Biography
"An instrumental bass and drums fury."
Ninja Academy is an instrumental rock duo consisting of Indo-Ninja on bass and Outdo-Ninja on drums. They have performed at almost every club in Los Angeles, including Spaceland, The Echo, Safari Sam's, The Viper Room, The Roxy, and The Whiskey. In 2009 they completed two national tours. Notable past performances include a 5 week, sold out residency at the Silverlake Lounge; a sold out show opening for Rx Bandits at The Roxy; performing along side famous actors such as Tim Meadows, Andrew Daly and Matt Walsh at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in L.A.; performing with esteemed live painter/artist, Norton Wisdom; playing an acoustic set at a private party for Rickie Lee Jones' birthday; and performing on the KTLA Morning Show at the Queen Mary. One of their most important shows was the farewell show for their martial artist, Donkey Punch at The Echo in Los Angeles. This show was sold out beyond capacity and filmed and recorded by Spaceland Productions. It is distributed and available for purchase internationally. Other notable artists they have opened for are: Mike Watt & The Secondmen, Nels Cline Singers, Banyan (with Stephen Perkins), and Donita Sparks (L7). In 2008, Ninja Academy was awarded the 'Hear in L.A.' prize for original composition, by the City of Los Angeles' Department of Cultural Affairs and the Center for Cultural Innovation. Most recently, Ninja Academy was awarded a grant by the City of Pasadena Arts & Culture Commission and the Division of Cultural Affairs, to perform in Spring 2009's ArtNight Pasadena. They were also included in Music Connection Magazine's "Top 100 Unsigned Bands of 2009". All these performances have gained Ninja Academy a loyal and large fan base, in addition to numerous "Go" mentions in the L.A. Weekly. As Indo-Ninja so eloquently puts it, "You never know when a Ninja is going to show up."
Although Ninja Academy is mostly a bass and drums duo, there are many guest ninjas that join them on stage. Gongis Khan is their high-priestess who bangs on the Taiko drum and dances beautifully. Ninjamamalickum executes vocal destruction every time she steps up to the mic. There are many other occasional guests, varying from violin to guitar to martial artist. It may be interesting to note that Indo, Outdo and the two ladies are all of Asian decent and yes, they do dress like ninjas. Indo and Outdo are also in-demand musicians in their own right. Indo-Ninja has toured internationally with Rickie Lee Jones, while Outdo-Ninja has recorded with Devo and toured the United States with the circus (Spiegelworld).
Ninja Academy has three releases under their belts; two studio albums (one of which has cover artwork by Chet Zar, Tool's live video artist), and the above-mentioned live album. These CDs have been played on various radio stations (terrestrial and Internet) around the country, as well as having been licensed to MTV, Quicksilver and other productions. 2010 will see the release of their fourth album.
Here is what some have said about Ninja Academy:
"They are hard-rockingly one of the best live bands I've seen in a club in L.A.." - L.A. Taco
"That's when you'll get a taste of some truly cutting-edge music…If you're sick of the same old stuff, this should provide the antidote." - John Sollenberger, Pasadena Weekly
"…some of the most sonically diverse music since the Minutemen" - Ryan Ritchie, L.A. Weekly
"The entire album (bra'ka dOm) is interesting and sharp to listen to… Highly recommended!" - Autopia.com
"I'm more impressed with their song craft and how well they can glide through a variety of styles." - DrowningInCulture.com
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