Few examples showcase egos quite like a classic rock guitar player. The analogy of the guitar as an extension of the male genitalia becomes uncomfortably accurate as faces become more contorted and one-upmanship reaches eye-rolling proportions. Even when a shredder such as Ace Frehley gives a guitar lesson, his patience dissolves as he attempts to slow his solos down to single notes, his smirk betraying the humor in amateurs trying to match his golden fingers, his sunglasses hiding the laughter in his eyes. Naoko Yamano, frontwoman for Osaka rock icons Shonen Knife, shares a similar attitude.
"I cannot play very technical on guitar," she says, when discussing her love for hard rock staples such as KISS and Rush. "Or very technical drums. Or bass guitar. We try to make music right our way."
We, of course, were being facetious above when discussing Yamano's attitude toward her own virtuosity. The band's lyrical content—ranging from a love for Ramen noodles to shopping sprees—appears perfectly at home in an alt-rock scene dripping with irony. Except for the sincerity in Shonen Knife's performances.
That candidness made fans out of some of the biggest stars in the '80s-'90s alternative rock scene, some of the musicians who found equal parts passion and apathy made for some damn good songwriting. Bands like Nirvana. Kurt Cobain declared himself "transformed into a nine year-old girl at a Beatles concert" when he caught Shonen Knife live, and Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore championed the group, helping schedule its first U.S. show.
Yamano didn't realize who Nirvana was when the band asked her group to tour with it during 1991. She recalls friendly conversations with the iconic guitarist, and Dave Grohl helping her sister and then-drummer Atsuko Yamano arrange her set. A collection of 20 alt-rock acts—including Sonic Youth, L7 and Big Dipper—released covers compilation Every Band Has a Shonen Knife Who Loves Them.
Owning the allegiance and approval of some of the biggest names in alternative rock history might legitimize the rock star ego referenced above. Yamano was charmed by the honors bestowed upon her but avoids getting caught up in it, and outright denys the possibility that she and her crew could have the slightest influence on iconic acts such as Nirvana. Shonen Knife doesn't exist to change the world (her words).
Shonen Knife represents the mechanics of the punk credo—trim the fat, leave the lean meat—as much as its forbearers, The Ramones (the band released a cover album, The Osaka Ramones, in 2012). Much like pre-Rocket to Russia Ramones, Shonen emphasizes bounce before technicality in its music, fun before politics in its lyrics. "Shonen Knife" translates to "boy knife" in Japanese, with the "knife" representing the sharp edge of rock music and "boy" reflecting the sweetness of that gender, at least according to Yamano.
Overdrive, the band's 2014 release, reaches for both. "Black Crow" references Yamano's recent interest in heavy metal, lumbering along at Black Sabbath pace. "Dance To The Rock" follows, leading a streak of pop-punk numbers including "Ramen Rock" and "Shopping." Eventually the tracklist gets to "Robots From Hell," the heaviest number on the record.
You can be forgiven for raising an eyebrow when a song titled "Robots From Hell" plays on a Japanese rock album. Rock bands comprised of women struggle to escape sideshow status in the United States, as Jack White recently noted to Sirius XM during an interview. Now add a group of Japanese women singing about sci-fi and Ramen? The potential kitsch-status skyrockets. Yamano again pushes gender politics aside, noting that if her concerts are full (and they are), who cares what the listeners are thinking?
Regardless of intentions, Shonen Knife represents more for its homeland than any riot grrrl act could. Arguing against a gender gap in the United States would be foolish, but the divide between men and women in Japan is more dismal. Research from The Economist indicates that Japan is second worst among first world nations for women in the work force, and the country has one of the worst rates of female participation in government as well. Such circumstances make an act like Shonen Knife—which has kept moving forward for more than 30 years and 20 albums—all the more relevant in context.
Shonen Knife celebrated another momentous occasion in September, playing its thousandth show in St. Paul. The group took requests from fans, stretching all the way back to hits such as "Miracles" from its 1982 debut album Minna Tanoshiku (or Everybody Happy). The rock star career has played out fairly well for a guitarist who describes herself as "very lazy." An averseness to writing new music and the lack of technical chops are all examples of Yamano being one of the most forthright (and polite) individuals in music. There's only one thing she won't answer: Of all the tributes on Every Band Has a Shonen Knife Who Loves Them, which was her favorite?
"I cannot choose one because every band played songs with the love of Shonen Knife," she answers in a motherly fashion. "If I choose one, the other bands will get sad so it's difficult."
Shonen Knife will play at The Knitting Factory in Brooklyn on October 22 as part of the CMJ Music Marathon. Tickets are available at Ticketweb.com. Overdrive is available in the United States via Good Charamel Records.
