Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on July 2014

Expat Irish rock outfit Johnsons Motorcar are celebrating the release of their first full album Hey Ho Johnny!! Welding together Scottish-American Martin Johnson’s fiddle, Irishman Blacko Muiri’s guitar, Australian Coleman’s bass and the effervescent Rinamame’s drums, the quartet is a dynamo of Celtic music updated with more than a dash of rock ‘n’ roll. In a short few years in Tokyo, Johnsons Motorcar have managed to sell 15,000 of their own home-pressed CDs while busking in the streets, and attracted the attention of Japanese rock star Toshi-Low, who guests on the album.

Fuji Rock Festival, Naeba, Jul 26. New Acoustic Camp 2014, Gunma, Sep 13-14.