LIVE REPORT: MYSTERY MONDAYS Vol. 8, "Hanabi in a Bottle!"

This past week hanabi, or fireworks in Japanese, were captured in a bottle with two up-and-coming Tokyo garage bands and the eclectic sounds of the dynamic DJ duo MAMA CHARI!

On their second performance yet, DAncer DAnger burst on the stage at Heavy Sick with sparkles of white light and heat as they experimented with melding 60's garage with post-punk! Their adroit covers of The Sonics and The Velvet Undergound as well as their own meld of NY rock'n'roll and British post-punk ensure DA-DA, as they are affectionately known, a place in the current Tokyo underground.


(DAncer DAnger)

In the meantime, MAMA CHARI, the double dose of lounge pop provided by DJ DANDY & DJ RONSOME entertained the crowd with a fizzy cocktail of sounds ranging from exotica to psyche, soul, Japanese group sounds and French pop!


(MAMA CHARI feat. DJ DANDY upfront & DJ RONSOME in the background)

The final band, another garage group only on their second outing, the all-girl trio MELVINS were a bottle-rocket of classic American garage sound lead by the screeching vocals of Kumi-chan! After their enrapturing set, they left the audience demanding an encore which they delivered... a wild rendition of "Louie Louie" which sounded much like a homage to the One Way Streets, albeit through the shouts of Japanese girls!


(MELVINS)

Another fine production brought to you by THE STATELY DJ WAYNE MANOR with the backing of CLUB HEAVY SICK in Hatagaya, Tokyo where we always try to capture a little hanabi in a bottle!


(THE STATELY DJ WAYNE MANOR)

All pictures taken by JIMI from Nagoya.

MYSTERY MONDAYS Vol.8, "Hanabi in a Bottle"

The latest installment of MYSTERY MONDAYS is a titillating star-burst! It's a tribute to summertime featuring a special lounge duo by the name of MAMA CHARI consisting of DJ DANDY hailing from NY & Japanese native DJ RONSOME mixing up a palatable cocktail of exotica, psychedelic and space-age bachelor pad music! Your ever-loving host THE STATELY DJ WAYNE MANOR will be supplying supplemental ingredients, enough to stuff in your bottle-rocket! As for live music, there will be the all-girl garage trio MELVINS (yes, three Japanese girls and NOT King Buzzo & the legendary grunge band!) as well as the eclectic garage punk sounds of DAncer DAnger! Hanabi, or fireworks in Japanese, are an integral part of the "natsu" season, we've decidedly captured some "Hanabi in a Bottle" for ya, so enjoy!

MYSTERY MONDAYS
"Hanabi in a Bottle"

feat.
MELVINS
DAncer DAnger

Featured DJs

MAMA CHARI
...DJ Dandy & DJ Ronsome

OPEN: 19:00
TICKET: 1200yen +1D

LIVE REPORT: MYSTERY MONDAYS Vol. 7, "Boys Nite Out!"

Mystery Mondays kicked off summer with a nite of Japanese punk featuring a fierce trio of bands making headway in the current Tokyo powerpop scene. DJ Harry the Hempstead Heath was spinning a mix of old punk & neo-mods and yours truly, The Stately DJ Wayne Manor crammed as much heyday punk as I could in between sets!



The NERVOUS HEARTS, with Taka6 from The Scar and The Fadeaways personnel Toyozo on lead and drummer Ozawa making his last appearance with the group, took to the stage first. They ripped through a bunch of '77 punk style tunes albeit with a slight 60's punk vibe Toyozo can't seem to shake. All the better for them!



Next up STAIRS came on sounding much like lost NY punk relic with their rough edges and skittish demeanor. While they might be at the front of the powerpop movement these days, I'm glad there's nothing too sweet about their stabbing songwriting and spurring stage presence.



Finally THE LEGS took to the stage, quite an honor since they were a guest at the very first Mystery Mondays! This band plays fast and tight and they rammed through set of sonically riveting powerpop songs that I can't wait to hear again! In fact The Stately DJ Wayne Manor has been invite to DJ their big show coming up this September 24th at the UFO Club which will also feature Stairs along with other Tokyo bands at the top of the pops like Rockbottom, Rangsteen, & Sunsett! More info on this chic party later!

Until next time... Yours truly,

The Stately Wayne Manor

MYSTERY MONDAYS Vol. 7, "Boys Nite Out!"

Welcome to another spectacular edition of MYSTERY MONDAYS featuring a triple riot by some of the up-and-coming Japanese bands with a throwback sound to the original punk era and making headway in th current Tokyo power pop scene. THE LEGS were one of the first bands to play MYSTERY MONDAYS waaaay back last August! And some of you might remember NERVOUS HEARTS from the more recent Valentine's Day Rumble hosted by yours truly, The Stately DJ Wayne Manor. You can trip up 'em, you can fall down 'em, STAIRS is one of the more recent and rowdy bands out there with a 7" of their own on Target Earth Records, they're playing MYSTERY MONDAYS for the first time! I will be spinning a mix of 70's punk, maybe a couple Mods tunes and some post-punk. The featured DJ, HARRY the HEMPSTEAD HEATH will be supplying more powerpop rarities than you can shake a rubber at! It's a Monday, it's not easy, but it's a fine nite for a boys nite Out!

MYSTERY MONDAYS Vol.7
"Boys Nite Out"

HATAGAYA HEAVY SICK
Mon. 6/27

THE LEGS
STAIRS
NERVOUS HEARTS

Guest DJ
HARRY the HEMPSTEAD HEATH

Host DJ
The Stately DJ Wayne Manor

OPEN: 19:00
TICKET: 1500 (+1D)

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

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 affinity for Mod culture and the music and style of the 6t's. Well, since I had begun doing Mystery Mondays, I had planned for a special homage of my own. I checked the calendar this year and lo and behold, my birthday had fallen on a Monday, the last Monday of May to be exact! So while all my mates in the States were off for Memorial Day, I had a birthday bash with some Japanese garage bands and dubbed my party "The Last Days of May!"



After an initial set of British invasion music by myself and some northern soul by Japanese DJ extraordinaire Harry the Hempstead Heath, the event was sparked by THE MADAME CATS, and their blur of Showa pop/girl garage tunes... They brought a number of the boys in the crowd to their knees calling for an encore and more!



Much like the little drummer boy bringing song as their only gift, THEEE BAT came on stage playing not only their version of the "Batman Theme" but extending their set to include my favorite tunes like the Stooges' " I Wanna Be Your Dog" which they called me onstage to howl along to, as well as my all-time favorite "Sometimes the Good Guys Don't Wear White" by The Standells. And then dragging back up to the mic for "Neat Neat Neat," The Damned classic which I had requested they play more over soup at a friend's house just a few weeks earlier!



Usually a listless Monday, the MINNESOTA VOODOO MEN pressed the manic button! Straight off their stint in the weekend's Mods Mayday at Sendai City, they gave it 110% and ran the show into over time! Amidst a birthday ordinance of tequila shots (of course while playing "Tequila") and classics & originals from their own set, random guests from THEEE BAT, THE MADAME CATS and even THE MERCIES grabbed the VOODOOMEN's instruments and took over while they presumably filled their cups and got back to business! Wild girls dancing onstage, drunk freaks in the crowd, Fabian hanging from the rafters, this recalled the early days seeing them in Tokyo after my first arrival nearly five years ago! And now, on a Monday no less, and on my birthday! The magic has not gone anywhere!





Special thanks to the staff of CLUB HEAVY SICK in Tokyo, DJ HARRY THE HEMPSTEAD HEATH, THE MADAME CATS, THEEE BAT, MINNESOTA VOODOO MEN and all the friends who came out this spectacular evening... I was unlucky enough to stiff you all and get the last train home!

MYSTERY MONDAYS Vol.6, "Last Days of May"

Every May, all the Japanese mods rev up their scooters for parties across the nation. This is the Stately DJ Wayne Manor's reaction! This month's MYSTERY MONDAYS features garage-beat group MINNESOTA VOODOO MEN coupled with the Showa-garage, edgy cabaret chansons of THE MADAME CATS! Not to mention, an international cast of DJs including Japan's 6t's connoisseur HARRY the HEMPSTEAD HEATH, French garage-pysche specialist CYRIL ROY and the everloving slickster WAYNE MANOR.

MYSTERY MOnDays Vol. 6
"Last Days of May"
5/30
HATAGAYA HEAVY SICK

Feat.
MINNESOTA VOODOO MEN
THE MADAME CATS

DJs
HARRY the HEMPSTEAD HEATH
CYRIL ROY
THE STATELY WAYNE MANOR

OPEN: 20:00
TICKET: 1200 (1D)



And now for the fine print... This Mystery Monday is a special birthday party event featuring an unexplainable intermission by the bobby-helmeted nightmare THEEE BAT! Watch out all you scooter-ridin' Mods... get of the road!

THE HARPY's presents: Kidding me! Vol. 1

Last month I had the fortunate opportunity to DJ at my long-time friends THE HARPY's first try at throwing a party of their own! The event, aptly titled "Kidding me!," was an Alice in Wonderland-themed party which had Maki dressed as an improvised Mad Hatter, Satomi as a roly Cheshire Neko and Tomo as, of course, an almost geisha-like Alice. But so much more than a typical Japanese indies affair, this evening featured dapper powerpop trio TENNIS PRO on tour from Seattle, USA! Heaven's Door in Sangenjaya, Tokyo was filled to the brim with mad tea-partyers, and Wayne Manor, with side-kick Setsuko, had a splendid time at their very first invitation as guest DJs.