Tucker Saito and the Teardrops
Bright Brown
November 8, 2025
Tucker Saito - guitar, vocals
Tomoki Oyamada 小山田智紀 - bass
Yasu Iimuraヤス飯村 – guitar, vocals
Hirata Issei平田一生- keyboards
Sakae Namekawa滑川栄- drums
Some bands come to play from the first note, no warm-up, no find-the-groove, no throat-clearing needed. Tucker Saito and the Teardrops are just such a band. They kicked off with a full-blues feeling and rode it through two sets of Chicago-style electric blues. Like the best blues, there was also no pretense or showing off. Saito and the band sank right into the songs and delivered them with gutsy nuance.
On the classic “Understand,” Saito really got into the lyrics. “I’m a good man/but I’m a poor man/Understand.” He sang in a way that made it clear the blues translates from the South Side of Chicago and Mississippi to Japan just fine. The song sings of poverty and hope for understanding. Poverty might be more hidden in Japan, but Saito’s blues style brings it all to the surface.
Accenting the lyrics, Saito plays clean, pure guitar lines. He takes time to get them right, answering the vocals and augmenting their meaning with tasteful lines, turnarounds, and melodic twists. On songs like Fenton Robinson’s “Somebody Loan Me a Dime,” Saito was especially strong and forceful, finding the perfect balance of sung lines and potent guitar lines. On solos, he never overplays, always choosing the right notes to move the feeling of the listeners rather than show off his guitar prowess. That’s deeply mature playing, not youthful indulgence.
The Teardrops, named after Magic Slim and the Teardrops, a group Saito saw on a trip to Chicago, added a soulful grounding and tight, focused solos. Iimura, the second guitarist, dished out one great solo after the next. Issei on keyboards matched him with bluesy harmonies and two-fisted energy. Oyamada’s bass rumbled with an undertow that kept the swell of every song strong and steady. They really play as a band.
In the second set, the first couple of numbers, like Bobby Blue Bland’s “Members Only,” took the vibe to a smoother depth. More soul than blues, the song worked great with sharp guitar solos from both Saito and Iimura, and full-on backing from everyone else.
But kicking back to a higher gear, several instrumental numbers rocked, with Issei’s organ really juicing up the sound. On every tune, Saito and the Teardrops played fierce blues that transported this blues fan back to the clubs of his youth, and all the feelings that flowed through the sweaty evenings of setting aside worries and getting lost in the musical moment.
