s o f t b a l l h i s t o r y
selected events in the history of softball
1998
March - Softball forms as a three-piece band. At that time,
they are all 16-year-old high school students.
May - Their first live is held at Route Fourteen in Motoyawata (Chiba Prefecture). They begin having monthly lives at Route Fourteen throughout the next year.
August - Softball participates in the compilation CD Punker Shot 2 (with the song "Dig"). With that release, people all across Japan were able to hear Softball for the first time.
December - The magazine Gakken Street News reports on one of Softball's live shows.
1999
March - Softball's first mini-album, Kurage ("Jellyfish") is announced.
They are the youngest debuting band in Japanese music history. Interviews
with them are published in Gekken Doll, Indies Magazine, Weekly Pia,
and others. FM Ichikawa has them on as guests and this is their first
radio appearance.
April - Softball has their record release party at Cyclone in Shibuya.
June - Satellite network SkyPerfecTV's STAR digio does a piece on Kurage.
July - Gekkan OLLIE writes stories about Kurage and their live shows. The girls go on their first Tomeizaka (Tokyo - Nagoya - Osaka) tour, along with a date in Akita.
August - The girls go to California to do some recording and tour. Over 20 American newspapers and magazines write about the girls. This gives Softball the will and conviction to continue.
September - Because they have to study for their high school tests, Softball temporarily stop their activities.
November 25 - Tokyo FM's radio program Girls Band Tokushuu broadcasts "Things" and "Choice". TBS Radio's Independent broadcasts Tenkuu for two weeks.
December 14 - TV Asahi's Break Out
showcases "Things" and talks about Tenkuu.
December 24 - Softball's first full album, Tenkuu, is released. The
first pressing immediately sells out.
December 30 - Indies Sound Fist begins airing the "Baby" music video. Many Japanese magazines feature the band in two page stories.
2000
January 3 - TBS TV uses "Things" as the opening theme of their Blitz
Index program.
January 11 - Softball debuts at #3 on TV Asahi's Break Out - All Japan Indies
program. The girls are chosen as a "Breakout Artist for 2000" by the
magazine Hot Dog Press. Tenkuu hits #7 on Tower Records
sales charts, and soon begins to hit the charts of other major record chains.
February 25 - The "Plea for Peace" tour CD is
released.
February 26 - Motoyawata Route Fourteen show - Sold Out (180 people). Softball joins a compilation put out by Tomato Head (USA)
March 8 - The "Plea for Peace" tour starts. Ichikawa Club Gio show - Sold Out (450 people)
March 10 - Kyoto Taku Taku show - Sold Out (300 people)
March 11 - Zepp Osaka show - Sold Out (2000 people)
March 12 - Kobe Chicken George show - Sold Out (750 people)
March 14 - Nagoya Diamond Hall show - Sold Out (1100 people)
March 16 - Shibuya On Air East show - Sold Out (900 people)
March 17 - Yokohama Bay Hall show - Sold Out (1000 people)
March 25 - Chiba Look show - Sold Out (150 people)
May 2 - Softball appears on Shibuya FM's
Cool Trans Radio show and performs "Bright," among others.
May 3 - Softball puts on a free live show at Chiba Parco, with about 500 people
in attendance.
May 19 - Softball makes an appearance on Tokyo FM's Music Bird show,
performing "Things" and a couple of other tracks.
June 4 - Softball puts on a "guerrilla live" (basically an unauthorized live show on a street somewhere) in front of Shibuya's 109 Building and several thousand people show up. The event was a great success, only marred by the injury of several fans due to the cramped conditions.
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softball.kevkev.net, v0.1, born on 12/24/2002