OgreYouAsshole

Ogre You Asshole

Post-fest lots of friends are going to ask who you caught at FRF ’10. If you’re searching for a band name that will really stick out amongst your list, look no further than Ogre You Asshole.

Their moniker was unknowingly given to them by Modest Mouse’s bassist Eric Judy when he drunkenly scrawled “Ogre You Asshole” (which is a line from the ‘80s comedy flick “Revenge Of The Nerds”) on the arm of the band’s original drummer Arata Nishi in 2001. Nishi was still in high school at the time.

Hailing from Nagano, Ogre You Asshole have released three full-length discs including their most recent effort, 2009’s “Fog Lamp.” One of the more popular local openers for tour stops by international acts, the group have gigged alongside more than three dozen visiting underground and alternative bands on stages throughout Japan including The Cribs, Sunset Rubdown, The Evens, The Dresden Dolls, and Modest Mouse. They played with the latter in 2008 and shared the story of how they chose their name with Judy, but he had no recollection of the meeting.

Their poppy post-punk sound has endeared them to Johnny Marr (The Smiths, Modest Mouse, The Cribs) who professed his love for ‘em here.

An interview I did with Ogre You Asshole last year for The Japan Times is here.

Here’s their “Advantage” music video:

Here’s the origin of their name:

*Photo by Naoaki Okamura and used with the permission of Smashing Mag.