Don’t let these boys playing in their underwear fool you. They can actually play their instruments. 

Shinobu is a Bay Area band with Mike Huguenor on vocals; Matt Keegan on guitar, keyboard and trombonist; Jonathan Jing Fu on drums and Bob Vielma on bass.  

After reading up on them, listening to a podcast interview and stalking them on Myspace embarrassingly enough, I felt like I hadn’t learned much except that Shinobu classified itself as “nu jazz,” and the musicians had a fascination with Japanese cartoons.  I listened to a few songs and I wanted more. 

 I dove right into a song I found on their website,  “Antarctic Stare,” and was shocked at how much I enjoyed it.  I listened to every song I could find and found the band to be excellent. Instead of the whiny lyrics and playing style that doesn’t rely on the skill that I’ve come to associate with the indie scene, I got catchy beats and guitar and bass harmonies that made my ears happy. 

“We’re doing it because we enjoy the way we do it,” says Huguenor, on why they seem to be having such a good time.   

Fun is a good word to sum up my listening experience. Not only was I having a fun time cleaning my room and jamming out 10 seconds after starting their first song, I got the sense that the band was having fun too. I felt like every member of the band was having a blast while recording. 

The lyrics blew me away. I fell in love with a line from their song “Can dialectics break bricks?” 

As I slowly made my way through their discography, realized they’ve been doing this music thing since at least 2003, when they put out their first album, “Exhaustion, Exhaustion.” Several of their albums had the distinct sound of being recorded in a garage, but maintained that essence of pure enjoyment.  

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to see them live, since the band seems to have exploded, and the members have been scattered across the globe. Right now, Fu is in Japan and Vielema is in Massachusetts, leaving only Keegan and Huguenor to jam here in California. They do, however like to do shows when everyone manages to get back into town, and are still producing albums.  

They released their latest record “Exhaustive, Exhaustive” on Oct. 27. It’s a massive 30-song, album that has both unreleased songs they planned for other projects and alternate versions of some of their old songs.  

If you’re clamoring for more, you should check out Hard Girls, another Bay Area band that contains two of the original members of Shinobu. Hard Girls will be playing at the venue Bottom Of the Hill on 17th Street in San Francisco Dec. 8.

I highly suggest this band for anyone who wants something to jam to during rush hour, or to get everybody in a good groove at a party. These four funky musicians are so full of fun that they could pump up the jams at an undertaker’s convention.