Shonen Knife – Sushi Bar (featuring the Presidents)

I have to honest on this one. I never really paid on any attention to this song in the late 90’s, or 2000s (or is it 00’s?)…Anyway. I remember seeing info about the song on some PUSA sites, and while i was digging on some archives, I got more curious about it.

Shonen Knife is a female rock group from Japan (3-piece band, like the Presidents), and the Presidents appeared on their 1998 released album called Happy Hour, where they did backing vocals on the song Sushi Bar. When the Shonen Knife played on a record release party on Microsoft’s Netcast in 1998, Chris Ballew and Dave Dederer appeared live on their show.

Shonen Knife gave a Live Performance in the Microsoft Studios in Redmond, Washington USA on June 23rd, 1998 – beginning at 6:00 p.m. (Pacific Time). The event was timed to be the first-ever debut of a new album by a Band via the Internet, and as a “kick-off” party for the Windows ’98 debut to follow on June 25th. The show went well, and Big Deal Records in New York (who release Shonen Knife’s recordings in the U.S. and Canada…) announced that more than 1800 people logged in, tuned out the Planetary Spin Cycle for about an hour and a half, and turned on to “Happy Hour” for this worldwide Netcast with Shonen Knife!! The video/audio stream was via Microsoft’s “NetShow” program. Links to the show were provided by Sonic Net and Big Deal Records in New York. The Shonen Knife NeXuS provided links for Shonen Knife Fans on the “NeXuS Frequency” to go directly to one of the two Access sites provided.

I’m not entirely sure if it was the first ever debut of a new album by a band via the Internet, There has to be an earlier record release party than that? First PUSA live performance was webcasted on 1995, and would it really take more than 3 years before anyone released their album live on the Internet? It was WWW (Wild Wild Web) back then, and it really wasn’t that fast sharing the news… Maybe it was first one that gained an larger audience, as it was release party in Microsoft Studios?

Back to Shonen Knife:

Here is a part from Shonen Knife interview about the performance:

In 1998, you went to Microsoft’s head office and performed a live show that was aired on the Internet. You had already achieved much popularity, but how was it, knowing that your performance was watched throughout the world?

Naoko: It was said that our performance was the world’s first live streaming concert. Before that, we couldn’t see videos on the internet, it was only pictures. Now we can watch videos online, but at that time, this was the first internet broadcasting. So I was very excited. During that show, two members from The Presidents of the United States of America joined us on the show. So it was very fantastic! We played in a studio at the Microsoft company. I was so surprised because the Microsoft company is very huge and there’s a bus you have to ride to get to the different buildings.

Presidents met Naoko from Shonen Knife on their Japan tour in 2009. Taken from pusablog:

-Naoko from Shonen Knife brought her family to Osaka, and passed out their new album ‘Supergroup’. Hadnt seen her in maybe 7 years, extracted a promise she would let us sit in on ‘Sushi Bar’ from their Happy Hour record. We sang on it in 1997 while visiting them in the studio in Tokyo, 1997(?). Kazu,

Shonen Knife – Sushi Bar

Sushi, sushi, sushi bar! Going to a sushi bar!
Sushi, sushi, sushi bar! Going to a sushi bar!
Sushi, sushi, sushi bar! Going to a sushi bar!
Sushi, sushi, sushi bar! Going to a sushi bar! I
wanna go to a sushi bar. I wanna go with you.
Hamachi, Ika, Ebi, Tako. Maguro, Kaibashira. How
about this Friday night? I can’t wait to go.
Anago, Uni, Toro, Natto. Unagi, Akagai. Ooo, how
nice! Healthy menu. It’s my favorite Japanese
meal. Ooo, colorful art of the food. It’s a
beautiful Japanese meal. Sushi, sushi, sushi bar!
Going to a sushi bar! Sushi, sushi, sushi bar!
Going to a sushi bar! I wanna go to a sushi bar. I
wanna go with you. Ikura, Battera, Salmon. Tamago,
Saladamaki. Which one shall I order first? I just
can’t choose. Kappa, Anakyu, Tekka. Sayori,
Kazunoko. Ooo, Let’s eat a healthy menu. It’s a
famous Japanese meal. Ooo, let’s drink hot green
tea After a Japanese meal. Sushi, sushi, sushi
bar! Going to a sushi bar! Sushi, sushi, sushi
bar! Going to a sushi bar! Sushi, sushi, sushi
bar! Going to a sushi ba r! Sushi, sushi, sushi
bar! Going to a sushi bar!