Yasuko onuki biography of christopher
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Welcome to 2013 Dear friends.
2012 has been my Burmese year, and I closed it with Mission of Burma.
2013 will be a Japanese year, bear with me, I start it with a Japanese band: Melt Banana.
Melt Banana were invited in December last year, by Shellac, to play for their Nightmare Before Christmas ATP festival at Camber Sands in UK. I was there just for one day, so I cannot comment on the rest of the event, but there are no doubts they played the best set of that (Satur)day.
To a non expert as I am is difficult to differentiate Melt Banana by the large number of Japanese bands experimenting in the noise rock. Melt Banana surely were among the first to join the loud party and they still rock the hell out of it.
A project started in 1992, produced the first album in 1994. This trio has been frequenting the underground stages for two decades. Since then they have produced at least 9 studio album plus an endless series of releases well summarised here.
Japan from an European perspective seems a difficult-to-understand country. That is why I want to go and “touch it” with my full set of senses and a couple of cameras.
It looks a country where the extremes touches. A millenary tradition and hi-tech futurism cohabit. What I find ‘different’ is where the missing in
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Melt-Banana @ Hard of hearing Institute, Metropolis, 12 Jun
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Live Review: Torche/Melt Banana/House of Lightning
By Ben Edwards (D&S West)
House of Lightning and Torche pictures by Immortal Affliction Photography, Melt Banana pictures by John Kennedy
What a strange tour combination with modern space sludge pop titans Torche and legendary avant noise punk assassins Melt Banana. Playing at Chop Suey in Seattle, this was the second stop on the tour and I highly suggest you go when they assault your town.
House Of Lightning
Opening up the show was a side project of Torche’s drummer Richard Smith called House of Lightning, which also features bassist Eric Hernandez (Wrong, Kylesa, Capsule) and guitarist/vocalist Henry Wilson (Floor, Dove). They played a much more traditional stoner rock, classic rock and thrash influenced sound compared to the co-headliners.
I enjoyed their set, though I must say that the riffs and vocals weren’t especially memorable. They played with energy and emotion, however, and I feel that is the most important thing. Songwriting can develop naturally if you start from the right core. The crowd seemed to enjoy them and responded well to their boogie rock riff mazes, which were executed with tightness and skill.