THE SLANTS

Author Mia Wenjen and illustrator Victor Bizar Gomez recently completed this gorgeous new book based on Simon Tam's childhood and our band's journey to the Supreme Court. 

Pre-order it here!

See below for a description and a couple of previews inside:

A compelling account of Simon Tam’s fight for free speech that ended with a landmark Supreme Court decision

Music is a way to transcend cultures and divides. Simon Tam used his band’s name, The Slants®, to make a powerful statement that racist insults could no longer be hurtful to Asian Americans. But then the U.S. Trade and Patent Office tries to stop him. In his eight-year battle to win trademark protection, Simon would go all the way to the Supreme Court in a landmark case to rout out structural racism in our government systems. Mia Wenjen takes us back to Simon’s early days and the formation of the band, to the long battle to claim the name they chose to use. We learn of his motivations and the years-long struggle that leads ultimately to the Supreme Court of the United States. Told using lyrics from the band’s hit song about their trademark fight, this compelling story will keep readers riveted until the dramatic ending. We Sing from the Heart gives background and context to the significance of Simon’s quest, not just for him and his band, but for free speech rights for us all. Newcomer to children’s books, Victor Bizar Gómez, channels the indie music world with dynamic artwork that compliments the storytelling and is sure to draw in readers with his exciting graphic approach.

See more and pre-order the book here

If you're looking for a little piece of history from The Slants, we  have exhibits open across the country right now. Check them out for some a fun, educational look at Chinatown Dance Rock:

FIRST AMENDMENT MUSEUM (AUGUSTA, MAINE)

In Maine, you'll be able to catch “The Band Who Must Not Be Named: Simon Tam and the Fight for Free Speech” on display. Through a series of panels and artifacts, you'll experience the fight that took the band all the way to the Supreme Court. It features a number of unique items, including Simon's custom Fender Jaguar bass guitar, tour merch, and custom clothing designed for the band. 

NATIONAL CONSTITUTION CENTER (PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA)

The NCC has a special interactive exhibit on the First Amendment, featuring interviews with Simon as well as Supreme Court justices and other activists like Mary Beth Tinker. 

SONGBIRDS MUSEUM (CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE)

The Songbirds Guitar & Pop Culture Museum features the largest collection of vintage guitars in the world and supports music education for children through their Guitar for Kids program. In their newest exhibit, Simon's white customer Fender Jaguar bass is on display along with other artifacts from The Slants, next to Dolly Parton's dress and guitar as well an instrument from Richard Lloyd (of Television). 

WING LUKE MUSEM (SEATTLE, WASHINGTON)

The Wing Luke Museum has a new special exhibit called Sound Check! The Music We Make, which captures the history of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and their impact on music history. The interactive exhibit includes behind the scenes-photos, framed artworks, podcasts, artifacts, storylines, audio, and video that feature AANHPI artists’ expressions of cultural identity. It features numerous artifacts from The Slants, Soundgarden, Blue Scholars, Fanny, and more. Hurry and catch it! It closes September 2024. 

COMING SOON:

OREGON HISTORICAL SOCIETY (PORTLAND, OREGON)

In June 2024, the Oregon Historical Society will debut a new special exhibit called “Rivers, Roses, and Rip City: The Remarkable History of Portland,” with a feature on The Slants' impact on the world. 

Our newest single, What Will People Say (feat. Mikara), just premiered on Rock And Roll Globe. Give it a listen now: https://rockandrollglobe.com/dance-rock/listen-the-slants-share-what-will-people-say/ 

The new album, The Band Plays On, officially releases on October 20th!

Our newest (and final) album will be available in a special limited edition gold vinyl. Check out 11 brand-new tracks featuring nearly every current and former member of the band along with 14 guest artists. You'll also get access to the expanded digital version of the album. You can pre-order this album on our homepage now (expected delivery will be mid-October).

This fall, we'll be doing a limited series of appearances on the East Coast and Pacific Northwest. From storytelling and music presentations to sharing excerpts of our opera, we're really excited to connect with you! If you're interested in having us at your school or event, please let us know by emailing theslants@theslants.com

For the last several months, Joe and I have been writing the libretto and composing music for a forthcoming opera! We were selected one of the first creative teams for Opera Theatre of Saint Louis' New Works Collective program. We're excited to try help transform this art form by infusing our story and synthpop sound into the work. 

The world premiere will be March 16-18 in St. Louis, get tickets and information here - or check out slantedopera.com for videos and more!

We just got back from the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) conference in Philadelphia, PA, where Joe and I got to share stories and storytelling. This was the second time that I've done this event but I wanted to make sure that we could bring our guitars. (when the conference pivoted to a virtual one in 2020, Ronny Chieng graciously agreed to a fire chat with me). We made a lot of new friends, including a group of teachers who volunteered to be our Asian Aunties in the social science world.

I often get asked to speak at events of all kinds - colleges, law conferences, music industry gatherings, etc. - and while I've done my fair share of keynote speeches, I realized that I wanted to use art to bring those stories to life. So, I started sneaking in the occasional song here and there. But when I got accepted for an arts residency at the UNC Process Series, I started on a path to go all out - I didn't just play random songs in The Slants' catalog, I started writing songs specifically about my story and folding them in. 

Fast forward to the beginning of 2021: I started meeting folks in the Cincinnati community. One thing led to another, and soon, I was introduced to someone at the Know Theatre of Cincinnati. After a couple of conversations, they wanted to adopt this little project that Joe and I was sharing with the world and turn it into a bona fide songs + storytelling show. We wrote even more songs and made it even more playful, putting in little nods to Dolly Parton and those who embodied a punk rock spirit. We focused less on the law and more on the persistent fight for identity. And, we starting rolling that out at events like NCSS, much like a comedian workshops new material at underground clubs before taking it on tour or taping their Netflix special (speaking of Ronny Chieng, we got to see him test out jokes that he was developing for Asian Comedian Destroys America! while in New York...that same show, Jim Gaffigan dropped by to test out over 45 minutes of horse-related jokes on the unsuspecting crowd). 

It's been a lot of fun. We have some more appearances at universities and conferences coming up and some of the songs are going to be on our next album, too. I guess that's the life of a semi-retired musician for you. In either case, we'll have a full musical show to check out next fall. I hope you'll join us there.

~Simon Tam

We're making our first full-band appearance since we retired from touring for a special event at the Songbirds Foundation.  We'll be helping raise money for the Guitars for Kids programs by sharing our story and some of our songs. This lineup will feature Simon Tam (bass/keys), Joe X. Jiang (vocals/guitar), and Tyler Chen (drums). 

In addition to this event, Simon's custom bass guitar will be added into the vintage collection of instruments that have helped shape pop music at the Songbirds Museum. Join us in Chattanooga, TN on November 15 for this very special event!

Tickets available here.

This week marked five years since our historic win at the Supreme Court. The decision that day was unanimous, something that seems implausible in our deeply divided times. 

As you know, our band retired from live touring in 2019 so we could focus on other projects, including The Slants Foundation. But that doesn't mean that we've been inactive. Although it's been half a decade since our legal journey ended, we've continued to work in arts and activism.

In this year alone, we are:

• writing and recording a new album (to be released by the end of this year)
• writing and performing a new storytelling/music theatrical piece (being developed by Know Theatre of Cincinnati)
• composing an opera as part of the New Works Collective for the Opera of St. Louis
• launching multiple collaborations with artists across North America

And, we're still doing some limited appearances as an acoustic duo (with Simon Tam and Joe X. Jiang performing). We'll have more news soon - feel free to check in with us on social media or check back on this website.

Thanks for all of your support!

During lockdown over the past two years, we've been busy writing songs. That's right: we're steadily working our way to a new album.

Many people think that the band completely retired in 2019, after our last show in Portland, Oregon but we didn't - we only decided to step down from live touring (no one knew that a major worldwide pandemic as coming that would make that decision for us anyway). There's a long history of artists who've kept on recording but who also put a pin on touring/live performances: The Beatles, David Bowie, The Talking Heads, Tom Waits...the list goes on. Many of them returned to the stage after a decade or two. While we're not sure if that will ever happen for us, one thing is for certain; we still have at least one album in us. 

So, we're pressing on. And in the spirit of our Foundation, we're focusing on collaboration and community: the record will be highlighting voices across our community. Joe and I have written/composed the music, but most of the playing/singing will feature other AAPI artists, new and classic. As Ray Arnold (played by Samuel L. Jackson) famously said in Jurassic Park, "Hold onto your butts."

Stay tuned for more updates on this soon.