Former ART-SCHOOL members now make up half of STRAIGHTENER

Former ART-SCHOOL guitarist Ooyama Jun is now a full-time member of STRAIGHTENER, reports Bounce.com. What started out as a duo, then grew as a trio, is now a quartet.

Ooyama and bassist Hinata Hidekazu — who pulls double duty with Mukai Shuutoku’s ZAZEN BOYS — were both members of ART-SCHOOL, and they left the band at the same after the release of LOVE/HATE in 2003. Original STRAIGHTENER member Horie Atsushi tells Bounce the band felt a great sense of chemistry with Ooyama to bring him on full-time. The newly-configured STRAIGHTENER makes its debut on Nov. 26 with the Hello Weekend Tour. The band is also recording a new album.

I’ve only been casually following STRAIGHTENER since the release of its first major label album LOST WORLD’S ANTHOLOGY in 2004. But with Ooyama and Hinata reunited, I’m much more interested to hear how the band sounds now. It kinds of makes me curious, though — is Kinoshita Riki that difficult?