Oct 22

purpleSKY – Archive Only

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Lifestyle

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Thanks to all our contributors and readers for a great 5 years with purple SKY magazine.  Purple SKY will remain an archival site, but we will no longer be publishing new material.  Here are some links to current projects by some of our great contributors.

Boo Stewart – http://utau-inu.com/

Kathy Chee – http://purplepenguinllc.com/

Dave Cirone - http://jrock247.com/

Sarah Dworken – http://twitter.com/Sarah_at_pSKY

Victoria Goldenberg – http://rosetegamimedia.com/

Lee Miller – http://www.aristocratphotography.com/

Jen Wang – http://hibarisensei.wordpress.com/

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Sep 24

[press release] DAZZLE VISION returns to America for Tekkoshocon 2013

Categories:

Indies, JRock, Press Release

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September 24, 2012 – Japanese hard-rock screamo band DAZZLE VISION will return to America to perform at Japanese anime and culture event Tekkoshocon in Pittsburgh, PA.

Famous for her “Death Voice,” melodic vocals, and high-fashion lolita style, singer Maiko and her band-mates made their USA debut at Sakura-Con 2010 as the opening act for HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR. Since then, DAZZLE VISION has toured in Japan with American rock band Evanescence, released two more albums, and Maiko’s voice has been added to Japanese voice databank UTAU software as the character “Maiko Hakaine”.

DAZZLE VISION will perform a live concert, fan Q&A, and autograph sessions during the four-day event, April 4-7, 2013, at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

Event and registration information can be found at http://www.tekkoshocon.com.

DAZZLE VISION appears at Tekkoshocon by arrangement with RESONANCE Media and HUMAN NOISE Records.

DAZZLE VISION
Official website: http://dazzlevision.net
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/DAZZLE_VISION
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/dazzlevision2010
iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/dazzle-vision/id414432480

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Sep 19

[live report] The Return of Harajuku Dance Rock

Categories:

JRock, Live Report, Photo, Visual Kei

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With tensions mounting against Japan in recent weeks, one glimmer of hope shines amongst the chaos and disarray: Harajuku Dance Rock is back. And by that, I mean An Cafe. Nearly three years after announcing their hiatus, the bouncier-than-a-bouncy-castle band resumed activities with their two September live performances ANCAFESTA ’12 SUMMER DIVE. Rumors circulating amongst the foreign press say that An Cafe might be the ones to solve all the world’s problems. And I mean all of them.

OK, maybe An Cafe wasn’t there during the September 9 show I saw to make any big political, social, or otherwise deep statements about the wrongs in the world. They were there, however, to dust off those old Harajuku Dance Rock shoes for a show that was all about that legendary, ancient, but not forgotten custom of NYAPPY.

What is NYAPPY? Frankly, I’m still a little unsure on the concept, but from a layman’s prospective, it’s exactly what one would see at an An Cafe show. To open the show, the band marched around the Yoyogi National Gymnasium Second Building, a circular venue that normally hosts basketball games and probably gladiator fights. Their costumes resembled pastel versions of 1930′s hobo clowns, complete with oversized pants, jackets, and knick-knacks. Dinky circus music played in the background as fans reached out for a piece of the An Cafe action. One male fan earnestly shook vocalist Miku’shand. It was truly a touching moment scored with an almost-cover of “Baby Elephant Walk.”

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Aug 29

[press release] Japanese Punk Rock Band Akabane Vulgars U.S. Tour

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Indies, JRock, Press Release

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Seattle, WA, August 23, 2012 – The bluesy, Japanese all-girl power trio, The Akabane Vulgars On Strong Bypass, returns to take the U.S.A. by storm as they announce a new multi-city national tour kicking off tomorrow! Catch their songs and image at www.akabane-vulgars.com.

The Akabane Vulgars On Strong Bypass 2012 U.S. Tour, “Return of the King Zero,” will take the band to 20 cities and formally kicks off on Saturday, August 25th with a performance at the 2012 J-Pop Summit Festival in San Francisco, following a warm-up gig the day before in Guala, CA at the Bones Roadhouse.

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Aug 01

[photo] Mikako Joho, Aya Hirano, and VIXX @ Otakon 2012

Categories:

JPop, Photo, R&B

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Photos of Mikako Joho, Aya Hirano, and VIXX at Otakon 2012.

Mikako Joho website – http://mikakojoho.com/

Aya Hirano website – http://www.ayahirano.jp/

VIXX website – http://www.realvixx.com/

To see more VIXX photos and read about their first North American appearance, go to KOME - http://www.kome-world.com/us/articles-13942-vixx-at-otakon.html

[svgallery name="otakon_2012"]

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Jul 25

[press release] Amy Winehouse Tribute by Mio Soul

Categories:

JPop, Press Release, R&B

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Amy Winehouse’s style & music has touched the lives of millions across the globe. Now one year later, Mio Soul from Tokyo dedicates a tribute remix of “You Sent Me Flying” to the remarkable life, talent and beautiful spirit of Amy Winehouse.

The Remix is fully Produced and Performed by Mio Soul.

Listen & download it here:

Soundcloud

Manafest Vision Media

Mininova

Bandcamp

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Jul 23

[press release] Swinging Popsicle Release New Digital Single on ITunes

Categories:

Indies, JPop, JRock, Press Release

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July 20, 2012 – J-Pop veterans Swinging Popsicle released their new digital single, “You’ve Got A Friend,” on iTunes America and Japan today.

Originally recorded by Carole King in 1971, James Taylor’s version hit number 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 that same year, and won a Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Often included in Swinging Popsicle’s live sets, vocalist Mineko Fujishima chose the song to thank the band’s fans for ”their friendship of 15 years.”

Bassist and band leader Hironobu Hirata echoed the sentiment. “I feel that friends are one of the most important things in life. Respect and friendship have kept Swinging Popsicle together for 15 years, and there’s no way we could continue without the support of our fans. So we want to cement our friendship with our fans through this song.”

The release of “You’ve Got a Friend” is the band’s first digital release in 4 years, following 2008′s single “At Christmastime” and 2007′s album “Go on.”

Band members have kept busy in recent years with solo projects, including Hirata’s work with Japanese R&B singer Kusuo and producing Super Sonico’s Love & II+ Peace Plus, which debuted in the Oricon Top 50 in June 2012.

Swinging Popsicle official website - http://www.swinging-popsicle.com
Swinging Popsicle on USA iTunes - http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/swinging-popsicle/id118880191
Swinging Popsicle official Twitter (Hironobu Hirata) - http://twitter.com/hirata_hironobu

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Jul 23

[press release] K-Pop Group VIXX to Perform at Otakon 2012

Categories:

JPop, Press Release

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Baltimore, MD (July 19, 2012) – Otakon, once again as a trailblazer in the industry, is proud to present K-Pop group VIXX as Friday night’s musical guest and main act. This will be the first time world wide that a K-Pop band will perform at a convention. Six-member K-Pop boy band VIXX is the final product of Mnet‘s K-Pop reality show Mydol, wherein the top six finalists on the show were grouped together to form the band. The six finalists and the band name (which stands for “Value in Excelsis”) were all selected by audience vote, so you could say that this is a band of the fans, for the fans and by the fans. Debuting under Jellyfish Entertainment (home to reality singing contest winner Seo In-guk) the group aims to become “of great heroic value to the industry,” and with this idea in mind, they recently released their debut song, “Super Hero.” Otakon 2012 invites everyone to experience this groundbreaking introduction of live K-Pop on the convention scene!

Mnet is the nation’s No.1 English language TV network focusing on Asian Pop Culture. From anime, K-Pop, K-Drama to fashion, food and gadgets, Mnet brings you all things Asian cool 24/7. For local listings and more information, visit www.mnetamerica.com.

Otakon 2012 will be held July 27 – 29 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland.

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Jul 16

[press release] 2012 J-POP SUMMIT FESTIVAL @ New People San Francisco

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Indies, JPop, Lifestyle

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Annual Weekend-Long S.F. Pop Culture Celebration In August To Present Video Game-Inspired Artists And DJs Including Random Encounters, The Glowing Stars, SpaceKraft, DJ Amaya, and Vex Mode.  August 25-26, 2012.

San Francisco, CA, July 12, 2012 – NEW PEOPLE, a dynamic entertainment destination bringing the latest examples of Japanese popular culture to North American shores, invites the Bay Area to get its dance groove on at this year’s 2012 J-POP Summit Festival as the company continues to expand the event’s roster of live programming.

Celebrating the Festival’s theme of “Cyberpop Overload,” a just-announced full slate of video game-inspired artists and DJs will feature mesmerizing and danceable sets from Random Encounters, The Glowing Stars, SpaceKraft, DJ Amaya and Vex Mode. More performers and artists will be announced next week!

The annual J-POP Summit Festival, now in its fourth year and presented in association with the Japantown Merchants Association, will be held across San Francisco’s Japantown district on Saturday, August 25th and Sunday, August 26th.

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Jul 10

[press release] Aya Hirano to Appear at Otakon 2012

Categories:

JPop, Press Release

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Otakon is proud to announce that Aya Hirano, voice actress and vocalist, to appear and perform at Otakon 2012 as our Sunday musical guest.

Born in Aichi Prefecture, Aya Hirano began acting as a child in Japan, and as an adult had her big break in the The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya for which she provided many songs, including “God Knows.” She went on to perform the ending theme for other anime, such as Hyakko, and “Motteke! Sailor Fuku” for Lucky Star. As an actress, Ms. Hirano has had featured roles in shows such as Haruhi, Death Note, and Lucky Star, and has become a prominent figure in the anime world. A versatile performer, she can play an entire spectrum of roles ranging from a young child to a sexy woman, and even a boy. Other popular roles include Lumière from Kiddy Grade, Lucy in Fairy Tale, and Mamori in Eyeshield 21. Whether it’s in the field of music, narration, stage, or TV drama, Aya Hirano will continue to do great works in the future.

Otakon 2012 will be held July 27 – 29 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland.

Aya Hirano Official website – http://www.ayahirano.jp/
Otakon Official website – http://www.otakon.com/

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