Electric Eel Shock
Encyclopedia
- Not to be confused with US glam rock band The Electric EelsElectric Eels (band)The electric eels were a protopunk band active between 1972 and 1975. They formed in Cleveland, Ohio....
Electric Eel Shock (EES) are a three-piece garage
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band, formed in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
in the late 1990s. They first toured the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1999 and have been touring the world ever since.
Early years of EES
The first incarnation of Electric Eel Shock was not quite as they are known today. In fact, the band's first public performances were actually as an 11-piece group with keyboardsSynthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, female vocals and horns
Horn (instrument)
The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
. It was not until the logistics of getting all of these members together on the same day to practice became unworkable that the band stripped down to a three-piece.
Gian took up playing with four drumsticks, and also gained a reputation for playing almost naked
Nudity
Nudity is the state of wearing no clothing. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic. The amount of clothing worn depends on functional considerations and social considerations...
. Gian has been arrested once, in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and fined HK$100, for playing this way.
Electric Eel Shock decided against making demos
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
and sending them to record companies. Instead, they quickly set up the Micro Music label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
with their friends, and released their first full-length album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Maybe... I Think We Can Beat Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
. They followed this with Live Punctured.
Slayers Bay Blues
In 1999 Electric Eel Shock recorded Slayers Bay Blues on an eight-track recorderMultitrack recording
Multitrack recording is a method of sound recording that allows for the separate recording of multiple sound sources to create a cohesive whole...
, and pressed enough copies to take to the road for their first gigs
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
abroad. They had lined up a handful of dates in and around New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, including CBGB
CBGB
CBGB was a music club at 315 Bowery at Bleecker Street in the borough of Manhattan in New York City.Founded by Hilly Kristal in 1973, it was originally intended to feature its namesake musical styles, but became a forum for American punk and New Wave bands like Ramones, Misfits, Television, the...
, with their friends Peelander-Z
Peelander-Z
Peelander-Z is a Japanese punk band based in New York City. They bill themselves as a "Japanese Action Comic Punk band hailing from the Z area of Planet Peelander"...
who had relocated there some time earlier. The gigs were a big success, and the a handful of dates that were planned turned into an East Coast tour.
Go America
Shortly after returning to Japan EES sold their propertyProperty
Property is any physical or intangible entity that is owned by a person or jointly by a group of people or a legal entity like a corporation...
and left their homes. They returned to the US and toured almost constantly for the next two years. Their tours grew in length as word of mouth
Word of mouth
Word of mouth, or viva voce, is the passing of information from person to person by oral communication. Storytelling is the oldest form of word-of-mouth communication where one person tells others of something, whether a real event or something made up. Oral tradition is cultural material and...
spread that this was a live show not to be missed. All the while, the band survived on the sale of CDs
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
, t-shirt
T-shirt
A T-shirt is a style of shirt. A T-shirt is buttonless and collarless, with short sleeves and frequently a round neck line....
s, and help from friends. They then recorded Go America (EP).
Go Europe
In early 2003 the band received an email invitation from journalist Bob Slayer to perform in London. On January 16, 2003, Electric Eel Shock landed in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
for five hastily arranged gigs. The five shows rapidly become twelve gigs in ten days. The band used the London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
as their only form of transport. After this, they returned to the US with Bob Slayer as their new manager.
The band spent the rest of 2003 between the US and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Highlights included playing at both the SXSW and CMJ
College Music Journal
College Music Journal, commonly known as CMJ, is a music events/publishing company which hosts an annual festival in New York City, the CMJ Music Marathon, as well as a weekly magazine of and for the music industry and college radio stations in the United States and Canada. It publishes top 30...
festivals in America, playing at Roskilde Festival
Roskilde Festival
Roskilde Festival is a festival held south of Roskilde in Denmark and is one of the six biggest annual music festivals in Europe . It was created in 1971 by two high school students, Mogens Sandfær and Jesper Switzer Møller, and promoter Carl Fischer...
in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, headlining the Rockit Hong Kong Music Festival
Rockit Hong Kong Music Festival
Rockit Hong Kong Music Festival was held each autumn from 2003 to 2006 in Hong Kong's Victoria Park. The event was created by Nimal Jayawardena and Didier Li of Matrix Entertainment Group.-2003:...
, and supporting the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
band Danko Jones
Danko Jones
Danko Jones is a Canadian rock band from Toronto, Ontario. The band consists of Danko Jones and JC...
on a 40-date European tour.
At the start of 2004 Electric Eel Shock went into the studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
for the last of the Go sessions. Although these were still produced on a relatively low budget
Budget
A budget is a financial plan and a list of all planned expenses and revenues. It is a plan for saving, borrowing and spending. A budget is an important concept in microeconomics, which uses a budget line to illustrate the trade-offs between two or more goods...
, and paid for by the band, this was the first time that they had used a studio and sound engineer
Audio engineering
An audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
as opposed to a practice room, kitchen
Kitchen
A kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation.In the West, a modern residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running water, a refrigerator and kitchen cabinets arranged according to a modular design. Many households have a...
or cupboard
Cupboard
A cupboard or press is a type of cabinet, often made of wood, used indoors to store household objects such as food, crockery, textiles and liquor, and protect them from dust,vermin and dirt....
. The results, Go Europe! / Go USA!, were licensed around the world and the band went on a promotional tour that took in 25 countries and 27 European festivals.
Beat Me
The band's European base camp for much of their touring in 2004 was the Suicide Motel in UtrechtUtrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, which Bob Slayer set up with Frank Suicide the guitarist of the Dutch band Wasted. Whilst spending time in Holland they developed their friendship with Grammy
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-nominated producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Attie Bauw (who had worked with Judas Priest
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1969. The current line-up consists of lead vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis. The band has gone through several drummers over the years,...
and the Scorpions
Scorpions (band)
Scorpions are a heavy metal/hard rock band from Hannover, Germany, formed in 1965 by guitarist Rudolf Schenker, who is the band's only constant member. They are known for their 1980s rock anthem "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and many singles, such as "No One Like You", "Send Me an Angel", "Still...
) that they had met in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
during the Danko Jones tour. Electric Eel Shock were soon making plans with Attie Bauw for a new album. This would represent a move away from their garage
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
roots. The aim was to catch all the energy and character of an Electric Eel Shock performance with a production that would sit alongside the early Black Sabbath albums that had inspired their creation. Assisting Attie in the studio was the band's live engineer, Tim Bray, who had become a fixture on tour with the band.
The band finished recording Beat Me at the end of December 2004, and returned to Japan for the first time in a long time, to do a few gigs.
Throughout 2005 EES shows have become larger; touring in the US and Europe with the Bloodhound Gang
Bloodhound Gang
Bloodhound Gang is a Collegeville, Pennsylvania-based American comedy band, although it began as a rap group and gradually changed its genre throughout the years...
, headlining festivals, and playing with the West Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra. Electric Eel Shock also made an appearance in the video clip for the Bloodhound Gang
Bloodhound Gang
Bloodhound Gang is a Collegeville, Pennsylvania-based American comedy band, although it began as a rap group and gradually changed its genre throughout the years...
song "Uhn Tiss Uhn Tiss Uhn Tiss". Their tours throughout Europe at the end of 2005 were completely sold out.
In March 2006, Beat Me was released in Japan on legendary metal label Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...
. The band toured Japan, Australia, New Zealand and the US in 2006 and played festivals in Europe.
Transworld Ultra Rock
Electric Eel Shock released Transworld Ultra Rock on October 1, 2007. The album was the first release on their own label Double Peace Records. The band toured throughout Europe in support of the new album, later appearing as a support act on The Presidents of the United States of AmericaThe Presidents of the United States of America (band)
The Presidents of the United States of America, commonly referred to as Pot USA or "PUSA" or The Presidents, are a twice Grammy-nominated American alternative rock band. The band formed in Seattle, USA, in 1993. The three-piece group currently comprises vocalist and "basitarist" Chris Ballew,...
's These Are the Good Times People
These Are the Good Times People
These Are the Good Times People is the fifth album by The Presidents of the United States of America. It was released on March 11, 2008. This is their first album to feature Andrew McKeag instead of Dave Dederer on guitbass.-Track listing:...
tour. The album was released by P-Vine records on November 16, 2007 in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. It has been Electric Eel Shock's most successful album to date in terms of both press and sales.
Sugoi Indeed
Electric Eel Shock joined Sellaband on 2 May 2008 to raise the funds to record their next album. On 25 June 2008 after 55 days the band successfully raised $50,000.The press release describes Sugoi Indeed
Sugoi Indeed
Sugoi Indeed is the eight studio album from Japanese garage metal trio Electric Eel Shock, released 2009.- Track listing :-External links:** **...
as an album full of classic rock hand-crafted in Japan. Attie Bauw, (Judas Priest, Scorpions) who produced the last two EES albums, was at the controls again, only this time he engineered the basic tracks and Electric Eel Shock took the production reins on the album themselves.
The album was licensed to several labels around the world and was released in October 2009.
Japan - Universal
Germany - Rodeostar
Netherlands - Rough Trade
UK - Cargo
Fan funding
Electric Eel Shock has always had a strong connection and support from their fans.In 2007 they formed the Samurai club for just 100 hardcore fans which meant all members had guest-list for life among other exclusive benefits.
Prior to recording Sugoi Indeed, EES raised $50,000 through SellaBand.com from their global fanbase.
The album has been licensed to Universal Records in Japan and various independent labels around the world.
In January 2010 EES launched a campaign through Pledge Music http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/224
Electric Eel Shock manager Bob Slayer advises other artists on Fan Funding http://www.fanfundedforum.com
Pre EES
Akihito Morimoto, known as 'Aki' (guitarElectric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
and vocals) and Kazuto Maekawa (bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
) first met at High School
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
. Aki learned English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
from the lyrics of bands he liked. Akihito Morimoto and Kazuto Maekawa first formed an 80s metal cover band in High School
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
called Caducious.
Morimoto and Maekawa first tasted commercial success after moving to Tokyo and playing as guitarist and bassist in a five-piece pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
band. Morimoto later said that one of the main reasons for this band's demise was that they acted on everything that they were told, and as a result soon became directionless. It was this lesson that helped form the attitude of Electric Eel Shock – that musicians should listen to the views of others, but that learn from their own mistakes.
After the demise of this band, Morimoto and Maekawa stayed in Tokyo. Morimoto followed his passion of fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
and became a competition angler (he still writes for Japan's largest fishing magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
, Basser Magazine) and Maekawa joined The Apollos (a well-known Japanese funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
band) as session
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
bassist. Maekawa's low-slung bass and unkempt appearance was at odds with The Apollos' suited and polished image, and meant that his time in this role was short lived. However, Maekawa left a lasting impression on their drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
, Tomoharu Ito (known as Gian, due to his similar appearance to a well-known Japanese comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
of that name). Gian, who had a day job making false teeth, was soon introduced to Morimoto, and the three started practicing together shortly afterwards.
Albums
Maybe... I Think We Can Beat NirvanaNirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
(1997)
Live Punctured (1998)
Slayers Bay Blues (1999)
Go Europe!
Go Europe!
Go Europe! is the fourth album of Japanese band Electric Eel Shock and was released in 2004 in Europe. This album was renamed and released also as Go USA!....
(2004)
Go USA!
Go USA!
Go USA! is the fifth album of Japanese band Electric Eel Shock and was released in 2005 in the USA. This album has the same tracks as the Bitzcore release of the album Go Europe!. Go Europe! was released before Go USA! in 2004....
(2005)
Beat Me
Beat Me
The track list is for the Roadrunner release of this album. The Roadrunner release of this album is also an Enhanced CD containing video clips for "Scream For Me" and "Bastard".- Release history :...
(2005)
Transworld Ultra Rock
Transworld Ultra Rock
Transworld Ultra Rock is the seventh album of Japanese band Electric Eel Shock and was released in 2007. The Album was produced, engineered, mixed, and mastered by Attie Bauw. The album was recorded at Bauwhaus Studios, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The Drums were recorded at The Tracking Room,...
(2007)
Sugoi Indeed
Sugoi Indeed
Sugoi Indeed is the eight studio album from Japanese garage metal trio Electric Eel Shock, released 2009.- Track listing :-External links:** **...
(2009)
Singles/EPs
Go America (EP) (2002)Do The Metal 7" (2003)
Rock & Roll Can Rescue the World Split 7" w/The Riverboat Gamblers
The Riverboat Gamblers
The Riverboat Gamblers are a punk rock band originally from Denton, Texas but now residing in Austin, Texas. They are currently signed to Volcom Entertainment.Their song "Don't Bury Me...I'm Still Not Dead" is featured in the video game Rock Band 3....
(2005)
Big Mistake 7" (2007)
Compilations
Welcome To Gearhead Country (Gearhead) (2006)Thunder Tracks (DefSTAR) (2008)
Live Drummers
From 2007 to 2011 Gian was unable to make all tours, when he was not available to tour EES used a number of stand in drummers: Gian is now back in the band permanently.- Damon Richardson (ex Danko Jones) - Europe 2007
- Roland Ritchie (ex Wasted) - Holland and HMV
- Kosho - Wacken 2007
- Hiroto "The Ginger Drummer" - Presidents of USA tour
- James "Bronski Beat" Thomas (ex Sludgefeast and A&E Line)
External links
- The band's official homepage
- Bob Slayer's website (EES Manager, Video Director, Producer and award winning Stand Up comic)
- Electric Eel Shock's site on Youtube
- Electric Eel Shock's site on Myspace
- Electric Eel Shock's site on SellaBand