Nihon Rockers: Death Sentence: Panda!

By Angela Pappariella | Saturday, Dec 27, 2008

"Don't be quiet, or be killed", was the warning written all over the show. Luckily, no one was at risk of death.... except for maybe the panda. On this day, Nagoya's Karaoke Top One became a duel live house, alternating performances between studio A and studio B. The place was packed from early afternoon till around 10pm, with talented musicians frantically networking and energetic fans eager to support. These underground stars consisted of a few Nagoya reps, as well as bands from Tokyo, Kyoto, Nagasaki and even a group that came all the way from America. The event was called N.Y.M.F., which stands for Nagoya Mother Fucker - a statement for all the people who, "nod their heads like pigeons in this city".

I had a chance to talk with two of the bands and get to know a bit about them. Death Sentence: Panda! were the only gaijin group performing, and the first to get the crowd moshing. 

Who are you, and what are your weapons of choice?

Kim West on vocals with the saxophone and the flute, Paul Costuros with the clarinet and Chris Dixon on drums. We are Death Sentence: Panda! from San Francisco. 

How long have you been together and how did you start out?

We've been playing and touring together for four and half years across parts of the U.S. and Europe. We came together through our former bands Crack: We Are Rock, Total Shut Down, and Murder Murder. Upset The Rhythm is our London-based record label which put out our first CDR and sent us through a couple of tours.

What's the deal with your Japan tour?

It's something we've all wanted for a long time. Touring here has been such a big goal of ours, it's part of the reason we are in a band in the first place. Our tour here is for 15 days non-stop from Tokyo to Fukuoka. Also, our first official release came out in Japan first but didn't get to America or Europe until October this year. It's called Insects Awaken. 

How do you compare Japan's rock scene with the scene from back home?

We see it's obvious American music has made a big impact. We've seen a lot of American hardcore and punk, which is cool since we don't see it too much at home now.... it's refreshing. We aren't as biased towards the music here since the language is different so we can accept the whole thing. We've seen some really good bands, and our biggest shock was how much everyone seems to care about what they're doing. They don't half-arse it. This show is totally cool... they have handmade zines, CDs and records. Our friend Joe told us this is the first show here of its kind. I find that hard to believe. It seems like they've been doing it forever at this venue. It's totally organized and everyone has got it together. We've also noticed the bands have been really diverse as far as genres go and how they sound. It reminds us a lot of San Francisco. Our bands that played together in the past didn't sound anything alike, so this is fun and exciting. 

www.myspace.com/deathsentencepanda

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