![]() Cobain was wearing a Half Japanese T-shirt when he died. įans and supporters of Half Japanese include Penn Jillette, who helped the band release some of their albums on his label, 50 Skidillion Watts, and Kurt Cobain, who had them open some dates of Nirvana's 1993 In Utero tour. Since then, the group has worked with Moe Tucker from The Velvet Underground, who produced and performed on Fire In the Sky (1992), as well as The Band That Would Be King, and with Fred Frith, and John Zorn, among others. This incarnation featured guitarist/multi-instrumentalist John Sluggett (also a longtime member of Moe Tucker's band), multi-instrumentalist Jason Willett, Mick Hobbs, and drummer Gilles Reider. The next line-up of Half Japanese came together in the late 1980s, proving to be a long-lasting and stable unit recording several albums and touring frequently throughout the United States, Europe, and Japan. He has continued to make guest appearances with the band from time to time. David Fair left the band in the early 1980s to focus on his family. Jad is the only member who has been with Half Japanese from the beginning. ![]() Since that time, dozens of musicians have come and gone under the Half Japanese banner, including Howard Wuelfing, Don Fleming and Jay Spiegel both from the band Velvet Monkeys, and Shockabilly bass player and Shimmy Disc impresario Mark Kramer among others. The band played and recorded as a duo until the early 1980s, when they began incorporating additional members into the group: Mark Jickling (guitar and vocals) and brothers Ricky and John Dreyfuss (drums and saxophone). It is possible they were the first band to debut with a triple album. The band released their first single, "Calling All Girls", in August 1977, followed by a triple album, 1/2 Gentlemen/Not Beasts, that gave them a near-instant cult status. They have stated that all their songs are either "love songs or monster songs." Their lyrics often deal with monsters and the supernatural (especially as influenced by "creature feature" and sci-fi movies), in addition to more conventional themes, such as young love. After more than 40 years, he still does not play in any traditional manner in the documentary Half Japanese: The Band That Would Be King he states that "you do need cords to plug the guitar in but that's pretty much it." Jad is well known for playing an untuned electric guitar. The band members are John Sluggett (guitar), Gilles-Vincent Rieder (drums), Jason Willett (bass), Mick Hobbs (guitar), and Jad Fair (vocals and guitar). magazine Record Collector, while The New Yorker also praised the 2021 release Crazy Hearts. Three recent releases- Why Not?, Invincible and Crazy Hearts-received four-star reviews from the U.K. As of the band's last several releases since the 1990s, according to the album and CD credits, Half Japanese composes and plays the entirety of the music while Fair, eschewing his role as guitarist from earlier albums, plays almost no guitar but is responsible for the vocals and lyrics, which typically divide into either "love songs or monster songs." The band, still a vital art-punk unit, has released six albums since 2014 with the same personnel that recorded Hot in 1993. Both Fair brothers sang, although over time Jad held the frontman role. The brothers' original instrumentation included a small drum set, which they took turns playing vocals and an out-of-tune, distorted guitar. ![]() Half Japanese is an American art punk band formed by brothers Jad and David Fair in 1974, after their family's relocation to Uniontown, Maryland. 50 Skidillion Watts, Safe House, Alternative Tentacles, Joyful Noise Recordings, Fire Records (UK), Emperor Jones, T.E.C.
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