The Slants, Kumoricon on OPB radio this morning!

[Simon Young]

This morning, Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) broadcasted an exlcusive interview with Aron and me about The Slants and Kumoricon 2007 on over 26 radio stations across Oregon and Washington.

There's a nice little article on link for streaming audio available here:
http://news.opb.org/article/slants-bring-out-sound-chinatown/


ALSO - Unlike OPB, The Willamete Week, and the 80+ radio stations, websites, and magazines that love The Slants, The Portland Mercury decided to run a negative review of the band, criticizing us for our Asian aspects and for performing at anime conventions. Ironically, this same magazine gave us "Band of the Week" a few weeks ago as well as a few staff picks for the best band in town to see. That article is here:
http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/Content?category=22187&issue=531550

Perhaps he doesn't listen to any music at all: we aren't the only ones that represent our ethnic heritage or have tounge-in-cheek band name/album title. How about NWA, or even more recently, Jay Z's "Black Album" (or even The Beatles' "White" album set, haha).  Furthermore, no one seems to have probelms with Puerto Rican rapper Fat Joe who always talks about his Puerto Rico-styled beats and pride - yet because we decide to try and bring a new style of music to the Asian entertainment scene, he has issues?

Anyway, if you've got issues with his comments, then you can send some love to the editor at: mercuryeditorial@portlandmercury.com

[superjaz]

ALSO - Unlike OPB, The gative review of the band, criticizing us for our Asian aspects and for performing at anime conventions. Ironically, this same magazine gave us "Band of the Week" a few weeks ago as well as a few staff picks for the best band in town to see. That article is here:
http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/Content?category=22187&issue=531550

gee moved from band of the week to squeasing your streotype for a gimick....may be they have ADD or somthing cuz it does seem like their memory has gone.

[reppy]

In their defense.............. marijuana affects the memory.

[Simon Young]

ALSO - Unlike OPB, The gative review of the band, criticizing us for our Asian aspects and for performing at anime conventions. Ironically, this same magazine gave us "Band of the Week" a few weeks ago as well as a few staff picks for the best band in town to see. That article is here:
http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/Content?category=22187&issue=531550

gee moved from band of the week to squeasing your streotype for a gimick....may be they have ADD or somthing cuz it does seem like their memory has gone.

Well, it was a different editor - one who doesn't like dance music, electronica, or rock...one that really one enjoys reviewing emo bands. Ironically, we never even sent him the album so I doubt he listened to it; it was just to other music editors there...oh well I suppose!

[Simon Young]

It looks like the Portland Mercury had a few letters to the Editor sent to them regarding what they printed:

http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/Letters?category=22120&issue=538822

Again, for someone to accuse an Asian band playing at an Asian cultural/anime convention stereotypical, is just ridiculous. We talked to our publicist and Ezra never had the album - he admitted to us that he never even listened to the album (let alone been to an anime convention since he thinks that anime fans are all total geeks anyway). Oh well, thanks you for the support and not letting his racist ramblings go unnoticed!