Abunai!
| Company type | Rock band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1996 |
| Headquarters | Boston, Massachusetts , United States |
| Products | Studio albums, extended plays |
Abunai! was a rock ensemble originating from Boston, Massachusetts, active mainly between 1996 and 2001, and associated with the Australian label Camera Obscura.
History
Established in 1996, the band featured Dan Parmenter on bass, Brendan Quinn handling guitar duties, Kris Thompson on keyboards, and Joe Turner playing drums. Their name translates from Japanese as 'watch out!' or 'be careful!'
Their involvement with the Ptolemaic Terrascope magazine secured them an invitation to perform at the inaugural Terrastock festival in 1997, where they distributed a self-produced cassette of early recordings. Tony Dale, who founded Camera Obscura, was present at the event and subsequently signed the group. Over time, Abunai! released three full albums and two EPs through this label, while also appearing on several compilation albums.
The band's first album, Universal Mind Decoder (1997), took its title from a provisional name of a Byrds track. In 1999, they unveiled The Mystic River Sound, a concept album depicting life in Boston’s northern suburbs; all songs were performed by Abunai! but credited to fictional bands as inside references to the local scene.
Their third studio effort, Round Wound (2000), playfully imitated packaging from Dean Markley Strings and featured New England underground artist Bobb Trimble on the track "Buzz Bombb." At the same time, they released the instrumental EP Deep Mu Flux on Camera Obscura's subsidiary label Camera Lucida.
By 2001, Abunai! entered a hiatus as members explored other ventures; notably, Joe Turner took charge of organizing Terrastock V held in Boston in 2002. Their final release was the limited edition EP Two Brothers (2003) on Camera Lucida, which included two renditions of the title song alongside a live recording captured during Terrastock IV.
Since then, the group has reunited sporadically for live performances, including appearances connected to Terrastock festivals in 2006 and 2010. They have also worked on unreleased material and briefly made their discography available for download via Bandcamp in 2010.
Band members
- Dan Parmenter – bass guitar, vocals, keyboards
- Brendan Quinn – guitar, vocals
- Kris Thompson – organ, vocals
- Joe Turner – drums, guitar, keyboard, vocals
Special Guests
- Scot Campanella – guitar
- Cheryl Wanner – vocals
- Ajda the Turkish Queen – flute
- Mark Dwinnel – guitar (live)
- Nick Saloman – guitar (live)
Studio albums
- Universal Mind Decoder (1997)
- Mystic River Sound (1999)
- Round-Wound (2000)
Extended plays
- Deep Mu Flux
- Two Brothers