Mar 09, Los Angeles CA: Whisky a Go Go (9:30pm) Mar 10, Los Angeles CA: Planet LA Showcase, Good Hurt Club (10pm) Mar 11, Las Vegas NV: Neon Reverb Festival at Thunderbird Lounge (time tba) Mar 14, Glendale AZ: Copper State Tavern, Glendale AZ (11pm) Mar 15, Albuquerque NM: Planet LA Showcase, Cell Theatre (9pm) Mar 17, Austin TX: 16 Degrees SXSW Showcase, Krush Lounge (7pm) Mar 18, Houston TX: Meridian/Wired Live (10pm) Mar 19, Austin TX: Ruta Maya, Girls Rock Camp party (3pm) Mar 19, Austin TX: Valhalla, SXSW Showcase (10pm) Mar 20, Austin TX: Planet LA Daytime Showcase, Whole Foods Gateway Store (3pm) Mar 20, Taylor TX: Planet LA Evening Showcase, Armadillo Hall (11pm)
Mar 16 - The Bordello - Los Angeles, CA Mar 17 - The Big Spill Festival, Rock Bottom - San Antonio, TX Mar 20 - Girls Rock Camp Austin, Whole Foods roof patio (SXSW) - AUSTIN, Texas Mar 20 - Lamberts (SXSW) - Austin, TX
Originally from Fukuoka Japan and now stationed in Tokyo, BO-PEEP is an all girl indie rock power trio. Raised on a diet of '90s grunge and '70 punk spirit, BO-PEEP blends the undisciplined rage of the former with the revolutionary sound of the later.
Their three albums show a very delineated progression, from 0x3's first tentative steps into fuzzed out guitars, distorted drums and screeching vocals much like Mo'some Tonebender's early albums, to Time of Rock's full-on Guitar Wolf obliteration (the irony here being that Isamu Fujita of Mo'some Tonebender produced the album), and then to 2007's Is It Good For You?!! which is truly the best of both worlds.
Blending the razor sharp production of Time with the much more melodious Ox3, Is It Good For You?!! showcases both their abrasive balls-out rock and a new found melodic appreciation. Not that they've lost their edge over the years. Not in the least. Singer Mika Yoshimura still sings like an angry banshee while bassist Junko Himei and drummer Ryoko Nakano bring an unrelenting rhythmic barrage. While there are no concessions to anyone looking for an easily hum-able tune, there are moments of calm when the songs shine through, if only for brief moments.
Much like Mass of the Fermenting Dregs or Bleach03, BO-PEEP is part of the small but strong group of woman who aren't afraid to offend, and I mean that in a good way. BO-PEEP are unapologetically rough and raw, something both rare and desperately needed in the sometimes overly pop and plastic world of women in Japanese music.
Members Vocal Guitar: MIKA YOSHIMURA Bass; JUNKO HIMEI Drums: RYOKO NAKANO
History
2000 BO-PEEP is formed in Fukuoka 2000 First live show at CB in Fukuoka. 2001 1st album "8" is released. 2001 "Thousand-year Lighter" was released independently. 2001 Touring Tokyo, Osaka and other areas. 2002 BO PEEP goes on the road for a full tour. 2002 BO PEEP makes Tokyo their new home. 2003 Mini-album "0x3" (Mother Records) is released. 2003 "Heavy Baby", a self-produced event is regularly held at ZEPP Fukuoka. 2003 Touring Fukuoka and Osaka. 2004 Appearances at Shelter in Shimokitazawa. 2005 Performed at the "Independence D Vol. 0" event. 2005 "Time of Rock" (3rd Stone Records) produced by MO'SOME TONBEBENDER's Isamu Fujita is released. 2005 April / May Kansai and Kyushu tour was successful. 2006 April Touring in UK London, Brighton, Bornmouth and other areas. 2006 Fall Appearances at IN THE CITY in UK 2006 Fall Touring in UK London, York, Bath, Manchester and other areas. 2007 Jan. 3rd Album "Is It Good For You?!!" (3rd Stone Records) is released.
J-Pop and J-Rock are only the beginning. The modern Japanese music scene is just as vibrant and varied as any other music scene in the world. I'm Zac Bentz, writer, musician, designer and all around Japanese music fanatic. Here I hope to share with you a comprehensive (!!) list of Japanese artists and bands (with a strong focus on underground and indie acts) that you may or may not have heard of, in the hopes of expanding our mutual awareness of Japanese music.
I don't mean to suggest that everything I listen to is great. Quite the contrary, I hope that you will take the time to recommend your own favorite artists in the comments so that we can all learn a bit more about the huge range of Japanese music that's out there.
"The best Japanese music blog in the world." - Door Slam "Definitely a must-visit for J-pop and J-rock fans!" -The Otaku "Zac Bentz loves music. A lot." -Japanator "Very cool!" -J-ENT "...one of the foremost blogs and information centers on all J-pop and J-rock...the top source for tour information on Japanese bands in the US..." -YankeeOtaku "Wer mehr darüber wissen will, der sollte sich mal hier umschauen, ein sehr gutes J-Music Blog übrigens." -CommandSheep "...very well-written, and there’s an excellent range of artists...a useful resource." -International Wota "не плохая энциклопедия японских исполнителей/групп" -Diary.ru "Great resource for Japanese music fans who want to explore today's J-rhythms beyond Johnny's Entertainment bishonen music and anime music. XD" -Kaishi "If you are a J-Rock fan, [ZB's A-Z] is a must see." -Crunchyroll community "Otaku USA magazine finally got wise and hired Zac Bentz as a J-music contributing editor."-Radicalpatriot "Reviews practically every Asian band that has ever created a recording."- Zallie "Gewährt spannende Einblicke in die japanische Musikszene." -Laut.de
