Shonen Knife / White Mystery / Amy Gore & Her Valentines $10 9pm
Monday, July 30, 2012 at 9pm
Pre-Sale tickets are available at PJ's Lager House - 1254 Michigan Avenue Detroit, MI 48226
or by credit card over phone. Call the bar at - (313) 961 - 4668
The Japanese trio Shonen Knife has made major fans out of alt-rock's
elite (Sonic Youth, Nirvana, and Redd Kross, among others) and built a
solid, worldwide cult following with their Ramones meets the Beatles
brand of sticky sweet punk-pop. Comprised of members Michie Nakatani
(vocals, bass), Naoko Yamano (vocals, guitar), and Atsuko Yamano
(drums), Shonen Knife originally formed during December of 1981 in their
hometown of Osaka, Japan (all three members were working at the time as
office clerks), before playing their first real show in March of the
following year. Soon after, the group began issuing albums in their
native land, including 1982's cassette-only release Minna Tanoshiku
(English translation: Everybody Happy?), 1983's Burning Farm, 1984's
Yama No Attchan, and 1986's Pretty Little Baka Guy (the latter of which
was reissued with extra tracks four years later, under the title Pretty
Little Baka Guy/Live in Japan). Although their records were only
available in the U.S. via import, Shonen Knife struck a chord with the
underground with a track of theirs appearing on the Sub Pop 100
compilation in 1986. Also, in 1989, a variety of alternative bands
recorded renditions of their favorite Shonen Knife songs for the tribute
album Every Band Has a Shonen Knife Who Loves Them.
1990 saw the first Shonen Knife release to be issued outside of Japan, a
self-titled compilation that featured the entire Burning Farm and Yama
No Attchan albums, as well as three tracks that were only previously
available on the obscure Japanese comp Aura Music. Shortly thereafter,
the group began touring America on a somewhat regular basis, supporting
their 1991 release 712 with some dates opening for Nirvana just prior to
the runaway success of Cobain and co.'s now-classic Nevermind album.
With Shonen Knife now the hip band to name drop, the group signed their
first major U.S. recording contract with Capitol, resulting in the
release of one of their finest (and best-known) albums, 1992's Let's
Knife. A year later, the group switched to the Virgin label, issuing
Rock Animals, which would spawn a semi-popular MTV video with "Tomato
Head" (even landing a spot on the station's popular animated series
Beavis & Butthead).
1994 saw the trio perform as part of the traveling alternative rock
festival Lollapalooza and contribute a cover of "Top of the World" to
the Carpenters tribute album If I Were a Carpenter, while Virgin issued
an 18-track collection of rare tracks, Birds & the B-Sides, in 1996.
Although they were able to greatly expand their U.S. fan base, the
group never obtained the breakthrough success that was expected by many,
resulting in Shonen Knife returning to the independents and issuing
such further releases as 1997's Brand New Knife, 1998's Happy Hour, and
the 2000 Japan-only release Strawberry Sound (which featured the band's
revamped lineup of Atsuko Yamano on bass and Mana Nishiura, who joined
Shonen Knife after Nakatani left in 1999, on drums).
Vocalist Naoko Yamano was the only original member for the mid to late
2000s, but even after twenty-plus years, and difficulties maintaining a
constistent line-up, the band showed no signs of slowing. In 2005, Oglio
reissued the band's first four albums, and the band released Genki
Shock in Japan; late that year, Nishiura was killed in a New Jersey
traffic accident while touring with DMBQ. Both Shonen Knife and DMBQ
performed at a tribute concert for Nishiura that was held in Kyoto in
spring 2006, shortly before the U.S. release of Genki Shock. Shonen
Knife continued on with drummer Etsuko Nakanishi, releasing a live album
and another full-length titled Super Group in 2009. A few months after
completing 2010's Free Time, drummer Nakanishi parted ways with the
band, to be replaced by Emi Morimoto.
http://shonenknife.com/
Meet the redheaded brother/sister rock’n'roll duo White Mystery from Chicago founded on April 20, 2008. Miss Alex White, known
for her work in Miss Alex White and the Red Orchestra, sings and
is a ”Top Ten Female Guitarist to Look Out For” according to Guitar World. Francis Scott Key White sings too, and drums like a frenetic madman.
http://www.whitemysteryband.com/