J-pop gets a bad rap. Overpopulated with cutesy girls and herbivorous young men, the pop world in this country has the reputation of being sickeningly innocent and entirely inoffensive (unless you want to get into the whole “sexy children” discussion, which I’ll save that for another day). LiSA might fall into the Jpop category, but …
Category Archive: JRock
Jun 13
[live report] Ayabie – Awkwardly Adorable at A-kon 23
Ayabie is like the Zooey Deschanel of visual kei. They have the same sunny disposition and vintage Bohemian fashion sense. They also exhibit the kind of awkwardness that is endearing rather than uncomfortable to watch, because hiding underneath it is self-assuredness. At the end of the day they are still pros, as they proved to …
Jun 05
[live report] A Pleasant Nightmare Brought to You by Matenrou Opera
I had a good nightmare a few nights ago. A translucent, white sheet veiled the stage at Akasaka Blitz. Like demented shadow puppets, male figures writhed around a stock-still silhouette. The sheet lifted to reveal interpretive dancers covered in black soot as power metal guitars directed their bizarre and animalistic movements. No, I didn’t fall …
Jun 04
[press release] RED BACTERIA VACUUM announces California Tour 2012
June 2, 2012 – Japanese all-girl punk band RED BACTERIA VACUUM will tour California in June 2012, performing 4 shows in live houses across the state. RED BACTERIA VACUUM last performed in the United States as the opening band for A Perfect Circle’s 2011 Tour. RED BACTERIA VACUUM California Tour 2012 6/6 (Wed) Broadway studio 435 Broadway San Francisco, …