Crossing Boundaries from East to West

SakéOne once again teams up with Asian Synth-Pop band The Slants in support of their Spring 2011 “How the Wicked Live” tour

January 31, 2011, Portland, OR – SakéOne will continue to back the band that exemplifies the qualities of G, their bad boy of sakés.  Through five national tours, the Portland-based band The Slants have pushed boundaries with their “Chinatown Dancerock” and adventurous lifestyle.  Getting thrown out of one Portland venue for excessive fire-breathing was not enough to scare away the Vice President of

Marketing for Oregon-based SakéOne, Dewey Weddington.  On the contrary, Weddington invited the edgy rock group to perform at the Forest Grove, Oregon Kura (brewery) two years ago and has been happy to align his modern, Oregon craft Genshu Saké  “G” with this high energy group ever since.

In fact, the Slants’ ability to consistently challenge perceived notions about Asian-American rock fits in perfectly with the appeal of SakéOne’s unadulterated, undiluted style of Saké, known as G.  Like the Slants’ “How to Live Wicked” tour that begins in Boise, Idaho on April 10th and ends in Nashville, Tennessee on April 23rd, G Saké traverses the zone between East and West, pairing the subtle flavors associated with traditional brewing with the big fruity and spicy flavors that suit the American palate.

To achieve this balance between East and West, Brewer Greg Lorenz uses different yeasts and aging times to create a Junmai Ginsho Genshu (a blend containing nothing but undiluted, pure, premium sake).  Unlike the lighter, traditional styles of saké most popular in Japan, the lack of dilution in this Genshu style saké leads to a bolder, deeper flavor profile that Americans can enjoy with hearty mushrooms, salmon, and a variety of shellfish and cheeses.  Like the original music of the Slants, G Saké is a modern twist on an old classic.

And that twist is uniquely American.  Young tastemakers will be pleased to find that the heartiness of G Saké also cuts through the fat of Western staple foods such as hamburgers and fries.  Given typical touring fare, concert goers won’t be surprised to find G Saké in every hotel room along the tour route, in the hands of their favorite rockers.  Drummer Tyler Chen admits he will be drinking G Saké straight out of the bottle most nights.  Bassist Simon Tam says “there’s nothing more perfect to come home to after a long tour than a cold glass of G Saké.”  The release of a new acoustic album at the end of the tour promises to make their homecoming quite the celebration.

G Saké celebrates the “How the Wicked Live” tour in mid-March by adorning G Saké bottles with unique neck labels that contain a code for a free Slants mp3 download of The Slants track “Heartbeat as Heaven” and a link to the “How the Wicked Live” music video.  The Slants continue to show their love for G Saké by incorporating the beverage into video webisodes and vehicle decorations among other creative outlets.

More about SakéOne: Since October of 1998, SakéOne has been the world’s only American Kura (brewery).  With strong ties to tradition and its Japanese roots, SakéOne is the leading producer of "Ginjo" (premium) grade Saké in the U.S. With a set of four premium Sakés produced and bottled under its own Momokawa label, the company set out to develop new products that would help fill the growing demand for premium Saké. Defining a niche for fruit-flavor-infused Saké, SakéOne also launched the Moonstone brand, becoming the first company to bottle a new category of flavored Saké . SakéOne began bottling G Saké in 2005 in response to a lack of sakés on the market that catered to American taste sensibilities.

For more information on SakéOne and G Saké or to interview Dewey Weddington, Vice President of Marketing, please contact Grace Woods at Charles Communications Associates at (415) 701-9463 or press@charlescomm.com.  For information on The Slants, please contact Alex Steininger at (503) 5571-9661 or alex@inmusicwetrust.com.