Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
"'The shape of punk to come' never exactly took shape. At The Drive-In briefly filled the voic, but the end result was mostly limp emo bands copping warmed over Refused riffs. Sadaharu pick up where Refused and ATDI left off, carrying the torch with a third disc of danceable, politically-charged post-punk." - CMJ New Music
"With a handful of split CDs and compilation appearances behind them, Sadaharu were already established in the U.S. underground when their 2003 full-length debut, Anthem For New Sonic Warfare, came barreling out of the gates. But it was with that album - a raging jazz-rock-post-punk hybrid powered by a revolutionary lyrical vision - that put Sadaharu on the map, literally, landing the band worldwide critical acclaim..." - ALTERNATIVE PRESS
"So if I told you that I was gonna start a band, and in that band, I'd mix punk, hardcore and jazz you'd probably call me crazy, right? Yeah, well not only would I be crazy , I wouldn't be original either, because Sadaharu have been doing it for a while now... Refused meets Fugazi meets Drive Like Jehu. Seriously it is that good." - AMP
"By refusing to align to a single genre, Sadaharu's punk-jazz-metal-fusion shakes out in unexpected jolts, giving the record a ferocious edge." - REVOLVER
"... this quartet packs enough proletariat leanings and urgent, punk fury to make this quite a unique and intriguing post-hardcore find. Blending the discordance of Fugazi, the guitar-lead squall of Shai Hulud and the lyrical conviction of Snapcase, Sadaharu trumpets a soundtrack to social unrest and a rallying cry against musical mediocrity. A" - MEAN STREET
"Herky jerky, hectic hardcore. Dueling guitars pummel and shake, the rhythm grooves and rocks out. Meanwhile the singer channels the spirit of San Diego while trying to exorcise the demons in his head. Great post-hardcore that will make your backbone slip." - PUNK PLANET
"In a sea of imitators, Sadaharu stand out, and for all the right reasons... Vigorous drum lays propel limber guitar strides that are at once hunkered down and expansive, while guitarist Jeff Breil sings/speaks pro-autonomous exhortations as if the mere thought of having to implore people to think individually leaves a bad taste in his mouth." - THE JOURNAL REVIEW
"These guys have that ‘Punk meets James Brown” feel... TPOD makes you want to scream, slam, and swagger like there’s no tomorrow... If you’re listening in your car, better hope you have tinted windows, or be prepared to show the world what a dance party in a car looks like." - LOUDER MAGAZINE
"Sadaharu will completely melt your face with The Politics Of Dancing. This disc packs a punch as it contains raw aggression, energy, and passion while still sounding infectious in a way that most rockers would love to sound." - ACCLAIMED PUNK
"Like a distorted trumpet calling all other hardcore acts to stop trying to fit into the hardcore mold, Sadaharu is the rallying cry that most bored listeners have been waiting for." - PULSE WEEKLY
Discography
THE POLITICS OF DANCING CD (CI Records, 2005)
NEW AND ALTERNATE CAREERS IN DANCE DVD (Music Video Distributors, 2005)
ANTHEM FOR NEW SONIC WARFARE CD (CI Records, 2003)
SADAHARU MEETS ALBERT REACT Split CD (CI Records, 2003)
PUNISHMENT IN HI-FI CDEP (Universal Warning Records, 2003)
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
The sound of discontent has a name, and its name is Sadaharu.
Blending big blues riffs with the frantic urgency of the post-hardcore sound, alongside stripped down rock and roll with jazz undertones and the aggressiveness of the early Am Rep sound, Sadaharu is a musical amalgamation quite unlike any other.
Formed in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in late 2000, Sadaharu's musical identity was quickly realized, within four months the band had recorded and self-distributed their debut CD, Punishment in Hi-Fi (An audio boxing match in which the listener is the loser), and set out to ring their music to an audience outside of their hometown. With a non-stop drive to play shows, a no-holds-barred livep erformance, and an infectious (if hard to define) sound, the band built a small, but ardent, following throughout the East Coast and Midwest.
2003 saw the release of Anthem For New Sonic Warfare (CI Records/Revelation), which showcased a band that had honed their musical skills on the road and had also spent enough time driving through the US in a dingy van to develop a "mission statement," Beginning with the line "A new phase of the war has commenced. A more straightforward approach. A dynamic, multi-tiered, assault on the senses," and continuing on to describe what seems like a near militant diatribe, the band spoke with unbridled intensity about bringing fun and passion back to the post-punk/hardcore world. Anthem quickly garnered critical praise. Alternative Press gave the album a rare 5 out of 5 rating, calling the band "Amazing punk/hardcore/jazz rockers [with] the dissonance of Drive Like Jehu, Refused's energy and the (International) Noise Conspiracy's groove." Punk Planet said of the album, "Great post-hardcore that will make your backbone slip." Mean Street declared that "Sadaharu trumpets a soundtrack to social unrest and a ralying cry against musical mediocrity. The barrage of frantic riffing, noisy rock groove and irreverence for consistent time signatures should prick up the ears of the most skeptical hardcore scenester."
After another year plus of time spent in their van, including stops at venerable music festivals CMJ and SXSW, the band returned to Lanster and began writing songs for their follow-up. With an eye to evolving, lest Anthem's broad declaration of "trying something new!" become trite and hypocritical, the band emerged with enough material, and entered the studio soon after. Working long, 12-hour days, the sessions fueled a new creative drive for the band, the album became The Politics of Dancing (CI Records/Lumberjack).
Driving and aggressive, while at the same time full of Sadaharu's trademark riffing, The Politics of Dancing follows in the tradition the band set in motion with Anthem of speaking to the listener, and not at them, delivering a message of personal rebellion and evolution.
As the liner notes explaim, "A foundation of wide-spread individuality and free-thought must exist before any actual, meaningful change can ever occur on a larger stage," a statement athat speaks just as much about people's musical and artist tastes, as it does broad global politics, and everything that falls in between.
Discontent never sounded so good.
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