Can you feel it in the air? For two months starting October 1st, it’s Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving and my birthday all rolled into one once again! Throughout my years as an unashamed and drooling Melt-Banana fanboy, whenever the Tokyo’s masters of the musical kitchen sink return to tour North America, I get all giddy in-and-outside and treat any occasion when the band is in proximity to wherever I happen to be as a holiday of the most sacred order. Time gets taken off work, rituals involving annoying everyone around me with light speed, noise-pop-rock-punk with a staccato-obsessed, helium-sucking chipmunk on vocals are executed, travel is embarked upon if need be, inordinate amounts of money is spent (tip: when you purchase a M-B shirt or hoodie, remember that “Asian large” isn’t exactly the same a “North American large”) and I end up with a big, dumb smile on my big, dumb face despite having to confront the soul-crushing slap of the return to reality once they pack up their van and move on to the next town. Luckily, I will be witnessing their bullet train of awesomeness three times on this run, so if I seem happier than normal, it’s not because regular sex or lottery winnings have befallen upon me.
The band aren’t touring a new album (their last releases were 2007’s Bambi’s Dilemma and 2009’s Melt-Banana Lite Live Ver. 0.0 which was basically the second half of Bambi’s played live with Theremins). Though there are rumblings they will be playing new material, I’m more intrigued as to who will be playing bass as long-time member, Rika Hamamoto is reportedly no longer in the band. And while I’m going to miss seeing a short and slight Japanese woman wrestle awesome grooves from an instrument taller and heavier than she is, I’m sure a good time will be had by all. Dates and miscellany below.
10/1 Eugene, OR – WOW Hall
10/2 Portland, OR – Star Theater
10/10 Seattle, WA – Chop Suey
10/4 Missoula, MT – Badlander
10/6 Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court
10/8 Denver, CO – Larimer Lounge
10/9 Kansas City, MO – The Record Bar
10/10 Omaha, NE – The Waiting Room
10/11 Iowa City, IA -The Mill
10/12 Sioux Falls, SD – Boonies Bar
10/13 Minneapolis, MN – Triple Rock Social Club
10/14 Madison, WI -High Noon Saloon
10/15 Milwaukee, WI – The Cactus Club
10/16 Chicago, IL – Subterranean
10/17 St. Louis, MO – Cicero’s
10/18 Bloomington, IN – The Bishop
10/19 Newport, KY – The Historic Southgate House
10/20 Lansing, MI – Mac’s Bar
10/22 Cleveland, OH – Grog Shop
10/23 Ithaca, NY – The Haunt
10/25 Toronto, ON – Wrongbar
10/26 Montreal, QC – Il Motore
10/27 Cambridge, MA – TT The Bears
10/28 Hamden, CT – The Space
10/29 New York City, NY – Santos Party House
10/31 Philadelphia, PA- First Unitarian Church
11/1 Washington, DC – The Red Palace
11/2 Baltimore, MD – The Ottobar
11/4 Chapel Hill, NC – Local 506
11/5 Atlanta, GA – The Earl
11/15 Birmingham, AL – Bottletree Cafe
11/16 Mobile, AL – Alabama Music Box
11/17 Houston, TX – Fitzgerald’s
11/18 Dallas, TX – The Prophet Bar
11/19 Austin, TX – Mohawk
11/20 San Antonio, TX – Jack’s
11/22 Tucson, AZ – Club Congress
11/23 Mesa, AZ – Hollywood Alley
“A Shield For Your Eyes, a Beast in the Well on Your Hand”
“Blank Page of the Blind”
“Monkey Man”
