Shonen Knife

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Shonen Knife
少年ナイフ
Shonen Knife-5.jpg
Members of Shonen Knife pictured in 2008 (L-R: Atsuko Yamano, Naoko Yamano, Etsuko Nakanishi)
Background information
Origin Osaka, Japan
Genres
Years active1981–present
Labels
Members Naoko Yamano
Atsuko Yamano
Risa Kawano
Past members Michie Nakatani
Mana Nishiura
Etsuko Nakanishi
Naru Ishizuka
Emi Morimoto
Ritsuko Taneda
Website www.shonenknife.net

Shonen Knife is a Japanese pop-punk band formed in Osaka in 1981. [3] Influenced by 1960s girl groups, pop bands, the Beach Boys, and early punk rock bands such as the Ramones, the band crafts stripped-down songs with simple yet unconventional lyrics sung both in Japanese and English. [4] [5]

Contents

The band has been credited with making "the international pop underground more international" by "opening it up to bands from Japan". [6] They have also performed as a Ramones tribute band under the name the Osaka Ramones. [7] Guitarist/singer Naoko Yamano is the only member to have remained with the band for its entire history; her sister Atsuko Yamano was a founding member and, after a long hiatus, returned to the band in 2016. [1] They have released 22 studio albums; their most recent album Our Best Place was released in February 2023. [8]

In the words of the Boston Globe , "something oddly spellbinding occurs when deceivingly silly lyrics are sandwiched between a buoyant guitar and a rapid-fire, pop-punk drum kit. Which perhaps explains why the Japanese female alternative rock/pop punk trio Shonen Knife is still singing songs about cookies, sushi, jelly beans, and, of course, banana chips." [6]

Biography

Formation and early years

Shonen Knife was formed in December 1981 in Osaka, Japan, by Naoko Yamano on guitar and vocals; her college friend Michie Nakatani on bass, keyboards, and vocals; and Naoko's then 17-year-old sister Atsuko Yamano on drums. [4] [9] [10] Naoko and Michie had both worked at office jobs; Atsuko had received training as a fashion designer and has created many of the band's stage outfits. [11] The band was named after an old brand of pen knife that had been marketed to Japanese boys. [1] At the time of their formation, Shonen Knife was a relative anomaly because all-female rock bands were rare in Japan at the time. While cultivating a punk rock sound, the band emphasized positivity using catchy, upbeat melodies and simple, carefree lyrics that often dealt with sweets, animals, and consumer culture. [4] [6] As explained by Nakatani in an interview, "We've always enjoyed writing songs about everyday things. Besides, there are already enough bands out there singing about pollution, war and poverty. While we all care very much about those things, we also feel that music should be fun." [12]

The original lineup of Shonen Knife performing in the 1980s (L-R: Michie Nakatani, Naoko Yamano, Atsuko Yamano) Shonen Knife-14.jpg
The original lineup of Shonen Knife performing in the 1980s (L-R: Michie Nakatani, Naoko Yamano, Atsuko Yamano)

They played their first gig in Osaka in March 1982, [2] and self-released the cassette-only album Minna Tanoshiku later that year. [10] Their first full-length album Burning Farm was released in 1983, [13] followed by Yama-no Attchan in 1984. [14] While the band's early albums were only officially released in Japan, imported copies attracted a cult following among alternative rock fans in the United States. [10] [15] In 1985, Burning Farm attracted the attention of K Records in Olympia, Washington, which re-released the album in America. [16]

In 1986 the band released multiple international versions of the album Pretty Little Baka Guy , [17] with the American version issued by Sub Pop, [17] and their song "One Day of the Factory" appeared on an international compilation released by that label. [10] In 1987, Shonen Knife was invited to open for Sonic Youth in Osaka, [18] and played internationally for the first time at a concert in Los Angeles with organizational support from Sonic Youth and Redd Kross. [19] The band's cult following among musicians was illustrated by the 1991 tribute album Every Band Has a Shonen Knife Who Loves Them, with cover songs by 23 punk and alternative rock acts. [20] [21]

International recognition

The band released the album 712 in 1991. [22] Shonen Knife received significant international recognition later that year when longtime fan Kurt Cobain invited them to open for Nirvana during a European tour, shortly before Nirvana gained widespread fame for their album Nevermind . [4] Cobain praised Shonen Knife's performances during the tour, stating, "When I finally got to see them live, I was transformed into a hysterical nine-year-old girl at a Beatles concert." [4] Shonen Knife admitted to not knowing who Nirvana was before the invitation, but acknowledged the friendliness and helpfulness of Cobain and the other members of the band during Shonen Knife's first lengthy international tour. [2] Naoko Yamano taught Cobain to play the Shonen Knife song "Twist Barbie", and Nirvana covered the song several times during the tour. Cobain later listed Shonen Knife's Burning Farm as one of his favorite albums. [23]

Shonen Knife signed with Capitol Records in 1992 and released the album Let's Knife in 1993, featuring re-recorded versions of many of their older songs with new English lyrics. [24] The album Rock Animals was released internationally by Virgin Records in 1994, [25] and the video for the song "Tomato Head" was featured on the American TV series Beavis & Butthead . [16] In 1994, Shonen Knife toured throughout the United States with the Lollapalooza festival. [11] Later that year they contributed to the Carpenters tribute album If I Were A Carpenter. [26] In the late 1990s, Shonen Knife lost their international record contract and their albums were only available as imports from Japan. [10] The album Brand New Knife was released in 1997, [27] followed by Happy Hour in 1998. [28]

Line-up changes and early 21st century

Shonen Knife suffered its first lineup change in 1999, when Michie Nakatani left the band and retired from music. [2] For the band's next several albums, Atsuko Yamano played both drums and bass; for live performances she switched to bass and drummer Mana Nishiura was recruited for touring purposes. [10] Nishiura did not perform on Shonen Knife's studio albums and was not considered an official member because she continued to play with her full-time band DMBQ. The albums Strawberry Sound (2000), Heavy Songs (2002), Candy Rock (2003), and Genki Shock! (2006), were recorded as a duo with Naoko Yamano on guitar and vocals and Atsuko Yamano on bass and drums. [10] Nishiura died in a car accident in 2005 while on tour with DMBQ. [29] She was replaced by new full-time drummer Etsuko Nakanishi. [10]

The 2011 lineup of Shonen Knife (L-R: Ritsuko Taneda, Naoko Yamano, Emi Morimoto) Shonen Knife posing for photos after a concert.jpg
The 2011 lineup of Shonen Knife (L-R: Ritsuko Taneda, Naoko Yamano, Emi Morimoto)

In late 2006, Atsuko Yamano left the band to get married and move to the United States. This left Naoko Yamano as the last remaining original member of the band. Atsuko was replaced by bassist Ritsuko Taneda, previously of the J-pop band Denki Candy. [30] In the following years, Atsuko would occasionally play with the band during tours outside of Japan, at which time Taneda would switch to rhythm guitar; Atsuko did not play on the band's studio albums during this period. The lineup of Naoko Yamano, Ritsuko Taneda, and Etsuko Nakanishi released the albums Super Group (2008) [31] and Free Time (2010). [32] In 2009 Shonen Knife signed with Damnably in the United Kingdom, and with Good Charamel in the United States at the invitation of label owner Robby Takac. [2] Nakanishi left the band in 2010 and was replaced by Emi Morimoto. During this period they made a high-profile appearance at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival in England, at the invitation of Matt Groening. [33] [34]

In 2011 Shonen Knife released the Ramones tribute album Osaka Ramones. [35] This was followed by the original albums Pop Tune in 2012 [36] and Overdrive in 2014. [10] From April 2015 to May 2016 Taneda took a leave of absence from the band to give birth, and was temporarily replaced by bassist Naru Ishizuka. [10] Also in 2015, Morimoto left the band and was replaced by 22 year-old drummer Risa Kawano, formerly of the band Brinky. [37] [38] During this period they made another appearance at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival. [39]

In mid-2016, Taneda returned from maternity leave but did so on rhythm guitar, allowing Ishizuka to remain as the band's bassist. This briefly made Shonen Knife's official lineup a quartet for the first time. [40] However, a short time later, founding member Atsuko Yamano re-joined the band as bassist after a ten-year absence, and the band was again reduced to a trio consisting of the Yamano sisters and Risa Kawano. Taneda and Ishizuka would make occasional guest appearances on the band's next two albums. [10] This incarnation of the band released the album Adventure, which was inspired by 1970s classic rock, in 2016 [41] and the live album and video Alive! In Osaka the following year. Sweet Candy Power was released in 2019 [8] and Our Best Place followed in 2023, promoted by the band's first tour since the COVID-19 pandemic began. [42]

Members

Current

Former

Timeline

Shonen Knife

Discography

Related Research Articles

<i>Genki Shock!</i> 2006 studio album by Shonen Knife

Genki Shock! is a 2006 album by the female Japanese rock trio Shonen Knife. The cover design was created by singer/guitarist Naoko Yamano's toddler daughter, Emma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atsuko Yamano</span> Japanese musician

Atsuko Yamano is a Japanese musician, best known as a member of the pop-punk band Shonen Knife. She formed the band in 1981 at age 17, along with her sister Naoko Yamano and Michie Nakatani. In the first incarnation of the band she played drums, but switched to bass when Nakatani departed in 1999. Yamano is also a fashion designer and creates many of the band's stage outfits. Yamano retired from Shonen Knife in 2006 to marry, and moved to Los Angeles. During the next several years she occasionally toured with the band but did not play on their studio albums. She returned to the band as a full-time member in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naoko Yamano</span> Japanese musician

Naoko Yamano is a Japanese musician, best known as a founding member, singer/guitarist, and primary songwriter for the pop-punk band Shonen Knife. She is the only member of the band to have remained throughout its entire history. After briefly working as a receptionist in a doctor's office, she formed the band in late 1981 with her college friend Michie Nakatani and her younger sister Atsuko Yamano. Naoko Yamano is known for her songs about food and animals, with music that is primary influenced by the Ramones and the Beatles.

<i>Heavy Songs</i> 2002 studio album by Shonen Knife

Heavy Songs is a 2002 album by the Japanese rock group Shonen Knife.

<i>Happy Hour</i> (Shonen Knife album) 1998 studio album by Shonen Knife

Happy Hour is a 1998 album by the Japanese rock trio, Shonen Knife. The cover artwork is by Yoshitomo Nara. It is the last album by the group with their original bass guitarist, Michie Nakatani.

<i>Lets Knife</i> 1992 studio album by Shonen Knife

Let's Knife is a studio album by Shonen Knife. It was originally released on August 26, 1992, in Japan. The album features re-recorded versions of earlier Shonen Knife songs, with new English lyrics. It peaked at number 64 on the Oricon Albums Chart. In 2007, Rolling Stone Japan placed it at number 37 on its list of the "100 Greatest Japanese Rock Albums of All Time".

<i>712</i> (album) 1991 studio album by Shonen Knife

712 is a 1991 album by the Japanese rock trio Shonen Knife. Using goroawase, "712" can be read as "na-i-fu", the Japanese imported word for "knife".

<i>Yama-no Attchan</i> 1984 studio album by Shonen Knife

Yama no Att-chan. is the second album released by Japanese pop punk band Shonen Knife and is almost exclusively in Japanese. The album was named after Atsuko, their drummer, the honorific "-chan" being added. The title thus functions as a pun, since the drummer's name, when rendered in the traditional Japanese style, is Yamano Atsuko.

<i>Strawberry Sound</i> 2000 studio album by Shonen Knife

Strawberry Sound is an album by the female Japanese rock group Shonen Knife, released in 2000. It was their first album without founding member Michie Nakatani. It was released only in Japan.

Michie Nakatani is a Japanese retired musician, best known as one of the founding members of the Japanese pop-punk band Shonen Knife.

<i>Fun! Fun! Fun!</i> 2007 studio album by Shonen Knife

Fun! Fun! Fun! is a pop-punk album by Japanese pop punk band Shonen Knife, released on July 6, 2007 on Blues Interactions Japan. The album marked the 25th anniversary of the band.

<i>Super Group</i> 2008 studio album by Shonen Knife

Super Group is an album by the Japanese rock trio Shonen Knife. It was released in Japan on 7 November 2008, in the USA on 20 May 2009, and in the UK and Europe in 2010. The original Japanese CD issue was released as a mini-LP cartoon package with a gatefold and poster inside.

<i>Free Time</i> (album) 2010 studio album by Shonen Knife

Free Time is an album by the female Japanese rock trio Shonen Knife. It was released in Japan on January 6, 2010. An English version was released in the United States on November 9, 2010, by Good Charamel Records. It was released in Europe on July 11, 2011, with different cover art.

<i>Osaka Ramones</i> 2011 studio album by Shonen Knife

Osaka Ramones is Japanese pop-punk group Shonen Knife's 16th studio album. All of the songs on the album are cover songs of the punk group Ramones. The album's cover art takes its inspiration from the Ramones album Road to Ruin. Five songs on the album were recorded in at GCR Audio in Buffalo, New York with Producer Robby Takac in late 2010 and it was intended to be a mini-album. Lead singer/guitarist/songwriter Naoko Yamano later decided that Osaka Ramones would be a full-length album celebrating Shonen Knife's 30th anniversary. The rest of the album was later recorded in Osaka, Japan and mixed at GCR Audio.

<i>Pop Tune</i> 2012 studio album by Shonen Knife

Pop Tune is the 18th studio album by pop-punk trio Shonen Knife. It was released in Japan on June 6, 2012, and in early June in the U.S., U.K., and Europe. Along with lead guitar and main vocalist Naoko, the group's bassist, Ritsuko, provides the lead vocals for the song "Sunshine" and drummer Emi is the lead vocalist for the song "Psychedelic Life". "Osaka Rock City" was used as the theme song for the 2013 Japanese film Soul Flower Train.

<i>Overdrive</i> (Shonen Knife album) 2014 studio album by Shonen Knife

Overdrive is the 19th studio album by Japanese pop punk trio Shonen Knife. It was released on April 14, 2014 in Europe, and on April 16, 2014 in Japan. According to band leader Naoko Yamano, because their album Free Time (2010) was heavily influenced by punk rock, and Pop Tune (2012) had explored a more pop-oriented sound, Overdrive was a chance for the band to explore a more hard rock sound. The album's lyrics cover a wide array of topics, from green tea, fortune cookies, and cats.

<i>Adventure</i> (Shonen Knife album) 2016 studio album by Shonen Knife

Adventure is the 20th studio album by pop-punk band Shonen Knife. It was released in 2016. According to Bob Lange of Glide Magazine, Adventure is Shonen Knife's most rock-oriented album. According to Anna Rose, the lyrics of the songs in the album are upbeat. To promote the album, the band went on its "2017 USA Ramen Adventure Tour".

<i>Sweet Candy Power</i> 2019 studio album by Shonen Knife

Sweet Candy Power is a studio album by the Japanese pop-punk band Shonen Knife, released in June 2019. It features guest appearances by former band members Ritsuko Taneda and Naru Ishizuka.

<i>Alive! In Osaka</i> 2018 live album video by Shonen Knife

Alive! In Osaka is a 2018 live video album from Japanese pop punk band Shonen Knife.

<i>Our Best Place</i> 2023 studio album by Shonen Knife

Our Best Place is a 2023 studio album by Japanese pop punk band Shonen Knife. The album has been promoted with music videos and a tour and has received positive critical reception.

References

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