Forum - View topicAbout Melt-Banana
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Shiki MSHTS
 Posts: 738 Location: NoVA |
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Anyone ever heard of them?
As a short description, to my knowledge, they're a band from Japan that basically invented the "noise genre", and apparently they tour more in the U.S. than in Japan. I learned about them from a friend in church a while back. My friend is really into the underground Punk and Rock society, and he suggested them to me, knowing I have an intrest in these type of bands. Wow. They are really, unique. In a hard to discribe way. One thing is, their songs average at about 45 secs to 2 mins. Recently, I saw them at a club show preform (I live in the Washington D.C. area). They honestly, put up a really really good show. They weren't the main attraction for the show, but the crowd was really really wild for them. This was a crowd that mainly does not focus on the japanese pop rock scene at all. Most everyone were the usual clubbers for american underground punk and such. But to see the amount of enthusiasm and such the crowd displayed for a forign band was quite amazing. The mosh pits were great ^^;. As a word of caution, they really aren't for everyone. In fact, they're kind of aquired tastes. The first time you listen to them, you'll most likely think it's a bunch of lunitics screaming into a mic, destroying gutars. But really, after seeing them live, I understand how hard it is to do what they do so exactly. It's really, a level of organized chaos, a level that few bands anywhere are ever able to reach. I have a new found respect for them, so I wonder, does anyone else know about them or such? If so, does anyone know where their cd's and such could be purchased? But any info at all about them would be nice too. =D |
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ANN_Bamboo
ANN Contributor
 Posts: 3904 Location: CO |
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Melt-Banana has most of their CDs released under A-Zap, but I believe they have one under TZADIK as well.
Their CDs can be found at CD Now/Amazon. In fact, here's the page if you want to jump straight to it. Their official website is here (English). There's not too much content there, but it's an interesting site nevertheless: http://www.parkcity.ne.jp/~mltbanan/ A better site for info on the band would be here: http://www.skingraftrecords.com/bandhtmlpages/meltban.html which gives some stuff abotu their history, etc. Hope that helps! |
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Shiki MSHTS
Posts: 738 Location: NoVA |
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Wow. Thanks a bunch ^^;.
Amazon, why didn't I think of that? That's great, because it'll be easier to convince my parents of the reliability of the site ^^;. Wow. Thanks =D. If anyone else still has any info, don't hesitate to share ^^;. |
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eva05
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Yeah, my old band Discordance Axis did our first east coast tour with them in 95(thanks for coming all 5 of you  ) after they supported us in Japan that year. Ever since then they pretty much crash with me every time they come over and play in NY/NJ. Hell D.A.'s former drummer Dave Witte played on tour with them for several years after their last drummer, Masaki Oshima quit.
Oshima was another old buddy of mine who was in the Sapporo grind band Satanic Hell Slaughter. He does a band now called The Sleepwalk that are pretty cool. Actually he was in that band before Melt Banana The original drummer Sudo now does a techno project called Thermo. The drummer on their third record was Chume from Multiplex and their current live drummer in Japan is Sakata from 324.
Melt Banana have basically played with every kick ass stick man from the best grind bands around the world. We always joke that they should do a all blast beat record featuring one track by each drummer haha Though they hardly invented the noise genre amigo. In fact we always bust on them for that awesome quote on their Tzadik CD about being the "no wave" gods of Tokyo. They had nothing to do with that quote btw haha There a lot of bands that came before them that had a big influence. That's not saying they aren't awesome because they are. But there were the Boredoms, Ruins, Hanatarash, SOB, Masonna, Merzbow, HijoKaidan, Zeni Geva, Space Streakings, etc etc. The reason they tour the west is that generally speaking, Japanese bands don't get a whole lot of street cred in Japan sadly. Actually my first trip there I was astonished how much it was easier to get underground US records there than Japanese ones!?! They did their first 2 CDs with Steve Albini and the last 3 on their own. Pretty much recording most everything out of Agata's little apartment near Mitaka. Anywas, that's more than enoguh trivia. Any underground record shop carries their cds. I think Patton cut somee sort of exclusive distro deal for the US so Ipecac handles that now. Before it was Revolver... j |
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Shiki MSHTS
Posts: 738 Location: NoVA |
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Wow. You knew the guys? That's really really neat. I really used to make fun of them for the seemingly horrible music, but it all changed when I saw them live just 2 weeks ago. They really are amazing.
But yeah, you knew them? That's really great. Who are you? I met one of the guys at the merchindise table (he wore a surgons mask =P). I forgot who he was, but he was pretty cool. Better yet, he was able to handle everyone without speaking a word or speaking minimal words. Speaking of which, do they know English? I'd assume not, because when Yasuko spoke, she spoke in a really high pitched voice about touring new york and going to the merch table. It sounded like she wasn't exactly sure ^^;. They are so cool though. =P And about the underground music stores, I'm sure they exist in D.C., but I'm afraid to check cause D.C. is the ghetto. =P scary. =P |
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eva05
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Well know them is more like it. They just crashed in my apartment 2 weeks ago. Like I said I've know them since 1995. When my band was setting up our first tour of Japan in 95, their Hedgehog EP and the Speak, Squeak... LP had just come out. I really loved bith those records. We requested that they do a show with us...At that time they were not known at all, so they came out to meet us at our first show. We all got along very well and we've been friends ever since.
That's Agata. The guitar player. Yako, Agata and Rika speak ltd English. Most of the time when we talk we mix up Japanese and English to get our points across. j |
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Shiki MSHTS
Posts: 738 Location: NoVA |
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Wow. I talked to a celebrity then =P. But here's something I wonder. Is Yasuko's voice really as high pitched as I heard? That's something unique if so. Man. That's really cool though. 
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eva05
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No she has a normal speaking voice.
j |
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