Tokyo Halloween Ball, 2018

The party began at 2pm, and ended at 6am. That was just the first night. With 40 bands and 16 DJ’s across two rooms, it was still a tight schedule. The second night was a little more loose; starting at the leisurely time of 5pm. It still went until 6am, and the after party stretched even later into the day but we made it. The 2018 Halloween Ball was a success!

Tokyo’s underground garage scene is held together by countless bands and the Back from the Grave Presents gang (Daddy o Nov, Mr. Death & B.B. Clarke). They put on heaps of shows but if you ever want to jump whole hog into Japan’s garage rock belly, the Halloween Ball is it. It’s more or less the who’s who of the last 30 years of rock n’ roll in Japan.

Local bands like The 5.6.7.8.’s and Guitar Wolf are popular headliners along with international acts like The Black Mambas and Bloodshot Bill.

This was my second year attending and DJ’ing (I was also there in 2016) and I hope to never miss the Halloween Ball ever again.

If a picture is worth 1000 words, please enjoy this encyclopedia of the 2018 Halloween Ball! Scroll back up and click your way through the gallery for some of my favourite pics from the two days/nights.

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Zombie Ferris Wheel of Hell

The last post is about things I love - but here are two things I'm terrified of; Ferris Wheels and zombies. So when Japan's tallest, The Osaka Wheel, added four haunted zombie cars, you'd better believe I climbed aboard. Why? Because scaring myself is fun and because I had done extensive research into the ride's earthquake proof measures and learned it was impressive . A little back to my fears for a minute - zombies are a more of a campy fear for me, I don't take it seriously because I know they aren't real. If they were real, they would be the most horrifying things imaginable but Ferris Wheels, that makes a little more sense. You're up high in a box and have no way of getting down or off the ride until you've made the complete circle. Add in my massive fear of earthquakes and you can imagine why the idea of being on the top of a Ferris Wheel doesn't really appeal to me. Yeah, I have some dark thoughts. But I love being scared, so I bugged my h...

Best Bars: Cha Cha Lounge (LA)

If the flyer says DJ Jello, yes it IS Jello Biafra (Dead Kennedys) and that's not the only surprising thing. When he's dj'ing, he actually won't talk your head off , and he selects great music. Jello may be too busy to talk but he plays brilliantly obscure garage, soul and rock n' roll on vinyl. My homegirl Cece and I tried to sneak him into the photo booth, instead he was happy to pose for pics right there while he kept us dancing. No matter when you go to East LA's Cha Cha Lounge, this dive has everything you want and plenty you didn't know you wanted, but need. The Mexican themed bar has the perfect soundtrack every single night and checking their Facebook will let you know to expect punk, hip-hop, metal or any number of genres. There's ample dance floor space, and DJ's who make the most of it. The crowd has always been friendly, which is nice for a spot in the hip Silver Lake 'hood. Cha Cha Lounge checks all the right boxes to impress ...

Inaka Life

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Fujiiyama Mama

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