Recent Entries

• THE FADEAWAYS - (I Wanna Get Some) Action! - New 7" Single!

  by Marty Shane November 18, 2011
  Swamp Fiction (that's the label branch of Pacifiction Records) has been hard at work releasing new & amazing garage punk from the Far East! The latest news is that THE FADEAWAYS, a Japanese band know for crunching up classic North West style garage has been chucking it back Stateside. They perfo...

• THEEE BAT & THE FADEAWAYS on Tour in the North East!

  by Marty Shane October 16, 2011
  Big news this Fall for Swamp Fiction, that's the record label branch of Pacifiction Records, and what all the garage punk nuts out there should be keeping an eye on! THEEE BAT have visited smoky London & played the Funtastic Dracula Carnival in Spain. Now they are making their US debut (along w...
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• HOUSE of MYSTERY Vol. 4, "House of the Dolls" A Japanese girls in the garage party!

  by Marty Shane September 5, 2011
  Welcome back to the HOUSE of MYSTERY, boys & girls! This past August 13th, was an fiercely female night of estrogen-fueled antics and adventure! Five gravely glamorous groups of Japanese femme-fatales appeared on stage at Club Heavy Sick along with special attractions including a sneak-peek scre...

• DJ-ing at THE GO-DEVILS new 7" release party!

  by Marty Shane August 18, 2011
  The Stately DJ Wayne Manor will be appearing at the latest party by the dynamic disc jockey duo YUKKUM YUKKUM, that's Mr. Death & OKD! It's the second installment of TOOLIE FROOLIE and features a host of DJs spinning classic garage, surf and rockabilly, not to mention some live & wild Japane...

• HEAL THE COAST - A Homespun Tsunami Benefit

  by Marty Shane August 15, 2011
  I put this benefit comp together way back last May but haven't done much to promote it. Five months on, there are still people in need and much recovery still going on, not to mention the uncertain future for those who lived and made their living around the Fukushima nuclear plant. That being said, ...

• MYSTERY MONDAYS Vol 6., "Last Days of May" & Wayne Manor's Birthday Party!

  by Marty Shane June 10, 2011
  So every year Mods run amok all around Japan. They've been doing so for nearly 30 years ever since the first Mods Mayday scooter run in 1980 or '81. I find myself endeared to this custom, not for being a Mod myself or for any real reason in particular. I just love the coming of Spring and I have an ...

• HOUSE of MYSTERY Vol.3: "The Hell Surfers Ball"

  by Marty Shane May 16, 2011
  Way back at the beginning of April, HOUSE of MYSTERY ushered in the summer beach party vibe with a night of surf & garage bands and vintage 60's trash and instro tunes. Not only that, it was part of a three-show Tokyo tour for UK high-power RnR band Atomic Suplex and their latest DVD release "...

• MYSTERY MONDAYS Vol. 5, Valentine's Day Rumble in Tokyo

  by Marty Shane March 4, 2011
  On February 14th 2011, numerous lonely hearts and some well-matched pairs drifted through an increasingly thick dusting of virgin snow as nighttime fell in Tokyo. Well as you know the nighttime is the right time especially for a party with a bunch of garage girl bands and a newly formed trio named t...

• HOUSE of MYSTERY Vol. 2, Rockin' Xmas Party in Tokyo!

  by Marty Shane January 17, 2011
  Tis' a tale of the season last that I shall tell so that we remember to keep our hearts warm with warm booze in our bellies... A season when sugar plum fairies with plump sugar plums go-go dance in our heads. When we give two fingers to that old man Scrooge and that bastard Grinch, too... And say Me...
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• HOUSE of MYSTERY Vol. 1 in TOKYO!

  by Marty Shane September 7, 2010
  Last Sunday I hosted the my first event in Tokyo which I hope to make into a regular series. My idea for Wayne Manor's HOUSE of MYSTERY is to not only have a savage line-up of Japanese garage & punk bands, but also include sideshow entertainments during intermissions. So last Sunday we were gra...
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• THE ROCKTIGERS: Dishin' out some hot Kimchibilly!

  by Marty Shane June 12, 2010
  Riding the psychobilly bandwagon jump-started by the likes of Tiger Army and taking influence from the leather jacket Jet Rock 'n' Roll of Guitar Wolf, Korea's Rocktigers have gained a cult following at home while raising eyebrows across Asia. With pinup knockout Velvet Geena as the group's spellbin...
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• Nikki Corvette & Gorevette Sideswipe Japan

  by Marty Shane May 27, 2010
  Every year, the week between April and May is a big vacation holiday in Japan called Golden Week and this year Detroit punk legend and girl group enchantress Nikki Corvette came with her latest backing band Gorvette, consisting of members of the Gore Gore Girls. They made a four show tour organized ...

• ATOMIC SUPLEX-ed in Japan

  by Marty Shane April 13, 2010
  ATOMIC SUPLEX, the high-power UK rock 'n' Roll band, came to Japan at the end of March to celebrate the release of their split 7" EP alongside Tokyo's most frantic garage punk trio THEEE BAT on the new Swamp Fiction label. This time Stuart came with the Emma (guitar) and Dan (bass) and were backe...
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• Rock 'n' Roll Circus in Taiwan - Dec. 2009

  by Marty Shane February 19, 2010
  OK, I might not have been at this gig, but I really feel like it deserves mention on my blog. In an effort to throw down some seriously needed RnR raves (as opposed to techno house raves) in Taiwan, THE DEADLY VIBES have been organizing an event called Rock 'n' Roll Circus on the island for the past...
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• GOLDEN ♦ Dark alt-country & post-punk from Japan

  by Marty Shane February 17, 2010
  Over the past several years GOLDEN has been bringing their erratic city slicker swagger to Tokyo's live house circuit. With jagged post-punk guitars melded to dark country mandolin playing, the trio has drawn comparisons to NICK CAVE and GALLON DRUNK. In 2009, they were picked up by the fledgling Ts...
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• SHLONK's Two Fisted Tour of Japan

  by Marty Shane November 18, 2009
  Occasionally Pacifiction Records helps out overseas garage and punk bands with touring in Japan. This can be a result of having personal ties or, in the case I don't know you, if I really like your band. And ultimately it comes down to being able to afford the trip and expenses. That's just a fact o...
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• BACK from the GRAVE: Halloween Ball '09 featuring THE MUMMIES!

  by Marty Shane November 17, 2009
  Well, So much for promises. I never got my Minolta sorted with a flash and I also still need to buy a battery for it. And to top it off I didn't actually get to see the MUMMIES at Shinjuku Loft. Tickets sold out lightning quick and I was feeling rundown after partying several nights with SHLONK, a s...

• A-BONES in Tokyo!

  by Marty Shane September 12, 2009
  OK, so I mentioned in a thread that I was going to see the A-Bones in Tokyo for for a big Tokyo Back from the Grave blowout and there was a request for some photos. There was about 30 bands and I took three or four successful pics. I'm mostly upset that I didn't shoot the 5678's who played as the or...

• Here Come the Rice - Modern Group Sounds

  by Marty Shane June 22, 2009
  Those familiar with 60's garage rock, British Invasion and psychedelic bands are probably also familiar with the Group Sounds, or simply GS, movement in Japan in the late 60's. The Nuggets II set highlights The Mops and other groups like The Tigers and The Spiders have at least become familiar names...

• PLAYHOUSE - Japanese Demin Jacket RnR Trio

  by Marty Shane May 25, 2009
  PLAYHOUSE are a true-to-form Japanese rock 'n' roll trio that have been playing together for the past decade or so. While the guitarist smokes up the stage, the bass player and lead vocalist carries right along with the cat on sticks; and then, they all stop on a dime together, just to hop right bac...
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• THE VICKERS - Tokyo Monster Rock 'n' Roll

  by Marty Shane May 14, 2009
  Forming in 2003 after Chisato, formerly of the all-female punk band THUG MURDER (TKO Records), and Kenta666, from the hardcore band REAL SHIT, started collaborating, THE VICKERS quickly carved a name for themselves as one of Japan's fiercest rock n' roll acts. They released their first mini-album St...
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• Tribute to The Dogs - Real Detroit Rock

  by Marty Shane May 9, 2009
  After 40 years THE DOGS still got bite. They played amidst the 2009 SXSW fest with special guest Wayne Kramer and we're waiting for a new DVD coming soon. This Detroit rock band began in the late 60's under guidance by John Sinclair and made up part of the Rock Revolution alongside MC5 and The Stoog...
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