This is no place for the weak. With their matching suits and high-energy stage shows, the members of Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra have spent the past three decades dispensing a relentlessly upbeat gospel, with barely a pause for breath.
"Everyone is playing like their lives depend on it," says drummer Kin-ichi Motegi — who, after 20 years of performing with the band popularly known as "Skapara," is still a comparative rookie. "You sweat like crazy. When we do a headlining show, I'll lose a couple of kilos."
Atsushi Yanaka, the band's debonair baritone saxophonist, lyricist and sometime vocalist, chuckles to hear his group's regime described as "spartan." But it's hard to think of a better description for the ensemble's unstinting devotion to keeping the good times rolling. With the exception of guitarist Takashi Kato — a veritable whippersnapper at 48 — the members are now all in their 50s, yet they're showing no signs of easing up.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.