The Slants
The Slants | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Slants |
| Origin | Portland, Oregon USA |
| Genres | Rock, synthpop, electroclash |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels | Independent |
| Members | Simon "Young" Tam - Bass Joe X. Jiang - Guitar Ken Shima - Vocals Yuya Matsuda - Drums |
| Past members | AC- Drums Alex Racho- Drums Gaijin (Michael) - Keys Aimee Scarlett - Vocals Gwei Lo (Pete)- Guitar Jon Bailey - Drums Johnny Fontanilla - Guitar Aron Moxley - Vocals Thai Dao - Keys/Guitar Will Moore - Guitar Tyler Chen - drums |
| Website | www.theslants.com |
The Slants are known as the first all-Asian American dance-rock band in the world.[1][2][3] The band was founded by Simon Young (also known as Simon Tam) in 2006 in Portland, Oregon. Often compared with 80’s synth-pop bands such as Depeche Mode, New Order, and Joy Division, as well as modern acts such as The Killers and The Bravery, the band often refers to their sound as "Chinatown Dance Rock".[4][5] All four members of the current lineup are of Asian Pacific Islander descent and they are well known for their involvement with the Asian American community, often playing at large cultural festivals and anime conventions, and fighting racist ideas/stereotypes.[6] The band is well known in legal circles due to their battle with the United States Trademark Office with In Re Tam.
Formation
The band was formed after posting ads to local classifieds, Craigslist and online ads. The process took 2 years to finalize the initial line-up.[7]
The band name, The Slants, was derived from three sources. The first is the band members' perspective or 'slant' on life, the second, as a musical reference. The founder/bassist, Simon Young, stated
"It actually sounds like a fun, 80s, New Wave-kind of band. And it’s a play on words. We can share our personal experiences about what it’s like being people of color—our own slant on life, if you will. It’s also a musical reference. There are slant guitar chords that we use in our music." [8]
The third source of their band's name—a reference to their ethnicity—was the subject of a protracted legal debate.[9] After the band's request to trademark its name was denied, they took the issue to court. In December 2015, a federal appeals court overturned a previous ruling that upheld the United States Patent and Trademark Office's rejection of the band's application by striking down part of a law that allowed the government to reject trademarks it deemed offensive or disparaging to others.[10] The majority opinion stated, in part, that "[w]hatever our personal feelings about the mark at issue here, or other disparaging marks, the First Amendment forbids government regulators to deny registration because they find speech likely to offend others."[11] The band's frontman Simon Tam explained that while the First Amendment should protect the band's right to use the name regardless of their reasons, they had chosen the name in order "to undercut slurs about Asian-Americans that band members heard in childhood, not to promote them."[12]
After multiple lineup changes with different instrumentation, the band finally settled on being a four-piece outfit featuring the members Kenshin Shima as lead singer, Simon Young on bass, guitarist Joe X. Jiang, and Tyler Chen playing drums.
Musical characteristics and influence
The Slants describe themselves as "Chinatown Dance Rock," [13] and are often compared to electro rock bands such as The Faint or early 80's synthpop groups such as Depeche Mode, The Cure, Duran Duran, The Cult, and Joy Division. Critics also compare The Slants with modern artists such as The Killers, VNV Nation, and Mindless Self-Indulgence.[14]
Notable accomplishments
The Slants are the world’s only Asian Fender Music spotlight artist.[15]
In 2008, The Slants competed in Bodog Music Battle of the Bands for the opportunity to be featured on the Fuse TV reality show and win a $1 million recording contract.[16] The band consistently placed first in every round of the competition. However, when they learned that they would be required to sign a 73-page non-negotiable contract in order to continue the competition, they dropped out. The band reasoned: "This was just not the right fit for our band at this time – or any band, really."[17]
The Slants have garnered a niche fan-base of otaku as a result of their appearances at anime conventions. The band has also been featured in the shōjo manga magazine Shojo Beat,[18] as well as partnering with the magazine and Sakura-Con for a Hello Kitty guitar contest.[19]
Their debut Slanted Eyes, Slanted Hearts was listed in the top 5 Asian-American albums of 2007 by AsiaXpress[20] and has won accolades such as “Album of the Year” from the Portland Music Awards,[21] Willamette Week, RockWired, and others.
In 2009, the band released a collection of Dance Dance Revolution-styled remixes of their debut album, "Slanted Eyes, Slanted Hearts" and donated 100% of the profits to cancer research for Asian women.[22]
In 2011, The Slants were featured on the front page of the Oregonian for fighting the United States Patent and Trademark Office over the right to protect their name.[23]
In 2011, The Slants were added to the Armed Forces Entertainment roster and invited to perform for active troops serving overseas.[24][25]
In 2012, the band issued their fourth release, "The Yellow Album." [26]
In 2015, the band embarked on their 22nd national tour, called "Slantsgiving," to promote their upcoming release, "Something Slanted This Way Comes" and a new smartphone designed by Neoix.[27] Shortly after the tour, The Slants prevailed in their trademark battle against the US government, helping expand the First Amendment for all Americans.[28]
Official biography
What originated as a side project for Simon Young (of The Stivs) in 2007, the Slants are the first and only all Asian synth-pop bands in North America and are increasing in popularity.
Kicking off the band's career at a tiny dive bar in Portland, OR, The Slants soon found themselves on tour and in demand worldwide performing at music halls, colleges, and anime conventions. Within months, they released their debut album "Slanted Eyes, Slanted Hearts" winning multiple awards from the likes of Willamette Week, Rockwired, AsiaXpress, and the Portland Music Awards. Since that first iconic show in 2007, The Slants have been cited as the "Hardest Working Asian American Band" (slanteyefortheroundeye.com), toured North America ten times, rejected a million dollar recording contract, were the first and only Asian band to be a Fender Music artist, and according to U.S Congress, the first rock band to play inside a state library.
The Willamette Week, summarizes The Slants' history: "It's a great story: All-Asian synthcore troupe lands anime festival, achieves instantaneous notoriety from overpacked fireball-laden maelstrom, inspires John Woo and Dragon Ball Z fans toward aggro electro and--just months after its first practice--books gigs across the globe. As shadow-warriory as the Slants' rise has been, it's still all about the tunes, and the band's debut--floor-filling synth pop bristling with all the menace and grandeur of its oft name-checked cultural icons--is propulsive, cinematic and impossible to ignore."
By the end of 2008, the band had been featured in over 1,200 magazines, radio stations, websites, and television shows for their self-proclaimed "Chinatown Dance Rock," including a feature on NPR's "All Things Considered" that blasted across 700 FM stations across the country for months.
The following year, The Slants headlined a SXSW showcase (other acts at the festival included Katy Perry, Metallica, and Devo), launched several more tours spanning North America, and released a dance remix album entitled "Slants! Slants! Revolution," while donating 100% of the proceeds to benefit cancer research affecting Asian American women.
2010 saw the release of The Slants' third album, "Pageantry." Pageantry featured a number of local icons including Cory Gray (The Decemberists), Krista Herring, Mic Crenshaw, and Gabe Kniffin (Silversafe). The harder hitting, guitar driven songs still featured The Slants' signature dance rock flavor and touring followed.
In 2012, The Slants released The Yellow Album.
The Slants have shared the stage with acts such as apl.de.ap (Black Eyed Peas), Vampire Weekend, Girl Talk, Girugamesh, M.O.V.E and Boom Boom Satellites.[29]
On December 22, 2015, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled in favor of The Slants regarding the trademark case against the United States Trademark and Patent Office who had sought to prevent The Slants from trademarking their name considering it offensive towards people of Asian descent.[30] The case was appealed to the Supreme Court, which agreed to hear the case.[31]
Discography
Slanted Eyes, Slanted Hearts
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sakura Sakura" | 3:48 |
| 2. | "Capture Me Burning" | 3:53 |
| 3. | "We Will Never Die" | 3:34 |
| 4. | "Stranglehold" | 3:36 |
| 5. | "Haruki Murakami" | 1:12 |
| 6. | "Love Within My Sins" | 3:55 |
| 7. | "Jin-Do" | 0:59 |
| 8. | "I Want Everything" | 2:47 |
| 9. | "Kokoro (I Fall to Pieces)" | 4:27 |
| 10. | "Welcome to Doomtown" | 4:35 |
| 11. | "Vice Versus Virtue" | 4:08 |
Slants! Slants! Revolution
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Kokoro (Son of Rust Heart of Everything Mix)" | 6:40 |
| 2. | "Vice Versus Virtue (Bad Love Mix)" | 4:03 |
| 3. | "Love Within My Sins (Dreamland Mix)" | 5:11 |
| 4. | "Capture Me Burning (Everything is Falling Apart)" | 3:15 |
| 5. | "Sakura Sakura (Warehaus Mix)" | 4:27 |
| 6. | "We Will Never Die (Hong Kong Mix)" | 4:32 |
| 7. | "Strangehold (Tokyo Mix)" | 4:04 |
| 8. | "Welcome to Doomtown (Downtown Mix)" | 5:33 |
Pageantry
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Every Chance I Get" | 3:41 |
| 2. | "You Make Me Alive" | 4:19 |
| 3. | "Lucky Strike" | 3:58 |
| 4. | "Who Shot The Radio?" | 3:59 |
| 5. | "The Pagentry" | 4:35 |
| 6. | "I Wanna Break You Down" | 4:51 |
| 7. | "Astoria" | 4:27 |
| 8. | "Running With The Dead" | 4:15 |
| 9. | "Fight For Future" | 4:40 |
| 10. | "How The Wicked Live" | 4:32 |
| 11. | "Heartbeat Is Heaven (unreleased)" | 5:12 |
The Yellow Album
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Introduction" | 0:28 |
| 2. | "Con Kids" | 3:45 |
| 3. | "Love Letters From Andromeda" | 3:45 |
| 4. | "Adopted" | 3:23 |
| 5. | "Misery" | 2:50 |
| 6. | "Unconventional Ways" | 3:36 |
| 7. | "Let the Right One In" | 3:29 |
| 8. | "Just One Kiss" | 3:30 |
| 9. | "Rescue Me From My Own Heart" | 3:13 |
| 10. | "Been Through Hell" | 3:05 |
| 11. | "Sew Hearts" | 3:11 |
| 12. | "Sour Love" | 4:31 |
| 13. | "Yellow" | 3:26 |
References
- ^ Oregon Music News: The World's Only Asian American Dance Rockers
- ^ Channel APA: How the Wicked Live
- ^ Azn Lover: The Slants exclusive interview
- ^ Seattle Weekly: Live Music Roundup
- ^ theslants.com
- ^ The Slants: Trading in Stereotypes on NPR's "All Things Considered"
- ^ An interview with the rock/synth/electro band that frequents anime conventions on IGN.com
- ^ TIME Magazine “The Slants” Suit: Asian-American Band Goes to Court Over Name
- ^ "Government Can't Deny Trademarks Over Offensive Names, Appeals Court Rules". NPR.
- ^ Gardner, Eriq Rock Band Wins First Amendment Appeal Over "Disparaging" Trademarks Hollywood Reporter. December 26, 2015
- ^ "Government Can't Deny Trademarks Over Offensive Names, Appeals Court Rules". NPR. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
- ^ Sandomir, Richard. "Ruling Could Help Washington Redskins in Trademark Case". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
- ^ The Slants' Electronic Presskit on Sonicbids
- ^ Frantikmag's Review of Pageantry
- ^ :: Fender.com Featured Artist: The Slants ::
- ^ Asian Rock Band The Slants Sweeps Northwest Semi-Regional Finals in Bodog Music Battle of the Bands to Secure Place in TV Series - Anime News Network
- ^ The Slants turn down chance to win recording contract, TV spot
- ^ press
- ^ Asian Dance-Rock Band The Slants Give Away Fender Hello Kitty Guitar - Anime News Network
- ^ Top 5 Asian-American albums in 2007 - The Slants - Asiaxpress.com - Features
- ^ Portland Music Awards
- ^ The Slants Get Remixed for Cancer on antimusic.com
- ^ Portland band the Slants and the United States government ask: What's in a name? - The Oregonian
- ^ The Slants on Armed Forces Entertainment
- ^ Operation Gratitude: The Slants bring APIA rock to Sarajevo on Asian American Press
- ^ Willamette Week: Album Review: The Slants
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ Animecons.com biography for The Slants
- ^ [3]
- ^ Liptak, Adam (29 September 2016). "Law on Disparaging Trademarks Gets Supreme Court Review". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
External links
- The Slants' Official Website
- The Slants' Facebook
- The Slants' myspace page
- The Slants' YouTube video channel
- The Slants convention appearances on AnimeCons.com
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