Asian Persuasion All Stars is a collective of Vancouver-based Asian and non-Asian indie rock musicians who joined forces to combat the rise in Anti-Asian racism in Metro Vancouver during the COVID-19 pandemic. They recently released a cover of the ska classic, “Racist Friend,” originally by the Special AKA in 1984. The song is subtitled “Felix Fung King Kong mix” as it was mixed by notable local producer Felix Fung (Sunday Morning, Girlfriends & Boyfriends, Rich Hope, Stephen Hamm – Theremin Man, and many others), and the “King Kong” part is a tribute to Leslie Kong, a Chinese-Jamaican record producer from the 1960s and early 1970s who was a huge influence on the creation of reggae. Kong produced Desmond Dekker’s “Israelites” as well as early Bob Marley and the Wailers and Toots and the Maytals records.
“Racist Friend” is currently available for download from Bandcamp and can be heard on all streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, etc. All proceeds from downloads and streams will go toward supporting Elimin8hate (elimin8hate.org), a Vancouver organization working to interrupt, dismantle and eliminate anti-Asian racism at all levels through an approach that affects change via education, media representation, policy changes and community organizing.
The members of Asian Persuasion All Stars (along with the bands that they are in) are:
Tony Lee – drums, percussion, vocals (Kele Fleming, EddyD and the Sexbombs, The New Black., Hard Rock Miners)
Eric Lowe – drums, vocals (The Vanrays)
Tim Chan – guitar, vocals (China Syndrome, Pill Squad)
Tamla Mah – vocals (Abel Collective)
Ron Yamauchi – vocals, keyboards (Kele Fleming)
Brooke Fujiyama – vocals (The Shit Talkers, Swimming Hammers)
Mike Chang – bass (China Syndrome)
Gabe Ng – bass (Abel Collective, Eye Bender)
Brian Minato – bass (Slip~Ons, the Deep Cove, formerly Sarah MacLachlan)
Ashton Sweet – flugelhorn, baritone sax (Balkan Shmalkan, Babyface Brass, and five others!)
Kevin Tang – trombone (Camaro 67, Big Easy Funk Ensemble)
Greg Hathaway – vocals (Roots Roundup, Hathaway Brothers)
Norine Braun – vocals (Norine Braun and Alice Fraser)
Felix Fung – producer (Sunday Morning and producer of many others!)
Asian Persuasion All Stars Fundraiser Show- September 19 @ Lanalou’s
The video for “Racist Friend” premieres on Friday, August 20 at noon, and the band will be making their live performance debut at LanaLou’s on Sunday, September 19, 7pm. Also on the bill will be China Syndrome, Norine Braun and Alice Fraser, Swimming Hammers, and the Hathaway Brothers. Advance tickets for the show are available through the link below.