Face2Face with The Slants

Chinatown dance rockers create new sound from old-school influences

By Joe Nguyen

Dec. 28, 2007

The Slants' Simon Young is a man of many talents.

He plays the bass guitar, is the CEO of Populuxe Entertainment and is an amateur competitive-eating champion – at least that's what it says on his Wikipedia page.

The latter is a hobby he said he enjoys partaking with the rest of his band mates, whether it's at an organized event or in the privacy of their homes. Young's fare of choice is tacos, but he said he can “eat quite a bit of sushi, too.”

“One of the things I like to do is eat,” he said.

But venturing into the professional world of gluttony is not something that's conducive with his other career goals.

“I've got to keep that rock-star figure,” he said. “It ain't going to happen if I'm continuously eating all the time.”

In the early part of 2006, the 26-year-old bassist left The Stivs to start The Slants. Young said the idea of creating an Asian group with a more electronic sound floated in his head for a couple of years before the Portland, Ore.-based band came to fruition. Their rock-infused synthpop sound – something the band describes as “Chinatown dance rock” – stems from the artists he listened to growing up.

“I personally grew up listening to New Order and Depeche Mode,” he said, “so I've always had a passion for it.

“But all my other bands have been more of the rock 'n' roll, kind of punk side,” he added. “So when I took a little break, I wanted to start something else.”

Placing ads in local papers and Craigslist, Young found others who shared his passion for music. But finding the right combination of musicians proved difficult.

“We've already gone through three other members who aren't with us anymore,” he said.

He said their original guitarist left because he wanted to spend more time with his family. Their first drummer's playing style didn't mesh with the group and there was a backup singer who simply didn't work out.

But after some shuffling, the band's lineup was set. The group found its lead singer in 33-year-old Aron Moxley. Jen Cho, 24, would play the keyboard and provide backup vocals. Andrew “AC” Carrion, 24, would be the drummer and Jonathan Fontanilla, 23, would play guitar. And in 23-year-old keyboard player Michael Pacheco, who goes by the moniker “Gaijin,” Young found someone whose love of electronica may have surpassed his own.

“(Gaijin) been doing the electronica and dance stuff for a lot longer than I have,” Young said. “That's probably more natural for him. This band has a lot more of the rock and punk elements than I'm sure he's used to.”

When it came time to figure out a band name, he said he initially thought of something along the lines of The Triads because the band had an Asian underground society theme. But during a brainstorming session, The Slants just made sense.

“(We thought), 'what's something that Asians have in common?'” he said. “And (someone) said, well, we have slanted eyes and so I'm thinking, 'that's a great name.'”

It's a name the band relishes because they're proud of the fact that most of them are of Asian descent and they're not trying to hide it, he said.

“I think most Asians have a good sense of humor about it – they think it's funny,” he said.

While the Asian theme has been a reminder of their cultural heritage, some have dubbed the group's title as controversial.

“I always think it's kind of amusing when someone who isn't Asian is offended by it,” he said. “They're like, 'it's offensive to Asian people.'

“I thank them for being offended on my behalf and keep moving on.”

This past September, the group released its debut album, Slanted Eyes, Slanted Hearts. They recorded, produced and released the CD themselves.

“We pretty much set up the studio at my house and started recording and working on it,” Young said.

According to their website, the band sold more than 200 copies at the first show after its release in September.

As the New Year approaches, the band plans on playing venues across the country. As of press time, there are 51 dates listed on their MySpace with more to be added. Young said the band plans to be on the road for one-and-a-half to two months straight this summer, playing everything from small clubs to anime conventions.

“We like to keep busy,” Young said.

For more information about The Slants, visit their website at http://www.theslants.com or their MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/theslants.

Joe Nguyen is the editor in chief of AsiaXpress.com. Joe can be reached via e-mail at joe (at) asiaxpress.com.