)Welcome to the Shonen Knife L.A. NeXuS - dedicated to the music, life and times of Naoko Yamano, Atsuko Yamano and Michie Nakatani - known collectively around the world as: Shonen Knife!! This will be an active information site for one of the most unique, important and *enjoyable* rock groups on Earth today! I encourage you to take a look around, follow the links, and enjoy an online journey into the music of Shonen Knife!
This is the (unofficial) Los Angeles NeXuS for Shonen Knife, and the latest member of a great group of Shonen Knife Webpages across the U.S.A. and Canada - all of which are dedicated to one of the most original, creative, good-time bands on Earth! With similar beginnings to, and the influence of, The Beatles, they are compiling a real legacy of unique songs and recordings, and an amazing track record of personal appearances and knockout performances around the world, in association with many of the greatest bands on the planet!!
Let's visit some great Shonen Knife sites on the Web... after all, Shonen Knife and the World Wide Web are a magical blend!:
Shonen Knife started out much like The Beatles: High School/local friends who basically decided, "Hey, Rock N Roll is a cool job!" and then set out to make it their life! They bought instruments and learned to play them... making their own songs as they went along - and making recordings of them as they learned their craft - recordings that have now become some of the most unique works in all Pop music!! They effect a blending a traditional Japanese heritage and values (they are very serious about their craft, and they are growing much stronger!) with American Pop culture - with a Punk Edge! Great Fans of The Beatles, Ramones, The Jam, Redd Kross, Sonic Youth and other Bands (and the feeling is mutual...) - they created a Pop Synthesis that is completely unique in the world today! This band has certainly "paid it's dues" in the rock business, too - but never lost sight of who they are and what they are about: Shonen Knife music is something that "sticks with ya!" You'll be singing all the words in no time!! (And feeling good about it, too!! :-) But, even better - they are a GREAT Live band!! You should not miss an opportunity to see Shonen Knife LIVE! Shonen Knife recently completed their 5-city U.S. section of the 1995"Panda Tour" of sold-out venues, playing to moshing, sing-along, dedicated, happy fans - and were in top form. They looked terrific in their punk-power Panda outfits (designed by Atsuko!), and they played great. Today's Shonen Knife is a Power Trio.
When Rudyard Kipling wrote: "East is East and West is West and never the twain shall meet" ... he didn't forsee the coming of Shonen Knife to the world music stage! But then, he never could have imagined three mini-maidens from Osaka, Japan taking up Flying V guitars and Marshall Amps and taking on the world straight out of college with japanese-values powered by western rock music!! Ah, and you critics who prophesy with your pens: this is no "gimmick" - I was there at the birth of Rock N Roll and I don't remember anyone saying it had to be concerned with "mayhem and destruction" in order to "rock". I'd say the closest they get to that is the "Big Fight!" they sing of in "Cobra vs. Mongoose"! ("I like it Dick, it has a swell beat, you can pogo to it... and the mosh pit goes crazy with joy everytime they play it!") With their Bison, Barbies, Chocobars, Punk Animals, Trips into Outer Space - and off to Italian Restaurants - they are a rare punk-pop synthesis and a creative force. You should be made to wear earphones, as Bob Dylan said!
Dylan monitored the pulse of the times - and that's not to say that he doesn't still have the 'best antennae' of anyone in the biz! Today, Green Day are packing the stadiums now... but will they remain relevant in their creative output? Is "Dookie" the equivalent of say, "Highway 61 Revisited" in terms of lasting social impact? Personally, I think Green Day are very strong - a power group - as were the Who in their early days. Shonen Knife have this level of power.
This space will be devoted to tips for collectors, etc... I don't know how efficient I will be at first here... but I'd like to update this section more often - with news you can use about Shonen Knife!
On the CD front - watch for a promo item in the used bins. It's called "Broadcaster" and features "Tomato Head" by Shonen Knife, as well as cuts by Green Day, Sonic Youth, and others. (Transworld Publications TWF01) 1994. It has a white sleeve, black lettering and blue "fender broadcaster" imagery - and comes in a cardboard sleeve! Nab one!
Well, thanks for stopping by and spending some time here! If nothing else, we've determined that the world needs a lot more WoW! and a lot less Woe! Blend a little Shonen Knife cool into your pop music diet, and you'll notice a quantum increase of "WoW!" in your life. It may help if you drink Tomato Juice every night(?). Just pick up some Shonen Knife tunes for your next "Summertime Boogie" party, and when it's over, you'll want to take all your friends to a "tasty place" and celebrate your new "State of A-WoW-ness" over a plate of "Brown Mushrooms"! Where? At your favorite italian restaurant, of course. Pile 'em high on the plate!!
Want to leave me input on anything (?) - particularly Shonen Knife Info, stories, collectibles, lore and related?? If it's immediate and of wide interest to Shonen Knife Freaks - I'll post it here, and on the Usenet Newsgroup!! If it's not...I'll probably put it to good use on "Gomi Day"!
gwiz@earthlink.net EMail address for the Shonen Knife L.A. NeXuS.
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