If They Might Be Giants and Kimya Dawson had baby daughters they powdered regularly with Joe Jack Talcum, they'd grow up to be ShiSho.

Real-life sisters Vivian and Midge Ramone are the quirky, indie pop band ShiSho from greater Akron, Ohio. At 16 and 13 years old, the girls have been writing and recording for 9 years. ShiSho performs their own brand of funny and intelligent music on accordion, guitar and ukulele.

“We deliver a folk-punk performance in a ‘darling’ way that completely catches people off guard,” says older sister, Vivian. “It’s not planned. It’s who we are. We love playing for crowds that aren’t familiar with ShiSho because we're a disconnect from first impressions. When you see two young girls in polka-dot dresses take the stage with an accordion and guitar, you don't expect to hear a hand-clapping song about a doll ripping your throat open and gnawing at your living skull! But you're delighted when we do.”

ShiSho draws inspiration from acts like Kimya Dawson, The Dead Milkmen, Ben Folds, Shel Silverstein, The Vandals, Ween, and artists known for humor and clever word play. Always comical, sometimes political (In their recent “My Dear Republicans - The Fiscal Cliff Song,” ShiSho rhymes the names of all Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives in a plea for bipartisan compromise) Vivian and Midge do not cater to the typical tween audience. “Though we're kids, we're not a band FOR kids,” explains Midge. "We're not nasty or disrespectful. It's just that most kids aren't interested in the things we sing about. We almost got kicked off the stage at a big Girl Scout convention during a war protest song (a cover of Harvey and Felix's "America Will Punch You"). It's ok that den mothers don't like us because punk and indie moms do.”

The band performs mostly original songs live. A crowd favorite is “Rocks and Penalties” a musical narrative about poison rainbows, puking unicorns and a Smiths reunion, released on England’s Filthy Little Angels Records in 2006. Vivian and Midge are seasoned performers, having played countless shows in garages, universities, bars, basements, festivals, radio & television studios, record stores, activist rallies, comic book conventions (once in a comic book), museums, respected and not so respected music venues. They’ve opened for and have been preshow acts for Man Man, They Might Be Giants, Joe Jack Talcum of The Dead Milkmen, the Smoking Popes, Harry and the Potters, Skating Polly, Hank & Cupcakes, Spoken Nerd, and many more. Their music and performances have been described as, "wonky," "just barmy genius!," "goofballs... crazy... awesome... fun... mega-silly...," "the absolute dog's bollocks," and "I swear, it almost made me cry, how hard I was laughing."

"The name 'ShiSho' comes from a phase I invented as a safe alternative to a disrespectful one I was fooled into saying to my grandma once. We learned recently that it's a Japanese word to describe an inappropriate giggle," explains Vivian. "I think that fits us well."

In the summer of 2013 ShiSho released The Sisters EP a follow-up to their 2009 project “Rainbow Jumpin’ Demos. It was introduced at a CD release show at the legendary New York City Bowery Electric. The EP features five original tracks including the comically nihilistic tribute, “The Dead Milkmen Song" featuring the Dead Milkmen.

Vivian and Midge are supporters of their local music scene. On weekends they aren't performing, you'll find them in local venues attending live shows. They are often invited on stage to perform along with their favorite hometown bands. In 2011 ShiSho was awarded 5th best local Akron band by the Akron Beacon Journal newspaper.

In 2012 they made their Dr. Demento Show debut with a Rebecca Black parody, "Friday (the 13th)," a collaboration with comedy rapper, Devo Spice. A track written and produced by Devo Spice.

In addition to music ShiSho actively supports causes for social justice. In September 2011, they organized the RYE (Respect Your Elders) Rally, a 23 act fundraiser, to support 250 senior citizens evicted from their Kent, Ohio retirement community by a real estate developer. Vivian and Midge are also official Occupy Musicians and have been actively involved with Occupy Akron and Kent. Vivian volunteers to support local political causes.
For complete tour dates and much more, keep up with ShiSho online:


Presskit: www.sonicbids.com/shisho
Youtube: www.youtube.com/b00gnishmang
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/ShiSho/233415402488
Magnetic Bunny Arts: www.magneticbunny.com
Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
Artist biography from last.fm