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Japanese trio Guitar Wolf (ギターウルフ) recently headlined the Amsterdam Bar & Hall, in St Paul, on Thursday night (September 1st), promoting their new album T-Rex From a Tiny Space Yojouhan.
Opening up the show was local trio Busey (singer / guitarist Daniel Berndt, drummer Ryan Keyes, and bassist Ryan Wasleske), a band named after actor Gary Busey. They were a surprise appearance because they were not listed on the Leo Presents bill anywhere... but when we spoke to the band later, they said that they were confirmed since June, right around the time when the show was announced. Although Busey sounded metal, it is clear that they were actually big fans of Guitar Wolf, and it shows in their gratitude when they were booked to play with the Japanese band.
Songs on Busey’s brief 30-min set were in this order, ‘Good Boy’, ‘Basic Needs’ (a preview song from their forthcoming album), ‘Greg’s Friend’, ‘We Don’t Have That’, ‘Gank’ and set closer ‘No Other Reptiles Allowed’.
Nashville’s Hans Condor was up next with one of the most energetic live rock & roll set we’ve seen.
The trio featured Charles “Chazz” Kaster as the raging main singer / guitarist (and apparently the “Birthday Boy” on Thursday night) with dreadlock Erik Holcombe on bass, and Ryan “Best in the Biz” Sweeney on drums.
Midway in their set, Kaster invited fans to come on stage. When a few enthusiastic fans took them up on the offer, Kaster asked, “Is that all I got?” After the song was played, one fan attempted to leave the stage (but was denied!). The fans continued to dance on stage afterwards.
Near the end, their show went a little chaotic, with Kaster throwing his guitar to a fan in the audience and then started a one-man mosh pit in the front.
Hans Condor did impress us, and we can only imagine how insane their show might be if they were playing a massive music festival.
Guitar Wolf, the self-proclaimed coolest band in the world, took the stage to several Ramones songs. It’s obvious that the rockabilly-looking band was inspired by the American punk rock band. In fact, with other outro songs used (Chuck Berry’s ‘Johnny B. Goode’, Dolly Parton’s ‘I Will Always Love You’, and The Runaways’ ‘Cherry Bomb’), the band is truly in love with American music.
Having Minneapolis / St Paul on Guitar Wolf’s regular tour itinerary since 2012 is a small blessing, because, as far as I know, Guitar Wolf’s prior appearance was with the Cramps in November 1997.
Joining singer / guitarist Seiji on stage was Bass Wolf U.G. (who has been with the band since the passing of the original Bass Wolf Billy in 2002) and original Drum Wolf Toru. The trio showed up in Tyrannosaurus Rex masks, in keeping with the theme of their new album T-Rex From a Tiny Space Yojouhan. After some T-Rex claw poses, Seiji opened up a can of beer and drank through the mask. After the drink, the show can really begin.
The masks weren’t the only props used, before ‘Ninja Season’, Seiji would wear a straw hat and then later in the song, he would bring out a fire wallet. It still doesn’t really live up to the more dangerous flaming microphone (as seen in the film Wild Zero), but it was still fun to see.
Midway in their set, Guitar Wolf covered Eddie Cochran’s ‘Summertime Blues’, but adding their Japanese lyrics and take to the song. When we later talk to singer Seiji and mentioned that Cochran was born in Minnesota (but later moved to California), Seiji seemed excited and surprised, “Ooh!?”
Near the end of their show, Seiji would often theatrically pull fans on stage to hand over his guitar. In an overdramatic fashion, he would empower the fan to play music. During this time, it freed Seiji’s hands to sing with the microphone stand up in their air, or gave him the option to body surf!
Also, it would seem that Guitar Wolf’s catchphrase “Rock and Roll” may be one of the few English words the audience understood. There was somewhat of a language barrier, first with Seiji asking a fan (with earplugs), if his ears were okay. Then at the end, when Seiji tried to explain that he lived by a lake in Nagasaki. When he asked for a lake name here, someone in the audience said “Lake Calhoun”, which Seiji could not understand. He would still dedicate the last song to the lake.
In a typical Guitar Wolf show, the real fun is actually during the encore. After the second encore, he got fans to do the human pyramid (which was also done during their 2013 show at the Turf Club). For the true faithful fan who stuck around after the double encore, they were treated with a third and final encore.
Overall, an entertaining and unforgettable show.
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Busey
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Songs on Busey’s brief 30-min set were in this order, ‘Good Boy’, ‘Basic Needs’ (a preview song from their forthcoming album), ‘Greg’s Friend’, ‘We Don’t Have That’, ‘Gank’ and set closer ‘No Other Reptiles Allowed’.
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Hans Condor |
Midway in their set, Kaster invited fans to come on stage. When a few enthusiastic fans took them up on the offer, Kaster asked, “Is that all I got?” After the song was played, one fan attempted to leave the stage (but was denied!). The fans continued to dance on stage afterwards.
Near the end, their show went a little chaotic, with Kaster throwing his guitar to a fan in the audience and then started a one-man mosh pit in the front.
Hans Condor did impress us, and we can only imagine how insane their show might be if they were playing a massive music festival.
Guitar Wolf, the self-proclaimed coolest band in the world, took the stage to several Ramones songs. It’s obvious that the rockabilly-looking band was inspired by the American punk rock band. In fact, with other outro songs used (Chuck Berry’s ‘Johnny B. Goode’, Dolly Parton’s ‘I Will Always Love You’, and The Runaways’ ‘Cherry Bomb’), the band is truly in love with American music.
Having Minneapolis / St Paul on Guitar Wolf’s regular tour itinerary since 2012 is a small blessing, because, as far as I know, Guitar Wolf’s prior appearance was with the Cramps in November 1997.
Joining singer / guitarist Seiji on stage was Bass Wolf U.G. (who has been with the band since the passing of the original Bass Wolf Billy in 2002) and original Drum Wolf Toru. The trio showed up in Tyrannosaurus Rex masks, in keeping with the theme of their new album T-Rex From a Tiny Space Yojouhan. After some T-Rex claw poses, Seiji opened up a can of beer and drank through the mask. After the drink, the show can really begin.
The masks weren’t the only props used, before ‘Ninja Season’, Seiji would wear a straw hat and then later in the song, he would bring out a fire wallet. It still doesn’t really live up to the more dangerous flaming microphone (as seen in the film Wild Zero), but it was still fun to see.
Midway in their set, Guitar Wolf covered Eddie Cochran’s ‘Summertime Blues’, but adding their Japanese lyrics and take to the song. When we later talk to singer Seiji and mentioned that Cochran was born in Minnesota (but later moved to California), Seiji seemed excited and surprised, “Ooh!?”
Near the end of their show, Seiji would often theatrically pull fans on stage to hand over his guitar. In an overdramatic fashion, he would empower the fan to play music. During this time, it freed Seiji’s hands to sing with the microphone stand up in their air, or gave him the option to body surf!
Also, it would seem that Guitar Wolf’s catchphrase “Rock and Roll” may be one of the few English words the audience understood. There was somewhat of a language barrier, first with Seiji asking a fan (with earplugs), if his ears were okay. Then at the end, when Seiji tried to explain that he lived by a lake in Nagasaki. When he asked for a lake name here, someone in the audience said “Lake Calhoun”, which Seiji could not understand. He would still dedicate the last song to the lake.
In a typical Guitar Wolf show, the real fun is actually during the encore. After the second encore, he got fans to do the human pyramid (which was also done during their 2013 show at the Turf Club). For the true faithful fan who stuck around after the double encore, they were treated with a third and final encore.
Overall, an entertaining and unforgettable show.
Guitar Wolf |
Guitar Wolf |
Guitar Wolf |
Guitar Wolf: U.G. |
Building the human pyramid |
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Guitar Wolf at Amsterdam Bar and Hall, St Paul (01 September 2016) |
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