Shonen Knife
Encyclopedia
Shonen Knife, written in Japanese characters as 少年ナイフ, which transliterates as Shōnen Naifu, literally "Boy Knife," is an all-female Japanese pop-punk band formed in Osaka
, Japan, in 1981. Heavily influenced by 1960s girl group
s, pop
bands, The Beach Boys
, and early punk rock
acts, such as the Ramones
, the trio crafts stripped-down songs expressing infectious melodies and simplistic, exuberant lyrics sung both in Japanese and English.
Despite their pop-oriented nature, the trio maintains a distinctly underground
garage rock
sound rooted in edgy instrumentation and D.I.Y. aesthetics, which over the course of their long career has earned them a solid, worldwide cult following and made avid fans out of seminal '90s alternative rock
acts such as Sonic Youth
, Nirvana
, and Redd Kross
. The band has been credited with making "the international pop underground more international" by "opening it up to bands from Japan". They have also performed as a Ramones tribute band
under the name The Osaka Ramones.
, Japan with sisters Naoko Yamano
and Atsuko Yamano
and their friend Michie Nakatani
. Naoko sang lead and played guitar
, Nakatani was also a lead singer and played bass
and keyboards
, and Atsuko sang backup, played drums
, and designed their stage outfits. The group was something of an anomaly when they started, as they were coming in at a time where all-female bands were quite scarce. Influenced by 1970s punk rock
/new wave
bands such as The Ramones and Buzzcocks
while ignoring the then-rising, early J-Pop
movement, the trio began crafting energetic rock
songs rooted in rough instrumentation and do-it-yourself ethos. However, unlike traditional rebellious punk rockers, the trio emphasized positivity using catchy, upbeat melodies and frivolous, carefree lyrics that often touched on sweets
and animals. The group eventually came to describe their music as, "oo-oo-ultra-eccentric-super-cult-punk-pop-band-shonen-knife!" Shonen Knife performed their very first gig on March 14, 1982 at Studio One, a club in Osaka
, before a small audience of thirty-six who paid one hundred yen each. Later that August, they released their first independent album, Minna Tanoshiku
on cassette.
Following their first Tokyo gig at Hosei University, Shonen Knife released their debut album Burning Farm
on Zero Records on July 21, 1983. They then contributed to the Zero Record compilation album AURA MUSIC which included three of their songs,"Watchin' Girl", "Banana Fish", "Parrot Polynesia", and which was released on November 15. Their second album, Yama-no Attchan
, was released by Zero on May 25, 1984. Named after drummer Atsuko, the album saw the band slightly improving their musicianship and giving way to broader musical influences, ranging from Motown to heavy metal
, while maintaining their penchant for lighthearted lyrical topics like bike riding and insect collecting. At the end of the year, Shonen Knife contributed to another compilation, Huddle No Trouble, the two songs "Parrot Polynesia" and "Elephant Pao Pao" for Balcony Records.
imprint to K Records
of Olympia, Washington
, who decided to release the cassette in the United States. A year later, on June 20, 1986, Shonen Knife released their third album Pretty Little Baka Guy
. Four months later, the album was re-released with three additional live tracks. While their records had previously been available in the U.S. solely through import, in 1986, Shonen Knife managed to strike a chord with the American underground rock scene when one of their tracks, "One Day of the Factory," appeared on a Sub Pop 100
compilation. The album was released on November 1, 1986 by the independent record label Sub Pop
. Soon after, Shonen Knife began receiving lucrative offers from a range of US labels. By this time, many alternative rock groups had begun citing Shonen Knife as a favorite of theirs, and the resulting word-of-mouth created significant exposure for the band. On March 26, 1987, the trio's songs begin receiving spins on BBC radio from the legendary English
disc jockey
John Peel
. After spending some time concentrating on their live performances, they had the opportunity to join Sonic Youth
as guests at the Muse Hall in Shinsaibashi
, Osaka. The two bands even shared a jam session
as an encore. They then embarked on their very first gig abroad, playing at 2nd Coming in Los Angeles with the support of Thurston Moore
of Sonic Youth and Jeff
and Steven McDonald
of Redd Kross
. Shonen Knife's popularity with alt-rock musicians was perhaps best expressed in 1989, when over twenty different bands came together to record renditions of their favorite Shonen Knife songs for a tribute album entitled Every Band Has A Shonen Knife Who Loves Them.
The trio's cult following by international audiences flourished during the early 1990s. After releasing a self-titled compilation album
comprising tracks from their first two albums in the US market, the trio began touring America on a somewhat regular basis and released their fourth album 712
on July 1, 1991 in Japan on Nippon Crown
. That same July, Sub Pop released "Neon Zebra" as a single in the US. Shortly after, a slightly different version of 712 was released in America by Rockville Records. In August, Shonen Knife was featured on CNN News during its This Week In Japan special. On September 25, Pretty Little Baka Guy was re-released in the US by Tokuma Japan. The 1991 US re-release of the album was coupled with eight live recordings from 1982 and 1990. The trio performed with Fugazi at the Sun Hall in Shinsaibashi, Osaka on November 14. Days later, the Christmas
-themed single "Space Christmas" was released to British and American audiences by Seminal Twang and Rockville Records, respectively.
It was in 1991 that Shonen Knife came to find their biggest fan in the form of Kurt Cobain
. Cobain had seen them play in LA and had come to deeply enjoy their music:
Nirvana
asked Shonen Knife to serve as their opening act for their UK tour, just prior to the release of their breakthrough album, Nevermind
. Yamano later admitted that when Cobain asked them to open for his band, they had no idea what Nirvana was.
Furthermore, despite Cobain's reputation for being difficult, Yamano states working with him was a friendly experience, describing Cobain as "quiet, but very nice". From November 24 to December 11, Shonen Knife toured with Nirvana and Eugenious
all over the UK for a total of nine shows. On December 6, Shonen Knife headlined at Camden Underworld
in London, England. During their stay in the UK, the trio recorded a John Peel Session with BBC radio.
On February 22, 1992, Shonen Knife performed in a Valentine's Day concert sponsored by JA. At the time, Nirvana was touring Japan and was able to come to the venue, much to the delight of their Japanese audience. After touring through the US and signing onto Capitol Records
, the trio released their major-label debut, Let's Knife
, on August 26. They then embarked on a brief three-show tour through the UK. While on tour, the trio appeared at the 20th Reading Festival alongside bands such as Nirvana and Mudhoney
. They also recorded another John Peel Session and filmed a music video for "Riding On The Rocket" in London. On December 2, the group released the mini-album
Do The Knife on MCA Victor before going on another, longer UK tour with BMX Bandits
as their opening act.
As the early to mid-90s were the peak years for alternative rock, so were they for Shonen Knife's commercial success. After releasing Rock Animals in the UK on Creation-August Records, the trio once again enlisted the BMX Bandits for another eighteen-show tour through the UK. They followed it up by releasing the album in America on Virgin, along with the EP Favorites on March 2, 1994. From March 9 to 16, Shonen Knife shot the music video for "Tomato Head" in LA. The video came to be a quite popular on MTV
, eventually landing a spot on the station's hit animated series Beavis & Butthead. Shonen Knife then launched a twenty-nine-gig tour through the United States and Canada spanning April 14 to May 25. Over the course of the tour, the trio appeared on myriad radio programs and television shows, such as MTV's 120 minutes
and Conan O'Brien
. From August 17 through September 8, Shonen Knife joined in the traveling alternative rock festival Lollapalooza
. They ended the year by contributing a cover of "Top of the World" to the Carpenters
tribute album, If I Were A Carpenter.
Michie Nakatani left the band in December 1999, with Atsuko Yamano moving to bass. Mana Nishiura
took over on drums, but never officially joined the band. Nishiura played her first live show with the band in May 2001; she left in 2004. She died in a New Jersey
highway accident November 4, 2005 while touring the U.S. with DMBQ
.
While Mana was on an earlier tour with DMBQ in 2003, the group used drummer Etsuko "Ettchan" Nakanishi, who was eventually named the official, permanent drummer. On July 8, 2006, bassist Atsuko announced that, due to her marriage and subsequent move to Los Angeles, she had retired from Shonen Knife. However, Atsuko joined in the band's late-2007 tour. In October 2008, Shonen Knife announced that Ritsuko Taneda
, who had been the band's touring bass player for two years, had been promoted to full member. Ritsuko was a member of the group Denki Candy along with her female cousin.
The group had a song called "Buttercup (I'm a Super Girl)" that appeared on the Powerpuff Girls
soundtrack Heroes and Villains. A Shonen Knife cover of the Carpenters
' hit "Top of the World" was used in the 1998 remake of The Parent Trap
, a US television commercial for Microsoft, the credits music for the documentary Double Dare
, as the ending song for the movie The Last Supper and in summer 2006 by the BBC
in UK TV trailers for a season of nature programmes.
In 2009 Shonen Knife released the CD "Super Group" and signed in North America to Good Charamel Records, followed by a headline tour of the US and Canada in support of the release, including performances on MTVU and a headline performance at the Fun Fun Fun Festival in Austin TX.
In January 2010, the group released in Japan a 10-song album called Free Time
.
The band were chosen by Matt Groening
to perform at the All Tomorrow's Parties
festival he curated in May 2010 in Minehead, England. The band also announced they were embarking on a European and UK tour during the same month, which included 6 UK dates in Bristol, Glasgow, Leicester, Leeds, Brighton and London.
On 2 April 2010, just over a month before the tour was due to start, Etsuko posted on the group's blog to say that she'd left the group. On 9 April Naoko posted about the news on their record company's blog. The group did some recording and played some live shows with new drummer Emi Morimoto (formerly a member of bands Ni Hao!, mamastudio, Ultra Jr & NASCA CAR) before embarking on their European tour in May and a North American tour in September and October 2010.
In 2011 Shonen Knife celebrated their 30th anniversary and released "Osaka Ramones - Tribute to The Ramones", the album was recorded between Osaka, Japan and Buffalo, NY and co-produced by Robby Takac of the American rock band The Goo Goo Dolls. The release was followed by a world tour.
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, Japan, in 1981. Heavily influenced by 1960s girl group
Girl group
A girl group is a popular music act featuring several young female singers who generally harmonise together.Girl groups emerged in the late 1950s as groups of young singers teamed up with behind-the-scenes songwriters and music producers to create hit singles, often featuring glossy production...
s, pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
bands, The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
, and early punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
acts, such as the Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
, the trio crafts stripped-down songs expressing infectious melodies and simplistic, exuberant lyrics sung both in Japanese and English.
Despite their pop-oriented nature, the trio maintains a distinctly underground
Underground music
Underground music comprises a range of different musical genres that operate outside of mainstream culture. Such music can typically share common values, such as the valuing of sincerity and intimacy; an emphasis on freedom of creative expression; an appreciation of artistic creativity...
garage rock
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
sound rooted in edgy instrumentation and D.I.Y. aesthetics, which over the course of their long career has earned them a solid, worldwide cult following and made avid fans out of seminal '90s alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
acts such as Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
, Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
, and Redd Kross
Redd Kross
Redd Kross, a rock band from Hawthorne, California had their roots in 1978 in a band called The Tourists begun by Jeff and Steve McDonald while the brothers were still in middle school...
. The band has been credited with making "the international pop underground more international" by "opening it up to bands from Japan". They have also performed as a Ramones tribute band
Tribute band
A tribute act is a music group, singer, or musician who specifically plays the music of a well-known music act - sometimes one which has disbanded, ceased touring or is deceased. Probably the largest class of tributes acts are Elvis impersonators, individual performers who mimic the songs and style...
under the name The Osaka Ramones.
Formation
Shonen Knife was formed in December 1981 in OsakaOsaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, Japan with sisters Naoko Yamano
Naoko Yamano
is a member and founder of the Japanese rock trio Shonen Knife.-Biography:Naoko formed Shonen Knife in the December of 1981 in Osaka, Japan with her sister Atsuko Yamano and her friend Michie Nakatani. Naoko and Michie had developed a friendship while attending college together...
and Atsuko Yamano
Atsuko Yamano
is a founding member of the Japanese rock trio Shonen Knife. When the band was first started, Atsuko played drums and provided backup vocals. A former fashion designer, she was also responsible for designing the band's stage outfits...
and their friend Michie Nakatani
Michie Nakatani
is a Japanese musician, singer, and songwriter and was one of the founding members of the rock group Shonen Knife.- Early years :Michie was born October 8, 1961 in Osaka, Japan. She was an only child...
. Naoko sang lead and played guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, Nakatani was also a lead singer and played bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, and Atsuko sang backup, played drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, and designed their stage outfits. The group was something of an anomaly when they started, as they were coming in at a time where all-female bands were quite scarce. Influenced by 1970s punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
/new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
bands such as The Ramones and Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton in 1976, led by singer–songwriter–guitarist Pete Shelley.They are regarded as an important influence on the Manchester music scene, the independent record label movement, punk rock, power pop, pop punk and indie rock. They achieved commercial...
while ignoring the then-rising, early J-Pop
J-pop
, an abbreviation for Japanese pop, is a musical genre that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s. Modern J-pop has its roots in 1960s music, such as The Beatles, and replaced kayōkyoku in the Japanese music scene...
movement, the trio began crafting energetic rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
songs rooted in rough instrumentation and do-it-yourself ethos. However, unlike traditional rebellious punk rockers, the trio emphasized positivity using catchy, upbeat melodies and frivolous, carefree lyrics that often touched on sweets
SweetS
was a Japanese idol group. Put together through auditions, the group debuted in 2003 on the avex trax label. Although the group met minor success, they disbanded after three years with the release of a final single in June 2006....
and animals. The group eventually came to describe their music as, "oo-oo-ultra-eccentric-super-cult-punk-pop-band-shonen-knife!" Shonen Knife performed their very first gig on March 14, 1982 at Studio One, a club in Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, before a small audience of thirty-six who paid one hundred yen each. Later that August, they released their first independent album, Minna Tanoshiku
Minna Tanoshiku
Minna Tanoshiku or Everybody Happy is the first release by the Japanese band Shonen Knife. It was released in cassette-format only in 1982 in the band's native Japan. The first 50 copies were released by the band themselves, and the insert features the lip prints of the three band members, although...
on cassette.
Following their first Tokyo gig at Hosei University, Shonen Knife released their debut album Burning Farm
Burning Farm
Burning Farm is the first album by Shonen Knife. It is almost entirely in Japanese, with only "Twist Barbie" on the original release in English. The Japanese 8" vinyl had eight songs...
on Zero Records on July 21, 1983. They then contributed to the Zero Record compilation album AURA MUSIC which included three of their songs,"Watchin' Girl", "Banana Fish", "Parrot Polynesia", and which was released on November 15. Their second album, Yama-no Attchan
Yama-no Attchan
is the second album released by Shonen Knife and is almost exclusively in Japanese. The album was named after Atsuko, their drummer, the honorific "-chan" being added. Thus the title a bit of a pun, since the drummer's name is, when rendered Japanese style, Yamano Atsuko.The original Japanese 8"...
, was released by Zero on May 25, 1984. Named after drummer Atsuko, the album saw the band slightly improving their musicianship and giving way to broader musical influences, ranging from Motown to heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
, while maintaining their penchant for lighthearted lyrical topics like bike riding and insect collecting. At the end of the year, Shonen Knife contributed to another compilation, Huddle No Trouble, the two songs "Parrot Polynesia" and "Elephant Pao Pao" for Balcony Records.
Success
Towards the end of the decade and the beginning of the next, Shonen Knife would earn recognition by members of the burgeoning alternative rock scene. By June of the following year, the Burning Farm cassette had made its way from its KyotoKyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
imprint to K Records
K Records
K Records is an independent record label in Olympia, Washington, co-founded, owned, and operated by Calvin Johnson, formerly of the bands Cool Rays, Beat Happening, The Go Team, The Halo Benders and presently in the bands Dub Narcotic Sound System and The Hive Dwellers...
of Olympia, Washington
Olympia, Washington
Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...
, who decided to release the cassette in the United States. A year later, on June 20, 1986, Shonen Knife released their third album Pretty Little Baka Guy
Pretty Little Baka Guy
Pretty Little Baka Guy is a 1986 album by the female Japanese rock trio Shonen Knife. It was re-released in the US as side one of a record/tape, with side two being Live In Japan...
. Four months later, the album was re-released with three additional live tracks. While their records had previously been available in the U.S. solely through import, in 1986, Shonen Knife managed to strike a chord with the American underground rock scene when one of their tracks, "One Day of the Factory," appeared on a Sub Pop 100
Sub Pop 100
The Sub Pop 100 is a rock compilation album, released in July 1986 by the Sub Pop label.There were only 5000 of the compilation made, making it extremely popular amongst collectors.-Track listing:# "Spoken Word Intro Thing" - Steve Albini...
compilation. The album was released on November 1, 1986 by the independent record label Sub Pop
Sub Pop
Sub Pop is a record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman in Seattle, Washington. Sub Pop achieved fame in the late 1980s for first signing Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney and many other bands from the Seattle music scene...
. Soon after, Shonen Knife began receiving lucrative offers from a range of US labels. By this time, many alternative rock groups had begun citing Shonen Knife as a favorite of theirs, and the resulting word-of-mouth created significant exposure for the band. On March 26, 1987, the trio's songs begin receiving spins on BBC radio from the legendary English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
. After spending some time concentrating on their live performances, they had the opportunity to join Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
as guests at the Muse Hall in Shinsaibashi
Shinsaibashi
Shinsaibashi is a district in the Chūō-ku ward of Osaka, Japan and the city's main shopping area. It centers around Shinsaibashi-suji, a covered shopping street, that is north of Dōtonbori and parallel and east of Mido-suji street. Associated with Shinsaibashi, and west of Mido-suji street, is...
, Osaka. The two bands even shared a jam session
Jam session
Jam sessions are often used by musicians to develop new material, find suitable arrangements, or simply as a social gathering and communal practice session. Jam sessions may be based upon existing songs or forms, may be loosely based on an agreed chord progression or chart suggested by one...
as an encore. They then embarked on their very first gig abroad, playing at 2nd Coming in Los Angeles with the support of Thurston Moore
Thurston Moore
Thurston Joseph Moore is an American musician best known as a singer, songwriter and guitarist of Sonic Youth. He has also participated in many solo and group collaborations outside of Sonic Youth, as well as running the Ecstatic Peace! record label...
of Sonic Youth and Jeff
Jeff McDonald
Jeff McDonald is a rock and roll singer and guitarist who co-founded the alternative rock, power pop band Redd Kross with his younger brother Steven Shane McDonald and remains in the band. In the early 2000s he played in Ze Malibu Kids, with his wife, Charlotte Caffey, of The Go-Go's, his brother,...
and Steven McDonald
Steven Shane McDonald
Steven Shane McDonald is the bass player in the Los Angeles alternative rock/power pop band Redd Kross. He is also a member of the hardcore punk band OFF!, which formed in late 2009. Other projects included The SMG and Green and Yellow TV - both were Los Angeles-based groups from the 2000s...
of Redd Kross
Redd Kross
Redd Kross, a rock band from Hawthorne, California had their roots in 1978 in a band called The Tourists begun by Jeff and Steve McDonald while the brothers were still in middle school...
. Shonen Knife's popularity with alt-rock musicians was perhaps best expressed in 1989, when over twenty different bands came together to record renditions of their favorite Shonen Knife songs for a tribute album entitled Every Band Has A Shonen Knife Who Loves Them.
The trio's cult following by international audiences flourished during the early 1990s. After releasing a self-titled compilation album
Shonen Knife (compilation)
Shonen Knife is a 1990 release from Shonen Knife compiling their first two albums, Burning Farm and Yama-no Attchan , for the US market.-Track listing:#"Watchin’ Girl"#"Banana Fish"#"Miracles"#"Parallel Woman"#"Twist Barbie"...
comprising tracks from their first two albums in the US market, the trio began touring America on a somewhat regular basis and released their fourth album 712
712 (Shonen Knife album)
-Shonen Knife:*Naoko Yamano: vocals, guitars*Michie Nakatani: bass guitar, vocals*Atsuko Yamano: drums-Additional personnel:*Jeff McDonald: vocals*Pat Fear, Atsushi Shibata: guitars*Noboru Yamada: saxophone...
on July 1, 1991 in Japan on Nippon Crown
Nippon Crown
is a Japanese record label originally established as Crown Records on 6 September 1963. It is a spin-off of Nippon Columbia and is currently owned by karaoke maker Daiichikosho.-Artists:Artists signed to Nippon Crown Music include:* Hanaboy* Kimeru* Metis...
. That same July, Sub Pop released "Neon Zebra" as a single in the US. Shortly after, a slightly different version of 712 was released in America by Rockville Records. In August, Shonen Knife was featured on CNN News during its This Week In Japan special. On September 25, Pretty Little Baka Guy was re-released in the US by Tokuma Japan. The 1991 US re-release of the album was coupled with eight live recordings from 1982 and 1990. The trio performed with Fugazi at the Sun Hall in Shinsaibashi, Osaka on November 14. Days later, the Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
-themed single "Space Christmas" was released to British and American audiences by Seminal Twang and Rockville Records, respectively.
It was in 1991 that Shonen Knife came to find their biggest fan in the form of Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Donald Cobain was an American singer-songwriter, musician and artist, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the grunge band Nirvana...
. Cobain had seen them play in LA and had come to deeply enjoy their music:
Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
asked Shonen Knife to serve as their opening act for their UK tour, just prior to the release of their breakthrough album, Nevermind
Nevermind
Nevermind is the second studio album by the American rock band Nirvana, released on September 24, 1991. Produced by Butch Vig, Nevermind was the group's first release on DGC Records...
. Yamano later admitted that when Cobain asked them to open for his band, they had no idea what Nirvana was.
Furthermore, despite Cobain's reputation for being difficult, Yamano states working with him was a friendly experience, describing Cobain as "quiet, but very nice". From November 24 to December 11, Shonen Knife toured with Nirvana and Eugenious
Eugenius (band)
Eugenius was an indie rock band from Glasgow, Scotland that existed from 1990–1995, centred around former Vaselines singer/guitarist Eugene Kelly and featuring members of BMX Bandits and Teenage Fanclub.-History:...
all over the UK for a total of nine shows. On December 6, Shonen Knife headlined at Camden Underworld
Camden Underworld
The Camden Underworld is a music venue in Camden Town, London, England. The venue itself is a part of the World's End pub, being situated in the basement of the building.- History :...
in London, England. During their stay in the UK, the trio recorded a John Peel Session with BBC radio.
On February 22, 1992, Shonen Knife performed in a Valentine's Day concert sponsored by JA. At the time, Nirvana was touring Japan and was able to come to the venue, much to the delight of their Japanese audience. After touring through the US and signing onto Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
, the trio released their major-label debut, Let's Knife
Let's Knife
Let's Knife is a 1992 album recorded and released by the Japanese rock trio Shonen Knife, the group's first major-label release in the United States. It consists mostly of re-recordings of earlier songs, done in a more technologically advanced studio...
, on August 26. They then embarked on a brief three-show tour through the UK. While on tour, the trio appeared at the 20th Reading Festival alongside bands such as Nirvana and Mudhoney
Mudhoney
Mudhoney is an American alternative rock band. Formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1988 following the demise of Green River, Mudhoney's members are vocalist and rhythm guitarist Mark Arm, lead guitarist Steve Turner, bassist Guy Maddison, and drummer Dan Peters. Original bassist Matt Lukin left the...
. They also recorded another John Peel Session and filmed a music video for "Riding On The Rocket" in London. On December 2, the group released the mini-album
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
Do The Knife on MCA Victor before going on another, longer UK tour with BMX Bandits
BMX Bandits (band)
BMX Bandits are a Scottish 1960s-influenced guitar pop band who have been making music from 1986 to the present day. They have shared members with other Bellshill bands Teenage Fanclub and The Soup Dragons....
as their opening act.
As the early to mid-90s were the peak years for alternative rock, so were they for Shonen Knife's commercial success. After releasing Rock Animals in the UK on Creation-August Records, the trio once again enlisted the BMX Bandits for another eighteen-show tour through the UK. They followed it up by releasing the album in America on Virgin, along with the EP Favorites on March 2, 1994. From March 9 to 16, Shonen Knife shot the music video for "Tomato Head" in LA. The video came to be a quite popular on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, eventually landing a spot on the station's hit animated series Beavis & Butthead. Shonen Knife then launched a twenty-nine-gig tour through the United States and Canada spanning April 14 to May 25. Over the course of the tour, the trio appeared on myriad radio programs and television shows, such as MTV's 120 minutes
120 Minutes
120 Minutes is a television show in the United States dedicated to alternative music, originally airing on MTV from 1986 to 2000, and then on MTV's sister channel MTV2 from 2001 to 2003....
and Conan O'Brien
Conan O'Brien
Conan Christopher O'Brien is an American television host, comedian, writer, producer and performer. Since November 2010 he has hosted Conan, a late-night talk show that airs on the American cable television station TBS....
. From August 17 through September 8, Shonen Knife joined in the traveling alternative rock festival Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza is an annual music festival featuring popular alternative rock, heavy metal, punk rock and hip hop bands, dance and comedy performances, and craft booths. It has also provided a platform for non-profit and political groups. The music festival hosts more than 160,000 people over a...
. They ended the year by contributing a cover of "Top of the World" to the Carpenters
The Carpenters
Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo, consisting of sister Karen and brother Richard Carpenter. The Carpenters were the #1 selling American music act of the 1970s. Though often referred to by the public as "The Carpenters", the duo's official name on authorized recordings and...
tribute album, If I Were A Carpenter.
Michie Nakatani left the band in December 1999, with Atsuko Yamano moving to bass. Mana Nishiura
Mana Nishiura
was a drummer for Japanese alternative rock bands Shonen Knife and DMBQ. She died in a car accident in 2005.-Life and career:...
took over on drums, but never officially joined the band. Nishiura played her first live show with the band in May 2001; she left in 2004. She died in a New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
highway accident November 4, 2005 while touring the U.S. with DMBQ
DMBQ
DMBQ is a Japanese rock band from Tokyo, whose name stands for Dynamite Masters Blues Quartet. They are heavily influenced by British and American rock music of the early 1970s, especially bands such as The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Deep Purple, and Led Zeppelin.Shinji Masuko is a well-known...
.
While Mana was on an earlier tour with DMBQ in 2003, the group used drummer Etsuko "Ettchan" Nakanishi, who was eventually named the official, permanent drummer. On July 8, 2006, bassist Atsuko announced that, due to her marriage and subsequent move to Los Angeles, she had retired from Shonen Knife. However, Atsuko joined in the band's late-2007 tour. In October 2008, Shonen Knife announced that Ritsuko Taneda
Ritsuko Taneda
is a Japanese musician currently serving as bassist for pop punk group Shonen Knife. She toured with the band off and on for two years prior to 2008. When Atsuko Yamano, one of the band's founding members, decided to step down in 2008, Taneda was made permanent bassist for the band...
, who had been the band's touring bass player for two years, had been promoted to full member. Ritsuko was a member of the group Denki Candy along with her female cousin.
The group had a song called "Buttercup (I'm a Super Girl)" that appeared on the Powerpuff Girls
The Powerpuff Girls
The Powerpuff Girls is an American animated television series created by animator Craig McCracken and produced by Hanna-Barbera for Cartoon Network...
soundtrack Heroes and Villains. A Shonen Knife cover of the Carpenters
The Carpenters
Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo, consisting of sister Karen and brother Richard Carpenter. The Carpenters were the #1 selling American music act of the 1970s. Though often referred to by the public as "The Carpenters", the duo's official name on authorized recordings and...
' hit "Top of the World" was used in the 1998 remake of The Parent Trap
The Parent Trap (1998 film)
The Parent Trap is a remake of the 1961 family film of the same name. It was directed and co-written by Nancy Meyers, and produced and co-written by Charles Shyer. It stars Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson as a couple who divorce soon after marrying, and Lindsay Lohan in a dual role as their...
, a US television commercial for Microsoft, the credits music for the documentary Double Dare
Double Dare (documentary)
Double Dare is a 2004 documentary film about stuntwomen, specifically Jeannie Epper and Zoë Bell, directed by Amanda Micheli. The documentary follows Epper and Bell over several years, Epper from 1997 and Bell from the end of Xena: Warrior Princess in 2001, to 2003.-Overview:The film begins with...
, as the ending song for the movie The Last Supper and in summer 2006 by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
in UK TV trailers for a season of nature programmes.
In 2009 Shonen Knife released the CD "Super Group" and signed in North America to Good Charamel Records, followed by a headline tour of the US and Canada in support of the release, including performances on MTVU and a headline performance at the Fun Fun Fun Festival in Austin TX.
In January 2010, the group released in Japan a 10-song album called Free Time
Free Time (album)
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...
.
The band were chosen by Matt Groening
Matt Groening
Matthew Abram "Matt" Groening is an American cartoonist, screenwriter, and producer. He is the creator of the comic strip Life in Hell as well as two successful television series, The Simpsons and Futurama....
to perform at the All Tomorrow's Parties
All Tomorrow's Parties (music festival)
All Tomorrow's Parties is a music festival which takes place at Camber Sands holiday camp in East Sussex and Butlin's holiday camp in Minehead, Somerset, England....
festival he curated in May 2010 in Minehead, England. The band also announced they were embarking on a European and UK tour during the same month, which included 6 UK dates in Bristol, Glasgow, Leicester, Leeds, Brighton and London.
On 2 April 2010, just over a month before the tour was due to start, Etsuko posted on the group's blog to say that she'd left the group. On 9 April Naoko posted about the news on their record company's blog. The group did some recording and played some live shows with new drummer Emi Morimoto (formerly a member of bands Ni Hao!, mamastudio, Ultra Jr & NASCA CAR) before embarking on their European tour in May and a North American tour in September and October 2010.
In 2011 Shonen Knife celebrated their 30th anniversary and released "Osaka Ramones - Tribute to The Ramones", the album was recorded between Osaka, Japan and Buffalo, NY and co-produced by Robby Takac of the American rock band The Goo Goo Dolls. The release was followed by a world tour.
Current members
- Naoko YamanoNaoko Yamanois a member and founder of the Japanese rock trio Shonen Knife.-Biography:Naoko formed Shonen Knife in the December of 1981 in Osaka, Japan with her sister Atsuko Yamano and her friend Michie Nakatani. Naoko and Michie had developed a friendship while attending college together...
– lead vocals, guitar (1981–present) - Ritsuko TanedaRitsuko Tanedais a Japanese musician currently serving as bassist for pop punk group Shonen Knife. She toured with the band off and on for two years prior to 2008. When Atsuko Yamano, one of the band's founding members, decided to step down in 2008, Taneda was made permanent bassist for the band...
– bass, backing vocals (2006–present) - Emi Morimoto – drums, backing vocals (2010–present)
Former members
- Atsuko YamanoAtsuko Yamanois a founding member of the Japanese rock trio Shonen Knife. When the band was first started, Atsuko played drums and provided backup vocals. A former fashion designer, she was also responsible for designing the band's stage outfits...
– drums, vocals, bass (1981–2006; drums from 1981–1999, full-time bassist from 1999–2006; North American touring support bassist, 2006–2008) - Michie NakataniMichie Nakataniis a Japanese musician, singer, and songwriter and was one of the founding members of the rock group Shonen Knife.- Early years :Michie was born October 8, 1961 in Osaka, Japan. She was an only child...
– bass, vocals, keyboards(1981–1999) - Mana NishiuraMana Nishiurawas a drummer for Japanese alternative rock bands Shonen Knife and DMBQ. She died in a car accident in 2005.-Life and career:...
– touring drummer (2001–2004) - Etsuko NakanishiEtsuko Nakanishiis a drummer known most recently for being in the Japanese rock trio Shonen Knife. She initially began her career with Shonen Knife as one of many temporary drummers, first playing with the group on January 30, 2005 during a show in Osaka with The Shins...
– drums, backing vocals (2005–2010)
Discography
- 1982: Minna TanoshikuMinna TanoshikuMinna Tanoshiku or Everybody Happy is the first release by the Japanese band Shonen Knife. It was released in cassette-format only in 1982 in the band's native Japan. The first 50 copies were released by the band themselves, and the insert features the lip prints of the three band members, although...
- 1983: Burning FarmBurning FarmBurning Farm is the first album by Shonen Knife. It is almost entirely in Japanese, with only "Twist Barbie" on the original release in English. The Japanese 8" vinyl had eight songs...
- 1984: Yama-no AttchanYama-no Attchanis the second album released by Shonen Knife and is almost exclusively in Japanese. The album was named after Atsuko, their drummer, the honorific "-chan" being added. Thus the title a bit of a pun, since the drummer's name is, when rendered Japanese style, Yamano Atsuko.The original Japanese 8"...
- 1986: Pretty Little Baka GuyPretty Little Baka GuyPretty Little Baka Guy is a 1986 album by the female Japanese rock trio Shonen Knife. It was re-released in the US as side one of a record/tape, with side two being Live In Japan...
- 1991: 712712 (Shonen Knife album)-Shonen Knife:*Naoko Yamano: vocals, guitars*Michie Nakatani: bass guitar, vocals*Atsuko Yamano: drums-Additional personnel:*Jeff McDonald: vocals*Pat Fear, Atsushi Shibata: guitars*Noboru Yamada: saxophone...
- 1992: Let's KnifeLet's KnifeLet's Knife is a 1992 album recorded and released by the Japanese rock trio Shonen Knife, the group's first major-label release in the United States. It consists mostly of re-recordings of earlier songs, done in a more technologically advanced studio...
- 1993: Rock AnimalsRock AnimalsRock Animals is a 1994 album by the Japanese rock trio Shonen Knife. It features Sonic Youth guitarist Thurston Moore on the song "Butterfly Boy".-Track listing:All songs written by Naoko Yamano, except where noted.#"Quavers"#"Concrete Animals"...
- 1996: The Birds & the B-SidesThe Birds & The B-SidesThe Birds & The B-Sides is a collection of B-sides, cover versions, live releases and variants released by Shonen Knife.-Track listing:All songs written by Naoko Yamano, except where noted....
- 1997: Brand New KnifeBrand New KnifeBrand New Knife is a 1997 album by the Japanese rock trio Shonen Knife. The Japanese version of this album contains six tracks with English lyrics and seven versions of the tracks with Japanese lyrics. The U.S...
- 1998: Happy HourHappy Hour (Shonen Knife album)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.-Track listing:...
- 2000: Strawberry SoundStrawberry SoundStrawberry Sound is a 2000 album by the female Japanese rock group Shonen Knife. The cover art was by Rodney Greenblat.-Track listing:All songs written by Naoko Yamano, except "Mosquitoes" by Naoko Yamano/Atsuko Yamano.#"Side 1"#"Buggy Bug"...
- 2002: Heavy SongsHeavy SongsHeavy Songs is a 2002 album by the Japanese rock group Shonen Knife.-Track listing:#"A Map Master"#"AAA"#"Golden Years Of Rock'n Roll"#"Rubber Band"#"Heavy Song"#"A Boogie Monster"#"Mushroom Hair Cut"#"Whatever"#"Pigmy Jerboa"...
- 2003: Candy RockCandy RockCandy Rock is a 2003 album by the Japanese rock group Shonen Knife. It is one of their few albums not to be released in the United States...
- 2006: Genki Shock!Genki Shock!Genki Shock! is a 2006 album by the female Japanese rock trio Shonen Knife. The cover design was created by Naoko Yamano's toddler daughter, Emma.-Japanese edition:The cover of the Japanese edition has a yellow background.# "Rock Society"# "Sekai Chizu"...
- 2007: fun! fun! fun!Fun! fun! fun!Fun! fun! fun! is a pop-punk album by Shonen Knife, released in 2007 on Blues Interactions Japan. The album marked the 25th anniversary of the band....
- 2008: Super GroupSuper GroupSuper Group is an album by the female 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 Euruope in 2010...
- 2010: Free TimeFree Time (album)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...
- 2010: Live at Mohawk Place 2009
- 2011: Osaka Ramones