[RH Photos] Melt-Banana Returns to Chicago

Photos by Geoff Henao On Tuesday, July 14th, Japanese noise-core band Melt-Banana returned to Chicago’s Empty Bottle for the first time in 15 years. Touring across the country with them is stoner metal band, and genre-defying Hot Nerds opened the show. For months since the show was announced, my expectations were extremely high. 2015 marks […]

[Review] Melt-Banana: “Return of 13 Hedgehogs”

When you’re an independent punk-ish band that’s been around for 20+ years, a long catalog of splits and singles are amassed over time… especially when a lot of your early catalog features songs that clocked in at an average of 90 seconds. Over their long career, Melt-Banana has entranced (and confused) many an ear, and […]

Artists to Catch at Fun Fun Fun Fest 2013

For the eighth Fun Fun Fun Fest, the organizers of the Austin, TX festival have put together an eclectic mix of bands, rappers, singers, and even comedians for revelers to enjoy. Mix in a handful of extreme sports athletes and an amazing lineup of local food vendors, and Fun Fun Fun Fest is unlike any […]

[RH Photos] Melt-Banana in Chicago (10/27/2013)

Photos by Geoff Henao Melt-Banana has been one of my favorite bands for close to a decade now. Since May 5th, 2005, I’ve caught the band every time they’ve played in Chicago (outside of the handful of times they opened for Tool). Needless to say, I’ve been pretty committed to the band for the past […]

[RH Interview] Melt-Banana

Melt-Banana has been creating aggressive noise-core for more than two decades now. However, through the band’s career, they’ve changed their sound a bit, experimenting with electronica and pop instrumentation to complement vocalist Yasuko Onuki’s iconic, high-pitched screech and guitarist Ichirou Agata’s multi-layered scratch/slide guitar. Their most recent album, fetch, retains the band’s signature discordant sound balanced […]