The crowd scene outside the Fillmore in San Francisco brings to mind the hysteria

depicted in the Beatles' flick "A Hard Day's Night." Coolly dressed teenagers have been

jostling for position in line almost all day long to see the Japanese group Dreams Come

True.

A few hundred miles down the coast, a similar scene unfolds at L.A.'s Troubadour. The

sold out, opening night performance by the Japanese pop trio Shonen Knife has fans

screaming for more. The band, which has been touring for almost 15 years, routinely

draws crowds of young and old fans alike, many of whom view their shows as events

both to see and at which to be seen.

Some music scene observers have pointed to events such as these as proof of a current

musical "Japanese Invasion" in the U.S. -- an influx of guitar-slinging, rock 'n'

roll-spewing Japanese musicians meeting with a rising tide of American interest and

critical acclaim. A recent New York Times article, for example, suggested that

Japanese bands are now making a significant dent in the Western music market.

If true, it would be music to the ears of Japanese musicians, many of whom view success

in the vast and lucrative U.S. entertainment arena as an important commercial goal. But

according to many involved in making and marketing Japanese music, the reality of just

how much impact Japanese bands have on the American music scene isn't quite so

sweet.

Although some Japanese bands such as Buffalo Daughter, Cibo Matto and Shonen

Knife have enjoyed critical success in the States, there are, in fact, hardly any Japanese

bands that have sold well commercially. "American labels so far have not been

successful selling Japanese artists," said Keith Cahoon, president of Tower Records

Asia.

What's more, the few bands who've gained some recognition have found it only fleeting,

a momentary acknowledgment of trendiness, rather than a deep musical appreciation

that can turn into lasting acceptance.

"I think there is an interest right now in Japanese bands. Maybe some of those bands

can get some attention because they are Japanese," said King Masa,

bassist/programmer of Dreams Come True, a staple in the Japanese music scene for the

last 10 years, and have sold 24 million records in Japan. "There is a movement now, but

once the movement is over, it will be over for those bands."

The problems underlying lackluster U.S. sales of Japanese artists -- which typically fall

far below 50,000 copies -- and the challenges facing Japanese bands, determined to

venture westward, are numerous.

Tower's Cahoon sees the language barrier as being a primary point of concern.

"Americans, in my opinion, do not want to hear lyrics in a language they don't

understand," Cahoon said. "And even if it is in English, then maybe pronunciation is

poor, making it sound lame or somewhat cute and interesting. If the lyrics are trite, or try

too hard to sound American, then people may not be interested. The mission is to

perhaps have the Japanese vision or soul but sing in English, which is asking a lot [of

the bands]."

Steve Pross, head of Emperor Norton Records in Los Angeles, senses a lack of empathy

between American audiences and Japanese bands.

"Part of being into a band is wanting to be [like] the lead singer or any one of the

members," said Pross, whose label will release albums by three Japanese bands this

year. "Americans see a Japanese band, or an Asian band, and a lot of it is not being able

to relate in the way they do to people that look like themselves."

According to several Japanese bands, the primary struggle in gaining American

acceptance is to be taken seriously as musicians and not be seen as just a cute novelty

act.

Masa knows this personally, both from watching his fellow Japanese musicians try to

gain U.S. acceptance and from struggling to prove that his own band, Dreams Come

True (who have just released an English album on Virgin Records), is more than just a

novel flash in the pan for Americans. Marketing campaigns can sometimes make this

difficult. In many cases, record companies rely on the bands' quirky "Japanese-ness" as

their major selling point. Since the record companies sell them as novelty acts, that is

how American audiences perceive them -- as something trendy, cute and perhaps only

temporarily interesting.

The band Buffalo Daughter has struggled to get past a "cute Japanese girl" image -- a

problem that has also plagued fellow Japanese female acts Shonen Knife and Cibo

Matto.

In addition, though Buffalo Daughter take their work quite seriously, they've found that

many fans view their brand of quirky guitar/turntable pop and somewhat strange song

titles --

HREF="http://www.addict.com/music/Buffalo_Daughter/What's_The_Trouble_With_My_

Silver_Turkey.ram">"What's the Trouble With My Silver Turkey" (RealAudio

excerpt), for one -- as merely quaint and funny.

"To us, the song titles and lyrics are not funny or weird," said SuGar Yoshinaga, singer

for Buffalo Daughter. "We're not native speakers, so we have trouble sometimes. But

we're not doing it on purpose."

George Cockle, who divides his time between jobs as head of San Francisco-based

What's Up Records and a producer for the Tower Records-owned label Gianormous

Records in Tokyo, agreed that Americans can't seem to see past the trendy aspects of

Japanese bands. "I think Americans associate Japanese bands with quirky girl bands or

crazy Orientals that do weird s--t onstage," Cockle said. "This may work in a small club,

but it tends to limit how large a place they can play. It also doesn't translate into CD

sales, so there's no money in the end, either."

Cockle, who manages the Japanese hardcore act Mad Capsule Markets, said he feels

that if American audiences could see past the image and focus on the music, there's

hope for Japanese bands.

"I think the Mad Capsule Markets are the most impressive band coming out of the

Japanese rock scene. I feel like telling Americans, 'Now that you have seen Japanese

bands, here's one to listen to.' They have great songs that are actually quite developed,

and I think that audiences for bands like Rage Against the Machine or the Red Hot Chili

Peppers can get into this band."

Many Japanese musicians agree that the way to break into America is by proving

themselves artistically. Still, it is a hard game to play, especially since some Americans

pigeonhole Japanese bands before even hearing them. Because the more high-profile

Japanese acts such as Cibo Matto and Shonen Knife sing broken, quirky English, that

seems to be what Americans expect of all Japanese groups. This suggests that

Japanese bands also face the challenge of differentiating themselves from the

stereotype of a "Japanese" band and distinguishing themselves from their

contemporaries.

Kyono, singer for the Mad Capsule Markets, feels the frustration of this game. "There are

all kinds of bands in Japan, not just the girl ones like Cibo Matto," says Kyono. "We are

happy that Japanese bands are getting more attention, but it's not like we're coming here

because we think it's our time to do it for that reason. We just want to promote ourselves

and our music."

Masa echoes Kyono's sentiments. "I was very surprised when I read the recent article in

the New York Times about Japanese bands. I don't want to be involved in that

group, because it's really difficult to stand out in a group like that," says Masa. "[Being

associated with the Japanese-band movement] is very dangerous. It's a great chance to

show our music, but it's very dangerous."

For Pross, who signs Japanese bands strictly on artistic merit, the main focus is music,

not image.

The Japanese artists that will do well in America, he said, are those coming up with a

new sound, mixing different genres in a new way, such as composer/performer/producer

Cornelius. "He puts things together in a way that sounds seamless," Pross said. "But for a

band to do something similar to say, Rage Against the Machine or Pearl Jam or even

Mariah Carey... that is not going to work for Japanese bands. To me, Japanese bands

are going to have to be satisfied with becoming artistically successful, not successful at

selling CDs or making money. That's the way to start."

One of the bands on Emperor Norton is the Zoobombs, a band that purveys a mix of

everything from blues, rock 'n' roll and sample-savvy folksy Beck to country music.

Because their sound is so different, they may have the best chance at being more than a

passing fad.

"I want to sell ourselves as artists, not as something trendy or as something Japanese,"

says Zoobombs singer/guitarist Don Matsuo. "We are doing something that is new,

unique and special and that is what is going to get the attention of music fans in America.

Japanese bands need to focus on the art of music, not on being Japanese or cute. That

is when things will start changing."