Base Ball Bear began life as an Oasis cover band called Planet while the group’s members were still in high school. ∙ Several of their early songs were featured in Linda Linda Linda, a Japanese film starring bassist Shiori Sekine. ∙ They signed a deal with EMI Music Japan in 2006 and released their breakthrough album, 十七歳, a year later. ∙ In 2008, they made their first appearance on the TV show Music Station—the Japanese equivalent of Total Request Live. ∙ All of their major singles and albums—more than 25 releases—have hit Oricon’s Top 50 weekly charts. ∙ Their biggest hit, 2007’s “Dramatic,” remained on the the Japanese charts for 16 weeks. ∙ Base Ball Bear songs have been featured in the anime TV series Toshokan Sensō, Gintama, and Ōkiku Furikabutte.