Day: September 27, 2010

TsuShiMaMiRe – North American Tour 2010

Japan’s TsuShiMaMiRe will kick off their North American Tour with self-proclaimed “Japanese Action Comic Punks” Peelander-Z (www.myspace.com/peelanderz) on October 27th at Streetlight Records in San Jose, CA.

Blending elements of punk, Avant Garde, free jazz, ska, surf, and that funky “je ne sais quoi” possessed by many Japanese girl bands, TsuShiMaMiRe consists of Yayoi (bass), Mari (guitar and vocals), and Mizue (drums).

The band was formed in 1999 when the girls were still in college.

Known to many fans through their collaboration with Cartoon Network’s popular television series, Powerpuff Girls on their mini album, Six Mix Girls, TsuShimamire have embarked on six US tours with over 150 live shows performed in the states to date, including an appearance at SXSW.

Whereas Japanese punk bands often prefer to include sing-along, 50s style ele­ments in their songs, TsuShiMaMiRe appears to be informed more by punk, noise, and jazz, and the guitar and bass often engage in wild riff interplay, lending the music a welcome spaciousness that invites repeat listens. Lyrical content is, as we have come to expect from Japanese girl bands, way out there, ranging from songs about how fish paste feels when it is cooked (“Camaboco”) to an imaginary conversation between a newborn baby and its mother (“Pregnant Fantasy”).

TSMMR’s second full-length album, Sex on the Beach, was just released in the states through Good Charamel Records, the indie label run by Robby Takac of Goo Goo Dolls.

Prepare to experience another chapter in the crazy, frenetic world of TsuShiMaMiRe as the band gears up for their upcoming U.S. tour (see dates below.)

TSMMR also contribute two tracks to Good Charamel’s I Love J-Rock compilation where they appear alongside Shonen Knife,  LAZYgunsBRISKY, Molice and DJ Sashimi. I Love J-Rock is available now.

For more information, and to stream portions of TsuShiMaMiRe’s Sex on the Beach, please visit: http://www.goodcharamel.com/?select=artists&data=tsuShiMaMiRe.

Continue reading TsuShiMaMiRe – North American Tour 2010

Smoke or Fire – Release 2010

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Smoke Or Fire are set to release their third full length on Fat titled The Speakeasy on November 9th, recorded by Matt Allison at Atlas Studio. A member change welcomes Ryan Parrish (Darkest Hour) who lends his talent on drums; while this recording marks the first time Gwomper (AVAIL) was part of the writing process since he took over stewardship of bass when long time member Ken Gurley left the band. The Speakeasyis a complete album in the truest sense, lacking nothing, while offering varied, yet equally enthralling melodies and music on each of the 13 tracks. Constructed around the cornerstone of the guitar driven, heavy punk rock sound they are known for, this album evolves much further. Innovative melodies are ushered along by clever guitar work as gruff vocals give way at times to a more polished pitch. Catch Smoke or Fireon a wee east coast run and be sure not to miss them at our CMJ showcase on October 23rd! Take a peek at what Joe McMahon had to say about recording The Speakeasy below:

We were so happy to be able to record the new record with Matt Allison in Chicago. Matt is not only a great friend of ours, but really becomes the 5th member of the group when you’re in the studio with him. We were working with a pretty slim time period on this record, and everyone really showed up. Ryan Parrish killed it on drums, and made such great contributions during the writing process. It was also a lot of fun to watch Gwomper record his Bass on the record. He gets so into it, I think he moves around more while he’s recording than he does on stage. The only hitch we ran into was me losing my voice half way through recording vocals. When that happens all you can do is wait until it comes back, and you have no idea how long that’s going to be. It took 6 days before I could start singing again. When the record was finished, Jeremy and I both agreed it was the first time we had left the studio with everything coming out exactly the way we wanted. The songs, the artwork…everything. We couldn’t be happier with this record.