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BIO:

JOHN CAFIERO is the creative force behind Osaka Popstar and this ultra punk pop masterpiece. A long-time collaborator of the Misfits (among other smash hits he produced their visionary Project 1950 record, the highest charting Misfits CD ever), Cafiero grew up in the stellar orbit of the Ramones and the heroic army of first wave New York City punk rockers. Joining him on their debut mission are the AMERICAN LEGENDS OF PUNK, including MARKY RAMONE (THE RAMONES), JERRY ONLY (THE MISFITS), DEZ CADENA (BLACK FLAG), and IVAN JULIAN (RICHARD HELL & THE VOIDOIDS).

“It’s great to work with your friends and who better for a band than the guys who started the scene?” says Cafiero. “This is my own personal Punk Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame.”

Indeed Cafiero taped into his pool of friends and recent collaborators to assemble a line-up that would include some of his favorite punk rock musicians, and in 2006 Osaka Popstar released its debut LP, appropriately titled Osaka Popstar And The American Legends Of Punk. For the album Cafiero picked a winner’s circle of cover songs to complement his originals, resulting in 13 tracks of addictive, high-energy punk pop plus a bonus DVD featuring animated videos.

The opening track and first single, “Wicked World,” was written by renowned indie music icon Daniel Johnston, who also contributes backing vocals on a terrific, revved-up cow-punk version of the traditional bluegrass lament “Man of Constant Sorrow.” During the release of Osaka Popstar And The American Legends Of Punk, “Wicked World” made its way to 3 on alternative specialty radio.

Two years later, the band is back with the new high-energy mini LP Rock ‘Em O-Sock ‘Em Live! On the record the band rips through a roller coaster of old school punk pop with high-speed hooks and catchy choruses. The nine-track CD features live recordings of favorites from the band’s debut LP, as well as three Ramones classics plus the title track of Richard Hell and the Voidoids’ 1977 album, Blank Generation. The band's visual aesthetic is heavily inspired by Japanese animation, and appropriately Osaka Popstar delivers hi-octane punk-pop cover versions of the cult classic anime theme songs “Astro Boy” and “Sailor Moon.”

“This is a combination of everything that has inspired me, of everything that I am: Japanese anime and toys, my love of punk rock and pop culture, and especially the defining 1970s bands of New York City,” says Cafiero. And, in a recent interview with Alternative Press Magazine, Marky Ramone was quoted on Osaka Popstar’s debut CD saying “it’s one of the best albums that I ever played on.”

Osaka Popstar has since the beginning been almost as much about visual art as it has music, and both releases feature work by a posse of colossal visual artists that Cafiero assembled to create an over-the-top, high-energy-bursting-with-color world for the band. The debut LP packaging included work by original Topps bubble-gum card guru John Pound (Wacky Packs artist and creator of the Garbage Pail Kids); Space Monkeys designer and urban legend Dalek; Batman and Justice League wizard Butch Lukic; and Tragnark, who is working closely with Cafiero in developing the “Shaolin Monkeys” characters designs, based on the original Osaka Popstar tune of the same name, for an animated series. Recently, the band released a die-cut, 10-inch shaped picture disc maxi-single for “Shaolin Monkeys” from the debut CD.

On Rock ‘Em O-Sock ‘Em Live! Topps bubble-gum card creator John Pound is back on board after receiving an excited response from his work on the first album. John not only designed the new album cover art for the mini LP, but each limited edition Rock ‘Em O-Sock ‘Em Live! digipak comes with an exclusive Topps “Garbage Pail Kids” collectible trading card depicting the band in concert. Osaka Popstar was honored with inclusion in the Topps bubble gum company’s all new seventh series of Garbage Pail Kids stickers and trading cards, and Cafiero has been asked to write the theme song for a GPK animated series, which will be recorded by the band.

The Osaka Popstar mascot and star of the animated music video "Wicked World" made its vinyl figure debut on April 18, 2008 at the NYC Comic Con and is available via the Osaka Popstar online store and select retail locations. 120 Clear Red Vinyl editions were produced as well as 50 pieces in solid white vinyl. The Devil Dogs were designed by Japan native animator/illustrator Mari-chan, based on concepts and characters created by John Cafiero and made in Japan by Secret Base and sculpted by Betch (Pushead Skullpirate). Plans are in the works for an Osaka Popstar Devil Dog art show at The Showroom Gallery in NYC to benefit animal rescue.

In recent collaborations, Osaka Popstar has also teamed up with The Hard Rock Café to offer limited edition cloisonné pins and key chains available exclusively at all eight Hard Rock Café locations throughout Japan. Animated music videos directed by cult animators Mari-chan (Japan) & the UK’s Joel (Rather Good) Veitch can be seen on a regular basis on the in-house programming at Hard Rock Café locations worldwide. The aforementioned animated music video for the band’s first single “Wicked World” was voted 1 on Fuse TV’s Oven Fresh.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: OSAKAPOPSTAR.COM

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