Echostream

The backbone of Echostream, Tony and Ryoko met at the Royal Academy of Music in London in the Summer of 1997. Tony was there studying french horn, Ryoko was a pianist. They became good friends over time, and although Tony would work everyday at his main musical passion - music composition, Ryoko never offered to sing. It wasn't until she moved back to Japan that she ever let it be known that she had always harbored a desire to sing. Looking for work, Ryoko sent out a demo tape to a major record label. To her surprise she got a phone call from the president of the company himself, and soon Tony flew to Japan to cut a demo with her.

But Echostream was not formed even yet. Working for the record label, trying to fit in to the mold that the company wanted proved to be tougher than they first supposed. Producer James DeBarrado was brought onboard to help the fledgling band find their sound. It was during this time that the name 'echostream' was penned. After a year of hard work recording and performing, Tony and Ryoko disolved the relationship with James and began working on the project alone.

During this time Tony joined with producer Deron Reynolds and worked with many other artists on the same label, arranging music and remixing their work. He also started another group, Unkown Frequency. This new band began playing out in Osaka and the surrounding areas. Tomo came on board to add guitar to the more rock-based music, and Deron joined in on keyboards. Although the echostream idea was still being explored, the focus moved from Ryoko to Tony and to the new, harder sound.

Although the record label that initially signed Ryoko was still interested in the various projects in which they were involved, the two became increasingly dissatisfied with the music scene in Japan. Unwilling to create 'karaoke friendly' songs, the two eventually made the decision to move to a place where they could more freely explore their creativity.

Shortly after moving to the United States, Echostream signed to Force of Change Records and began working on their debut album Identity. This album pulls from the duo's experiences in both the pop and rock worlds and draws on their many influences from Tori Amos, to Radiohead