|
left to right: Johnny, Gaijin, Aron, Simon Young, and Tyler Chen
[ArticleMedia]
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
By Aquila Wilmes
There are many bands out there just waiting to be discovered, and make it to the big leagues. The Slants are right there in the middle between not discovered and already discovered.
From our very own Portland, Oregon, The Slants have made quite a ruckus within the music realm with their new music. It’s easy to compare The Slants to already existing Asian genres such as: Canto-pop, J-metal, Viet Core but they are much more complex, their music is a form of Asian synth-pop.
Since the creation of the band, The Slants have toured the country five times, have turned down a million dollar recording contract as well as being banned from a venue in Portland due to breathing fire, and were the first and only Asian band to be a Fender Music featured artist.
Simon Young, who left his group, The Stivs, to start a synth-pop outfit, founded The Slants in 2005. He wanted to created synthesizer-driven rock n’ roll but with an Asian twist. With this dream Young began looking for just the right musicians to create the music.
Gaijin, even though he was not Asian himself, was the first to accept Young’s call for a musician. The two of them found common love for The Faint, Depeche Mode, New Order, Joy Division and of course, sushi. With this in common they rounded up a few more key members and in mid-2007 The Slants were formed and began playing their music.
Only a few months after their show they began receiving attention from international press. Most were amazed by their live shows and their modern twist on a classic sound.
In August of 2007 they released a demo version of Slanted Eyes, Slanted Hearts and within six months all 1,000 copies of these demos were sold. With that they began preparing for an official release of the album.
Slanted Eyes, Slanted Hearts was released in 2008 with new mixes and artwork. They began touring relentlessly in support of the album which included cross country tours, appearances in rock clubs, anime conventions, cultural festivals, and industry gatherings.
They have played with some of the hottest up and coming bands from Japan such as Ketchup Mania, Candy Spooky Theatre, and Lin Clover.
With the album, Aron’s voice reflects love and loss, as well as thoughtful prose about struggling with an Asian identity in American Society. The Slants songs have not only appealed to the Asian community but they have also related to kids who have an adoration for anime which makes them outsiders in their own way.
With Aron singing, Simon on bass, Johnny playing the guitar, Tyler Chen on the drums, and former member Gainjin on keyboard, it is no wonder why The Slants have made such a commotion in the music world.
|