Introduction Ironically, the Ging Nang Boyz weren't at 924 Gilman Street to perform. Gilman fostered the scene that gave birth to Green Day, Operation Ivy, Crimpshrine, Lookout Records, and so much more. The Ging Nang Boyz were there because Gilman was their mecca. back to features		Ging Nang Boyz @ 924 Gilman St. Setlist: 1. Nipponjin 2. Nippon Hakkyou 3. Skool Kill Over the years, Japanese punk and indie bands have been making great strides abroad. Shonen Knife and the Boredoms have long been cult favorites, Hi-Standard were held in high esteem among their skate-punk peers, Eastern Youth have won over crowds with their passion and honesty, and manic acts like Polysics, Guitar Wolf and Afrirampo are regular touring favorites. I wonder, then, why so many of Japan's finest never grace our shores with their presence. Ironically, the Ging Nang Boyz weren't at 924 Gilman Street to perform. Gilman fostered the scene that gave birth to Green Day, Operation Ivy, Crimpshrine, Lookout Records, and so much more. The Ging Nang Boyz were there because Gilman was their mecca. I'm not exactly sure how it happened. The show had been delayed for some reason. Some guy with long hair was talking to one of the Ging Nang Boyz, having noticed them snapping pictures all over the club. Their conversation was limited because of a language barrier, so when I struck up a conversation with him (him being Craig from the band Love Songs) I found out that three bands had cancelled at the last minute. I didn't think it was all that likely to happen, but I asked Craig "What if these guys played?" Then I asked the band, "Do you want to play?" Craig departed for a few minutes, came back and said "You guys got ten minutes." Everyone was a bit incredulous, but somehow it had all come together, and soon enough the Ging Nang Boyz were on stage. It was a little odd seeing them perform as a 3-piece. In fact, during the first song, "Nipponjin," singer Mineta didn't even play guitar. Instead, he ran around the club while the bassist Abiko and drummer Murai were accompanied by two minutes of piercing guitar feedback. Mineta explained to the crowd that their fourth member Chin had had some visa problems and was forced back to Japan. While that was a bit of a lie (Chin had a previous obligation to perform with his other band, the Derangements) it wasn't a lie when Mineta expressed how deeply honored they were to be on the same stage that had once hosted all of their punk rock heroes. Woos abounded when Mineta mentioned Operation Ivy. Murai's English wasn't as articulate, but he did manage to give the crowd a good "fuck yeah!" "Nippon Hakkyou" followed, and before long Mineta had climbed to the top of the sound booth and was singing at the top of his lungs before falling onto the couch below. He barraged the crowd with the couch cushions which spent the remainder of the show bouncing between crowd and stage like beach balls. Mineta spent as much time on stage stabbing at his guitar as he did in the crowd thrashing around. By the time "Skool Kill" was halfway through, both Mineta and Abiko had made their way into the crowd and were playing with gawking fans surrounding them. Everyone seemed a bit dumbstruck by the unbridled energy of this unknown Japanese band, but that didn't mean they weren't having a hell of a time. Did any of them realize that they were seeing one of Japan's biggest punk bands? This band that could easily sell out a club of hundreds or even thousands was giving their all to a crowd of about sixty. Even afterward, the band felt like they must've been dreaming to have been able to perform at the hallowed 924 Gilman. It's quite likely that they might've even been more excited to perform than I was to see them perform. Perhaps next time the Ging Nang Boyz will come to Gilman with the intention of performing, and with dozens of converts eagerly awaiting them. - Bob Vielma
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