King Brothers climb walls in California

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Keizo and Masa, background left and right, teeter on the brink of doom during the last song Friday while drummer Taichi loses it, and bassist Shinosuke exhorts the terrified audience in Visalia, Calif., during the King Brothers’ audacious visit April 4.

Japan’s King Brothers, one of the "hottest bands in Osaka right now," according to local promoter Aaron Gomes, literally raised the roof at the Cellar Door, a former sanctuary of wine-sippers and quiet conversations in Visalia, Calif., that was turned into a J-rock zoo Friday night [April 4] for the 100 or so frenetic fans who showed up and stayed around for the grand finale.

And what a finale it was! Lede guitarist Masafumi “Gandhi” Koyama, known simply as Masa (not top be confused with Maasa of Berryz Kobo fame, heh) actually played and sang the final song (I think it was “Kill Everyone Blues,” but they all kind of ran together into one giant screamy songfest) atop a six-inch-wide ledge at the back on the stage.

They wedged the microphones up with them, and brought along their guitars. It was quite an amazing, but categorically frightening, sight.

King Brothers, Friday, April 4, include, from left: Lennon, Gandhi, Elvis, and the Incredible Hulk, foreground. They are otherwise known as Keizo Matsuo, Masafumi Koyama, Sugat Shinosuke and Taichi Takano.

Masa was joined there by Keizo “Lennon” Matsuo, who gave up trying to be a straight man to Masa and ended up climbing the wall with him, but only after wailing out some of the most outrageous vocals ever seen in this normally placid, farmer-dominated city of 115,000 about 45 miles south of Fresno.

Bass player Sugat “Elvis” Shinosuke displayed full-blown gear worthy of The King, but as the set began to melt down, he thew off his coat, along with his pretensions, and simply acted as cheerleader for the rest of the guys.

That left drummer Taichi “Incredible Hulk” Takano, whose trap set kept falling apart with all the jackhammering. However, an able staff of gentle, knowledgeable Cellar Door personal and even more capable talent scouts and booking agents propped him up, as they did the other three guys. Masa and Keizo took turn turns climbing around on barrels and amplifiers as the normally docile Cellar Door clientele looked at each other and wondered: “Why us, Lord?”

Vinyl retro record! Storied artifact, complete with Keizo’s three-dimensional autograph! Ten bucks well spent (especially when the cover for this gig was only five bucks!

And at the souvenir table? Hey, and old-fashioned vinyl disk for just $10! Quite the collector’s item, especially with all the guys’ autographs on it! These dudes were retro as much they were speed-addled crazies.

Well done, King Brothers. You woke up the entire California Central Valley and will anxiously await your storied return (that is, if ceiling repairs don’t run very much).

This is Radicalipton signing off – for now.