In 1998 at The Troubadour in Los Angeles, CA on their Happy Hour tour, Shonen Knife was introduced by Joey Ramone as the “Osaka Ramones.” Upon their return to Japan that year, the all-female pop-punk band paid tribute to their heroes The Ramones by performing live as Osaka Ramones. Now to celebrate their 30th anniversary, Shonen Knife has released a thirteen song album, Osaka Ramones: A Tribute to The Ramones. Continue reading »
Take one part punk, mix in one part glam, one part heavy metal and a whole lot of teenage sass and you get the perfect rock’n’roll band: The Runaways. Remarkably young – the oldest members of the band were 17 upon the release of their eponymous first record – the band dissolved amongst a haze of drug abuse and musical differences after four studio albums. Joan Jett continued to hold the punk torch post-breakup, building a successful career backed by the Blackhearts. Now indie rock’n’punk connoisseurs Main Man Records have compiled an extensive two-disc tribute celebrating the music of the Runaways.
The release is not without controversy. Jett and singer Cherie Currie have sued to block the release complaining that the label has used their names to promote the album without permission. Somewhat fitting given that in their time the stories that swirled around the band often overshadowed the music they made. Continue reading »