It's been an extremely busy few years for David Aaron (who put his own spin on Blind Melon's Life Aint So Shitty on Twenty Stories Below) since forming New York rock/funk/hiphop sensations Shinobi Ninja in 2008.
They met in Hell’s Kitchen at a recording studio named Progressive Music where Aaron, Mike Machinist and Jonathan Nunes Simone (Jonny On The Rocks, original SN Bassist) all worked at the studio while female vocalist Johnson took vocal lessons. Johnson started her career as a background dancer for artists like P. Diddy, Rihanna, Jason Derulo, Nelly and Daddy Yankee.
Their early days were hustle-filled. Just to get their name out there to people would make all the difference. They played gigs whenever, wherever. In the process, they tried to figure out their sound, which fuses together several styles – metal, punk, hip-hop and rap- a complete musical smorgasbord.
They toured and recorded in a studio in the Machinist twins’ house where they grew up, which inspired half their name.“It had a real Japanese-like design, our Mom designed it, she’s an architect,” said Mike Machinist. “It was funny because when the band came over, they were like, ‘It looks like a ninja house!’”
The “Shinobi” half came from the Sega Genesis game, which Aaron always played at a friend’s house back in the day.
“That always stuck with me,” said Aaron. “Once I met these dudes and we went to that house and on the drive back, we became Shinobi Ninja.”
In 2009, they released a 9-song EP named Brooklyn To Babylon.
In February 2010, to keep in theme with their love of video games, they released a Nintendo-styled video game app named Shinobi Ninja Attacks!
The idea came from a trip to South by Southwest in 2008 and was an innovative way to put the band’s music over to potential fans.
“At the time, it was such a perfect idea because the iPhone one was out,” said Aaron. “It was like, ‘Nobody’s doing that! An iPhone app for a band? An unsigned one at the very least?’ They did it and it was dope.”
Every time the user beat a level on the reward-based interactive app, they unlocked a Shinobi Ninja song or music video.
“Our music plays in the background,” said Aaron. “If you bring the game to our show, the GPS sees when you check in and unlocks it for you right there.”
The group then released the Blunts and Nunchucks Mix-Tape and Jonathan Nunes Simone left the band and Confurius (also Aaron’s cousin) replaced him.
On April 5th 2011, they put out their first full-length, Rock Hood. The album, three years in the making, included songs re-recorded from earlier demos. They shot a video for their first single, “Brooklyn to Babylon,” but things took off with the second single, the lead title track, “Rock Hood” and it started with a music video that almost never happened.Purchase Rock Hood on iTunes HERE
Several attempts at shoots for the video failed. They were about to give up, but were then given the opportunity to work with director Dave Dutton, who had a certain vision and pulled it off in a day.
“That was from the great wisdom of our management, not to put out a half-assed video,” said Hrdina. “There was definitely a sense of relief on that part.”
Rock Hood also featured on NBA 2K12. Now people all across the world had a Shinobi Ninja song and fittingly enough, it was through a video game.
In August 2011, they did the 311 Pow Wow Festival and played with acts like Sublime With Rome, Deftones, Mix Master Mike and G Love.
The band toured for a month early in 2012. On the way to South by Southwest, they found a couple of fun surprises. They played a fashion show in Nashville, Tennessee and also in Panama City Beach, Florida during Spring Break.
Once finally at South by Southwest, their first year as official SXSW artists, they rocked out, partied afterwards and met new people. All in all, South by Southwest was an incredible experience.
Back in NYC now, they’re in the studio every day, as they prepare for their next album. They also plan to make more videos for songs with footage from tour. They are positive while in the studio, which is a home away from home. However, they truly feel like natural road warriors.
“We’ll focus on whatever we can do in the time that we’re back but at the same time, the focus is still like, ‘Get out. Get back on tour,’” said Aaron. “It’s the only way you’ll meet new fans.”Only around for less than four years, the band has gone far and with a new album to come, there are no plans to stop now.
“It’s not like you can sit back and enjoy this ride. You have to sit up. You have to put in to get out. We’re reminded of that every day,” said Mike Machinist. “We’ve made great progress, but there’s so many things to do- songs to write, places to be, it’s a never-ending thing, but this is our lifestyle, this is what we yearn for every day.”
Story extracts taken from: http://reviewfix.com/2012/06/shinobi-ninja-a-band-on-the-rise
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