Boston’s Eddie Japan combines ‘60s baroque pop and mod influences with the less restrained tendencies of ‘80s alternative guitar bands to create a soaring, dramatic sound that stands apart from the beats and banjos of today’s indie scene. The band was described by the Boston Herald as “...a circus of jazzy horn lines and girl group cooing, of swinging ‘60s cool and odd ‘80s new wave.” Winners of the 2013 Rock ‘n’ Roll Rumble – Boston’s celebrated ‘battle of the bands’ that artists such as Dresden Dolls, Morphine, and The Lemonheads have competed in over the years – Eddie Japan is a live band that delivers. A sprawling male/female octet, the sound is expansive and the performance energetic, with frontman David Santos summoning the swagger of a young Tom Jones and the dramatic ache of Morrissey. Eddie Japan’s latest EP, Modern Desperation, Part 1, is a lush, moody, and musically big throwback of a record that squares off against the times, stylistically and thematically. From the Blue Note-inspired album art to the grandiose arrangements, the EP is a cinematic journey into the heart of darkness. The opening track, “You Will Find Me Dead in My Comfort Zone,” made two ‘best of 2012’ lists from the Boston Herald and the Boston Phoenix. The closing track, “A Town Called Nowhere,” spent 10 weeks in the WZLX Boston Emissions Sunday Top 5, hitting number one three times. The band’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Rumble win in April of 2013 garnered plenty of new fans and media attention. In December of 2013, the group won a Boston Music Award in the 'Live Artist of the Year' category, edging out such Boston powerhouses as Aerosmith, Bad Rabbits, Dropkick Murphys, and Peter Wolf.