GUITAR BARRIO: The Unofficial Boredoms Side Project Anti-Discography
(HTML Version 1.6)
File collated by Dave Watson of the Severed Heads Liberation Front.
Amendments since ver. 1.5: Gitoo/Guitoo, Ya-Toi-I removed; 7 VO 7, DJ Eye, eaalalab, High Rise, Skuds, Teem, V∞rdoms added; name dropping emphasized dB)
This list is specifically devoted to Boredoms side projects which have not officially released any recordings. If anyone wishes to supply any further information to what I have here, including the information sources and live gig info (if any), please E-mail me. If recording release info is supplied, the band will be moved to the Sore Diamonds list.
Thanks to Matt Exile of the late, great Exile Osaka zine and Kansai Time Out for almost singlehandedly building this funky slum (the classifications are his exact quotes), and to Boredoms, naturally, especially Yamamoto Seiichi for pitching in some info himself (relayed by Matt). Further construction (and even destruction) is always welcomed.
Go to Pop Kiss (Boredoms Discography).
Go to Sore Diamonds (Side Projects/Cameos Discography).
Yamatsuka/Yamantaka/Yamataka Eye projects
Yamamoto Seiichi projects
Yoshimi Yokota projects
ATR projects
Hira projects
Yoshikawa Toyohito (ex-Boredoms) projects
E-da (ex-Boredoms) projects
YAMATSUKA/YAMANTAKA/YAMATAKA EYE PROJECTS
JAKOTSUBABA: Eye's first ever band when he was a teenager. Speed metal. No known recordings.
ACID MAKKI & COMBI AND ZOMBIE: This band was the nucleus of the modern Boredoms, and featured Yamamoto on guitar, Hira on bass, Eye on drums, and a singer named Makki Sasara. Here's how Eye explains how they came about in a July 1990 interview printed in Show-Kai #1: "Okay, Tabata left to work on NOIZUNZURI and that meant the Boredoms were this ridiculous drummer (Yoshikawa), a beginning bassist (Hira), I mean, just sloppy stuff. We tried a couple of shows with me on drums, Hira on bass, Yamamoto on guitar with a woman singer. That was Acid Makki & Combi and Zombie." Makki Sasara also said that when it came time for Yamamoto to meet Eye, he said, "The HANATARASH guy? He's scary! I hate him! I hate him!" But after they met, the two hit it off. I think it's safe to assume from this story that this is the first time Yamamoto and Eye played in a band togther. Later in their existence, Eye left and was replaced by Ochiai (ex-JARLING KARLING, later of AUDIO SPORTS), and the band's name was then changed to MAKKI AND FLOWERS.
HASTY SNAIL BABY (see Yoshimi Yokota)
JAD/EYE/THURSTON: According to SONIC YOUTH's Thurston Moore in Muckraker #7 in an article on the Ecstatic Peace! label: "After Yoshimi and F. Kitten did their session in Osaka, me and Eye and Jad went into the playing room and did a very very very fucked up improv. Still needs to be mixed down." This was done in 1993, and the article attributes the label number E#33 to the CD.
YAMA'S: Jumping Romper Room Noise Punk with Yamamoto Seiichi and Yamazaki Mazo (aka Masonna). They played a show at Bears on 1994 6 09 with QLEAR, MISS OSAKA, DIGITAL SHEIKI, WON WONS and PARADISE GARAGE. According to the review in Exile Osaka #2: "[T]heir 'set' was more like a game of tag than anything else. Eye, Yamamoto and Masonna raced for the microphone and the first one to reach it grabbed it and screamed. Eye did a couple of hand stands. It was over in five minutes." A bootleg DAT exists of one of their shows.
ANARCHY 7: Record Punk. Hip-hoppish/ambient/scratch duo with ATR of Boredoms. Opened for DISPOSABLE HEROES OF HIPHOPRISY in Osaka, and sold t-shirts there as well. Opened for TORTOISE and THE SEA AND CAKE, on drums and drum effects. EDA has recently joined.
SKY TOUCH: Eye mentioned this band in More Better and G-Scope around 1996 but nothing ever came to light, as far as I know. Eye described the band as being "Sanbient." No known recordings. Perhaps this band became Sound Hero?
OSAKA PUNK COMBO: Telephone Punk.
GEVA GEVA: Featured K.K. Null of ZENI GEVA, Yoshida Tatsuya of RUINS, and Eye on vocals. Eye met John Zorn for the first time when Zorn jumped onstage at a show. There is a bootleg video of this show in existence.
FROGLEG EXPERIENCE & THREE SUNS OF CALIFORNIA: Eye on synthesizer, Tsuyama on bass, Chu on drums, and Yoshimi on vocals and trumpet. Only one known performance, at 20,000 Volts in Tokyo, 1989 11 18. A clipping with pictures from this can be found in the TV Scorpion photo gallery.
CONGRATULATION 2: A special version of DESTROY 2 who played at Yoshimi's wedding reception. Yasushi Yoshida, vocalist of SPASMOM, played drums.
TONKI: Boredoms' opening act on their European tour of 1994. Made up of Eye (vocals?) and Yoshikawa on mini-drums. Fools Mate said that Yoshikawa quit the Boredoms after the tour because he got angry at having to set up and put away the mini-drum set before and every show. Others have said it was really because of musical differences with Eye, but that was the trigger. Yamamoto replaced Yoshikawa on the mini-drums when Tonki was the opening act at Iguanarama, a festival that featured Boredoms, JESUS LIZARD, HELMET, & headliners HOUSE OF PAIN (!)
SKUDS: A project Eye was involved with (other members?). There used to be a website up with short variable bitrate mono MP3s up for anyone to download and enjoy or remix, and I had found another one which did remix them in a project called SKUDS IN NEWTOWN. Sadly, both these sites seem to be down. If anybody knows where one can get the files now, please contact me.
7 VO 7: LINE-UP: EYE, YOSHIMI P-WE, YAMAKITA KENICHI, YO TATEKAWA. Headlined the "7 BO 7" all-night show held at Shibuya On-Air East in Tokyo on July 7th (7/7), 2001. Also featured were a version of UOREDOMS (EYE, YOSHIMI, ATR), PSYCHO BABA, WOODMAN and ANARCHY 7, and SUN PM 0:00 (which included ATR at the time)
DJ EYE: While it could be argued that Eye's DJing skills have already been laid on disc in the form of his remixes, he was added to the bill of a REGURGITATOR show in the Corner Hotel, Richmond, Melbourne on 2001 6 08. Eye turned up with Yoshimi and "the other drummer" (Eda, I presume), and played a set similar to what they're doing now, with Eye on turntables and vocals, Yoshimi on drums, vocal and flute, and the other drummer on drums and percussion. This show is reviewed here, and a reply notes another similar gig in Australia, only with Yoshimi on keyboards, horns and vocals, possibly under the name DUB ORCHESTRA. AOA recorded their most recent album, Emotion Vacation, in Melbourne, but it doesn't explain Eye's presence. Maybe he recorded some stuff there, too.
V∞RDOMS: The current incarnation/mutation of Boredoms. It debuted (as far as I can see) at the Fuji Rock Festival 2001 in Naeba, Japan 2001 6 27 (ROVO and RASHINBAN also played), under the name V∞re!!!!!!!doms, with the line-up: EYE--Vocals, open reel, etc.; SEIICHI YAMAMOTO--percussion; YOSHIMI P-WE--Drums, percussion, vocals, etc.; IZUMI--Electronics; ATR--Drums, percussion; YAMAKITA--Conga, percussion; YOUJIRO--Drums; DIE5--Drums; AKIMI--Drums. The name is now V∞redoms (although they have been touring the west as Boredoms to prevent confusion) and the line-up has slimmed down to EYE, YOSHIMI, ATR, and YOUJIRO. According to the cover feature of the September 2002 issue of The Wire, the "V" in the new name is supposed to represent a turntable stylus, and the infinity symbol, two records, and he views the band as the motor of a turntable. They have done some field-style recording on a beach, which will be released at some point due to the expense involved.
YAMAMOTO SEIICHI PROJECTS
WILD TURKEY (also included a member of Noizunzuri); SOFT: His first two bands before joining...
...ACID MAKKI & COMBI AND ZOMBIE (see Yamataka Eye)
ASTRO VOLCANO BREAKDOWN: Line-up: Yamamoto (g); Ozaki (b); Tatakawa (Ds); Noma (G); Manago (per); Nishiyama (Vo)
GUITAR BARRIO: Guitar instrumental solo unit in which (from what I understand) some sort of radio attachment is used. Only played one show.
HAPPY COWBOYS: World music duo with Yoshikawa Toyohito (ex-Boredoms). Release forthcoming.
KAMI [God]--Another solo unit in which Yamamoto bangs on a guitar shield attached to an amp with metal objects.
THE ENBAN [U.F.O.]: Another solo unit, in which Yamamoto says "Enban" once every 25 minutes. There is no music.
YAMA'S (see Yamataka Eye)
DENDOBA (see Yamataka Eye)
HOKEKYO MOURETSU-ER (see Yoshimi Yokota)
NOA NOA: Folk duo with ALICE SAILOR. She used to be in AMARYLLIS, and co-hosted the Music for Psychological Liberation TV broadcast with David Hopkins. Release forthcoming.
FLYING TESTICLE: Also features members of MERZBOW and MASONNA. They have released a CD, Space Desia on Charnel Music (now out of print, but, according to Mason, it's going to be re-released with a bonus CD included somewhere), but Yamamoto isn't on it.
HOPPO RYODO: Protest acid songs.
V∞RDOMS: (see Yamataka Eye. Yamamoto is not in their current line-up.)
TEEM: A new heavy rawkin' band, also featuring Jeff Bell (BEAUTY PEAR, EMPTY ORCHESTRA, LIVE EVIL. guest vocalist on OMOIDE HATOBA's Vuoy, Canadian native) on lead vocals, Nana Ryo (VOODOOBROOYOO, LABCRY, THE FUTURES, STAR STAR AND STAR, and GRIND ORCHESTRA) on bass, Takeshi "China" Banno (MUSIC START AGAINST YOUNG ASSAULT, JESUS FEVER, ROVO, RASHINBAN, SHONEN KNIFE) on drums. They apparently tore the house down at Bears on 2002 6 16.
Yamamoto has also collaborated with: PHEW; HACO (of AFTER DINNER); NOSEYAMA (of DIESEL GUITAR); JAD FAIR (of HALF JAPANESE). Some of these collaborations have since been recorded and released.
YOSHIMI YOKOTA PROJECTS
SHI NO HE [Death Fart]: She was in this duo with Ochiai before joining...
...HASTY SNAIL BABY: Yoshimi was a huge fan of a popular (from 1985-87) underground band called NOIZUNZURI. She liked them so much she decided to go to college in Kyoto (she was originally from Okayama, a city near Hiroshima), where they were based. When she got to Kyoto she put up flyers, looking to start a band. The first person who called was Tabata of...NOIZUNZURI. Yoshimi never expected to get a call from one of the members of her favorite band. She was very surprised. After meeting Tabata in person she decided that she would never form a band with him. But she met Eye through Tabata and they formed Hasty Snail Baby with Yoshikawa. Eye and Yoshikawa wanted to do a band like HAPPY FLOWERS. Yoshimi wanted to do a band like DNA. Hasty Snail Baby mutated into UFO OR DIE. And Yoshimi was asked to join Boredoms because Yoshikawa was just awful on drums. A very rare video (supposedly) exists of one of their shows.
DENDOBA (see Yamataka Eye)
HOKEKYO MOURETSU-ER ["Hokekyo" is the call of the Uguis bird. "Mouretsu" means "intense," and the "er" is an English suffix, i.e. "debaser." So this translates as...uhh...why even bother?]: A t-shirt bearing this name came first and a band was thrown together afterwards. The members include ATR on drums, Yamamoto on bass, and Yoshimi on trumpet. Yamamoto describes the sound as "scum dub"; Yoshimi calls it "fashion punk." Apparently the purpose of the band is to play on other peoples' recordings uncredited. All that Yamamoto will say is that they do appear on a Boredoms CD, but won't say which one.
PINK SABATH: Yoshimi mentioned this band in interviews. Cute BLACK SABBATH covers.
MACARONI WESTERN: New duo of Yoshimi and Bravo Komatsu.
7 VO 7 (see Yamataka Eye)
V∞RDOMS: (see Yamataka Eye)
eaalalab: Haco & Yoshimi. Performed at the 6th Festival Beyond Innocence, Osaka, 2002 11 24.
ATR PROJECTS
RIBBON THE RANCH: ATR was in this band (1988-1989) before joining Boredoms. They were described as sounding like MAGMA's first album. Eye heard a tape and invited him to join the Boredoms, and he joined in July of 1990.
ANARCHY 7 (see Yamataka Eye)
HOKEKYO MOURETSU-ER (see Yoshimi Yokota)
V∞RDOMS: (see Yamataka Eye)
HIGH RISE: They have just announced on their official website that ATR has just been added as their drummer. They have several releases out, but none with ATR as far as I know.
HIRA PROJECTS
FROST; YUUSEI LABYRINTH: His first two bands.
ACID MAKKI & COMBI AND ZOMBI (see Yamataka Eye)
INARITAMASHIINA HEAD--Also featured Yasushi from JAB JAB ON WARP. They played Scum Night II at Yamamoto's club Bears in Osaka on 1993 8 23. According to Matt Exile's review in Exile Osaka #2: "The entire band was tied together by ropes and performed a couple of measured numbers while moving together in a herky-jerky fashion."
PEACE BROTHERS: New band also featuring EDA.
V∞RDOMS: (see Yamataka Eye. Hira is not in their current line-up.)
YOSHIKAWA TOYOHITO (ex-Boredoms) PROJECTS
HAPPY COWBOYS (See Yamamoto Seiichi)
UNIVERSE: Yoshikawa with Akii, vocalist of OFF MASK 00.
EDA PROJECTS
NOIZ: No other info known, but they were not a noise band. They were described as a psychedelic version of THE WHO.
CARMEN MAKI & OZ: EDA played drums in this band 15 years ago with Harunichi Hirofumi and Kawajo Shige.
BOWWOW (later VOWWOW): EDA was briefly in this metal band after NOIZ broke up.
GO GO BOYS: He was in this new wave band for a short while after leaving Noiz.
(stepping briefly out of the Barrio:) INOUE YOSUI: Famous pop star, known for the hit song "Yumei no Naka e" and many others. Recently wrote hit songs for PUFFY. When EDA was 19 he was Inoue's driver. He plays drums on the song "Shonen Jidai."
PEACE BROTHERS (See Hira)
IGLOO RANGOON; DJ E-CHAN: If anyone can tell me more about these two projects, please get in touch.
Return to Boredoms' Ear, Eye, Nose and Throat Page.
Return to Watson's WorldWideWasteofTime Page: Music and Anime.