Big news from the PNP-sphere as Mike Huguenor will be releasing a new book about our big bro Mike Park & Asian Man Records! Mike has been writing as long as I’ve known him, so shoutout the folks at Clash Books for recognizing the talent and giving the homie the platform to shine!!! Here’s what they have to say about the book:
Sourced from over a hundred hours of interviews with musicians, producers, booking agents, label owners, writers, fans, employees, volunteers, friends and family, Elvis is Dead, I’m Still Alive tells the singular story of Asian Man Records.
In its first thirty years, Asian Man Records released over 400 albums, all from the garage at Mike Park’s parents’ house. Founded when Park was in his early twenties, the label has started and supported the careers of musicians across many generations, all free from the pressures of the larger music industry. It seemed things could even stay that way forever, until an unexpected email arrived…
Spanning early releases by breakout artists like Less Than Jake and Alkaline Trio, to albums that went viral on TikTok, every record has its own story. All of them connect back to Mike Park, the record label founder, who went from struggling with racism as a Korean American in an overwhelmingly white town, to his current status as international underground inspiration.
Written by Mike Huguenor, a musician who has seen the label from inside and out, this music biography documents thirty years in the life of a record label unlike any other—the one and only Asian Man Records.
If you’d like to pre-order a copy CLICK HERE to get it directly from the publishers, Clash Books.
Considered one of the foundational bands of the indie-punk genre, Shinobu has been cited as an influence by both Joyce Manor and Touché Amoré. But back in 2002, when they began, they mostly seemed to confuse audiences. Back then, they used to describe their unique mixture of punk spirit, improvisational energy, and indie rock sensibility as “kind of loud and annoying,” in their self-written band bio. “Too underappreciated for too long,” is how Vice described them in 2015, when the band released their last album, the kaleidoscopic 10 Thermidor.
Now, ten years later, Shinobu is back with an anniversary reissue of 10 Thermidor on Lauren Records. Both their most respected and most conceptual album, 10 Thermidor is an indie rock fever dream of interrupted revolutions and traumatic echoes. Musically ambitious and dreamily detached, the album was described as “soft but intense” by Punknews, and “fun, catchy, strong,” by Dying Scene, upon initial release. Its re-release via Lauren Records follows a 15-year anniversary version of their previous album Strange Spring Air (2009) on animated zoetrope vinyl.
In their original run, Shinobu were at the front of a wave of millennial DIY indie-punk bands on Asian Man Records, who released the band’s second album, Worstward, Ho!, in 2005. After becoming friends with labelmates Bomb the Music Industry!, Shinobu released their next two records, Strange Spring Air and 10 Thermidor, on Jeff Rosenstock’s Quote Unquote Records (with vinyl co-released by Lauren Records and Really Records).
Originally released in a run of only 500, this new pressing of 10 Thermidor is the first time the album has been available since 2015. Printed on clear vinyl, like a ghostly apparition, it’s only appropriate that this album about echoes and reoccurrences be pressed again now, a decade later.
We’re excited to be carrying the new issue of the Softside zine in our mailorder section. Softside is a zine from Los Angeles artist Trever Ducote, and this new issue features an interview with PNP friend Rafa’s Tacos, along with a bonus song from PNP phamily member Cesar Ruiz. Check out the zine over at their IG page here.
Surprise! Here’s the 4-track debut for the Los Angeles trio, BULL SHANNON. Featuring Chris Candy (Chotto Ghetto) on vocals & bass, Bob Vielma (Shinobu, Fuss) also on bass, and Neil Hennessy (Lawrence Arms, Treasure Fleet) on drums, their dual bass style is surprisingly melodic and nimble. Pre-order the tape now and stay tuned for upcoming shows soon!
We’re super stoked be releasing the new album from our old friends, GEORGE CRUSTANZA, a smart, snotty and riffy hardcore band from the bay area. Pre-order the tape here! Available for streaming on all platforms today, though! WOO!
New DOGBRETH LP/CD/Cassette Believe This Rain coming this summer from Phat ‘n’ Phunky! Pre-order here!
Formed in 2009, Dogbreth is the vehicle for lead songwriter Tristan Jemsek and a rotating collective of friends to share intimate, open-hearted rock ‘n’ roll. Initially based in Phoenix, with a stint in Seattle before settling in Tucson, Jemsek is now joined by bandmates Logan Greene, Raybear, Ryan Petersavage, and Ty Rutkowski. The band has toured relentlessly over the years and has released 4 studio albums and multiple EPs to warm critical reception. On Believe This Rain the band continues to take influence from guitar-driven power pop and mid-80’s jangle rock, while embracing elements of experimentation and improvisation, drawing in part from Jemsek’s recent experience playing guitar with Seattle drone metal pioneers Earth, as well as the deep, weird, and sun-bleached world of Southern Arizona that Dogbreth once again calls home.
We’re super happy to announce the first LP from FUSS, We’re Not Alone. Fuss is a 3-piece punk band from Terminal Island, CA featuring singer/bassist Bob Vielma, guitarist Chase Knobbe, and drummer Nick Aguilar. With an earnest and direct melodicism inspired by J-pop, disco, and 80s British punk, Fuss drop tiny anthems of life after your 20s: trying to keep cool when you feel terrible, working, and continuing to seek out community. Honest and vulnerable, their debut album We’re Not Alone captures the immediacy and uncertainty of the millennial experience: an openhearted yearning felt all the more intensely as the world falls apart around us.
Flying by in a brisk 16 minutes, We’re Not Alone arrives with the warmth of an old friend, and sounds better with each playthrough. Produced and recorded by Jeff Rosenstock on 8-track reel to reel tape in streetwear company Undefeated’s LA warehouse, the album expertly captures the infectious energy, punk songwriting and heartfelt emotions that Knobbe and Vielma have been making in their respective bands for the better part of two decades now.
Tags: FUSS Posted November 29th, 2021 in Music, NEWS
In the first episode of Dog People, we briefly talk about the history of Japanese punk leading up to the formation of Going Steady, continue through their run as a band, and on to their transformation in to the Ging Nang Boyz. (Note: This was recorded before the announcement and subsequent release of the band’s 2020 album, Nee Minna Daisuki Da Yo)
Dog People is a podcast about the Japanese punk bands Going Steady & Ging Nang Boyz. Hosted by PNP Crew members Bob Vielma, Adam Pasion, and Mike Huguenor, it is a love letter to the bands with in-depth analysis of their music and lyrical themes, along with discussion giving context to their influences and legacy. Interviews with band members, friends, and followers of the band. You can hear a preview episode now embedded below and on all the usual podcast services (except for Apple, which is coming sooooon), and the first full episode debuts Monday, February 8, 2021.
