The Chinkees

The Chinkees formed as an all-Asian ska-punk outfit anchored by Mike Park, formerly of Skankin' Pickle, and made their first appearance on record in 1998 with the album The Chinkees Are Coming!. One year afterward the lineup—bassist/vocalist Miya Zane Osaki, guitarist/vocalist/drummer Greg Alesandro, guitarist Jason Thinh, and keyboardist Steve Choi—issued Peace Through Music, with both titles coming out on Asian Man Records, the imprint Park himself founded. Far from adopting their name as a racial epithet, the band chose it expressly to confront and illuminate racial discrimination. In the same spirit that shaped Asian Man Records, the group concentrated on fostering optimism and tackling subjects vital to future progress, deliberately steering clear of strident political rhetoric that might distance listeners. Present Day Memories, a split release shared with the Lawrence Arms, surfaced in May 2001, after which the Chinkees delivered their subsequent full-length, Searching for a Brighter Future, twelve months later.