MUSIC BLOG

We Be The Echo, Ninja Academy @ Hemlock Tavern 01/22/10

• Published: Thursday, January 28, 2010

Ninja Academy are a two-piece from LA and man, damn, they really do have ninja-like skills on the drums and bass. Seriously. Check this video as proof:



I say that they have ninja skills, but I don't want to give you the impression that these guys are taking themselves too seriously as ninjas. Their stage names are "Indo-Ninja" and "Outdo-Ninja," for instance. And Indo-Ninja shouted something bizarre — like how you can hear him in that video yelling at someone he dubs "Mr. Lion-On-T-Shirt Man" — before most songs. One time he just mumbled "Gimme the fuckin' keys you fuckin' cocksucker" (twice, of course). Also, according to their website they have trademarked the phrase "Buy our shit!"

According to a friend I ran into at the show, Ninja Academy normally have a real ninja onstage with them doing martial arts with swords and nunchucks and stuff. I'm really pretty sorry I didn't get to see that. But Ninja Academy's musical kung fu chops were well worth the price of admission, all the same.

We Be The Echo’s musical kung fu was just as strong. I really enjoyed the hell out of their show, especially because of the fancy new "light show" they were testing out that night. In the interest of full disclosure, I’m pretty much a sucker for instrumental, “post-rock” music, as I suppose you could categorize We Be The Echo if you wanted to take the easy way out (which, yes, I just did). But how many bands have the chops to lay down some intriguingly transcendent instrumental rock while also being unafraid to bust out instrumental cover versions of Beyonce and Lady Gaga? Not many, I’m thinking.

Here’s a taste of We Be The Echo’s set:



I recorded the whole dang thing (by which I just mean We Be The Echo's set, sadly, not all of Ninja Academy's) for me and Olivia’s “Bay Area Live” show on BreakThruRadio airing today. Click that link and check it out!


[STREAM] We Be The Echo: Various Tracks
[STREAM] Ninja Academy: "Idiotech" (their version of Radiohead's "Idioteque")