THRILLS, STUPIDITY AND LOUDNESS GUARANTEED! With straightforward lyrics (in both English and Japanese) only about sex, drinking, motor rides, animals and Chinese food, The Spunks youthful, often sexually charged and self destructive stage performances have earned them a steadily growing fan base. In 2002, the band was selected as one of the best 18 bands in the New York downtown music scene (NYROCK).
In December of 2003, The Spunks were featured on the Charlie Rose show as a prime example of the Japanese music scene in the USA. Originally formed in 1996 by two bored Japanese college students stuck up in Albany, The Spunks have evolved into one the best bands you have never heard of. After making a number of demo recordings the band first released a CD on 9 Byard Records (a DIY label) entitled "Ready to Shoot" in 2000. Since '98 The Spunks have played hundreds of gigs in NYC at places like CBGB's, The Continental, Coney Island High and Don Hill's. In addition to their work in the US, they also toured Japan in both 2003 and 2004 and have played some of the best known clubs in Tokyo. During their first Japan tour, their second CD "Sex
Drink and Motor Rides" was released and they were featured on TV ASAHI (2002) and TV TOKYO (2004), both of which were broadcast nationally across Japan. A 2003 compilation of Japanese garage rock bands entitled "NITRO FRANKEN PANIC!" included The Spunks track "Jet Blue." And recently released throughout Japan on GITOGITO HUSTLER's record label CANDY POISON is a compilation called "CANDY POISON VOL 2" which features The Spunks track "Road Runner" (please don't sue, Warner Brothers).
In 2002, the band did their first month long Mid West tour of the US and in 2003 they hit 20 states on their second tour. Their Kamikaze performances earned them spots in a number of big festivals including THE NEW YORK TOKYO MUSIC FESTIVAL (2003) and GUITAR WORLD presents M.E.A.N.Y. Festival (2003), the CMJ MUSIC MARATHON (2003), ANIME NEXT (2004) and NXNE (2005). Since 2000, the Spunks have organized the legendary Japanese Punk Rock event "JAPUNKS" (www.japunks.com) at CBGB's. With The Spunks acting as the event host, it features 5-6 Indie and Major Label bands directly from Japan, exposing the real Japanese underground music scene to Western audiences. The event rapidly grew in both attendance and notoriety. At JAPUNKS event 6, the headline act was GUITAR WOLF and the club was packed well beyond the legal limit.
In January of 2004, after sitting in with the band for the 2002 tour and for a number of gigs in NYC when original Spunks drummer Takehiko was unavailable, drummer Al Batross was invited to become a permanent member of The Spunks. Al (no he is not Japanese and he does not understand why his nickname is "Yamamoto") has performed with many of New York's wildest bands over the years (LUIDCHRIST, BIG
SNIFF, THE PLUNGERS, GELATINE) including 2 years with the legendary political punk rock group MILLIONS OF DEAD COPS. The Spunks toured the US with GitoGito Hustler twice in 2005, bringing both bands all the way from NY to Texas (for the SXSW Festival) and back in one van. In 2005, The Spunks released their third CD entitled "BORN TO BE MILD." In
August of 2005, Gearhead Records put out the first Spunks recording released on vinyl with two exclusive tracks, "Russian Roulette / Cannana Fever" (RPM066). For the South By Southwest Music Festival in 2006, The Spunks will be appearing at the Gearhead Records Showcase. WOK AND ROLL!
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