The Slants
The Slants are an American dance-rock band composed entirely of Asian Americans. The band was formed in Portland, Oregon, by Simon Tam in 2006. The band went through a number of early lineup changes, but had a core lineup for its albums and tours by 2009 consisting of Aron Moxley, Tam, Jonathan Fontanilla, and Tyler Chen. After experiencing some transitions, the core lineup consisted of Tam, lead singer Ken Shima, and guitarist Joe X. Jiang by 2015, until the band retired from touring in 2019. The band's name originates from an effort of reappropriation and was the source of a protracted legal battle that took them to the Supreme Court of the United States in the case Matal v. Tam.
Influenced by 1980s bands such as Depeche Mode and New Order, as well as modern acts such as the Killers and the Bravery, the Slants refer to their sound as "Chinatown Dance Rock". The band have released five studio albums, two EPs, and a feature-length film, The Slants - Taiwan Tour. The group performed across four continents, including special tours with the Armed Forces and performing at Taiwan's Spring Scream festival.
The Slants are deeply involved with the Asian American community and racial justice work. This includes raising money for causes such as funding research into disparate rates of cancer for Asian American women, bridging divides, fighting bullying, and building community centers. In 2018, members of the band launched a own nonprofit organization to support other artist-activists working to address racial inequities.
In late 2019, the band took an indefinite hiatus from live touring to primarily focus. In 2023, they released their final record, The Band Plays On. The two members, Simon Tam and Joe X. Jiang, still continues to compose music and occasionally perform with former bandmates, but only for special events to raise money for charitable causes. Several of the former band members serve as volunteers for The Slants Foundation, though the organization operates indepdently of the band.
Formation and name
The band was originally formed after posting ads to local classifieds, Craigslist and online ads. The process took two years to finalize the initial line-up. Over the years, the lineup has evolved with different members stepping into the role, all with the common thread of identifying with Asian American culture.Speaking on the band's name and the sources from which it was derived, founder/bassist Simon Tam stated that, " sounds like a fun, '80s, New Wave-kind of band. And it's a play on words. We can share our personal experiences about what it's like being people of color—our own slant on life, if you will. It's also a musical reference. There are slant guitar chords that we use in our music." The band's name also serves as a reference to the band members' ethnic identity.
Supreme Court case
Due to the connection between the Slants' name and the use of "slant" as a pejorative in relation to Asian people, the group's efforts to register the name as a trademark were the subject of a protracted legal debate. After the band's request to register their trademark was first denied in 2010, they unsuccessfully appealed to the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. In December 2015, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit overturned a previous ruling that upheld the United States Patent and Trademark Office's rejection of the band's application by striking down part of a law that allowed the government to reject trademarks it deemed offensive or disparaging to others. The majority opinion stated, in part, that "hatever our personal feelings about the mark at issue here, or other disparaging marks, the First Amendment forbids government regulators to deny registration because they find speech likely to offend others." The case was later heard by the Supreme Court of the United States in Matal v. Tam, who ruled unanimously in the band's favor. Tam explained that while the First Amendment should protect the band's right to use the name regardless of their reasons, they had chosen the name in order "to undercut slurs about Asian-Americans that band members heard in childhood, not to promote them."In 2019, Washington University in St. Louis published an extensive study on reclaiming identities based on the Slants' name and found that, "Reappropriation does seem to work in the sense of defusing insults, rendering them less disparaging and harmful". That same year, trademark law expert Elizabeth Squires wrote that, "Simon Tam's successful attempt to infuse meaning into a term by trademarking it was brilliant. He and other newly minted trademark holders have been unleashed to kick-start a new era of free speech and cultural reclamation, where we as market participants have a voice. Now, more than ever, what we have to say and what the market thinks matters. Society should take note from The Slants® and we should be sure to speak loud enough and proud enough for the lexicographers to hear."
Studies conducted after the court case have also affirmed that the Slants' efforts in reappropriation was helpful in neutralizing disparaging words. Researchers have noted that, "When a group is seen as taking control of a historically disparaging term, it can indeed neutralize the insulting content of the term...and it does so among the group that is the target of the insult, as well as among members of the majority group. Reappropriation does seem to work in the sense of defusing insults, rendering them less disparaging and harmful".
Musical style
The Slants describe themselves as "Chinatown Dance Rock" and plays synth-pop music similar to groups such as CHVRCHES and I AM X while incorporating some rock sounds like Bleachers and The Killers. Their influences include 1980s groups such as Depeche Mode, The Cure, Duran Duran, and Joy Division.The band has been grouped with various genres, including alternative rock, indie rock, new wave, synth-pop, and pop rock.
History
2006–2009: ''Slanted Eyes, Slanted Hearts''
The Slants were founded in Portland, OR by Simon Tam in 2006. Within a few months of their first show, the band released their debut album, Slanted Eyes, Slanted Hearts. The album was listed in the top 5 Asian-American albums of 2007 by AsiaXpress and has won accolades such as "Album of the Year" from the Portland Music Awards, Willamette Week, RockWired, and others. The Slants were cited as the "Hardest Working Asian American Band" The Slants were named the world's first Asian American Fender Music spotlight artist.In 2008, the Slants competed in Bodog Music Battle of the Bands for the opportunity to be featured on the Fuse TV reality show and win a $1 million recording contract. The band consistently placed first in every round of the competition. However, when they learned that they would be required to sign a 73-page non-negotiable contract in order to continue the competition, they dropped out. The band reasoned: "This was just not the right fit for our band at this time – or any band, really." This was one of several recording contracts that the band rejected. That same year, founder Simon Tam rejected a $4 million recording contract who wanted to replace the lead singer with someone who was white. The following year, the Slants were featured in a SXSW showcase and launched several more tours spanning North America.
During this time, the band shed several of its short-term members, including both on-stage keyboardists, and solidified its lineup with Tyler Chen joining original members Simon Tam, Aron Moxley, and Jonathan Fontanilla. They also were becoming a fan-favorite due to frequent appearances at anime conventions, with NPR writing that, "The Slants' songs about Asian-American alienation don't seem to have hurt their appeal to white teenagers. If anything, they resonate with kids whose geeky adoration for anime makes them outsiders in their own way."
2009: ''Slants! Slants! Revolution''
In 2009, the band released a collection of Dance Dance Revolution-styled remixes of their debut album, Slanted Eyes, Slanted Hearts, called Slants! Slants! Revolution and donated 100% of the profits to cancer research for Asian women because they experience higher rates of cancer than any other ethnic group. The production of the remixes was led by former band member Michael "Gaijin" Pacheco and Justin Cooper.2010–2012: ''Pageantry''
In 2010, the Slants released their third album, Pageantry. Pageantry featured a number of local icons including Cory Gray, Krista Herring, Mic Crenshaw, and Gabe Kniffin. Thai Dao also joined the band as keyboardist and guitarist after the release of the album. From Pageantry, the band released two music videos, including "How the Wicked Live" and "You Make Me Alive." During this time, the band was also advised to register their name as a trademark. However, the application was rejected under Section 2A of the Lanham Act, under the claim that the band's name was disparaging to persons of Asian descent. The band appealed.In 2011, the Slants were featured on the front page of the Oregonian for fighting the United States Patent and Trademark Office over the right to protect their name. Despite several appeals, the Trademark Office continued to refuse registration. That same year, The Slants was added to the Armed Forces Entertainment roster and invited to perform for active troops serving overseas.
The band's extensive touring led to them sharing the stage with acts such as apl.de.ap, Vampire Weekend, Girl Talk, Girugamesh, M.O.V.E and Boom Boom Satellites.
2012–2014: ''The Yellow album''
After returning their European tour, the Slants returned to the studio to write and record The Yellow Album. The album was recorded and engineered by Simon Tam, Tyler Chen, and Scott Craig. It was mastered by Adam Gonsalves.The Yellow Album featured several singles and the band greatly expanded their collection of music videos at this time. This included music videos for the songs "Love Letters From Andromeda" and "Misery" as a collaboration with films Tai Chi Zero and Tai Chi Hero, starring Tony Leung, angelababy, and action choreography by Sammo Hung. The band also debuted their video for "Just One Kiss" on Conan O'Brien's Team Coco, filmed at Otakon.
Following multiple national tours in support of The Yellow Album, longtime members Fontanilla and Moxley left the band. Will Moore of The Adarna stepped in as lead guitarist and occasional vocalist during this time.