 |
SA | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Samurai Attack |
| Origin | Gifu, Japan |
| Genres | Punk rock, Oi! punk |
| Years active | 1984–1987, 1999–present |
| Labels | Pineapple, Anagram (UK) |
| Members | Taisei Naoki Ken Shohei |
| Website | http://sa-web.jp |
SA (also known outside Japan as Samurai Attack) is a Japanese punk rock band. Their style of music has been described (in the liner notes of their own releases) as Oi! punk.
SA was originally formed by vocalist Taisei Mabuchi in Gifu Prefecture in 1984. Their first release was the five-song EP I Get Position (1985) from the independent label Club the Star. This limited-run (2000 copies) release quickly sold out, and the punk rock magazine Doll placed it at the top of its list of "brightest-hope domestic releases of 1985." [1] They also contributed two tracks to the album Oi of Japan (1986), which was compiled by Yosu-ko of Cobra and released from the independent AA Records (founded by the punk band Laughin' Nose). In 1987, having decided to move to Tokyo, Taisei brought SA to an end, with their last show (in Nagoya) breaking the attendance record for the venue. In Tokyo, Taisei formed a band called Bad Messiah, which released four albums and 10 singles from Epic Sony before dissolving in 1996. [2]
SA was reunited in 1999, and in 2000 released the album You Must Stand Up My Comrades, consisting of remastered versions of the tracks on I Get Position and newly recorded songs. [3] At the reunited SA's first show, Taisei met guitarist Naoki from Cobra, which was appearing as a guest. When eventually asked by Taisei to join SA, Naoki agreed on the condition that the rest of the band's lineup also be changed. This led to the current lineup of the band, including bassist Ken (who had played with Naoki in the band Dog Fight) and drummer Shohei (who had once auditioned for Cobra). [4]
The first album with this new lineup was Great Operation, self-released on the band's own label, Pineapple Records, in July 2002. This album led off with what would become the band's signature song, the hyper-energetic "Don't Deny, Give It A Try!!"; other notable tracks included "Die With Honor," "Drawing Your Flag," and "For Who, For What." A CD single, Who's The Next Upstart?, was released later the same year, which aside from the title track featured a cover of the classic Sham 69 song "Borstal Breakout" as well as an extended-electronica remix of "Don't Deny, Give It A Try!!". A mini-LP entitled Stiff Upper Lip was released in March 2003, followed by the band's third full-length, Matchless Attack, in June 2004. Later that same year, the British label Anagram Records licensed a selection of songs from all of the band's Pineapple Records releases to date and compiled them onto a 20-track CD, entitled simply S.A. "Samurai Attack!". This was the first (and, as of mid-2009, only) of the band's recordings to be distributed widely outside Japan.
A fourth full-length LP, Primal Yell, was released in 2006. In 2007, SA opened up for the platinum-selling American punk band Rancid during their tour of Japan. A mini-LP, Beyond I, was released on Pineapple in 2007, followed by another full-length album, Vandals Bop, in 2008. SA joined several other Japanese artists and bands for the 2009 edition of the Japan Nite tour (dubbed the "Attack From Japan" tour by SA), which started at the SXSW music festival in Austin and visited seven other major cities throughout the United States. A documentary about this tour, which originally aired on a satellite TV channel in Japan, was later released in expanded form as the DVD Make More Noize. SA opened for Rancid again during a portion of their Japan tour in fall 2009. Austin-based punk band Lower Class Brats opened for them during their Revolt'n' Roll Tour of February 2010.
SA's music, though clearly rooted in Oi! and late-70's/early-80's punk rock, is characterized by often-breakneck tempos that are often fast enough to be considered hardcore, as well as a musical adventurousness that is rather unusual for the genre; abrupt timing changes are quite frequent, several of their songs have utilized instruments such as horns, accordions, and banjos, and they have even recorded a few ballads. As is typical for Japanese rock artists outside of the pop genre, SA's songs typically mix both Japanese- and English-language lyrics, often with partly Japanese verses and primarily or entirely English choruses.
The artwork of the band's releases is notable both for its garishness and for its frequent use of fascistic imagery—particularly on the cover of Matchless Attack, which appears to depict a Nuremberg-style rally with the four members of the band as its focal point. The band's logo is quite similar, though not identical, to the official logo of Nazi Germany's Sturmabteilung (commonly abbreviated to "SA"), the paramilitary organization that helped to put Hitler's Third Reich into power and that was later purged by Hitler in the Night of the Long Knives. (In the FAQ section of the band's former official website, Taisei stated that when he came up with the name "SA" he did not intend for it to stand for anything in particular, and that he was not aware of the association between the name and Nazi Germany.) However, a fascistic outlook is not at all evident in the lyrics of SA. These are characterized by a pro-action, pro-unity, positivist outlook not unlike that espoused by American hardcore bands such as Minor Threat or 7 Seconds. Here's an example from "Don't Deny, Give It A Try!!":
(second verse) "We've been seeing the 'depths of misery'/We already know what 'hurt' is/The time we spend was not wasted./That's is all, I can say now! (chorus) Steppin' out! (x2) /I don't want to stay such a limited place./No fight! It's rule!/Why don't you go out with us?/Don't deny, give it a try! (x2)
You Must Stand Up My Comrades (Music Mine, 2000)
Great Operation (Pineapple, 2002)
Stiff Upper Lip (Pineapple, 2003)
Matchless Attack! (Pineapple, 2004)
Primal Yell (Pineapple, 2005)
Beyond I (Pineapple, 2007)
Vandals Bop (Pineapple, 2008)
Revolt'n'Roll (Pineapple, 2010)
Who's The Next Upstart? (Pineapple, 2002)
S.A. "Samurai Attack!" (Anagram, 2004)
21 Songs Album Attack From Japan (exclusive CD from Japan Nite 2009 tour)
Oi of Japan (AA Records, 1986)
The Blue Hearts 2002 Tribute (Universal Music, 2002)
BPR 5000-Burst Tracks (Warner Music Japan, 2003)
Smellz Like . . . (Universal Music, 2003)
The Blue Hearts Tribute 2005 Edition (Universal J, 2005)
The Mods Tribute So What!! Vol.2 (Sony, 2006)
Japan Nite Sound Sampler 2009 (exclusive CD from Japan Nite 2009 tour) (SXSW Music ASIA, 2009)
Walls and Red Lights (Pineapple, 2004)
The Specter On My Trail (Pineapple, 2006)
An Original Film Callin' You (Pineapple, 2008)
Make More Noize (Pineapple, 2009)
The Vandals are an American punk rock band, established in 1980 in Orange County, California. They have released ten full-length studio albums, two live albums, and have toured the world extensively, including performances on the Vans Warped Tour. They are well known for their use of humor, preferring to use their music as a vehicle for comedy and sarcasm rather than as a platform for more serious issues. Kung Fu Records, founded in 1996 by Escalante and Fitzgerald has signed and launched many punk rock bands.
Oi to the World! is a Christmas album by the southern California punk rock band the Vandals. It was released in 1996 by their label Kung Fu Records, who also re-released it in 2000 with altered artwork and a bonus track. It was the band's sixth full-length studio album and presented holiday-themed songs written and performed with the tongue-in-cheek humor for which the band is known.
...And Out Come the Wolves is the third studio album by American punk rock band Rancid. It was released on August 22, 1995, through Epitaph Records. Rancid's popularity and catchy songs made them the subject of a major label bidding war that ended with the band staying on Epitaph. With a sound heavily influenced by ska, which called to mind Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman's past in Operation Ivy, Rancid became one of the few bands of the mid-to late-1990s boom in punk rock to retain much of its original fanbase. In terms of record sales and certifications, ...And Out Come the Wolves is a popular album in the United States. It produced three hit singles: "Roots Radicals", "Time Bomb" and "Ruby Soho", that earned Rancid its heaviest airplay on MTV and radio stations to date. All the singles charted on Modern Rock Tracks. ...And Out Come the Wolves was certified gold by the RIAA on January 22, 1996. It was certified platinum on September 23, 2004.
The Exploited are a Scottish punk rock band from Edinburgh, formed in 1978 by Stevie Ross and Terry Buchan, with Buchan soon replaced by his brother Wattie Buchan. They signed to Secret Records in March 1981, and their debut EP, Army Life, and debut album, Punks Not Dead, were both released that year. The band maintained a large cult following in the 1980s among a hardcore working class punk and skinhead audience. Originally a street punk band, the Exploited eventually became a crossover thrash band with the release of their album Death Before Dishonour in 1987.
Slaughter and the Dogs are an English punk rock band formed in 1975 in Wythenshawe, Manchester. Their original line-up consisted of singer Wayne Barrett McGrath, rhythm guitar Mick Rossi, drummer Brian "Mad Muffet" Grantham, lead guitarist Mike Day and bassist Howard Bates.
The Blood are an English, London-based punk rock band, formed in 1982. Led by Cardinal Jesus Hate and JJ Bedsore, the band formed in the early 1980s under the name "Coming Blood". Their music is a blend of hardcore punk, Oi!, heavy metal, football chants and shock rock.
Useless ID is an Israeli punk rock band, formed in Haifa in 1994.
Scottish Gaelic punk is a subgenre of punk rock in which bands sing some or all of their music in Scottish Gaelic. The Gaelic punk scene is, in part, an affirmation of the value of minority languages and cultures. Gaelic punk bands express political views, particularly those related to anarchism and environmentalism.
Lydia is an American indie rock band from Gilbert, Arizona, formed in 2003.
The Business were an English punk band formed in 1979 in Lewisham, South London, England. The band lasted for four decades until their frontman Micky Fitz died from cancer in December 2016.
Sledgeback is a Seattle, Washington-based punk rock band, formed in early 2004, with Hungarian-born American guitarist Gábor Szakácsi as the frontman. Former member of the long-standing influential Hungarian punk rock outfit C.A.F.B., Gabi Hun moved to Seattle not knowing a word of English, and soon after formed Sledgeback.
All Time Low is an American rock band from Towson, Maryland, formed in 2003. Consisting of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Alex Gaskarth, lead guitarist Jack Barakat, bassist/backing vocalist Zack Merrick, and drummer Rian Dawson, the band took its name from lyrics in the song "Head on Collision" by New Found Glory. The band has consistently done year-long tours, headlined numerous tours, and has appeared at music festivals including Warped Tour, Reading and Leeds, and Soundwave.
Blanks 77 is an American punk rock band active from 1990 to 2001, and again from 2004 onward. Originally based in Hillside, New Jersey, they have since relocated to Denville.
Oi! is a subgenre of punk rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The music and its associated subculture had the goal of bringing together punks, skinheads, and other disaffected working-class youth. The movement was partly a response to the perception that many participants in the early punk rock scene were, in the words of The Business guitarist Steve Kent, "trendy university people using long words, trying to be artistic... and losing touch."
William Beckett is an American musician who is the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the Chicago-based rock band The Academy Is..., who signed to Atlantic Records/Fueled by Ramen/Decaydance Records. While still in high school in 2003, Beckett and guitarist Mike Carden came together from rival bands in Chicago to form The Academy Is... In addition to founding the band, Beckett and Carden are credited as the primary songwriters. A third core member of the band was Adam T. Siska, Beckett's classmate and friend from Barrington High School.
The Discocks are a punk rock band formed in 1989 with Peter (Ohashi) and bass, Naka-chin on guitar and early D.S.B. drummer Hiroichi on drums.
Pennywise is an American punk rock band from Hermosa Beach, California, formed in 1988. The band took its name from the antagonist in Stephen King's horror novel It known as Pennywise the Dancing Clown.
Nothing Personal is the third studio album by American rock band All Time Low. As early as May 2008, the band began writing for their third album, and by November revealed they would be recording in the winter. The band began pre-production in early January 2009 and started recording later in the month, which lasted until March. Half of the album's songs were produced by Matt Squire with Butch Walker, David Bendeth and S*A*M and Sluggo each producing a few songs. Tom Lord-Alge mixed the majority of the album. "Weightless" was made available for streaming in March, and released as a single in April. A support slot for Fall Out Boy and an appearance at the Bamboozle festival followed.
Cobra is a Japanese punk/Oi! band from Osaka. They were one of the first bands in Japan to incorporate the style of Oi! in their sound. They have cited as their influences early British Oi! bands such as Cockney Rejects and Business.
Alexander Ridha, better known by his stage name Boys Noize, is a German electronic music record producer, songwriter, and DJ. It is similar to the name of Ridha's label, Boysnoize Records, which he established in 2005. Ridha has remixed the work of a number of other artists, including Snoop Dogg and Depeche Mode. In 2019, he produced Frank Ocean's song "DHL".
| International | |
|---|---|
| Artists | |
