ASAKUSA JINTA takes their name and inspiration from the Tokyo historic District where jintas (roving Japanese street bands) once filled the streets. The Band’s mixtures of punk, ska, swing, and march music (performed by the six-piece outfit including standup bass, horns, and rhythm section) began driving audiences wild in 1999. Asakusa Jinta’s dynamic display earned a reputation throughout their hometown of Tokyo for vibrant (bordering on frantic) live performances, featuring outlandish swing-era-gone-mad costumes and typically standing-room-only halls. With a horn section prone to marching through the packed audiences and a front man / bass player whose vocals conjure images of a carnival barker, Asakusa Jinta bring the spirit of chindon’ya (traditional Japanese street performance) to life.
ASAKUSA JINTA broke new ground at the 2007 South by Southwest festival in Austin, performing as part of the festival’s Japan Nite showcase, and have appeared at international festivals such as Lowlands, Stockholm’s “Kulturfestival” and Finland’s “Helsinki Festival”, as well as Japan’s own “Fuji Rock” festival, leaving audiences wowed. In 2009, they brought their show to the UK, performed 6 shows across the country! In 2011, their 4th album is out sinceJuly 7th and they will prove their Asianican Hard Marching sounds is genuinely original yet international dance music to the world.