Tremendously big in Japan (their homeland) in the 1990s, but weaned on 1960s & ‘70s garage and punk, Thee Michelle Gun Elephant took their name from a misheard mash-up of two influences (Thee Headcoats and the Damned). Led by the gruff vocals of Chiba Yusuke and the studied yet anarchic guitar work of Abe Futoshi, the foursome practiced a ferocious brand of rock ‘n’ roll for over a decade. While their adoration of American music was unequivocal, the band did not receive even scant attention in the U.S. until near the end of their existence. In 2003, Yusuke disbanded TMGE to give his full concentration to side project Rosso.