GUITAR WOLF

Hailing from the land of the rising sun, Guitar Wolf are a three-piece, trash rock 'n' roll combo. Consisting of Seiji (guitar, vocals), Billy (bass) and Toru (drums), the wolves shamelessly wear their influences on leather jacket sleeves. With nods to Link Wray -- "Link Wray Man" (complete lyrics: "Link Wray Man!"), Joey Ramone -- "Kung Fu Ramone Culmination Tactic" (Kung Fu Ramone is said to be Joey's illegitimate son and a punk rock martial-arts expert), The Rolling Stones -- "Satisfaction" (from the Wild Guitar EP) and Johnny Thunders -- "Thunders Guitar" (an original tune, also from said EP), Guitar Wolf prove to be the antithesis of Fleetwood Mac: no $1,000,000 production budget, no technical advisors and no writing in the studio. Just raw R 'N' R like the way Mr. Wray did it in the late '50s. Leaving no stone unturned, these wolves are best heard through their maniacal live performances.

According to Exile Osaka magazine: "Singer Seiji's special R and R ritual revealed... He has a big glass case in his apartment in which he keeps his guitar and leather jacket. The night before a performance, he enters the glass case and gets charged with rock 'n' roll energy. Seiji never takes off his sunglasses."

He must've brought that case to Virginia Beach, because their March '97 show at Route 44 ROCKED 'N' ROLLED those who wanted to feel the rabid bite of the wolves' fangs. All would require 17 shots in the stomach the next day. Guitar Wolf played 45-50 minutes, drawing largely from their 1996 album Missle Me. "Hurricane Rock," "Can Nana Fever" and "Jet Rock 'N' Roll" were meaner and rawer live than on record. No small feat, since Guitar Wolf had paid famed producer Butch Vig 500 yen and one of those oddly shaped jugs of Sapporo lager found at Farm Fresh NOT TO PRODUCE Missle Me. Screams of "GEEETARRR!", "ROCK 'N' ROLL MOTHERFUCKER!" and "YEEEAAAH!" were often heard. Cries of "PLAY SOME TSOL!" weren't. The evening's highlight was a 15-minute frenzied take of "Kick Out The Jams" that was about as far from The Presidents Of The United States Of America's version as Tokyo is from Tidewater. Seiji played (think he only used one string!) for a couple minutes, then summoned Nyal from The Halfways onstage. Like a mad sensei, he instructed Nyal in the ways of the Wolf ("Play this note, then this note...") while doing these crazy, drunken kata movements. Telekinetic powers called Seiji back to his axe momentarily, then he received another calling. As Billy and Toru fanged on, Seiji handed the guitar to my sister Shannon, jumped onto the bar and unleashed a loud 'n' primal howl. MC5 would've been proud. Everyone left with bicuspid marks and a smile.

My sister's resume' now reads: "Held guitar of Guitar Wolf."