Keeping Punk Alive: Interview with Shonen Knife

How did your tour with CJ Ramone come to fruition?

[It was] Our American labels owner, Big Charamel, Robbie’s idea. Shonen Knife has ever played with CJ in Japan twice. And we also released an album called Osaka Ramones. It’s an all Ramones cover CD. And when this tour was decided our label owner, Robbie said that if this tour go with CJ we will have more fans. So we asked CJ to work with us, and here we are. CJ is very gentlemanly, we are having a lot of fun.

Knowing your love of food (you have a lot of food songs!) what has been the best thing you’ve eaten while on this tour so far?

It’s very hard to pick one. Because everyday we eat very delicious food. Like some burgers, and fried rice, and Japanese ramen, and chicken cutlet and Portobello mushroom, everything is so good!

What else is in store for Shonen Knife in 2015? 

In July, every year we have our own Japanese tour. We have three shows in July, Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka. And it will be Emi’s last tour, she will leave the band in July. So our new drummer is already decided and our bassist Ritsuko is on maternity leave. So in Japan we have a support bassist. And we have to record a new album first, so until the end of this year, we will have no more overseas tour.

 

Shonen Knife have three dates left on their tour, and if you want to catch Emi for one last time, be sure to jump at the chance to see them at one of these shows.

 

June 22rd New York, NY Le Poisson Rouge
June 23rd Hamden, CT The Ballroom @ The Outer Space
June 24th Cambridge, MA The Middle East Downstairs

You can keep up with Shonen Knife’s Naoko on Twitter.

And you can buy Shonen Knifes’ music on iTunes.

 

Jenna

Part-time student, full-time media whore, fan of all things Asian.

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