Guitar Wolf

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Guitar Wolf
Seiji, lead singer and guitarist for Guitar Wolf
Seiji, lead singer and guitarist for Guitar Wolf
Background information
Origin Nagasaki, Japan
Genre(s) Garage punk, J-punk
Years active 1987 — Present
Label(s) Goner Records
Matador Records
Narnack Records
Associated acts Teengenerate
The 5.6.7.8's
Members
Toru, Seiji, U.G.
Former members
Billy and Narita

Guitar Wolf is a three-piece garage punk band founded in Japan in 1987. The band is known for songs with piercing vocals and an extremely loud style of noise rock which emphasizes heavy distortion and feedback. They coined the phrase "Jet Rock 'n' Roll", which they also used to describe their musical style — an energetic cross between The Ramones, rockabilly, classic punk, and noise rock.

The band has released nine studio albums internationally as well as a live album, numerous singles, and a greatest hits album called "Golden Black." The band members have also been featured in two B-grade science fiction horror movies, "Wild Zero" and "Sore Losers." A collection of Guitar Wolf's most popular videos and live performances have been compiled into a limited edition DVD entitled Red Idol. In March 2005, bassist and founding member Billy, also known as Bass Wolf, died of a heart attack at the age of 38. His replacement in the band, bassist U.G., has become a permanent member of Guitar Wolf and now rounds out the trio which currently consist of band members Seiji (Guitar Wolf): U.G. (Bass Wolf); and Toru (Drum Wolf).

Guitar Wolf was predated by a series of similar Japanese bands such as Teengenerate and Supersnazz, although none achieved the cult status this trio did. Since their inception, Guitar Wolf have influenced a neo-renaissance of punk rock in Japan.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Formation

Guitarist Seiji and bassist Billy became friends while the two were in Harajuku. The two worked across from each other, Seiji in a used clothing store and Billy in a punk rock shop nearby. Realizing they shared similar musical tastes, the two decided to join together to play rock and roll. After convincing Seiji's coworker Narita to accompany them on drums, Guitar Wolf formed in Harajuku in 1987. After creating the band, each member adopted a Ramones-style surname reflecting their instrument of choice: Seiji became Guitar Wolf, Billy became Bass Wolf, and Narita became Drum Wolf. In time, Narita left the band, apparently to become a fortune teller, and was replaced by Toru, a drummer suggested by Enocky from the band Jackie & The Cedrics. [1]

In time the band would come to develop its own unique strain of punk rock music, fusing multiple genres together into what the band described as Jet Rock 'n' Roll. The term Jet Rock 'n' Roll was coined by the band to describe their musical style; a conglomeration of punk, traditional rock, heavy distortion, and screamed vocals. The name is derived from the last name of musician Joan Jett, whom Guitar Wolf frontman Seiji considers his greatest influence. To date, the term Jet Rock is infrequently applied to anyone other than Guitar Wolf itself. Nevertheless, the members of Guitar Wolf would eventually begin to tout themselves as "The World's Greatest Jet Rock 'n' Roll Band."

See King Brothers for one such band that is influenced by Guitar Wolf.

[edit] First Releases

After releasing two vinyl albums in Japan, the first of which, Wolf Rock!, was recorded in guitarist Seiji's basement, [2] the band started a tour of America. Guitar Wolf performed at the 2nd Garageshock festival in Memphis, Tennessee, where Memphis local and Oblivians member Eric Friedl first saw the band. Impressed with the band's set, Friedl approached the band and received a demo tape which he decided to self-release, forming his own label, Goner Records, for the specific purpose of exposing Guitar Wolf to an American audience. After placing a call to the band in Japan in order to get permission to issue the album, Goner Records released "Wolf Rock!," Guitar Wolf's debut LP, in 1993. [3]

[edit] Later work

Guitar Wolf released their first CD, Run Wolf Run, in 1994, distributing it through the Japanese Less Than TV label. [4] In 1996 an in-store performance at a New York City record store secured the band a contract with Matador Records, who issued the band's fourth album "Missile Me!" that same year. Guitar Wolf would continue releasing albums with Matador until 1999's "Jet Generation," an album which Matador Records claims is the loudest CD in history. [5]

[edit] Film appearances

In 2000 Guitar Wolf starred in the Japanese rock ‘n’ roll "zombie horror" movie, Wild Zero, directed by Tetsuro Takeuchi. The band plays themselves as they take on crazed fans, zombies, and an alien invasion. Guitar Wolf recorded the soundtrack to the film as well, releasing it in 1999 under the title, "Wild Zero." Guitar Wolf is currently looking for a sponsor for the sequel, Wild Zero 2. This was not the first time the band had appeared on screen, in 1997 all three original members of Guitar Wolf appeared in the John Michael McCarthy-directed "The Sore Losers", appearing as the "mysterious strangers."

[edit] Death of Bass Wolf

In 2002 the band made the move to Narnack Records where the band continued to release material until 2005 when the band released their greatest hits album, "Golden Black." That same year after completing a U.S. tour, the band returned home to Japan where bassist Billy/Bass Wolf suffered a fatal heart attack at the age of 38. [6] Billy, whose real name was Hideaki Sekiguchi, died in Tokyo on March 31, 2005, and is survived by his wife and two children. [7] In September of 2005, Guitar Wolf played their first show with their new bassist, U.G..

[edit] Live Experience

Guitar Wolf are well known for their frenetic live shows. They sometimes rely on elaborate stage productions, including lighted banners, comically oversized speakers, and microphones that spew fire. There is little-to-no time in between songs and the band has been known, on many occasions, to play completely non-stop through their entire set.

[edit] Jet clothing

The band have their own line of Jet clothing consisting of jackets, pants, T-shirts and belts. The Guitar Wolf motorcycle jacket, a variation of the 613 Perfecto called 613GW, is manufactured by Schott NYC.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Singles

  • Somethin' Else 7" (Bag Of Hammers, 1995, BOH 026)
  • Missile Me 7" (Bag Of Hammers, 1996, BOH 041)
  • Satisfaction 7" (Bag Of Hammers, 1996, BOH 042)
  • Can-Nana Fever 7" (Wallabies, 1997, WAL-018)
  • Bad Reputation 7" (Wallabies, 1997, WAL-019)
  • Kawasaki Z11 7750 Rock 'N' Roll 7" (Matador, 1997, OLE-271-7)
  • Kaminari One 7" (Less Than TV, 1998, CH-53)
  • Murder By Rock! 12" (Ki/oon, 1999, KSC2 305)
  • God Speed You 12" (Ki/oon, 2000, KSC2 320)
  • I Love You, Ok 12" (Ki/oon, 2001, KSC2 373)

[edit] Vinyl LPs

[edit] Studio albums

[edit] Soundtracks

  • Wild Zero CD (Ki/oon, 1999, KSC2 306)

[edit] Splits

  • Split 7" with The Statics (Wallabies, 1997, WAL-019)
  • Aussie Tour Split 7" with Shutdown 66 (Corduroy Records, 1999, CORD-077)
  • Split 7" with Sludgefeast (Must Destroy Music, 2005, DESTROYER 25)
  • Ultra Cross Vol. 1 with Lightning Bolt (Ki/oon Records, 2006)

[edit] Tribute albums

  • I Love Guitar Wolf: Very Much" CD (Narnack, 2005, NCK 7028)

[edit] Song covers

[edit] Filmography

  • The Sore Losers (1997) as "Mysterious Strangers"
  • Wild Zero (2000) as themselves
  • Guitar Wolf - Red Idol (2003) as themselves
  • Rock 'n Tokyo (2007) as themselves
  • Guitar Wolf (the guitarist) appears in the Puffy (Ami Yumi) video for "Teen Titans".
  • In the anime series Black Lagoon, protagonist Revy says she enjoys Guitar Wolf's music.

[edit] References

[edit] External links