INTERVIEWS
Shonen Knife: “Alive! In Osaka” and Still Going Strong By Michael Dowdell
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honen Knife, the Japanese pop-punk band, based in Osaka, Japan, is still rocking out. For three decades now, sisters Naoko and Atsuko have been making music, having started a band in the early ‘80s. Their music still has an impact in the entertainment industry today.
1960s girl bands, the Beatles, The Beach Boys, and the Ramones are all groups they credit as having heavily influenced their sound. As a matter of fact, the Ramones had such an influence on them, the sisters even performed for a while as a Ramones tribute band – The Osaka Ramones. ALIVE! In Osaka is the band’s first live album released in ten years, accompanied by a DVD, and features Shonen Knife classics such as “Rock N Roll Tee Shirt,” “Sushi Bar Song,” and “Twist Barbie” and was filmed at the same location as the previous live album Live in Osaka. Having been through several member lineups, Shonen Knife has stayed a steady course and has an avid fan base, even garnering the attention of Kurt Cobain in 1991. With over 20 studio albums under their belt, the release of a live album, and their unique fashion style, we were pleased to feature the Naoko and Atsuko and their band, Shonen Knife, to learn more about them, and the bond between these two sisters. Your band has been going strong for
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37 years now. How are you able to continue creating great music and staying relevant? Naoko: I’m lazy and just doing something spontaneous for that reason. I don’t realize so many years have passed. I can say one thing when I see our audience’s smiley face, I can be motivated. I’m happy if people get happy through our music. You have been making music together and traveling and touring for a long time. Does being in the band together support the sister bond and keep you close to one another? Naoko: Touring with my sister is easy for me. We share a hotel room and can be relaxed. I’m living in Osaka, Japan and Atsuko is living in Los Angeles, so touring together can be kind of a reunion. The good thing about playing with my sister is it’s easy to communicate, especially on stage. How did the two of you find out you had a love for music that you decided to start a band and travel the world; it is fantastic to see such a diverse fanbase. Naoko: We usually don’t have any
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conscious that we love music, it’s simply a sensuous thing. We feel good when listening to music. It is amazing and lucky that we can travel the world and play in front of our fans. Naoko, when did you first learn to play guitar? Naoko: When I was 15, I asked my mother to buy an acoustic guitar. She bought it for me, and I started to play, but it was too difficult. It was too sore for my fingers to hold the guitar strings. Three years after, I bought a cheap yellow Stratocaster model and started to play. I’m a bad player still. Atsuko, you were initially the drummer, but because of some band changes, switched over to bass. Did you play bass before then, or was that something you had to learn? Atsuko: I played the bass guitar in high school. I was 16 years old when I started. I played for a couple of years, and then I started to play the drums in Shonen Knife. After the original bass player left the band, I took over playing the bass guitar. It was about 20 years since I picked up the bass, so I had to do some practicing! I really enjoy playing the bass guitar now. How about the songwriting process for the band? Is it an equal collaboration or is there any one member who takes the lead?
