Minyo Crusaders
Minyo Crusaders is a Japanese musical group that reworks traditional Japanese folk songs with arrangements inspired by various international music genres, including Caribbean, Latin and African music. The group was co-founded by Katsumi Tanaka and Freddie Tsukamoto, with the goal of reviving min'yō as a "music for the people".
The pair played casually around Fussa for a number of years with an assortment of musicians dropping in and out and eventually including Fussa "drumming legend" Sono. The turning point came when Tokyo roots scene veteran DADDY U joined the band as bass player and provided connections to a varied pool of musicians working across Tokyo. Through him the rest of the band was introduced.
They released their first album, Echoes of Japan in 2017 on P-Vine Records. In the album the Minyo Crusaders attempt to bring back Min'yo back to its 'common man' origins, going against the recent trend that Min'yo at-large had of appealing to the upper classes despite its working class roots. The album was later reissued on Mais Um in 2019.
Members
The band's official Facebook page announced on 27 December 2019 that DADDY U was having difficulty touring and had played his last concert with the Minyo Crusaders.On December 11, 2023, Meg announced via twitter that she would be leaving the Minyo Crusaders.
Support Members
Several musicians play and tour with the band regularly, some for several years, but are credited as "support members".These include:
Midori Takenoko,
Toshio ‘Digi’ Fujino,
Yusuke Noguchi,
Kayoko Yuasa,
Madokorona Oya.