Giant Robot Store and GR2 News – Tagged "News"– Page 491 – GiantRobotStore

augustus pablo · des ark · don't rock the boat sink the fucker · girls in trouble · half you half me · message music · Music · MW · News · osaka ramones · ramones · shonen knife · Jun 23, 2011

New releases from Shonen Knife, Des Ark, Girls in Trouble, and Augustus Pablo

There are some bands that you’ve listened to so much and seen so often that they seem like old friends. Shonen Knife and The Ramones both fit that category for me, and happen to converge in an album that comes out next month. Here’s a preview of that, as well as some newer releases from a label (Lovitt) and a group (Girls in Trouble) with actual friends. As a bonus, there’s a new collection of music by melodica master Augustus Pablo, who was mentioned quite a bit in the articles on Chinese Jamaicans in reggae that ran in Giant Robot 37. Shonen Knife – Osaka Ramones No longer the garage band with a cult following that covered “Rain,” “Luck of the Irish,” Heatwave,” or even “Top of the World” in the late ’80s and early ’90s, Shonen Knife is well-oiled rock ‘n’ roll machine in 2011. Their polish is evident in this faithful collection of Ramones covers, which was recorded to celebrate the band’s thirtieth anniversary. The Osaka trio demonstrates their knowledge of their New York by ending with “Pinhead,” just like a concert, leading up to it with a load of hits and one curveball from Adios Amigos to see if you’re paying attention. While I actually preferred the Ramones covers done in the rawer, rougher, earlier days of Shonen Knife, you can’t expect musicians to regress, and there’s currently The Romanes to serve that purpose. Ultimately, Osaka Ramones is a winning combination for die-hard fans of either band, and I happen to love both. [Good Charamel] Des Ark – Don’t Rock the Boat, Sink the Fucker The album starts innocently enough–not to be confused with innocuously enough. A casual listen suggests that “My Saddle Is Waiting (C’mon Jump On It)” is just another acoustic toe-tapper with breathy vocals, but singer and guitarist Aimee Arote is a lot more complex than that and also more fiery. Song titles like “Bonne Chance Asshole” and “FTW y’all!!!” say it all. She has the class, charm, and chops to sneak into the rotation at Starbucks but sneaks in more than enough subversive ideas, dirty thoughts, and hot post rock riffs to get patrons to strip out of their jogging suits or business casual attire and get busy. [Lovitt] Girls in Trouble – Half You Half Me The Jewish Theological Seminary in Manhattan is no School of Rock, but that’s where Alicia Jo Rabins’ musical project was born. This is her second installment of songs that retell the sordid stories of tested women from the Old Testament and, like the illuminator of a manuscript, she takes the bleakest of situations and goriest of details and turns them into something gorgeous and pause worthy. The first song, “We Are Androgynous,” is pure indie rock gold with Rabin’s melodic voice couched in her own swooning violin and percolating stand-up bass from ICU/Old Time Relijun’s Aaron Hartman. The collection is an absorbing, worthy counterpoint to the better-known, dude-centric Biblical treatments of Metallica and Slayer. [JDub] Augustus...

News · Jun 23, 2011

Miles of Noodles From Monster Ramen Machine

“I bet you’ve never seen ramen flow like water, which is exactly how it moves through these machines.” And following our report on big computers, we now bring you big…..ramen? Well, yeah, because that’s what this other rather large machine does, make ramen. A LOT of it. In fact, this happy noodle machine can make almost 250,000 bags of instant ramen in one eight-hour period. That’s enough to feed an entire city of 120,000 people two meals a day every day this machine is operational. We’re guessing the residents of such a city, even if it were in Japan or China, would get tired of so many instant ramen meals and start hitting the local fast-food burger joints after a week or so. The point is, this big machine is a great example of how food-production engineering is keeping us supplied with one of the world’s most popular and increasingly vital food staples. And at the link, you’ll be able to read a bit more about the actual manufacture of instant ramen, see a video, and get access to several other links to ramen-related topics of interest. (Gizmodo – Very Large Ramen Machine)

captain america · comics · kenneth choi · marvel · movies · News · world war ii · Jun 23, 2011

Captain Asian American

Viewers with a keen eye might have pinpointed something peculiar about the Captain America: The First Avenger trailer broadcasted during Super Bowl XLV. One of the men escorting Captain America was of Asian descent. The man is a character named Jim Morita of The Howling Commandos, an elite special unit in the Marvel Universe formed during World War II. Morita first appeared in “Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos #38” in January, 1967, and led his own separate division called “The Nisei Squadron.” Unlike the Howling Commandos, or even Captain America for that matter, the basis of the squadron isn’t steeped in fiction. It’s likely that the 442nd Regiment of World War II served as the inspiration for Morita’s Nisei Squadron during its first inception. The 442nd Regiment was a segregated unit comprised mostly of Japanese Americans during World War II. They fought against the Axis in Europe while their relatives and families were interned during the relocation. Kenneth Choi, the actor portraying Jim Morita, even stated himself in an interview that he researched the regiment and drew upon it to form a more factual basis for his character. We’re just glad that unlike a certain director, Marvel decided not to White Wash its own movie continuity. Captain America: The First Avenger opens in theaters on July 22, 2011.

News · Jun 23, 2011

Myanmar Military Landmines Make Citizens Flee

“According to the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), Myanmar’s government continues to lay antipersonnel mines, mostly in regions populated by ethnic minorities.” Yesterday we brought you a rather light-hearted story about how some women in Myanmar are acting out a bit of social rebellion through fashion. We hope you enjoyed it; because there remain some serious and horrible problems in military-ruled Myanmar that make the country not only a dangerous place to visit, but also a life-threatening place to live. And the basis for much of this unrest, this danger, is landmines, which have been a favorite weapon of the country’s military rulers against ethnic minorities and political rebels practically since democracy ended in Burma in 1962. Although the landmines are intended as military weapons against armed rebel forces, ordinary Myanmarese citizens are quite often the ones injured or killed by the devices. As a result, huge numbers of so-called “landmine refugees” have become a growing migratory problem for areas in Thailand with which Myanmar shares a border. Since 2005, for example, roughly 70,000 of these refugees have been resettled. Most have made it to the United States. And the refugee situation is not expected to improve, since the military once again cemented its control of Myanmar last November during the country’s first elections in over two decades. (CNNGo – Myanmar Landmine Refugees)

barack obama · Features · giant robot · News · obama · washington dc · white house · Jun 23, 2011

White House x Barack Obama x Asian Pacific Islander Month

The White House visits don’t get old. What you see and experience gets more refined and detailed. It’s akin to visiting a museum’s permanent exhibit again and again. That’s what I came away with after my second visit to the most famous house in the world. The security is still at least 4 id stops including a metal detector, the joining rooms are vibrantly color themed, and the classic antiques fit like an Architectural Digest spread.

May was API Heritage Month, and I thought it was funny that Barack Obama blamed the “new zodiac” making it ok that The White House was celebrating it a month later. I doubt he needed his speech writer for us, since everything was quick and casual, yet he was charismatic in front of the dozens of black wearing, black hair sporting Asians with iPhones and cameras snapping and recording.

Blog post from my visit March 2009.

This visit was different from my last, since instead of an announcement, this was a celebration. The wine, champagne, and soda flowed with the assorted Asian hors d’oeuvres. The best morsel of edibles? Undoubtedly, the sashimi on a skewer. After that, it was dessert, the mini halo halo. I’m not quite sure exactly what the month long celebration is all about since there are unlimited aspects of humans that you can celebrate, but I’ll make the call and say it’s, achievements, effort, and endeavors. From the other side of the “fence” some of you are scratching your heads about this, but being Asian has perks and the month long celebration is one of them.

The White House invite. I photoshopped some of it, since who knows if those digits are ok in the wrong hands.

Visiting paintings are part of the entire experience – just like going to a museum. Paintings can be like old friends. I like this one of Abe. I did shake Barack Obama’s hand again. He has a good grip and his hand is cool in temperature. This was actually nothing compared to the announcement of the Afghanistan troop withdrawal he made just a couple of hours later from same location we were in.