If classic New York punk, anime, cult movies, comic books & toys formed a band on a sugar rush…
For many years, musicians and bands have collaborated on media projects. Elvis Presley, for instance, starred in numerous movies (though, in my opinion, only a few were good) and appeared in two television specials: the “68 Comeback” Special and Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite. The Beatles, on the other hand, starred in major motion pictures and created “promotional films” for their hits because they couldn’t be in different places simultaneously. Additionally, The Monkees was a multimedia experience that combined television, music, and merchandise into one glossy pop package.
Meet Osaka Popstar
Fast forward to Osaka Popstar. Fronted by John Cafiero, a long-time
collaborator with The Misfits and The Ramones, and a platinum-selling film and video director, Osaka Popstar has made an art of combining high-energy post-punk pop with an anime-style presentation that includes music, video, and of course, merch. Along with Cafiero, their latest lineup includes Dean Rispler (Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black, The Dictators) on Guitar and Bass and Jon Wurster (Bob Mould, Superchunk and The Mountain Goats) on Drums.
previous summer with their breakthrough debut album, Beauty and the Beat.
Indiana, unless you’ve visited or have family hailing from those parts…neither of which is my case.
and roll in this day and age is that all of the really big acts are now at the “grandparent” age. Yes, there are definitely newer acts keeping the scene alive, but with the demise of local radio in lieu of large corporate broadcast networks and the rise of “talent scout” network TV shows, it’s become much more difficult for new alternative bands to get their foot in the door on a national/international level.