixed-nationality rock bands Shogun and Godaigo in the ’70s, barriers may be dropping.

Bicultural hip-hop duo Def Tech had the top-selling album in 2005, and Monkey Majik’s “Around the World,” the theme song for the TV drama series Saiyuki, reached No. 4 on trade magazine Oricon’s singles chart last year.

Blaise first arrived in Aomori from his native Ottawa in 1998 to work as an English teacher on the JET program, launching a band there to play a one-off gig at an international festival. When two of the members left Japan, Blaise contacted Maynard—already a songwriter—who made the move to Sendai. Blaise soon relocated there himself.

“Maynard called me up after listening to a few demo tapes I had recorded in Canada,” recalls Blaise. “He liked the tapes, and so we met up and wrote a few songs and hit it off right away. Before I joined, the band was based in Aomori, and were already being scouted by an indie label based in Sendai. The band moved to Sendai, and we’ve loved it ever since.”

The Plant brothers soon recruited bassist Hideki “Dick” and drummer Takuya “Tax” Kikuchi, rounding out the current lineup of the band. “The greatest thing about being part of Monkey Majik is the cultural difference,” Blaise enthuses. “Maynard and I come from across the world, and here we are making a career in music with Japanese musicians... We have love and respect for each other, and we communicate so well through our understanding of music. The heart of Monkey Majik is our appreciation of each other.”

Named after a Godaigo song, the group debuted with TIRED in 2002, but it was the success of their 2005 mini-album Lily that brought them a contract with major Japanese record company Avex. “At that time, Monkey Majik had already been together for five or six years, and we were interested in starting a new project,” remembers Blaise. “Little did we know Avex was also interested in starting a new project, and so we were approached by two reps who had been watching our progress since Lily. We had a meeting and discussed starting a new label, which ultimately became Binyl Records.”

With a seemingly effortless ability to pen catchy choruses, Monkey Majik are a family affair. “Lyric writing is a collaborative effort,” says Maynard. “Blaise and I usually just sit around humming out words that sound nice with a particular melody. We then set out to create some structure and meaning.”

“Our strongest message is to relax and enjoy your life,” adds Blaise. “We’ve been given such a small amount of time to live, so let’s enjoy life and be happy. Recently there’s been a lot of talk about what kind of world we will end up leaving our children due to global warming, as well as what kind of leaders are shaping our world. These are very important issues and we do mention them in our songs, [but] we try to stay positive.”

For the last few months, Avex has engaged Monkey Majik in a series of collaborations, including a smooth R&B outing with rappers m-flo, and “Change” with the shamisen-playing Yoshida Kyodai brothers. The latter perhaps best highlights Monkey Majik’s brand of effervescent pop rock, with the Yoshida brothers’ bluesy riffs a natural fit for the Plants’ keening refrains.

So do the Plants, still based in Sendai, miss English teaching? “Unfortunately Monkey Majik takes up all of our time, but we do try to visit our old schools and see the kids and drink tea with the staff as often as we can. We really enjoyed teaching English, and it was hard to say goodbye to that part of our life.”

Shibuya O-East, June 9-10. See concert listings (popular) for details.

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