ASAKUSA JINTA

Experimental performance artists/preservation band Asakusa Jinta take their name and inspiration from the Tokyo historic district where jintas (roving Japanese street bands) once filled the streets. The band's mixture of punk, ska, swing, and march music (performed by the seven-piece outfit including accordion, 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 a...