King Brothers roar into tranquil Visalia April 4

King Brothers front man Masafumi Koyama gets friendly with fans as Keizo Matsuo sticks a lede.

The King Brothers are coming to my back yard next week and the big question is: Time for celebration or despair? This J-rock trio seems to exhibit an abundance of both extremes.

*** UPDATE: The ugly, crazy but wonderful result:

http://bloggerparty.com/king_brothers_climb_walls_in_california

And the cursory tour of YouTube will reveal little about what makes the King Brothers tick. They are a sensational tight rock band when they want to be, or they can just engage in chordal chaos the likes of which would assault the ears of even the most ardent fans of loud, often meaningless music.

So, then, just as everyone is recovering from Japan Nite 2008, here comes another ear-splitter, and like The Emeralds and Detroit7, the King Brothers are a trio. From what can be gathered off the various dark recesses of the Internet, the group has been around since 1999, and switched drummers in 2003, or at least I think they did.

OK, are these the King Brothers before or after a show?

Masafumi Koyama and Keizo Matsuo trade off blasting guitar licks and screaming the primal lyrics. Jun Fujimoto was drummer until 2003, and Shinji Wada covered the percussion after Jun walked. Frankly, I’m not sure who will saddle up behind the trap set and draw sticks for the April 4 show at the Cellar Door in Visalia, Calif., about 45 minutes south of Fresno (101 W. Main, Visalia CA, ph. 559-636-9463, www.cellardoorvisalia.com). Cover, at $5, is a bargain, and it’s a Friday show (9:30 p.m.). That’s a win-win-win situation no matter how crazy the King Brothers get.

Now don’t laugh about Asian music in the middle of California mariachi country. The last show at the Cellar Door with a Japanese artist – this one the New York-based acid-crooner Miho Hatori on Feb. 10, 2007– drew a huge Asian fan base from Fresno along with the usual sprinkling of Anglos and Hispanics (as The Emeralds said at Japan Nite 2008: “Hey, enjoy. It’s your country and your space.”).

Yoko Ono-wannabe Miho Hatori was a flop last year trying to emulate a 'child of the '60s.'

Hatori was a deep disappointment for most fans who showed up. They wanted headbanger rock, not heroin-inspired whining and splishy-splashy cymbals. This time around, the King Brothers will most assuredly deliver, if they show up.

With song names like “Go to Hell,” “Sell Your Soul,” "Rot Now,” and “Kill Everyone Blues,” it won’t be boring. However, the genteel farm folk in the Central Valley of California are all so brain-dead, they probably will actually enjoy the insanity.

This is Radicalipton signing off – for now.