THE FADEAWAYS - (I Wanna Get Some) Action! - New 7" release by Swamp Fiction!

Swamp Fiction (that's the label branch of Pacifiction Records) has been hard at 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 performed a short tour of the North East earlier this November, and Swamp Fiction completed their US debut 7" single just in time for them to sell-out of it during their 6 show run!

THE FADEAWAYS brought 50 copies of "(I Wanna Get Some) Action" with them on the road and not a one was left for them to take back to Japan! Lucky for you, you can grab them a Pacifiction Records! The B-side is a cover of Texas trashers THE TROLLS' "That's The Way My Love Is," done faithfully and with enough of that eastern edge to keep you spinning it over and over. And did I mention, it comes in colors? Yes, each record is a pressed with uniquely random colors to give it that collectible knack!

http://www.pacifictionrecords.com/japan/CD/FADEAWAYS_action45.shtml

SWAMP FICTION Recording Artists THE FADEAWAYS & THEEE BAT Live on the East Coast USA!

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 with a new release from Dirty Ugly/Squoodge Records). You can get their first record, a split EP with hi-power UK rock 'n' roll band ATOMIC SUPLEX out on Swamp Fiction, at all of their shows! At the same time, different channel, THE FADEAWAYS will be tearing up the east coast opening for Japanese surf legends JACKIE & THE CEDRICS! They also have a new release, a 7" single by Swamp Fiction entitled "(I Wanna Get Some) Action!" Expect lots more surprises on the up-coming odyssey this November cause this is just the tip of the tentacle!

THE FADEAWAYS, supporting JACKIE & THE CEDRICS on tour!

Northwest garage by way of Japan on the East Coast! THE FADEAWAYS are supporting JACKIE & THE CEDRICS on an East Coast tour. They'll also play with some sharp acts like MUCK & THE MIRES and Crypt legends THE LYRES so be sure to check club websites! Also a trip to the merch table is a must if you wanna pick up a copy of their new 7" single "(I Wanna Get Some) Action!" on Swamp Fiction!

Sat. 11/5 - Precinct Bar (http://precinctbar.com), Boston, MA w/ The Lyres, Muck & The Mires

Sun. 11/6 - Cafe Nine (http://cafenine.com/), New Haven, CT

Mon. 11/7 - The Record Collector (http://the-record-collector.com/), Bordentown, NJ

Tues. 11/8 - Firehouse13 (http://fh13.com/), Provence, RI w/ The Fablous Itchies

Wed. 11/9 - Maxwell's(http://maxwellsnj.com/), Hoboken, NJ w/ The Reigning Sound

THEEE BAT - Takes a bite out of the Big Apple and then some!

Japanese garage punk band THEEE BAT is bringing their Batman-themed, Jack-the-ripper-inspired mayhem to the East Coast! They are rumored to play with some hipshakin' NYC bands like THE BACK C.C.'s, but check club websites for more info. They are also set to open for the legendary Japanese girls rockabilly, garage trio the 5678's at the Mercury Lounge in NYC! Get their first release, a Swamp Fiction EP on yellow vinyl and also snag a copy of the already rare new 7" "I'm Gonna Kill My Baby Tonite!"

Fri. 11/4 - Otto's Shrunken Head (http://ottosshrunkenhead.com/), NYC

Sat. 11/5 - Brooklyn Fire Proof (http://www.brooklynfireproof.com/), Brooklyn, NYC

Sun. 11/6 - Don Pedro's Bar & Lounge (http://www.donpedrobrooklyn.com/), Brooklyn, NYC

Tues. 11/8 - Snug Harbor, New Paltz, NY

Fri. 11/11 - The Little Bar (http://www.littlebarphilly.com/), Philadelphia, PA

Sat. 11/12 - Mercury Lounge (http://www.mercuryloungenyc.com/), NYC - Special opening act for the 5678's 

TOKYO TRASHVILLE revisted, Bruce Milne at SWANK & The Stompin' Riffraffs new release!

Looking back to my college days there were three compilations that got me interested in the Japanese garage punk scene of the early 90's. In no particular order they are Wacky Wild Gift, a Benten label sampler with all girl bands; Hodge Podge Barrage Vol.2, a mix of 90's era Japanese and American garage punk bands compiled by 1+2 Records... And last but not nearly least, Tokyo Trashville, released by Australia's Au-Go-Go Records with a selection of thrilling Japanese tunes hand-picked by label owner Bruce Milne & DJ Hiroshi Sekiguchi of the hit record hop SWANK. Trashville was my first taste of Guitar Wolf and Teengenerate, both of whom do tributes to the Ramones with "Kung Fu Ramone" and "Johnny & Dee Dee," respectively as well as girl garage groups the 5678's and Supersnazz and a number of bands I have seen in some form since coming to Japan to discover the scene for myself and carve out a niche of my own. In fact, I dare to think of my own label Swamp Fiction as a "Child of Trashville!"

While I had the excellent fortune to catch Teengenerate on their 2005 reunion in New York, the first Trashville band I saw in Japan after moving here was Jackie & the Cedrics, who do "Squad Car" on the comp. I still go crazy when I hear them play this frantic ride live! (Incidentally, the inimitable Rockin' Jelly Bean did the cover art Tokyo Trashville, as well as the other aforementioned comps). During this honeymoon period of mine, I had the pleasure of being introduced to Sekiguchi-san himself and also went to a couple of his SWANK DJ parties in Tokyo. As I started getting more deeply involved in the scene, I had the nice opportunity to invite the man himself to DJ at my own "House of Mystery" rockin' frat house Christmas party at Club Heavy Sick, which was, by the way, great fun! Then the rumors started coming to a head... Au-Go-Go Records' Bruce Milne was coming to Japan to spin records at SWANK, needless to say, I promised Sekiguchi-san I'd be there or be considered square!

(Hiroshi Sekiguchi, Wayne Manor, Bruce Milne)

When I arrived at Green Apples, the site of the alleged SWANK rockin' party, I was ushered almost directly to Bruce's table by the kindly giant DJ Wild Ox and sat down for a quick chat. I found Bruce very amiable listening to me babble on about my own endeavors, err foibles, into the Japanese garage scene while we listened to the cool rock 'n' roll tunes on the turntables and waited for the bands to play. The place was small dimly lit and the bill was perfect. Lonely rocker Taka-rock & One Man Heartbreakers opened the show with his oldies covers and jovial personality. The spectacular Stompin' Riff Raffs played a fun-filled set (more on them later!) and I was honored to see that Swamp Fiction's own Theee Bat was the headliner! Yet again I was reluctant to take the last train home, but I was lucky to get a couple snaps with Hiroshi & Bruce before the nite was up.

That nite I was also prodded with the new Stompin' Riff Raffs album "Horror Show" by their sociable bass player Rie and took home a stack with me which are now available at Pacifiction Records! Before "Stompin'," as they are known by familiars, played I asked Bruce if he had seen them before and he recounted an amusing anecdote involving Hiroshi in which he pleaded with him over dinner to get him to drop his chopsticks and get him over to the live house and catch their set... upon reviewing the new CD I found this exact scenario scribed in the liner notes! Just to say a little something about the new album, Stompin' Riff Raff's first effort pays homage to a unique era of early sixties rockabilly & frat rock hybrid style that historically falls in between the fall of the leather jacket greaser and the emergence of the shaggy-haired primitive 60's punk. There's a number of covers including a well-done version of the legendary Ron Haydock's "99 Chicks" as well as the bands original material largely penned by wildman Nao and finely executed by his masked entourage of chicks! Expect a good measure of Nao's rippin' riffs, rhythmic thumpin' by Rie and drummer Saori and some keyboard poundin' by Miku, not to mention little wrigglin' theremin, and if you really try hard you can imagine Saori brightly smilin' throughout each track!

This last bit is a big arigato to all who have made me feel welcome in this very real Tokyo Trashville I set out to discover! Ya'll know who you are & I keep looking forward to more great times with each stompin' weekend!

HEAL THE COAST: A Homespun Tsunami Benefit

Over the past year Pacifiction Records has evolved in some strange ways... spinning off a record label, organizing events, hosting & DJ-ing our own parties in the heart of Tokyo's garage punk scene.... And then, on March 12, the Great East Japan Earthquake struck, subsequently unleashing a towering tsunami causing immense damage and agonizing loss of life along the northeastern coast of Japan. Fortunately, I am located in Yokohama, just southwest of Tokyo and pretty much out of harms way. Not to say that my area wasn't affected... streets were cracked around Yokohama station causing businesses to remain closed for months, aftershocks continued to rattle our daily lives, numerous neighborhoods experienced energy-conserving rolling blackouts and, because of panic-buying, bread, eggs, milk and other goods were scarce on store shelves for several weeks. Then the fear of nuclear-fallout preyed on everyone's consciences causing a stall in the restarting of Tokyo's nightlife and live house scene. However, charity events soon popped up and donation buckets appeared on bar counters.

As various foreign celebrities like Lady Gaga and Liam Gallagher started their own campaigns for Japan, so did underground efforts begin to mobilize. The UK-based Independent Creative Movement compiled a three volume benefit series titled Punk4Japan with a diverse and raucous roster of bands throwing down to help raise money for Red Cross actions in Japan. Influenced by these efforts, Pacifiction Records contacted numerous Japanese indies bands from a wide array of current scenes ranging in style from garage to punk, ska, psychobilly and Irish folk punk, as well as a few bands from the UK, North America and Taiwan who have strong ties to the local scene to join together for a homegrown charity compilation titled HEAL THE COAST: A Homespun Tsunami Benefit. This downloadable compilation is available on the Pacfiction Records website and features numerous bands familiar to our customers like ED WOODS, THEEE BAT, SPOOKEY, DREX and DOING LIFE. Special thanks are in order to TAKUMiX at Modernedge Records and The Japanese Bastard from UNCLEOWEN MUSIC for their song donations. All proceeds from HEAL THE COAST go to the Japanese Red Cross Society. It is a limited release and will no longer be available after May 31, 2012, so get it now and help the people of Japan get a step closer past this agonizing tragedy.

Get it here:

http://www.pacifictionrecords.com/HEALTHECOAST_tsunamibenefit.shtml