S.A. (6)

SA (aka Samurai Attack or Sturmabteilung) originally formed in 1984 as an Oi!/Punk band in Gifu city, Gifu prefecture when all band members were still in high school and gained an enormous following in Japan before breaking up in 1987. Their original lineup included a drummer who would go on to form a Gifu/Osaka-based Oi! band Roughtrade in 1992. During that period SA was active mostly in Gifu, Nagoya, Osaka and Tokyo, often playing gigs with bands from nearby areas, such as Cockney Cocks, Cobra, Bad Vultures, Cracker Jacks, The Wanderers, Rose Jets and The Genbaku Onanies. They were reunited in 1999 with a new lineup except for the singer Taisei. Their band name SA stood for "Sturmabteilung" (as written and hinted on the back sleeve of the band's first 8" flexi release "2013549" from 1985 as well as its front sleeve artwork) during the original incarnation of the band, or to be more accurate until 2009 right before they went on their first U.S. tour, which started at the SXSW music festival in Austin. They have decided to make something up and change it from "Sturmabteilung" to "Samurai Attack" for obvious reasons before playing gigs for western audiences. As cheesy as the name sounds, they had to do what they had to do to play outside of Japan without getting into trouble. From 1999 to late 2001, SA was sort of a project band of the singer Taisei and the band's lineup has changed several times during that period until the new and permanent guitarist Naoki (ex-Cobra, Laughin' Nose and Dog Fight) joined them in January 2002. Prior to 2002, former member of The Blue Hearts and a record producer Junnosuke Kawaguchi played bass for SA as a guest live member. Kawaguchi also produced the early self-released CD's on SA's own Sub Mission label, "5705006" ('99 first recording after reformation & '84~'86 tracks) and "2354174" ('85 flexi & '00 tracks). After releasing two CD's compiling their old material from the '80s and new recordings on Sub Mission label in 2000, the new label called Pineapple Records (4) establihed by them in 2002 to release further albums. Their first full length album entitled "4289244" came out in July 2002. Since 2002 their music style has shifted much more towards straightforward street punk with some Oi! influences.