Otoboke Beaver is one of the most unique punk bands on the planet. The all-female group hails from Kyoto, Japan, and has crafted a sound that is heavy, funny, shifting and just plain wild. Songs like “YAKITORI,” “datsu . hikage no onna,” and “Introduce me to your family” feature a mix of what the band does best: screaming punk vocals, heavy guitar and intense tempo changes. The band is set to perform a high-energy set inside Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace at 9:30 p.m., Saturday, March 11.
What was the first concert you attended?
Quruli, Akiko Yano and Rei Harakami live at Osaka Festival Hall. My mom gave me a ticket as a Christmas present for my 13th birthday.
What was the first album you owned?
The first time I bought an album was when I was in college, and it was Yura Yura Teikoku’s last album. I always rented CDs from rental shops until I could buy them myself.
What bands are you listening to right now?
Guitar Wolf. I was listening to a recent live album. The sound is very ferocious and the best! I can forget bad things.
What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone love, but you don’t get?
Boring and weak J-pop love songs.
What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?
Yura Yura Teikoku.
What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?
Intense loud fuzz sounds.
What’s your favorite music venue?
Namba Bears (a small live house in Osaka) and Scala in London, England, where we played the most in the United Kingdom. Namba Bears is an 80-capacity live house famed for exciting, raucous performances that opened in 1986. The Scala is an 800-capacity venue in central London. It was a cinema in 1920, then a venue hosting Iggy and The Stooges, Lou Reed and many stars. There are a lot of staircases and ways to walk around the venue and courtyard, with a big stage and powerful PA. Both venues feel great to play.
What’s the one song lyric you can’t get out of your head?
Jun Togawa, “Suki Suki Daisuke,” translated as “I’ll kill you if you don’t say you love me.” Jun is the singer from Yapoos and an actress.
What band or artist changed your life?
Quruli. After passing the entrance exams for the university they attended, we formed Otoboke Beaver at the school, Ritsumeikan University.
You have one question to ask one musician. What’s the question, and who are you asking?
“Can we join your world tour as support?” to Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters. (They are fans, but we haven’t met in L.A. or Japan yet.)
What song would you like played at your funeral?
Yapoos, “Not Dead Luna.”
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
How to Live With a Phantom, by Shintaro Sakamoto.
What song should everyone listen to right now?
Otoboke Beaver, “(Dirty Old Fart) Is Waiting for My Reaction.”
