The New Standard | ms

Hi-Standard are a Japanese punk rock group who formed in 1991. Since then, they have become a popular and influential part of Japanese underground music. The release of their hugely popular "Making the Road" sparked sold-out Japan shows and US/European tours with punk bands such as NOFX, WIZO, and No Use for a Name. Although Hi-Standard were Japanese born, all of their major releases were sung in English. Live footage of the band shows them talking to the crowd in their native Japanese and then immediately changing to English for the songs. Style Although classed as a 'punk rock' band,...

Starting with the circuit-bent toys and keyboards of Kevin C. Smith and running through Maurice Rickard's live processing, the improvised results range from an exploration of a landscape of tense sonic alienation, to abstract IDM, to light comedy. http://www.myspace.com/thebureauofnonstandards .

In the summer and fall of 1999, the small crowds who caught The Standard's early performances around Portland, Oregon, knew they were hearing something different—music at once both challenging and engaging, built around surprising chord changes and abrupt shifts in tempo, moving seamlessly from lyrical keyboard passages to blistering guitar hooks, with vocals that ranged from elusive and haunting to intimate and heartbreaking. The air in those rooms was charged, electric, and no one was more surprised by the sudden surge of energy than the four members of the band itself, who'd come together accidentally, each with wildly differing musical...

The Spring Standards (formerly Old Springs Pike) are an energetic force of three-part harmony from New York City circling over a rock n' roll sound with an old country aftertaste. From small towns to big cities, they explode on stage with spirit, spontaneity, and a style all their own. MTV's John Norris says "They willingly embrace dissonance, and their execution is impeccable, from their tight, CSN-worthy vocal harmonies to their wickedly intense percussive power." The Springs Standards are currently touring the east coast and working on their 2nd album. Their debut EP, No One Will Know, was released in July...