Famous Youtuber and Bassist of One of the Best Japanese Metal Bands - FAMI and Lovebites

So, after a period without a new episode, Bassists of Japan is back! So far we've talked about Koga, Misa and Juna Serita. And in this 4th episode we will talk a little about Fami!
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[@SomethingToDo360]

Lovebites has been my favorite band from before Fami joined, but I would say Fami contributes the most to keeping Lovebites as my current favorite. Although there were some initial complaints early on that Fami was ‘too different’ than the other members, I think the band actually needed someone a bit different to spice things up a bit; someone that can add their own flavor (when they let her 😆). Helps keep things from becoming monotonous. For next bassist video, Mina is a good pick.

[@otobokegaijin6218]

A minor correction. Fami didn't write all the music on her album. Several people were involved in that album, including the writing. One of the players was Hideki Aoyama of Babymetal's Kami Band. Fami met him when they were both in the backing band of J-Popper Junnosuke Taguchi. (For that matter, Leda of the Kami Band also played on Fami's album, and Leda is one of Lovebites Midori's favorite guitarists.)

[@ChadTheDragonLord]

Fami's influence on Lovebites' songs is evident on their new EP (EP II). She wrote some really cool bass licks and lines on all the songs and has a solo as well. But her biggest influence is on the stage with her high energy and charisma which has rubbed off on all the band members, making their shows more fun.

[@TheCyberMantis]

Well said. I agree.

[@785uli]

While I miss Miho very much( Natural Headbanger 🤘), Fami’s smile lights up the stage😊! My comparisons would be- Miho= Steve Harris Fami= John Myung They are both great bass players, but different styles! Lovebites is the GOAT HEAVY METAL BAND 🤘😎🎤🎸🎸🎸🥁🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺

[@ろくろうた-d2j]

KZbinで初めて見た時のFAMIは高校生で17歳。顔を隠してたので、ただただ突飛もないベースギターのプレイに圧倒された。そしてベールに包まれた素顔を披露してからは超弩級の笑顔にやられました。メタルシーンに突如舞い降りたBIG SMILE❤❤❤こんな幸福を呼ぶ笑顔の娘が半世紀越えるメタルミュージックシーンにいましたか？てんだ❗😂😂😂

[@CaffeineNightOwl]

I´m really glad, that superskilled energetic fami joined lovebites. she infused new energy into the band. the amount of phenomenal female japanese bassplayers is insane, a few examples: haru, serina, rio, juna serita, misaki, miho, misa, f chopper koga, sawa, haraguchi-san, wakazaemon, ichinose and of course kiyoshi.

[@fimasstet89]

...Kanade, Pinyo, Aina Yamauchi, Yunica Impact, and many that I haven't gotten to yet)) I really want to know where in Japan there is a factory for producing female bassist geniuses!

[@JFrancoDrums]

Hell yeah Fami!! She's awesome! 🤘🔥

[@JDsHouseofHobbies]

I was fortunate to see Lovebites in San Francisco a couple of weeks ago. Fami was awesome. She is a perfect fit.

[@rainerzufall42]

That's just 2 weeks ago, but yes, perfect fit, like a glove...

[@rodhamm8484]

Normally the bassist doesn't get much attention on stage for most hard rock or heavy metal bands, but when Fami is on stage she draws your attention. Not only a great player but good stage presence also. 🎸👍

[@carlnietoweise4653]

I had worried if Fami would be a good fit, but all those thoughts went out the window after the first song! Rather than supplanting what Miho had created, Fami is taking the torch and moving it to the next level. I hope Miho is doing well and is happy.

[@michaellocher958]

Fami is a great artist and the best thing that could happen to Lovebites - this is the absolute dream team now ! So much positive energy !

[@boyzyu]

It's sobering to realize that she's only 22 yo, can't imagine where she'll be in 5 years time. With her phenomenal talent, the sky's the limit. She also has a pretty decent set of vocals as well.

[@TheCyberMantis]

I like what Lovebites has been doing. The new EP is great. The songs are different, but all of them are really good. Fami has already proven herself. It will be exciting to see how far Lovebites will go. They will need to play more shows. I don't know if you follow the band Battle Beast, but they are playing shows again, and they livestream their shows for free on KZbin. Check their channel, and watch one of their shows. They do fun shows, and Noora is a really powerful singer. I think Battle Beast is from Finland. I could see LB and BB doing a tour together.

[@boyzyu]

@@TheCyberMantis I've heard of Battle Beast but haven't really followed their music. Will check out some of their songs. I predict that 2025 will be a huge year for LB and strategic collabs might certainly be one of their objectives.

[@HellMac]

@@boyzyu Yes, collabs is what they need to do now.

[@kevinbowland4686]

There are so many extremely talented bassists in Japan. Fami is the perfect fit for Lovebites. You should profile Wakazaemon of East of Eden.

[@Asahina_Stmlt]

私もあなたに同意します。次のエピソードで議論されるトピックに若左衛門も含めてほしいと思います

[@ha_seldon7985]

Waka is awesome! I always recognize when she play.

[@rodl.miller3353]

There's only two Bassists that I thought could replace Miho, FAMI, and MINA. Mina was the Bass player, background singer, and songwriter for a J-Pop band called GIRLFRIEND. She currently has a solo album and has multiple collaborations with other artists from all over the world 🌎

[@rainerzufall42]

From what I know, I do agree! Fami was one of just a few bassists on the world, who could really follow (I don't like to say "replace" or "substitute") Miho, how Fami did!

[@kylenavyguy]

@@rainerzufall42 "follow" is a good term you're using indeed. Fami is following her legacy and is doing an amazing job in honoring Rosana:Miho's spot in Lovebites. 🤘🏻💜🩷🫶🏻🎸

[@dens660]

The best of the best 🤘

[@jonkelly7908]

I watched Lovebites at both their UK shows of the thin line tour. Fami is a great fit, so much so that tbh I don't miss Miho that much. BTW not only is she the youngest, but she is the tallest member.

[@jaywhite6910]

Miho is a great bassist but Fami puts them on another level with her skills not saying that Miho couldn`t but Fami adds so much more 🤗🤘🐺🔥🎤🎸🎸🎸🥁

[@kylenavyguy]

I could be wrong, but I think it's a tie between Fami & Miyako-sensei when I saw them listed as 5'2"

[@gatograto]

Great video!! A brilliant work!!

[@susanfitzsimons2384]

One thing that you can see different with Lovebites after Miho (founder/bassist) left and Fami joined after a long hiatus (search) is that Fami commands more attention and she gets a lot more shine time than Miho ever did. Miho was your traditional bassist (those of us who have experienced music longer...) she was great but as was typical rarely got any shine time and her trademark headbanging was the highlight of her performances. Fami is going to contribute to the band evolving further and she clearly is a great bassist. Asterism's Miyu, who had ESP make him a custom 7 string bass at 17, is another of the young guns who are gifted well beyond their years.

[@TheCyberMantis]

I think you should do a video about Ichinose! ☺

[@donbrashsux]

Fami .. 65 million views 😮😮👌

[@pinoypower69]

❤LOVEBITESRULES❤️

[@MultiYouT123]

Fami was an excellent choise to Lovebites. She is skillfull and fun person. Somehow band seems now more relaxed. But your next bass player should be Haraguchi-sun from Nemophila.

[@fretbuzzaldrin4965]

I am a huge fan of Fami and so happy to see her having so much fun in Lovebites. The others seem to have really taken to her as well and I am a huge fan of them, so woohoo! I am always astounded that every time I look away, another amazing female bass player emerges from nowhere (well, not nowhere) onto the Japanese scene. One of my latest favorites is Unika Impact, or Just Yunika... that is all the info I can find of her, but watching her in Kakumei Mero and the Saki Birthday bash, I need to know more

[@TronDD]

Fami was part of my renewed interest in music, Japanese music, and the bass that happened during the pandemic. It's been fun to watch her success grow. Can't skip Kiyoshi for bassists, though.

[@IanBreton35]

FAMI fit so well with the Goddess of Power Metal she's become a goddess as well. Next bassist i choose HETTSU from HANABIE because she also the crazy brain behind HANABIE outfit 👗😂🇯🇵

[@ha_seldon7985]

MISA is the unmatched (for now) role model. She is like a ring of power, one to rule them all. Only in Band Maid does the bass have such a strong position. I rarely like changes in bands, but although I appreciate Miho a lot, Fami joining Lovebites gave them a new quality. The bass is much more pronounced now, it doesn't get lost in the background, it's not just part of the rhythm section. Fami is what Lovebites needed.

[@skoob-kq7ms]

Fami’s evolution as a live performer over just a couple of dozen live performances with Lovebites has been extraordinary. Fami’s thick chunky bass tone cuts through everything and really adds depth and texture to the band’s live sound and her stage presence has really come on in leaps and bound (and jumps) since the first Knocking at Heaven’s Gate performance eighteen months ago. She exudes such joy at being on stage and given her interactions with the other band members on stage there is obviously great chemistry between them. She has a low power stance, headbangs with the best of them, sings her heart out in the gang vocals, mouths the words of some songs, has great interaction with the crowd encouraging them with hand gestures and throwing horns and thumbs up regularly and it all makes her great fun to watch. She is young, energetic and very talented, don’t forget that she joined the band aged just twenty, never having been in a real band or played in front of a live audience of any size or played any metal music. At the same age Midori was just beginning to learn to play the guitar and Mikayo had only been at it for a year or so. Gen Z meets Gen X. There is an age gap of up to fourteen years between her and the other members but she is on an equal level musically with them all.

[@thinkport-ci3gw]

one of LOVEBITES' biggest contributions is to publicize her beautiful face and sweet smile all the time to us and to the world audience 😍

[@djcookiegray6650]

F❤MI Aka The Shinning Fingers..🐺🤘🔥♥️

[@ベル君-f3x]

ファミ😊❤

[@kevinrampersad9202]

Ohh..Fami! Next level skill and talent..next level gorgeous...❤

[@yvesehmann4080]

next video please with the bassistin of hagane her styl to play is also insane

[@justiceforall3973]

I miss Lovebites with Miho. Don’t get me wrong, Fami is a phenomenal bass player but she’s too teenie bopper for me. Miho just fits the band’s metal music image, way way better, especially live!

[@emeryharrison9325]

Really enjoyed it, I haven't gotten into Lovebites a lot yet so I learned a lot. Kiyoshi would be a bassist I would like to learn a little more about. I really enjoy listening to her.

[@rainerzufall42]

LOVEBITES is a deep rabbit hole worth exploring! No misses, they are essentially unable to disappoint... 60+ awesome songs out of their own production, performed perfectly live on stage (almost perfect, you can count the mistakes on one or two hands)...

[@sonnawakana]

famiは自己主張ではなく、自身の引力によって軌道修正をさせる力を持っています。彼女はバンドに、笑顔とスラップとスポーツシューズをもたらしました。メンバーがヒールを履くのは2023年のアルバムが最後になりました。😂そこに意見の衝突はありません。ファンも忘れていて、気にしません。😂

[@rainerzufall42]

So it's not only me, who noticed, that LOVEBITES now uses Fami's former footwear instead of high heels! Haruna had her own style, Miyako had some exceptions as well (black shoes, when she forgot her white shoes, flat shoes, when she was pregnant in 2021), but Fami introduced these massive sport boots. It was just lately, that I've recognized the change of shoe styles... (nothing, that I usually focus much attention to!)

[@1970Phoenix]

... any nationallity and gender ... as long as it was a Japanese woman.

[@TheCyberMantis]

As it should be! 😉

[@rainerzufall42]

... of max 160 cm height (5'3). The auditions were open for everyone, but from a practical perspective I'm not surprised, that it was eventually a young 160 cm Tokyo based Japanese speaking woman, who joined LOVEBITES as a new bassist. The Digest also made clear, that she wasn't just chosen for her skills, but also for her personality... and they chose wisely!

[@TheCyberMantis]

@@rainerzufall42 It was Fami or Ichinose. I would have been happy with either one.

[@Moodiac67]

Great video, and I would love to see one about Kiyoshi. She is a Japanese national treasure!

[@add7623]

A while back, this video was a bit of a hot topic. "Highway Star(高速道路の星) 王様3人LIVE 心斎橋CODA 2024.2.18". The bassist is Tomoko Ogasawara (now named Tomoko Murata), who was a member of the female band REG-WINK formed in 1987.

[@rainerzufall42]

No "Alien Alien"? LOL

[@exdrummerSitzriese]

Fami Fami Fami! Suggestions: Wakazaemon, Haraguchi-san, Mina, Natsune (ArkRoyal)... There just too many amazing female bassists to pick from.

[@alchemybowl]

My request is Kanade, the bassist of NEKI!, who competed with fami at the LOVEBITES audition when she was 15 years old.

[@rainerzufall42]

She must be 17+ now. Had a good LOVEBITES audition in 2022...

[@ts_xan7s]

Please introduce Wakazaemon as the next bassist.

[@alchemybowl]

Because miho was a charismatic figure, the new bassist had to be someone who was not inferior to miho and did not reject miho's play, which was a difficult theme. fami accomplished that perfectly. She has a completely different character from miho, and brought a fresh taste to the band's songs. After fami's joining was announced, there were some critical opinions about whether she could really make it in a metal band. However, I remember that all those opinions disappeared the moment the band released Soldier Stands Solitarily. Also, she is still a university student, so she is writing her graduation thesis during the world tour.

[@simolaurila9952]

Miho is a bad ass bassist but Fami took Lovebites to the next level with her skills on the base

[@MikkoRinne]

Fami is great, I trust her to eventually redefine the role of bass guitar in a metal band. Most of my favorites have received mentions (Wakazaemon, Kiyoshi, Mina), but the greatest of all, Rina Hoshino, seemed to be missing so far. Rina plays or has played in Elfriede, Rie a.k.a Suzaku's project lineups, Tokyo Groove Jyoshi, Tsuki Terasu and Natsumi's Step. Her three solo jazz fusion EPs are great, but sadly they are not currently available in streaming services and there aren't very good live videos of those songs either. And while they may not fit the profile of this channel, let's not totally forget about Tetsuo Sakurai (e.g. Casiopea, Jimsaku, solo works, Senri Kawaguchi's albums, Katsushika Trio) and Shingo Tanaka (e.g. T-Square, Ami Nakazono Band).

[@Megatronpt]

Bitoku? :) Sailing Before the Wind.

[@TERRYHROVAT]

Tomomi of Scandal please.

[@vdctube8966]

I liked Fami before I knew about Lovebites. I think her style is different from the band and I didn't think she would stay with the band for long.

[@rainerzufall42]

I've never understood this "not her style" thing with Fami! What was her style? Being 20 (then), she was in the process of developing her style, and her style is versatile. She can do very different types of techniques, and she was able to adjust: During the audition, she was forced to play a gallopping baseline, and she said, she'd never done this before. She tried it, learned it on the fly, and was immediately praised for it in the Digest video. I think, it was @boyzyu who said "sky is the limit". Thus "her style" can't limit her in any way, she could play anything that's playable at all! And I would like to speculate, that you can only improve, if you are building the rhythm section together with Haruna. When you're in the box with Haruna, you shouldn't show less than 110%!

[@vdctube8966]

@@rainerzufall42 All your answers can be explained in a short sentence. Do you think she really into Power Metal?

[@rainerzufall42]

@@vdctube8966 Fami was just having the time of her life. She's fully in Heavy Metal (not only Power Metal), just as Asami is (also coming from a different place). No doubt!

[@boyzyu]

@@vdctube8966 Well, the point is - Lovebites is NOT just about power metal. They are a heavy metal band that plays a seamless and innovative blend of speed-power/thrash/prog/neoclassical metal/heavy rock/power ballads. Listen to Fami's awesome bassline and bass solo contributions to Lovebites' latest EP.

[@yard1972]

@@rainerzufall42 Oh yes, without a doubt, for me "Haruna 'n' Fami" are one of the best rhythm sections in today's HEAVY METAL🤘