THE SLANTS

It's been a minute since our last update, but there's a lot brewing: some of it musical, some of it legal, all of it a bit Slanted. Here's what's been happening:

Joe and Simon Are Cooking Up a New Musical

For a while now, Joe and Simon have been quietly working on something new: a musical theatre show called At the Edge of Chinatown. It's an emo/pop punk story about three Asian-American teenagers navigating fractured identities while their family restaurants face extinction in a rapidly gentrifying Chinatown. 

We has already had a workshop reading at LaGuardia Performing Arts Center's Rough Draft Festival in Queens, and now it's coming home to Portland. Joe and Simon will be performing songs from Act 1 acoustically at the Portland Chinatown Museum.  

This isn't a Slants reunion or an official band project, but it's still very much us: two people who spent years making noise together, now making a different kind of noise. If musical theatre, Chinatown history, or just watching two old bandmates try something new sounds like your evening, we'd love to see you there.

Portland Chinatown Museum 
Saturday, August 22nd at 4pm
RSVP Here!
 

Catch a Performance at the Jade International Night Market

If you can't make the museum date (or just want more), a small cast will be performing a live excerpt of At the Edge of Chinatown at the Jade International Night Market on August 29th.

If you've never been, the Jade Night Market is one of the best nights of the year in Portland (we've played it several times over the years). Imagine 100+ multicultural vendors slinging incredible food, drinks, art, and handmade goods, with thousands of people out celebrating the Jade District and East Portland's cultural mosaic. It's free, it's open to everyone, and it's the kind of event that reminds you why community spaces like this matter.

The concert performance starts at 8pm. Come early to eat your way through the vendors first!

PCC Southeast Campus
2305 SE 82nd Ave, Portland
Market runs 4–10pm | Performance at 8pm 
Free & all ages
More info at jadedistrict.org

It's Been Nine Years Since the Our SCOTUS Ruling

This summer marks nine years since Matal v. Tam,  the Supreme Court decision that came out of our fight to trademark our own band name. 

A lot has been written about the case since then, and honestly, a lot of it gets the details wrong including, ironically, the Supreme Court itself. At one point, the court referred to Simon as the band's "lead singer" (he's never been, never will be). So Simon put together a plain-language breakdown of what the Court actually decided, what it deliberately left unresolved, and how those open questions have kept surfacing in completely different fights, from "immoral or scandalous" trademarks to academic freedom cases decided just this year.

The short version: the Court didn't rule that our name wasn't offensive. It ruled that the government doesn't get to be the one who decides that.

If you want the longer version of why a trademark case about a dance rock band keeps showing up in cases across the U.S. that have nothing to do with trademarks, it's here: What Matal v. Tam Actually Decided — And What It Didn't

That's it for now. As always, we're not on social media, so if something here moves you (or you're going to be at the museum or the night market) just drop us a note through the contact form. We read every message.

With gratitude,
The Slants

Two Videos, One Day, and a Blown Fuse

In May 2013, we drove our bus to a decommissioned hydroelectric plant east of Portland. It was a place I first spotted in footage from an episode of Grimm. Several of the music videos for The Yellow Album had a steampunk element because we were partnering with the Tai Chi Zero film series, and this location felt like a perfect fit. I wrote to their plant board, they were excited, and just like that we had special permission to film there.

Will, our guitarist at the time, had joined only a few months earlier (replacing Johnny) so this would be his music video debut. And because we were operating on pure scrappiness, we decided to shoot two different videos in a single day. Our friend Jason Ericson happily agreed to shoot both. Back then, nearly all of our videos were made by ourselves or friends who generously donated their time.

First up was our ballad Sour Love, filmed in the main turbine building. It's a massive space with gigantic turquoise turbines and windows overlooking the Sandy River. We wanted the setting to mirror the isolation in the lyrics. 

We also found an empty loft with a broken pane of glass overhead that formed a perfect star as the sun rose, which made for a great backdrop for Aron's solo scenes. For smoother panning shots, different band members pushed Jason around in a wheelchair while he handheld the camera.

We spent about 90 minutes filming various band and individual combinations before changing outfits and moving everything to the transformer building for Misery — which would debut alongside the Tai Chi Hero film starring Daniel Wu and Tony Leung Ka-fai. To get more "steam" into our steampunk video, our roadie Ken hid behind the transformer and periodically hit the fog machine we'd bring on tour. 

Longtime fans might also spot some familiar stage props, like our infamous lightboxes. We got about three takes in before (ironically) we blew the power out. Later, we intercut the footage with scenes from the then-unreleased film, and just like that, we had ourselves a complete video.

Watch the music videos here: Sour Love | Misery

Asian PaCIVICS and AAPI Heritage Month

May is also Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The Slants Foundation has partnered with Crossings TV to debut Asian PaCIVICS, spotlighting 9 artists who are using their music to drive social change across the United States. Many of us volunteer with this nonprofit because we genuinely believe in the power of art to move things forward.

While The Slants Foundation operates independently of the band, 100% of merchandise and royalty proceeds go directly to supporting their work. Check out what's happening over there, and if it moves you, consider throwing them a donation. We want to help empower a new generation of scrappy artists!

A decade after our Taiwan Tour, we're revisiting one of the most meaningful chapters in The Slants' story — and sharing the film for free.

Ten years ago, our band touched down in Taiwan for what would become the most unforgettable tour of our careers. We played one of Asia's biggest music festivals, Spring Scream, at the southernmost tip of the island country in Kenting, alongside more than 200 bands. We wound our way through Taichung, Kaohsiung, and Taipei. We haunted night markets at every opportunity. We made friends we still think about today.

The Tour That Topped Them All

Out of 50+ national and international tours across our band's career, Taiwan still holds the top spot for many of us. Guitarist Joe X. Jiang has a characteristically honest explanation: "Our Taiwan tour will always be a top 5 highlight of my life — and it was really just an epic food tour across the entire island, with a little bit of music peppered in."

He's not wrong. The night markets alone could fill a memoir. We devoured classics like Hot-Star Large Fried Chicken (豪大大雞排) and spent hours on wild goose chases through the streets hunting down food challenges posed to us by producers including, yes, “bull whip soup.” Some of us were more enthusiastic about that one than others. In all honesty, none of us wanted to eat that, not even the most adventurous among us,

But the moments that stick with us most aren't the ones on stage. They're the ones in between: meeting fans who had traveled from across Asia to see us, sharing stages with musicians who became instant friends, wandering streets we'd never walked before with no plan and nowhere to be. Simon and Tyler both celebrated birthdays on that trip, thousands of miles from home, surrounded by people they'd just met and already loved. We hiked through a rainforest to stand at the southernmost point of Taiwan and looked out at the vast ocean.

For Tyler, the experience ran deeper than the adventure. "My journey with The Slants helped me reshape how I understand my multiracial identity and develop a deeper sense of pride in representing my Asian heritage. I never took any of it for granted."

The tour was joyful, chaotic, delicious and loud.
 

The Film

We knew this trip was special while it was happening, so we made sure to capture it. With the help of our incredible tour manager Eric Hsu (of Johnny Hi-Fi) without whom none of this would have been possible, our longtime band photographer Jamie, who flew all the way from Japan to join us, and a small camera crew (i.e., the band itself and a local videographer), we got a lot of great moments.

That film was made possible by fans like you, who believed in the story before it was even finished. We're so glad we got to share it together.

Watch the Taiwan Tour Documentary here →

We hope it takes you somewhere.

A Year of Looking Back (and Forward)

This anniversary feels especially meaningful because 2026 marks twenty years since The Slants first came together. All year long, we'll be sharing unreleased content, memories, and reflections for you to enjoy.

Stay tuned. There's more to come.

With gratitude, 
The Slants

We're excited to announce that our forthcoming musical theatre show, At the Edge of Chinatown, is a part of this year's Rough Draft Festival!

At the Edge of Chinatown follows three Asian-American teenagers navigating fractured identities while their family restaurants face extinction in a rapidly gentrifying Chinatown. This is an explosive musical about third-culture kids who must remix the old world to build their own, proving that sometimes the most powerful form of preservation is fearless reinvention. With a contemporary score that fuses traditional Asian instruments with punk rock energy, the musical explores how identity isn't inherited—it's forged.

You'll be able to watch demo versions of the song performed by Joe X. Jiang and Simon Tam, provide feedback, and get an inside look at the work in development. 

Join us March 12 at 7pm in the Little Theater. Get tickets here: https://www.lpac.nyc/upcoming-events/rdf-2026

It's the first day of December, which means the holiday countdown has officially begun. Break out the advent calendars, binge those delightfully mediocre holiday romcoms, and indulge in some regretful eating…you know the drill.

While your inbox and social feeds are probably overflowing with Cyber Monday deals trying to maximize your spending, we decided to do something different: share some Christmas cover songs we've recorded over the past couple of years, just for you.

Why? Mostly because we wanted to brighten up the winter season and shine a light on causes near and dear to us. If you have a few extra bucks to spare this holiday season, we'd invite you to consider donating to The Slants Foundation. It's a nonprofit that several of us volunteer for that supports AAPI artists using their music to drive social change. You know, the next generation of troublemakers.

Will we ever record a full album (or at least an EP)? Possibly. Most of these songs were recorded in our homes during the holidays just for fun, but if you're interested in hearing more, let us know and we'll try to make it happen sooner rather than later (but probably later).

Here's what you can listen to today:

"Merry Christmas, I Don't Want to Fight" - Our take on the iconic Ramones track, featuring Tyler Chen, Thai Dao, Joe X. Jiang, Will Moore, Aron Moxley, Ken Shima, Simon Tam, and Yuya Matsuda. Lots of guitars, two basses, multiple lead vocals. It's a chaotic Christmas mess: watch here or listen here.
 

"Last Christmas" - Our version of the George Michael hit, featuring Joe X. Jiang on lead vocals with backing vocals and musical support from Tyler Chen, Thai Dao, Will Moore, Aron Moxley, and Simon Tam. Watch the videoor listen here.

We hope these bring you some holiday cheer and remind you that even in all the seasonal chaos, you've always got rock 'n' roll to warm your heart.

Happy Slantsmas,
The Slants

Some of you might know that Joe and I still keep busy speaking and performing at events around the world. Two weeks ago, we had a special evening at Willamette University in Salem, OR. Most recently, the call came from Naples, where we shared our story and songs with people from 70 different countries. What a time! We had a blast meeting such a diverse, multicultural crowd and exchanging ideas about rock 'n' roll and changing the world.

And, of course, we also dedicated ourselves—with great discipline and focus—to tracking down the best food in town. It's the birthplace of pizza, after all, so really, this was serious research. We hope you'll watch this video of our time in Italy, created in the same spirit as our Taiwan Tour documentary film (just quite a bit shorter). Speaking of which, that film is now free to watch online so you don't have to rent it on Prime Video.

We've spent most of this year laying low, focusing on wrapping up a museum exhibit at the Portland Chinatown Museum while working on a new project we're working on while only taking on a handful of events—mostly schools across the country, though we'll do the occasional gathering of lawyers (like we did in Italy). Next year marks 20 years since the band first started, which feels both impossible and exactly right. So if you have ideas on how we should celebrate, please let me know!

Thanks again for two decades of love and support.

~Simon

(P.S: As you know, the band is no longer on social media so if you want to get in touch, just drop us an email)

Today, our first record turns 18!

It's hard to believe it's been eighteen years since we released "Slanted Eyes, Slanted Hearts." As Aron says, it's officially old enough to vote now! What started as a collection of songs that we wrote and recorded in a garage became something we never could have imagined: a breakthrough that introduced the world to tracks like "Sakura, Sakura" and "Kokoro (I Fall to Pieces)" that still resonate with so many of you today.

To commemorate this , we've put together something special: a retrospective video featuring five longtime members of The Slants family reflecting on the record that changed everything for us. Aron Moxley, Johnny Fontanilla, and Simon Tam—who were there from the beginning during the SESH sessions—sit down alongside Tyler Chen and Joe X. Jiang, who joined our journey later but became integral parts of our story.

We dug deep into our archives and unearthed footage that's never seen the light of day and shared stories that have lived only in our memories until now. It all feels like yesterday and a lifetime ago simultaneously.

"Slanted Eyes, Slanted Hearts" wasn't just our breakthrough record; it was our declaration. The songs represented a piece of our identity, our experiences, and our hopes for what music could be. Whether you were there from day one (dancing while in cosplay at Kumoricon) or found us somewhere along the way to the Supreme Court, we're grateful that you found something in our scrappy spirit that resonated with you.

Thank you for eighteen years of keeping these songs alive. 

With gratitude, 
The Slants

We're no longer on social media, but feel free to share any memories on the YouTube video or email us here - we read each and every message.

 

Recently, Simon Tam joined Amanda Knox on her podcast to discuss the band, reappropriation, and how owning your own narrative is a form of resistance. Watch or listen for a great discussion on art and activism.

For the last few years, we've slowly allowed our social media channels atrophy. Part of it was because our indefinite retirement (a few of us logged on to engage every once in a while), part of it was because several band members decided to quit social media altogether. 

While it was fun to share new projects, to support charitable causes, or to bring up stuff to talk about with fans every once in a while, we realized that for the half-dozen of us still online, that maybe social media wasn't the best vehicle to that after all. It was also sometimes confusing for fans since they weren't always sure who was saying what/when and we thought it might be better just to let those do that on their on. Most of us grappled with the conflicting ethics of being on these platforms, especially with how they could create harm - some of us struggle with neurodivergence, others try to avoid tech dominance. We just decided to deactivate those pages out of respect to those band members, especially since it wasn't needed for us anymore. 

Some of our other channels will remain up for fans who want to watch videos and we'll try to add new content to the media gallery like photos, news articles, interviews, etc. on here - but as you can probably see from the website, it's pretty rare for that to happen. If you want the exciting stuff, you could always hop on our email list and if/when something comes up in the future, we'll let you know. 

Either way, thanks for being a part of the journey. Some of you have been a part of our lives since Myspace.com was a thing! We've always been grateful for the memories. 

<3 

For years, The Slants' documentary film on Taiwan's food and music culture, has been available exclusively to crowdfunding backers, on a limited-edition DVD, and for rent on Amazon Prime. Now, it is free and open to the public view in its entirety on YouTube. 

Imagine you have been given an all-access backstage pass to tour with The Slants in Asia. Picture yourself joining the band to tour Taiwan’s streets, night markets, clubs, and infamous Spring Scream festival. See the gritty, quirky, and hilarious moments experienced only on tour wrapped around an unbelievable concert at one of the most popular music festivals in Asia! Cities include Taipei, Kaohsiung, Tainan, and Taichung, with many stops at the country's most popular destinations.

This tour, filmed in 2016, featured a lineup with Simon Tam (bass), Joe X. Jiang (guitar), Tyler Chen (drums), Ken Shima (vocals), and Eric Hsu (tour manager).