Shonen Knife: The Osaka Ramones?

07/29/1998 8:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Lesley Holdom

(7/29/98, 6 p.m. PDT) - Osaka, Japan-based alterna-popsters Shonen Knife have got a trick or two up their kimonoed sleeves. They've decided to become a Ramones cover band. "If we can, we're going to play a live show in Tokyo, and at that time we hope to invite Joey Ramone along as the vocalist," says guitarist/ vocalist Naoko Yamano "We'll call the band the Osaka Ramones. Just like in Shonen Knife, I'll play the guitar, Michie [Nakatani] will play the bass and Atsuko [Yamano] will play the drums, but we want to invite Joey Ramone to be the vocalist. We opened up the Ramones' shows twice in Osaka on their last tour of Japan."

So, are the girls going to dress up like the Ramones? "Yeah, of course! All of Shonen Knife have Ramones jackets."

Big Deal Records recently released Shonen Knife's Happy Hour, and the band is gearing up for a two-month U.S. tour.

To read a full Shonen Knife feature on myLAUNCH, click here.

-- Lesley Holdom, Los Angeles