Archive for the ‘rock’ Category
Friday, September 10th, 2010 by Kathy Chee
X Japan fans can embed a multimedia widget from the band’s official ticket website! The widget contains music, video, and tour dates! Help spread the word about X Japan’s first North American tour by displaying this official widget on your blogs, Facebook and Twitter pages!
*Get Tour dates and the X Japan multimedia widget at: http://www.xjapanmusic.com/*
LOS ANGELES, CA (Monday, August 16, 2010) — They’ve sold 30-million records and DVDs, filled the 55,000-seat Tokyo Dome a record-breaking 18 times, they pioneered “Visual-Kei,” the Japanese music movement that helped spark the current world-wide Anime craze, and their leader has been referred to as “the Bono of Japan.” But the one thing this Guns-N’-Roses-meets-Queen-meets-’The-Matrix’ rock group has wanted to do for years but has never done, is tour America. That’s about to change, as on September 25, X Japan will kick off a seven-city North American trek at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles, with subsequent stops in Oakland, Seattle, Vancouver, Chicago, Toronto, and New York. Tickets go on sale today (8/16) and most can be purchased through www.ticketmaster.com or at the venues’ box office.
Dates for X Japan’s North American concert tour debut are:
*SEPTEMBER*
25 Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
28 Fox Theatre, Oakland, CA
*OCTOBER*
1 Paramount Theatre, Seattle, WA
3 Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Vancouver, BC CANADA
6 Riviera, Chicago, IL
7 Massey Hall, Toronto, ON CANADA
10 Roseland Ballroom, New York, NY
Ticket information: www.xjapanmusic.com
Tags: heath, j-rock, PATA, sugizo, Toshi, tour, visual kei, vk, Widget, xjapan, yoshiki
Posted in Press Release, rock, visual kei | No Comments »
Friday, August 27th, 2010 by Kathy Chee
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Tags: Die, dir en grey, j-rock, Kaoru, kyo, metal, Nokia Theater, rock, Shinya, Toshiya, visual kei, vk
Posted in Photo, rock | 2 Comments »
Thursday, August 26th, 2010 by Kathy Chee
Tags: fashion show, hide, j-pop, j-rock, J-Summit, Kimono, Le'cil, Lilac, Lulla Miyuki, Manami, Megumi, Nobuya, Rie Fu, Taeko, visual kei, Webster Hall, Yukata
Posted in Press Release, lifestyle, pop, rock, visual kei | No Comments »
Thursday, August 19th, 2010 by Kathy Chee
THEE TRIBUTE – Thee Michelle Gun Elephant -
Thee Michelle Gun Elephant was, and still is, one of Japan’s most respected and influential rock bands. In 2003, at the height of their popularity, they announced their breakup and final tour, playing to audiences of over 40,000 at a single venue. In 2009, guitarist Futoshi Abe died suddenly and a memorial campaign soon followed, including the release of “THEE MOVIE,” a documentary film of their final concert.
THEE TRIBUTE is the first American tribute event for Thee Michelle Gun Elephant, and will allow fans in the U.S. a chance to celebrate the legacy of the band. The event will include a mini-exhibition of the band, the
un-official premiere screening of “THEE MOVIE”, tunes by DJ King Gilbert, as well as a tribute performance by Geisha Lightning.
DATE: September 4, 2010
VENUE: The Windup Space (12 W. North Avenue – Baltimore, MD 21201)
Screening @ 7:30pm / Band(s) @ 10:00pm
Tags: baltimore, Futoshi Abe, indie, j-rock, thee michelle gun elephant
Posted in Press Release, indie, rock | No Comments »
Monday, August 2nd, 2010 by Kathy Chee
New York, NY – Excess dB Entertainment is happy to welcome Guitar Wolf to Santo’s Party House, located at 96 Lafayette Street in Manhattan, NY on September 23rd.
The band Guitar Wolf was founded in Japan in 1987. They are known for their piercing vocals and loud style of garage punk that emphasized heavy distortion. They describe their music as “Jett Rock ‘n’ Roll” which is an energetic cross between The Ramones, rockabilly, classic punk, and noise rock.
Santos Party House is a two-level, 8000 sq. foot music venue, located in downtown New York City, near Chinatown and Tribeca. The venue is designed to function as a concert hall, dance club, and lounge.
Excess dB currently produces shows at several venues in the metro area including School of Rock, Mexicali Live and Maxwell’s in New Jersey; The Studio at Webster Hall and various other venues in New York City.
The upcoming event with Guitar Wolf on September 23rd is all ages and tickets are $18 in advance $20 day of show and can be purchased from Ticketweb.com
Please visit www.excessdb.com for more information.
Tags: Excess dB Entertainment, Guitar Wolf, noise rock, nyc, punk, santos party house, The Ramones
Posted in Press Release, rock | No Comments »
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 »
Friday, July 2nd, 2010 by Kathy Chee
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Tags: irving plaza, miyavi, Neo Tokyo Samurai Black Tour, nyc
Posted in Photo, rock, visual kei | 3 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 28th, 2010 by Kathy Chee
Japanese rock band, FAKE?, releases Switching On X, the first international debut in their eight album history
The release of FAKE?’s Switching on X marks the first time the genre-defying band’s music is available anywhere outside of Japan. With an eight year track record of success within their homeland, and a ravenous network of fans located all over the globe, FAKE? now partners with LA’s MusicTaste label to deliver the heavily anticipated Switching on X to its global audience.
Recorded in London, England, by acclaimed producer Martin Glover (Paul McCartney, The Verve, Dido) the album was birthed with an international identity. Based in a foundation of rock, the album breathes overtones of electro meets alternative-industrial. English lyrics and big, accessible, choruses – elements consistent with all of FAKE?’s music – are as present as ever in Switching on X. Ranging from aggressive to beautiful, the avant-garde studio album can easily be recognized as the band’s most innovative, yet focused release to date.
With plans to invade the United States in late 2010 with a string of live performances in and around the anime community, FAKE? looks to expose their energetic live shows to a brand new American audience. For many, FAKE?’s departure from Japan has been a long-time coming in regards to their musical and lyrical approach, having always been perceived as stylistically closer to acts from the US and the UK in comparison to their Japanese rock contemporaries.
When recently asked about a direction for the band, Lloyd stated, “We have the freedom to do whatever we want…’no direction’ is our direction.” But make no mistake about it – Lloyd’s “no direction” plan is neither passive nor apathetic, but rather a calculated method to hold fast to the creative freedom that so many bands lose sight of when labeled with a concrete definition.
FAKE? (www.hedfuc.com)
Formed by Ken Lloyd of the already popular Oblivion Dust, and INORAN, guitarist of rock sensation Luna Sea, FAKE? was founded on the concept of having no boundaries. Eight years later, FAKE? maintains success by staying true to that promise – offering engaging live performances, incorporating experimental musical elements, and singing lyrics in both English and Japanese.
MusicTaste (www.musictaste.com)
MusicTaste is an LA-based boutique record label housed within the Horipro Entertainment Group focused developing songwriters as artists, as well as exposing listeners to a wide variety of music from its global network of music publishers and record labels.
Tags: anime, fake?, International, j-rock, ken lloyd, MusicTaste
Posted in Press Release, rock | No Comments »
Friday, June 18th, 2010 by Kathy Chee
The Diva Review Presents A NEO TOKYO SAMURAI IN NEW YORK: A CONVERSATION WITH MIYAVI Live Interview and Exclusive Performance – Saturday, June 26th, 2010
The Diva Review is pleased to announce that MIYAVI’s first public appearance in New York City will take place during a very special live interview on Saturday, June 26th, 2010 at Kinokuniya Bookstore.
A NEO TOKYO SAMURAI IN NEW YORK: A CONVERSATION WITH MIYAVI will be hosted and moderated by The Lady Miz Diva Vélez, creator of the pop culture showcase, TheDivaReview.com. Set before an exclusive gathering of fans, press and special guests, this event will culminate in an extraordinary one song acoustic performance by MIYAVI. 10 lucky fans from the audience will also have a chance to win a special raffle to personally meet MIYAVI and receive his autograph at the event.
Fans can win a limited number of free tickets to this event via sweepstakes on the The Diva Review website beginning June 9, 2010.
The Diva Review – http://www.thedivareview.com
Tags: Diva Velez, Kinokuniya, miyavi, New York City, The Diva Review
Posted in Press Release, lifestyle, rock, visual kei | No Comments »
