86 THRASHER
Guitar WOLF
Photo and words
by Wez Lundry
ust when you thought Japan's
punk scene was crumbling after
the fall of Teengenerate, in
strolls Guitar Wolf to pick up the slack.
Although they've been around for a
few years, they're just now getting
some much-deserved recognition.
Songs with names like "Midnight
Violence Rock n' Roll," "Kung Fu
Ramone Culmination Tactic," and
"Butobase!! All Night" are indications
that while their English-speaking skills
may be slightly less than perfect,
they've got the right idea-if rock n' roll
ultraviolence is to your liking. With a
deep bow to Link Wray, the man who
first poked holes in his amp to get that
fuzzy, fucked-up sound, Guitar Wolf
bring the screeching fury to a
cacophonous crescendo. Their first
two obscure releases, Wolf Rock and
Kung Fu Ramone, are more primitive
and noisy, while the latest, Missile Me,
is a little cleaner, but still dirty as hell. I
used to play Kung Fu Ramone in the
record shop where I worked at when I
wanted to clear the geeky customers
out of the store; the feedback-
drenched screeching did the trick.
Touring the USA every once in a
while, a Guitar Wolf show is not to be
missed. The leather-clad trio take to
the stage with enough attitude to
bend a crowbar. Billy and Toru (on
bass and drums, respectively) take a
time-out to comb their pompadours,
while Seiji (guitarist and singer) opens
and kills a beer in one swig. Only the
sharpest of switchblades would slice
through this atmosphere. When the
first chords are struck, Seiji goes off
until the end of the set, while Toru
and Billy nonchalantly chew gum,
looking bad as fuck. In between their
manic originals and a few covers by
the MC5, Link Wray and others,
Seiji's shouts of "Lock and loll!" And
"Awright!" will fix a grin on your mug.
All the bad-asses of rock n' roll are
represented through their playing:
Kramers, Thunders, Wray, Ramone,
Chrome, Jerry Lee Lewis, and maybe
even Joan Jett. Still, Seiji will admit
that Bruce Lee is as much an influ-
ence as anyone.
The music is simple, and so is the
presentation: play louder, harder,
and more fucked up than anyone
else in the world. You've just gotta
see it to believe it.
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