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REVIEW: Melt Banana @ WOW Hall (Eugene, OR – 10/1/11)
Melt Banana started off their two month U.S. tour with an initial stop at the WOW Hall in Eugene, Oregon, on Saturday. Their last time through Oregon, the Tokyo-based screamo/noise metal band didn’t stop here, and the freezing rain & severe winter fog kept many Ducks who wanted to trek up to Portland away. Not so this time… and I made it there just in time to catch their blistering set.
Agata shredded up the guitars, making dental exams seem pleasant. Yako was a sandstorm of power and unexpectedness on vocal duties… and charming in between songs. The drum & bass battery (presumably Takiya & Rika) propelled the blasts of music forward.
It’s one thing to hear this band on record, it’s quite another to see them live. They’re going all over the U.S.A. from now until late November! Catch them (dates below). They’re also working on a new album, out in 2012.
more photos below
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Melt Banana’s Site
- Melt Banana’s Social Media Links (see below)
- Other Related Reviews~
- Jeff Matarrese’s photos in ODE (Eugene 10/1)
- WOW Hall’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
Check out more tour dates below.
Next shows for me… Chromeo & Opeth at the Roseland (Portland) in a couple of weeks!
~Dan – np: John Zorn – At the Gates of Paradise
MELT-BANANA PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2011 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
MxBx 2011 U.S.A. Tour Dates
- 10/1/2011 WOW Hall Eugene, OR
- 10/2/2011 Star Theater Portland, OR
- 10/3/2011 Chop Suey Seattle, WA
- 10/4/2011 The Badlander Missoula, MT
- 10/6/2011 Kilby Court Salt Lake City, UT
- 10/8/2011 Larimer Lounge Denver, CO
- 10/9/2011 The Record Bar Kansas City, MO
- 10/10/2011 The Waiting Room Omaha, NE
- 10/11/2011 The Mill Iowa City, IA
- 10/12/2011 Nutty’s Sioux Falls, SD
- 10/13/2011 Triple Rock Social Club Minneapolis, MN
- 10/14/2011 High Noon Saloon Madison, WI
- 10/15/2011 Cactus Club Milwaukee, WI
- 10/16/2011 Subterranean Chicago, IL
- 10/17/2011 Cicero’s St. Louis, MO
- 10/18/2011 The Bishop Bloomington, IN
- 10/19/2011 The Historic Southgate House Newport, KY
- 10/20/2011 Mac’s Bar Lansing, MI
- 10/22/2011 Grog Shop Cleveland Heights, OH
- 10/23/2011 The Haunt Ithaca, NY
- 10/25/2011 Wrongbar Toronto, ON
- 10/26/2011 Il Motore Montreal, QC
- 10/27/2011 T.T. The Bear’s Cambridge, MA
- 10/28/2011 The Space Hamden, CT
- 10/29/2011 Santos Party House New York, NY
- 10/31/2011 First Unitarian Church Philadelphia, PA
- 11/1/2011 The Red Palace Washington, DC
- 11/2/2011 Ottobar Baltimore, MD
- 11/4/2011 Local 506 Chapel Hill, NC
- 11/5/2011 The EARL Atlanta, GA
- 11/06/2011 The Engine Room Tallahassee, FL
- 11/08/2011 Backbooth Orlando, FL
- 11/09/2011 Crowbar Tampa, FL
- 11/10/2011 Double Down Gainesville, FL
- 11/11/2011 Jack Rabbits Jacksonville, FL
- 11/12/2011 Caledonia Lounge Athens, GA
- 11/13/2011 The End Nashville, TN
- 11/15/2011 BottleTree Birmingham, AL
- 11/16/2011 Alabama Music Box Mobile, AL
- 11/17/2011 Fitzgerald’s Houston, TX
- 11/18/2011 The Prophet Bar Dallas, TX
- 11/19/2011 The Mohawk Austin, TX
- 11/20/2011 Jack’s Patio Bar & Grill San Antonio, TX
- 11/22/2011 Club Congress Tucson, AZ
- 11/23/2011 Hollywood Alley Mesa, AZ
- 11/25/2011 The Bunkhouse Las Vegas, NV
- 11/26/2011 Soda Bar San Diego, CA
- 11/27/2011 Echoplex Los Angeles, CA
- 11/28/2011 Harlow’s Night Club Sacramento, CA
- 11/29/2011 Bottom Of The Hill San Francisco , CA
Gary Cherone – HURTSMILE 2011 Tour
One of the tragically timed bands in existence… Extreme. They were too good to be lumped in with the “hairband” era, yet with their power ballads as their primary radio coverage – that’s what they got labeled. Then grunge came along and washed well-produced, melodic art-rock out to sea…
I was lucky enough to catch their Saudades de Rock tour in Cincinnati a few years ago (with King’s X, too!). Extreme’s power duo of Gary Cherone (vocals for Extreme & one-time Van Halen) and Nuno Bettencourt (guitars) are one of my favorite duos to watch – period. They work sooo well together. Well, Nuno is now a hired gun on tour (currently Rihanna); so Gary is heading out on the road with his side-band: Hurtsmile. It also has Gary’s brother Markus on guitars (who I saw in 1995 with the band FLESH with Nuno’s brother Paulo on vocals… incestuous Boston music scene – for sure!).
I shant be lucky enough to catch this tour… but if you’re in one of these spots in the U.S. or Japan, check it out. Gary is an impressive performer. 
Their self-titled debut album came out in February (see link to the right for sound samples).
Hurtsmile 2011 Tour
- May 13 – the Cube Club – Newark, DE
- May 14 – M3 Rock Festival – Columbia, MD
- June 3 – Club Red – Phoenix, AZ
- June 4 – Casino Del Sol – Tuscon, AZ
- June 24th – The Bottom Line / NAGOYA
- June 25th – Red Box / KURASIKI
- June 26th – Caravan Sary / KOCHI
- June 27th – Bigcat / OSAKA
- June 29th – Live House enn 2nd / SENDAI
- June 30th – OEast / TOKYO
- July 1st – Live Space C-moon FUKUSHIMA
- July 2nd – STB139 / TOKYO
- July 21 – B.B. Kings – New York, NY
- July 22 – Showcase Live – Foxboro, MA
http://www.hurtsmile.com/
~Dan – np: Placebo – Sleeping With Ghosts 
Help Japan earthquake victims!
If you have the means to help the victims of the Japanese earthquake and subsequent tsunami, please do so. At this stage, donations of money is likely the best way to help those in need. Make sure you are giving to a reputable charity. In times of need, wolves come out. I’d recommend a well-known, global charity such as the Red Cross.
http://www.redcross.org/
Related sidenote: The sludge metal band The Melvins played Australia & New Zealand and a serious earthquake hit. They are now in Japan. Please donate to the Red Cross and the Stop the Melvins from Bringing Earthquakes Fund. This band must be stopped… before it’s too late.
~Dan
PS- just kidding about the dangers of the Melvins, obviously. Long live King Buzzo & Co. They are doing well after Quake 2 in about a month. Our thoughts are with the victims’ families and those displaced in Australia, New Zealand and Japan in these disasters.
God of Shamisen – Smoke Monster Attack
God of Shamisen, led by shamisen master Kevin Kmetz, is putting out their second album – Smoke Monster Attack.
Teaming up with producer Billy Anderson, God of Shamisen returns with Smoke Monster Attack, their second album. Featuring some new tunes along with some interesting video game cover songs, the band is back to its genre-bending ways. Featuring Kevin Kmetz on the Japanese shamisen, Karl Schnaitter on guitar, Mark Thornton on bass, and Lee Smith from the band Estradasphere on drums. The band goes all over the place, from an aggressive new arrangement of the traditional “Jongara Bushi,” to the Indian-inspired mellow breakdowns of “Last Shamisen Master Attack,” to a wild metal cover of the “Star Wars” theme. The album is only available digitally, and features guest musicians Rick Walker (percussion), Rich Doucette (sarangi) and Takemi Hirohara (shamisen on “Tiger Feint Attack”). http://www.godofshamisen.com/
- Metal-Jongara Attack
- Dragon Quest Attack
- Last Shamisen Master Attack
- Tar Bomb Attack
- Sandcastle Attack
- Final Fantasy Attack 2010
- Tiger Feint Attack
- Star Wars Attack
- Dragon String Attack (Super Short Version)
Much of this material is actually from their sessions for EMI Japan, which never surfaced outside of Japan. They’re also releasing it in lossless FLAC format on LobeFood (not available yet).
Release date: November 23, 2010
~Dan – np: Ikue Mori – Painted Desert
There is no free mp3 download or flac torrent for this album on this blog (nor will there ever be). If you like music, support the artists. Buy it!!
Tool’s Lateralus (Japanese version)
Tool‘s “Lateralus” covered by various players of the Japanese musical instrument, the koto…
~Dan – np: Nellie McKay – Normal As Blueberry Pie
MxBx 3″
So, I got into Melt Banana (aka MxBx) when they put out a 5″ vinyl / 3″ CD split with Mike Patton’s Fantômas back in 2005 called “Animali in Calore Surriscaldati con Ipertermia Genitale / Cat in Red” on Italian label Unhip Records. MxBx are the Japanese noise metal cousin of Fantômas; so the split single as a marketing tool worked… I was hooked on Melt Banana.
They’ve got a new 3″ CD / 7″ vinyl coming out called “initial t.” on Init Records. Three songs were recorded in early 2008, and it allegedly picks up where their 2007 album Bambi’s Dilemma left off. The CD is packaged in a 3″ cardboard jacket. The vinyl’s first pressing is limited to 1,000 copies (200 on blue marble vinyl, 200 on mixed vinyl, 600 on black vinyl) and includes a download card for MP3’s of the record. Artwork on both the CD and vinyl is in “stunning full-color” by Aaron Horkey. It is expected to be available for pre-order from the Init website as of today, 10/1, and it ships in late October. They’re currently list as “coming soon”… so, if you’re one of the ones who wants to get a blue marble vinyl, keep your clicker finger warmed up.
They’ve swung through Eugene once since I’ve lived here, but I was unluckily out of town. Well, they’re playing Portland in December; so I’m there. Here are the rest of their US Tour dates for MxBx Lite (vocals guitar & drums):
- 10/29 Visalia, CA at Cellar Door
- 10/30 San Francisco, CA at Slims
- 11/01 San Diego, CA at Casbah
- 11/03 Tucson, AZ at Plush
- 11/04 Phoenix, AZ at Hollywood Alley
- 11/06 Denton, TX at Haileys
- 11/07 Austin, TX at FFF Fest
- 11/08 San Antonio, TX at Rock Bottom Bar
- 11/09 Houston, TX at Walters
- 11/10 New Orleans, LA at Republic
- 11/11 Pensacola, FL at Sluggo’s
- 11/12 Birmigham, AL at Bottle Tree Cafe
- 11/13 Athens, GA at 40 Watt Club
- 11/14 Gainesville, FL at Common Grounds
- 11/15 Tampa, FL at Crowbar
- 11/16 Orlando, FL at Back Booth
- 11/18 Columbia, SC at New Brookland Tavern
- 11/19 Chapel Hill, NC at Local 506
- 11/20 Washington, DC at Rock and Roll Hotel
- 11/21 Baltimore, MD at Ottobar
- 11/22 Philadelphia, PA at First Unitarian Church
- 11/23 New York, NY at Bowery Ballroom
- 11/24 Boston, MA at Middle East Downstairs
- 11/25 Hamden, CT at The Space
- 11/27 Buffalo, NY at Mohawk Place
- 11/28 Detroit, MI at The Pike Room at Crofoot Ballroom
- 11/29 Cleveland, OH at Grog Shop
- 11/30 Chicago, IL at Bottom Lounge
- 12/01 Minneapolis, MN at 7th Street Entry
- 12/02 Madison, WI at High Noon Saloon
- 12/03 Iowa City, IA at Picadur
- 12/04 Sioux Falls, SD at Nutty’s
- 12/05 Omaha, NE at Waiting Room
- 12/07 Denver, CO at Bluebird Theater
- 12/08 Salt Lake City, UT at Urban Lounge
- 12/10 Missoula, MT at Badlanders
- 12/11 Seattle, WA at Chop Suey
- 12/12 Portland, OR at Dante’s
- 12/15 Pomona, CA at Glasshouse
- 12/16 Los Angeles, CA at Troubadour
~Dan – np: SF Jazz Collective (Dave Douglas, Joe Lovano, Miguel Zenon, etc) – Live 2009
-Eyvind Kang
-Frank Zappa
Amazon.com mp3 downloads
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