Wata from Boris - Surprise In-Store Solo Performance

The lovely Wata, guitarist for Japanese drone-rock band Boris, surprises shoppers at Criminal Records in Atlanta, GA, USA. Watch her make ears bleed when she plays full volume through a mountain of Orange amps and speaker cabs!
Visit Boris online / borisheavyrocks
Orange amps website www.orangeamps.com

[@b00boy95]

I love how the other guys from Boris are just shopping.

[@neaituppi7306]

I am not that familiar with them, but I suspected a couple guys looked like them.

[@okcomputed1287]

so much aura

[@alexjauxier]

Bleeding ear was after. Shaking shelves was after. The people putting in their earplugs was actually during the performance (which caught us by surprise...it was almost too perfect).

[@Andrew-jw4vc]

Finally saw Boris live a few weeks ago. Wata truly is a guitar goddess. The way she played seemed to effortless, like she was born with that guitar in her hands.

[@v8pursuitspecial]

Love how Wata just gets up there and plays those sounds.. so enigmatic and beautiful. I saw Boris a few years ago in Edmonton.. Incredible.. Lost my favorite leather jacket in the pit that broke out there.. R.I.P jacket and FU Dominator.. Where the hell are you, man?? Farewell..

[@38bass]

Fucking pissed that I missed Boris in YEG.... 💔💔💔💔💔 😰

[@LoliPantsu8]

All these people whining about how she doesn't "shred" probably think Yngwie Malmasteen is the epitome of a good guitarist

[@qasperr994]

He's okay...I guess.

[@Masherful]

"He doesn't have the soul" -Phil Anselmo

[@saraivatoledo1842]

HHHHHHHHHHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAAAHAH . There´s Robert Fripp laughing as he records another daft version of some pop tune with his Pop wife Toya specially for youtube .

[@tastedawaste1367]

It's funny because she also shreds face melting solos

[@randyshipp]

Ok, but was it more than one chord?

[@isolateddemon9438]

After many years of playing extreme metal I decided to become a drone doom guitarrist

[@virtuaplayer7234]

Excellent choice.

[@travistrent4880]

Same here

[@ianstevenson6426]

Great job!

[@gallbladder513]

Exquisite choice sire

[@filipedoria9561]

I would do the same

[@goemon4]

@ 2:27 I love how Atsuo and Takeshi are just looking at records, completely used to the sound. Like nothing amazing is happening lol

[@RaduAdrianPopescu]

That's because nothing amazing is happening. I like Boris (and boris), seriously, but anyone who has ever tried playing guitar for more than 3 weeks can do this.

[@goemon4]

It's like saying ambient music is easy to make Drone, though simple is a much more complex art than it seems.

[@RaduAdrianPopescu]

goemon4 Do you play yourself, professionally or as a hobby?

[@Cal1294]

Radu-Adrian Popescu huh, I didn't know that technical skill was indicative of artistic skill, or attention to tone, timbre and such.

[@vishnu2407]

@@RaduAdrianPopescu doesn't mean you're any good tho, as can be seen from you bitching and not showing anything you've apparently played and are apparently so good at

[@magaadeth]

kinda funny how many people have no idea what was going on there. I enjoyed it, And yes guys, Wata can "shred" Sometimes less is more.

[@nathanjasper512]

And sometimes it's less. This is less. Way less.

[@cormacrogers5016]

@@nathanjasper512 she’s getting further than you i think

[@noilick]

"All metalhead girls play in symphonic bands and shit" Wata: "Hold my fuzz pedal"

[@tannerlawless1851]

It's a wall of sound laced with a droning musicality, shaking records, and making ears bleed. The very definition of godly badassery.

[@spiraling8426]

Whenever I see an Orange amp I always automatically think of Wata

[@caribman10]

Probably the best female guitarist playing since Poison Ivy retired, and SHE IS GOOD. As for the "fake" shaking and bleeding,only a little hype there - I would recommend any newbie going to hear Boris bring real ear protection - their sound is so loud (and clear) live it feels like a semi-solid. Banzai, Wata!

[@communistnumber180]

+caribman10 yeah i think i have an eardrum spasm now because of their show..

[@bigmazinthedesert]

Definitely bring ear protection. I was as good as deaf for a week after Boris. But I loved it.

[@ppoo2772]

i like a lil wiggle

[@allterrainbuffalo]

Now THAT is how you play guitar. No technical wankery, just pure sonic power.

[@mikekoenig6467]

So talent is bad?

[@numana7785]

Mike Koenig don’t confuse “technical wankery” with talent. There is a difference. Technique is impressive, and so is a ton of super flashy shit, but he’s making the statement simply that when it comes down to it, you don’t need flashy techniques. Just pure sonic power.

[@abbynormalz]

except for her carefully curated set of electronic filters and loopers and pedals. Here she is describing her setup. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qmSUoqiIo9RqesU

[@joshuatyson1907]

@@abbynormalzThat’s an entirely different kind of technical from what he meant

[@dilbophagginz]

That completely depends on what style you're trying to make.

[@waynetowers5046]

I seen Boris live just the other night gone, Newcastle University. Absolutely brilliant! And yes, that number of Orange amps and cabs, with a couple of Sunn Model-Ts, are all live.

[@sparkpluggers2]

lol why are people disliking this, she sounds great

[@rosecityronin]

Wata: one of the most (criminally) underrated guitarists in the world, bar NONE.

[@stoneimage666]

Love this!! I have been into Boris for some years now and I love the sound they have. I would love to see Wata and Justin Broadrick perform together. That would be an awesome doom ambient experience! Sound crusher!!

[@thrslnz]

If enough people were like you, and realized that their personal taste was not a subjective yardstick of worth, and exhibited respect for other people's tastes, I think it would tear a hole in the fabric of the universe, and the internet would cease to exist. Props, brother.

[@Qiaoxitelaweis]

that must have been fucking incredible

[@FrostGiantElectronics]

Such an amazing tone. Great video, amazing band, killer amps.

[@muttonbuster]

Aha! Now I know why she rarely speaks. She's deaf!

[@vishnu2407]

Bruh

[@isaacjeanneret3533]

That's a Master Shake-assed comment if ever I saw one.

[@lssauce]

That.. or she simply doesn't need to 🧡🎸

[@Myconid_Rotpriest]

set the speed to .5 for ultimate droneage

[@Myconid_Rotpriest]

***** im diggin it

[@edmiglia]

To me, slower sounds heavier. Neil Young would love this

[@anfrankogezamartincic1161]

I agree, NEIL plays very similar with CRAZY HORSE, PSYCHEDELIC PILL is just one example

[@frdh1357]

@@anfrankogezamartincic1161 Arc (Live) is another one.

[@anfrankogezamartincic1161]

@@frdh1357 that one is pure extravaganza. But it's Neil/Horse,everything is forgiven

[@anfrankogezamartincic1161]

@@frdh1357 i love WELD

[@cablevamp3163]

Seen them live and yeah they’re worth every penny you have no idea what to expect and they’re so goddamn loud they make a concrete floor vibrate it was insane They aren’t a doom band they have some doom songs but when you see them live it’s mainly fast paced songs and they switch song to song with no damn pause unless to tune Wata is the most adorable person live she just stands there and shreds like it’s nothing while bobbing her head left and right like it was surreal One of the loudest and heaviest bands I’ve ever heard and it’s a bunch of skinny little Japanese people Hell their music was so intense they had to swap drummers mid set cuz the first guy played nonstop thrash metal songs for 30 minutes straight

[@TonyHookedonVanlife]

I saw BORIS live in Boston - it was awesome!!!!

[@dooterino]

Saying that the guitarist of Boris is going to surprise you with a song is like saying a turtle is going pounce on you.

[@6Mega6Man6]

What exactly does that mean

[@NayroTheAdventurer]

the music is slow

[@miguelortiz5309]

The surprise was Wata playing there, you got it all wrong.

[@sleepingturtle8888]

Wata is so beautiful and so talented.

[@faunoram]

Esto me recuerda lo que una vez dijo Poison Ivy, la guitarrista de The Cramps, que decía que a ella el único tipo de guitarristas que le interesaban eran los que sonaban "amenazadores" no el interesaba ni la técnica ni el virtuosismo, sino que cuando agarraran su guitarra produjeran un sonido que tenga ese característica de peligroso o amenazador esa parece también a mí que es la esencia del rock, y Wata tiene eso definitivamente.

[@Psytheslasher]

This is more about the feeling of the sound rather than the feeling of the construction of sounds.

[@caribman10]

Wata-san is an incredible guitarist. Just incredible. Saw Boris the first time at the Austin Psych Fest and all I can say was, good thing I wasn't standing directly in front of the stage. Loud truly does not describe the level of volume at which Boris plays. Kind of like a semi-solid being projected off the stage, being played from a cloud of stage smoke so thick we could barely see the band. She's a killer guitar player - so what we need is for her to have Poison Ivy guest on a gig.

[@we-todd-ed]

0:11 plug walk

[@FatherRikhi]

Wata is so rad.

[@connorharlan1187]

“Surprise” performance from the band with the unsuspecting six orange cab stack just sitting there

[@chriswilliams7928]

Wonderful. This is what guitars were made for.

[@FONEternal]

She walks away knowing she just decimated. Boris rules live. See them!

[@fabricegorgeon5325]

I love Wata ! 🎉

[@konteros9850]

she's playing the drone intro of the feedbacker album... So there is a climax

[@alexjauxier]

The cuts were shot separately from the in-store. But the performance actually was a surprise.

[@fuzzylumpkin49]

She's a living legend. ^_^

[@Qiaoxitelaweis]

i wish i was there :(

[@slipmickens2537]

Love the limps looking up their next Dave Matthews purchase, while THIS is happening. Not even a clap. Beautiful.

[@edify7]

Would that be the limps that are the other two members of the band and the store staff who were all in on the act?

[@bvaughan3862]

Atsuo & Takeshi just wandering around, browsing.

[@davekeays]

One line in every song is dedicated to a friend of his who he watched being shot down "remember Kato- no longer with us cuz he's disceased. [I] Seen him murdered in the street". Another line that hit me hard: "last night my buddy lost his whole family, it's going to take the man in to conquer this insanity".

[@A77-c5h]

You talking about 2Pac? What does that have to do with Boris? Lol

[@SpikeSpiegel96]

2:23 OMG I hope he's not deaf after that😅 And the guy at 2:52 definitely heard something like that before😂

[@richardthayer5907]

Haha the guy with the blood coming out of his ears is awesome!

[@Kakapoworship]

She is burning🔥

[@bradfordmoeller]

1:36 Scott Walker records!

[@jasonpickelsimer3555]

Thanks to friends and family.

[@antfactor]

I love moments like this. 😎

[@xSaintVituSx]

I fuckin LOVE her. Goes to show BIG things come in small packages.

[@VIKINGDEATHCHANT]

ELECTRIC HEAVYLAND

[@maryfreegirl2029]

Shes so damn cool

[@johnblough78]

Absolutely love it.

[@cementheed]

That was outstanding! Truly outstanding...

[@Rmepapi69]

Wata is a goddess!! >3

[@tukpunker]

i love how no body cheers or claps for her at the end. just trying to process if they can still hear or not.

[@SchnellVITALVINYLVLOG]

So good

[@DerpRulesAll]

A store that's got 'Money Jungle' and Boris in the store together has got to be what's happening!

[@cxfilterstudios7691]

Ittle five points. Makes sense. Love Boris

[@davekeays]

Rap is different than classical but that doesn't mean both aren't good in their own ways. Actually, listening to differing styles makes me a better musician I think. If I should shun rap I shouldn't I also shun country and the heavy metal and acid rock I grew-up with? I decided to like what I think has earned my admiration. Isn't that somewhat simillar to what you've done?

[@zoydsorbit4863]

sehr cool...top sound...BORIS...

[@partykrew666]

they shouldve done this in chicago. more than 7 people wouldve showed up. the store wouldve been packed

[@XslumpX]

This girl is COOL !!

[@gettin_while_growin7]

Love it🎸🔊💨🙉🍻

[@ttss8071]

i love this !!!!!

[@Transfixion]

Feedbacker I

[@v8dreaming]

Fuck yeah! Criminal Records! I love that store. Wata is pretty awesome too. haha

[@baalgaang1925]

the wall of amps might be overkill for this venue if everyone has to put in ear plugs immediately don't ya think?

[@haultaineiii5347]

Hahahaha, awesome. It surprises me that people walk around with earplugs in their pockets. I wish that I had been there.

[@willthigpen2181]

They probably gave them out in the store because itd be a liability if they got hearing damage from a surprise show they werent aware was happening. Idk why im saying this to you though because you commented this 7 years ago

[@サトウFホライゾン]

サイコーです！！

[@Furrygumball71]

Super kool

[@BAgodmode]

Boris is great. They make music for people who like anime intro themes, but also enjoy Neurosis.

[@nebbo42]

i guess i fall into that category

[@remko1238]

Perfect ❤️

[@bobsongs2023]

Tone is king. Love this. If you love tone check out my favorite guitar teacher on the internet Eric Haugen Guitar. His "Ry Cooder Inspired Right Hand Boogie Technique - Rhythm Guitar Lesson" and "How to Use 6ths and Open Strings to Create a Neil Young Style Solo" are both great to learn from him.

[@raph5906]

The word solo in the title is referring to her playing by herself not a guitar solo in the context of a song

[@TempleOfHoly]

This happened in Atlanta and I missed it!!

[@charizardoystersauce]

I was literally in criminal records yesterday when I went to see Ariel Pink in Atlanta, great store ton of records and cassettes although I feel like it is a hipsters shop and you can get cheaper vinyl down the road at wax n facts

[@maxsaklakov9569]

Wata rulez!

[@kaikasshu]

Atlanta!!

[@ReverendBenzo]

I love Criminal Records! Even if there are bums hanging around out front.

[@longbaoo]

she is so cool i wish women were real

[@dannyboi9552]

that stack tho 🥰

[@noisebloom]

The two amps over Wata's head are both plugged in.

[@leemark63]

Jus' discover'd them in a record store that look'd like this 1. Pink was playin'...ask'd who the F?! Told & sold.❤'em!

[@urrrccckostan]

Funny, I went and saw Boris and I really couldn't get into it, because I went expecting the drone stuff. What they played was really rocking with tons of guitar solos. All you haters should check out "My Neighbor Satan" and most of their other output.

[@palmitofreak]

Boris output is huge, and they have played almost everything a band could :D ~~ Btw, when you went to see them, were you aware of their stoner/rocking material or did it take you totally by surprise? lol

[@urrrccckostan]

Ricardo Costa It was a surprise, I was way into the "Farewell"-type stuff and the Sunn O))). Actually, I went to the show mainly to see the opening band--Master Musicians of Bukkake!!

[@davekeays]

To some degree I agree with you. But in many situations, having no rule book becomes a rule book in and of itself (rule#1, ignore the rest of the rules even when they make sense). Remember that improv used to be a major pillar of JSB's music. They wrote new rules books. In a few years those new rule books were amended or tossed-out once again.

[@joseantonioprietoperez280]

L O U D

[@severian90]

Wata is my orange dream.

[@davekeays]

To talk about beats; It is hard for someone from the west culture to grasp many of the concepts in the beat in hip-hop and latin music. Start with Dave Brubeck's jazz standard "take 5" to pick up a 5/4. Then try the solea latin rythm which at its most basic is 4 beats at 3/4 time and then 3 beats at 4/4 time. Remember that Baroque music (JSB) was new time too. That doesn't make Bach's fugues any less music that the lute sonata's from year prior.

[@FuzzAndDoom]

Ah - so they are, weird choice/setup though - the two heads in the hardest position to get to (to dial in) and are also out of frame for most of the clip.

[@darkkoopa123]

Those people are just standing around, if I was there I'd be so fucking excited to see Wata

[@jaiullu1]

The perfect lullaby.

[@ihitterdal]

2:24 I can just imagine this guy being chided by other dudes in the store. "WE TOLD YOU TO USE THE EARPLUGS, MAN" "i know, i know"

[@thesearmsaresnacks8899]

Fuck yes!

[@tarkovskijnoir]

1:26 - is that Ayaka, Tim Heidecker's wife from On Cinema at the Cinema?

[@Manbagdeluxe]

+tarkovskijnoir There's definitely a resemblance, but I don't think so...

[@paddyhannigan]

I just noticed this myself last night. I think it is her. It's in Atlanta where Adult Swim is located so maybe another bit of evidence.

[@robertherberg9595]

This much fun cant be legal.

[@angrygoldfish]

That was so fucking cool. I would have loved to have been there.

[@joeygrice5213]

Love

[@dudeperson324]

Woah wait a second... they have the yes men record i've been looking for.

[@davekeays]

Since classical and flamenco guitarists don't have to handle feedback, does that mean we are not "true players"? What is your definition of "true player"?