Masataka "Polo" Yazaki

Masataka "Polo" Yazaki is a Japanese rock musician who is the lead guitarist and back vocalist for Eyeshine. Just a bit over 5 feet tall, Polo is revered as one of Eyeshine's biggest players.

Early life

Polo was born and raised in Kochi, Japan. In high school he was the number one cross country runner in the city. Complications with his stomach forced him to give up his dreams of running. To cheer himself up he spent his time hanging out with friends and on one evening he stumbled upon a guitar that caught his attention. He was so fascinated by the guitar that it led his heart in a new direction

Career

At the age of 20, he moved to Tokyo and joined an independent band. Shortly after they were signed to a major label, but Polo was consistently mistreated and abused by their manager. After a lit cigarette to the face, Polo decided to leave the band. He then began working as a session guitarist for a professional recording studio, which earned him the opportunity to work with various artists such as Tsukiko Amano(Pony Canyon), September (U-Can Entertainment), 9 Nine (Otokura Record), etc. In 2007 Polo followed his dreams and moved to Los Angeles, where he started his own band (NIRF) and recorded an album with Steve Albiini in 2008. By 2010, NIRF disbanded and the majority of it's members returned to Japan leaving Polo on his own once again. He hit the streets performing solo as well as subbing for several other bands which eventually lead to him sharing the stage with Eyeshine in Idaho. A few years after their first meeting, Eyeshine invited Polo to sub as lead guitarist while on tour through Miami, Detroit and New Orleans. A few months later Eyeshine's lead guitarist left the band and Polo quickly stepped on board and filled the gap. Polo's musical talents and stage presence help cement the group together.

Fun facts


 * Polo can eat anything spicy, no matter the level.
 * Polo's loves Foo Fighters and Nirvana.
 * He has a tattoo of Dave Grohl's signature on the his back.