Archive for the ‘interview’ Category
Tuesday, July 20th, 2010 by Sarah
It’s been two years since D’espairsRay’s last appearance in North America, and they’re back with a fresh outlook and a sound that leans more towards the dance-beat side of music. But don’t worry; they’re still the dark visual kei band overseas fans have grown to love. Just before the release of their new album, MONSTERS, on July 28 and the start of their North American tour in August, the band gave purple SKY the lo-down on what it means to be the monster that is D’espairsRay.
pSKY: You’ve been together as a band for over ten years now. What do you attribute that longevity to?
HIZUMI: Is it usual to have member changes in the US? Japanese bands don’t really seem to change as much. I don’t think Japanese bands change it up that much anyway.
pSKY: You’re about to embark on your next US tour. Your first experience overseas was kind of unusual for Japanese bands, especially visual bands. Instead of playing anime conventions, you played at small live houses. Why did you decide to do smaller venues instead of a big convention that might attract many people?
Karyu: A convention has a lot of people for sure, but it’s mostly for people who just like Japanese culture. It doesn’t feel like rock music. We figured if we played with other rock bands, we’d attract a rock audience instead, and maybe get some new fans that wouldn’t have found us otherwise.
pSKY: Actually, it seems like the fans have a lot of respect for you guys for playing at sort of “real” rock venues.
All: Thanks!
(more…)
Tags: D'espairsRay, HIZUMI, Human-Clad Monster, interview, j-rock, Karyu, MONSTERS, Sarah Dworken, TSUKASA, visual kei, vk, ZERO
Posted in interview, rock, visual kei | 12 Comments »
Monday, June 28th, 2010 by Sarah
ZAMZA may take its name from the existentialist novella Metamorphosis, but don’t let that lull you into thinking this band has any similarities to your stuffy modern lit teacher. Taking members from the legendary pop-rock band JUDY AND MARY and the equally influential ECHOES, ZAMZA has played their distinctly high-octane shows across Europe and North America.
On the verge of the release of their latest album, Tsukizoku (Tribe of the Moon), guitarist Hiroki, drummer KOHTA, and keyboardist Toshimichi Isoe found some time to sit down with purple SKY.
pSKY: First, I’m not quite sure about your name. I’ve seen it written ZAMZA and ZAMZA N’ BANSHEE, so what is the difference between the two?
Hiroki: When we perform overseas, if we use the posthumous name ZAMZA N’ BANSHEE, no one will recognize it by just looking at it. It was too long for when we went overseas. That’s why we write it as ZAMZA. (more…)
Tags: anime, Avril Lavigne, Banshee, Disney, ECHOES, folk, Hiroki, j-pop, j-rock, judy and mary, kanye west, KOHTA, Linkin Park, loud rock, madonna, Manga, rolling stones, Toshimichi Isoe, Tsukizoku, ZAMZA, ZAMZA N' BANSHEE, Zinc
Posted in interview, rock | No Comments »
Monday, June 7th, 2010 by Sarah
MIYAVI is a samurai guitarist, conquering the world for Japan with the only weapon he knows how to use: his guitar. But this visual kei idol turned CEO of a management company hasn’t always been his own feudal lord. Starting out in the short-lived band Due le Quartz, MIYAVI had to go through being just another struggling guitarist to a guitar ronin before he could set his sights on ruling Japan and lands overseas.
Before he launches his North American Circuit tour, MIYAVI made some time for an in-depth chat with us about the beginnings, music, business, and future of this fierce musical warrior.
pSKY: So, you appeared alongside SUGIZO, YOSHIKI, and GACKT for S.K.I.N. How were you approached to join the band? I remember you were the last one to join…
MIYAVI: I was the last one to join. Actually, YOSHIKI just invited me. He called me and told me about the band. He said it was the last band for him. I was really impressed at how serious he was. It was really serious. He was seriously speaking to me about the band. He was really passionate.
pSKY: What did he say?
MIYAVI: He said this was going to be his last band. Of course, he’s getting old. Everyone’s getting old. So he said, “This will be my last band.” He wanted to make it the perfect band from Japan. So that’s why I was impressed and just said, “Ok! Of course I’ll say yes. I respect you.”
pSKY: Were you surprised that he wanted to debut it in the United States?
MIYAVI: No, I was not surprised.
pSKY: Why do you think he didn’t want to do it in Japan?
MIYAVI: We were planning on doing it in Japan too after the US. Something happened. (laughs)
PS: I won’t ask.
MIYAVI: (laughs)
pSKY: Why debut in the US?
MIYAVI: It wasn’t a debut. It was a pre-show. And it was the last show.
pSKY: How do you feel about that?
MIYAVI: I was cool. We all wanted to keep doing it, but there were so many difficult things, you know?
(more…)
Tags: Elvis Presley, gackt, J-glam, j-pop, j-rock, Japanese Glamorous, japanese music, michael jackson, miyavi, Neo Tokyo Samurai Black Tour, Patti LaBelle, Prince, PS Company, PSC, Sid Vicious, sugizo, Tokyo, Velvet Revolver, visual kei, vk, yoshiki
Posted in interview, rock, visual kei | 6 Comments »
Tuesday, June 1st, 2010 by Sarah
MIYAVI is a samurai guitarist, conquering the world for Japan with the only weapon he knows how to use: his guitar. But this visual kei idol turned CEO of a management company hasn’t always been his own feudal lord. Starting out in the short-lived band Due le Quartz, MIYAVI had to go through being just another struggling guitarist to a guitar ronin before he could set his sights on ruling Japan and lands overseas.
Before he launches his North American Circuit tour, MIYAVI made some time for an in-depth chat with purple SKY about the beginnings, music, business, and future of this fierce musical warrior.
pSKY: You just got back from Kyoto, right?
MIYAVI: Yeah yeah.
pSKY: You’re in the middle of your Japan tour. So how is that going so far?
MIYAVI: Everything’s going well. It’s been a while since I had a Japan tour like this. And actually, I’m feeling kind of different from the usual tour. I think in part because the environment and I have changed. You know, I just made my company and became independent. I have my family now. I have a daughter. So it feels kind of different from before when I had my usual tour. During this tour, I have a new style: only a drummer, keyboard player, and me on stage. So it feels brand new.
pSKY: Before you used to do all-out rock. The whole thing with rhythm guitar, lead guitar, bass, drums. A very traditional set. So why did you decide to take all of that away and do something new?
MIYAVI: It’s not that I just took it away. I’m just trying to be an original artist. This is one of the options. One of…
pSKY: One of many options?
MIYAVI: Not so many, but I tried to make an original style with beat boxers, Kavki Boiz. It was a good tour, but after that I realized that I should have made a more original style as a guitarist. So now there are only drums and keyboard. And mainly I only play with drums. Two players. Including me there are just two people on stage. So everything is going well. Even the audience in Japan. In my opinion Japanese fans are kind of quiet, quieter than fans overseas. But on this tour they’re so enthusiastic, because I’ve been playing some old songs with a new style.
pSKY: Do you think with your new style you’re gaining a different kind of fan? Maybe some artsy people or people who like that independent style? Maybe before you had those visual kei kinds of fans…
MIYAVI: I’m still visual kei.
(more…)
Tags: CEO, Due le Quartz, Gibson, guitar ronin, interview, J-glam, j-rock, Japan, japanese music, Kyoto, miyavi, New York City, punk, S.K.I.N., samurai guitarist, Sarah Dworken, Tokyo, visual kei, vk
Posted in interview, rock, visual kei | 5 Comments »
Monday, April 19th, 2010 by Kathy Chee
Interview and photos by David Cirone
HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR’s April 3rd concert shook the walls, the floor, and even nearby freight elevators at the Washington State Convention Center. Having performed twice before for American fans in 2006 and 2007, their appearance at Sakura-Con 2010 was the band’s first opportunity to show their re-awakened metal side with vocalist HALCA taking over for graduated original member Mākii.
Supported by opening band Dazzle Vision, HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR’s one-hour set contained a mix of the heaviest songs from their latest album, swamp man, amid anime theme songs (from Bleach, Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny) that have made the 6-member rock group famous worldwide.
Previously straddling the fence between their Metallica cover-band roots and a sometimes pop style supervised by major label Sony, HandMC has surmounted the task of replacing an adored original member and launched a new identity with swamp man. With support from their Okinawa-based label Spice Records, songs like “XYZ,” “good bye,” “hate,” and “living” give evidence of a refined hard-rock sound that invites fans to move forward with them into a new chapter that all 6 members are genuinely excited about.
Mostly due to their anime pedigree, but partially due to curiosity about HALCA’s readiness to step into the spotlight, the Sakura-Con audience filled the hall to capacity (4000+) and kept in stride with the amped 12-song set — then demanded an encore.
Returning to the stage, vocalist YUUSUKE admitted to the crowd that they weren’t prepared for another song, but they were going to play anyway. HALCA, who had lost any bit of timidity after months of touring with HandMC in Japan, asked the crowd “How’re you fucking feeling?”
I sat down with the band the next day to return the question. (more…)
Tags: David Cirone, Dazzle Vision, halca, high and mighty color, HMC, japanfiles, Mackaz, Makii, Meg, Metallica, sakura con, Spice Records, swamp man, Washington State Convention Center, XYZ, Yuusuke
Posted in indie, interview, rock | 7 Comments »
Thursday, April 15th, 2010 by Victoria Goldenberg
“If I were the devil/I wouldn’t have made the world like this/We can’t count the time of our life/Because nobody knows how long we’ve got,”
Eriko Hashimoto sings plaintively on “Sekai ga Owaru Yoru ni.” It’s pretty heavy stuff for a top 10 hit, but that’s precisely why Chatmonchy is so popular. Like Yutaka Ozaki and Mr. Children, the three-piece band uses rock ‘n’ roll as a platform for expressing honest feelings and observations about life, and they don’t shy away from showing discontent. Despite the importance of lyrics to their music, Chatmonchy’s melodic and heartfelt music appeals to American J-rock fans, many of who were introduced to the girls by the song “Daidai” featured in the anime Bleach. Chatmonchy made their American debut on the 2010 Japan Nite tour, kicking off at South by Southwest and hitting New York City on Mar. 21 and 22.
Chatmonchy had fairly typical origins. Hashimoto formed the group in 2000, while she was still a high school student in Tokushima. The lineup changed a few times due to academic and other obligations but reached stability in 2004 with Hashimoto on lead vocals and guitar, Akiko Fukuoka on bass and Kumiko Takahashi on drums. The trio released an independent record and sold it themselves. A year later, they were signed to Ki/oon Records and released the album Chatmonchy Has Come, produced by Junji Ishiwatari of Supercar. By November 2006, they had their first top 10 hit single, Shangri-La. To date, they’ve released five major albums, including the B-side collection Expression from this March.
At the time of the interview, Chatmonchy was preparing for their New York shows. They spent their free time at SxSW checking out other bands, such as Takahashi’s favorite The XX. Fukuoka remarked that the festival was unlike anything in Japan, but Hashimoto found it too crowded. Takahashi had food on the brain, describing how she ate a hamburger in Texas and a bagel and donuts in New York.
Though they’d dreamed of performing in America as far back as two years ago, the girls didn’t try to make it a reality until after they’d completed a satisfying album, 2009’s Kokuhaku. Following a successful tour, the three decided to do whatever they wanted from that moment, and transformed their SxSW offer into a longer tour. “Regardless of the lyrics being in Japanese, we wanted to play in the U.S. without the boundary of lyrics,” Takahashi says. “We want to reach the audience here purely with our music.”
(more…)
Tags: akiko fukuoka, bleach, catwalk, Chatmonchy, chatmonchy has come, daidai, eriko hashimoto, expression, hamburger, japan nite, Japan Nite Tour, judy and mary, ki/ooon records, Kokuhaku, kumiko takahashi, mr. children, new york, New York City, nyc, sekai ga owaru yoru ni, shangri-la, south by southwest, SXSW, the xx, u.s. tour, victoria goldenberg, Yuki, yutaka ozaki
Posted in interview, pop | 3 Comments »
Sunday, April 11th, 2010 by Victoria Goldenberg
Aiha Higurashi’s music always bears her unmistakable stamps. Both the experimental punk of her bands, Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her and Loves, and the soft introspection of her solo records, are honest about life’s struggles, yet delivered with confidence and a middle finger. Higurashi has a knack for writing unpredictable song structures and incorporating a stunningly broad palette of influences into rock, such as yodeling, hip-hop, ambient, country and disco. And of course there’s her unmistakable guitar style–brash, tender and daring all at once.
Higurashi formed Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her in 1992, taking its eye-catching name from an XTC song. The band was best known for its lineup of Higurashi, bassist Nao Koyama and drummer Takaharu Karashima from 1994 to 1999, although Higurashi and Koyama continued as a duo until 2002. The band became a cult favorite overseas, touring with Modest Mouse, Yo La Tengo and Mogwai and releasing a compilation CD in the UK. After SSKHKH broke up, Higurashi contributed songs to Judy and Mary singer Yuki’s budding solo career and then launching her own solo career with the single Fantasy in 2003. After recording two albums on her own, she formed the band Loves. in 2005, later changing the name to Aiha Higurashi and Loves! (Exclamation included.) Higurashi has released two albums with Loves and revived her solo career with the album Perfect Days last November. She is currently working on a new album for Ravolta, her hip-hop/new wave project with Tsutchie from Shakka Zombies.
That’s quite a busy schedule, but Higurashi was able to answer a few questions in English by e-mail.
pS: Your solo music’s usually softer than your band work. But even by those standards, Perfect Days is notably sparse and acoustic. Why did you choose this stripped-down approach?
A : Yes, that is very simple. I usually listen to Donovan , Elliot Smith, Rickie Lee Jones, Daniel Johnston, etc., so I wanted to do this simple sound even since I started Seagulls. I always put at least one acoustic song or quiet song in Seagull’s album, too. I just adore listening to those sounds so it is probably best time came to write and perform. That is because, my band is formed and Ravolta is doing great, so why not? Now I have enough space to let my mind open.
pS: You’ve said you formed Aiha Higurashi and Loves because you were tired of being solo after 2005’s Platonic. But then you released Perfect Days last year. What changed over those four years?
A: As I mentioned that Loves. is finally formed so tight as a band now. It took us so long to gather the right members and tighten up, get together and be a band that we wished which I wished.
pS: What was going on in your life when you were making the album?
A: I am a single mother of a lovely daughter so I do live usual everyday life. But I met a guy at the very beginning. He is the biggest reason why I could open my mind and let the brand new air into me. Then naturally the melodies came up into my head and heart. I fell in love.
(more…)
Tags: a tribe called quest, aiha higurashi, aiha higurashi and loves, daniel johnston, donovan, elliot smith, hiroshi nakamura, interview, j-rock, judy and mary, kanye west, kc, loves, manic depressive, modest mouse, mogwai, naked me, nao koyama, number girl, perfect days, punk, ravolta, rickie lee jones, seagull screaming kiss her kiss her, shakka zombies, sonic youth, takaharu karashima, takahiko akiyama, takape, the quiet room, the roots, tsutchie, u.s. tour, victoria goldenberg, yo la tengo, Yuki
Posted in indie, interview, pop, rock | No Comments »
Wednesday, March 31st, 2010 by Kathy Chee
Article by Sarah Dworken
Unassuming in their independent music spirit, rock band Dazzle Vision is finding their way onto North American shores for the first time in their seven year career. 1990’s prog-rock mixed with glam metal and a splash of Avril Lavigne for good measure, Dazzle Vision will be performing at Seattle’s Sakura-Con on April 3 as the opening act for High and Mighty Color. Unlike the con’s headliner, J-music and anime fans might not be terribly familiar with Dazzle Vision. But if their most recent releases are any indication of what’s to come, they’re a worthy contender for the audience’s attention.
The band started out in the traditional indies music fashion. A group of friends, including a pair of siblings as represented by the vocalist and bassist, decided to take elements from previous projects and create music that they wanted to do. Gaining popularity on the indies circuit, they moved on the release works on JapanFiles in order to reach the ever so difficult to tap overseas market.
Before they head off to the US for their first concert on the other side of the Pacific, the band sat down with me for a no-frills chat about their music and what exactly is – dare I say? – dazzling about Dazzle Vision. (more…)
Tags: Avril Lavigne, Dazzle Vision, Deep Purple, Goofy Style, Haru, j-rock, Maiko, progressive rock, sakura con, Seattle, shibuya, Story of the Year, Takuro, Tokyo
Posted in indie, interview, rock | No Comments »
Monday, March 8th, 2010 by Kathy Chee
Article written by David Cirone
As the former leader and guitarist of Japanese band ketchup mania, unapologetic punk-rocker DAI is no stranger to USA fans. In 2008-2009,DAI toured America with ketchup mania to perform at Sakura-Con, A-KON, SXSW, and the nationwide Japan Nite tour.
After the sudden breakup of ketchup mania in 2009, DAI formed his own label in Tokyo, SPLATTER RECORDS, and began the process of forming his first new band under the label — KiLLKiLLS, which features DAI on guitar and vocals and reunites him with ex-ketchup mania drummer WANI. He gave his first English-language interview to purple SKY about the release of their first album Allium.
L-to-R: ERY (bass), DAI (guitar/vocals), WANI (drums), KAMA (guitar)
(more…)
Tags: Allium, DAI, floral taxonomy, Grim Reaper, j-rock, Japan, ketchup mania, KiLLKiLLS, KOGA, Pizza of Death, punk rock, sakura con, SPLATTER RECORDS, WANI
Posted in indie, interview, rock | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, January 20th, 2010 by Kathy Chee
Since 2003, MORNING GLORY has been telling stories with pop-punk finesse. Honest problems meets honest music that might not have been able to grow in Tokyo, but flourishes in their home-base of Nagoya.
purple SKY: How has your musical style changed since you first formed the band in 2003?
RIMINA (guitar, vocals): I’ve never tried to change intentionally, but I think it’s become more pop because I started to try to make music that the listeners would remember.
KANAKO (bass, chorus): In the beginning, I just tried to make music that sounded cool and made me feel good. That was it! (laugh) Now, I think about how I can make a certain part better or what I can do with the rest in order to make the whole thing sound cool.
purple SKY: How do you feel being female affects your performance as a punk musician?
RIMINA: I think that males and females each have a different attraction or charm and that there’s no pro or con. I’m just me. I’m not sure if my female aspects affect my performance.
KANAKO: Hmm. Since there are not many female punk bands in Japan, I’d like to be the one and the only.
(more…)
Tags: FC GIFU, Gifu, japanfiles, Kanako, Morning Glory, Nagoya, pop, Puff the Magic Dragon, punk, Rimina, Soccer
Posted in indie, interview, pop, rock | No Comments »
