Posts Tagged ‘j-pop’
[press release] J-Summit New York City on Aug. 29
Thursday, August 26th, 2010 by Kathy Chee[press release] Japanese Pop Star Furuuchi Performances in New York City
Thursday, August 5th, 2010 by Kathy Chee
Japanese Pop Star Furuuchi to play special PURPLE In New York performance Tuesday Sept. 21st at Joe’s Pub.
She will also be doing a special signing for her CD PURPLE and short performance at Kinokuniya BookStore on Sunday Sept. 19th.
Japanese pop star Toko Furuuchi is back again. After her performance last year to celebrate her 15th anniversary as a performer and her album In Love Again, she has been continuously working with top artists in Japan both as a singer and songwriter, which includes collaborations with KREVA and CHEMISTRY.
Her latest album PURPLE was released in Japan on Avex. PURPLE features colorful and groovy love songs, illustrating the sad, painful but beautiful feelings within ones heart. PURPLE In New York will be her only New York and US performance.
Toko picked up music while listening to Billy Joel, Hall & Oates, and Elton John records while in junior high school. After graduating high school in Connecticut, Toko moved to back to Japan to embark on a recording career. She saw her first release “Hayaku Isoide” followed by an album SLOW DOWN in 1993. Her turning point as an artists came when she released the 4th album Strength in 1995. The album was a huge success feat. renowned artists like David Sanborn. In 1996, her single “Dareyori Sukinanoni” and its album Hourglass dominated the Japanese CD charts. Her follow up album Koi in 1997 became a double platinum hit in Japan. Recently, Toko has been performing many shows throughout Japan.
Joe’s Pub
7:30 PM – September 21, 2010
Ticket Price: $20
Buy Tix: http://tickets.publictheater.org/index.php?id=13416
425 Lafayette Street, New York, NY 10003 (between East 4th and Astor Place)
Joe’s Pub is part of The Public Theater.
www.joespub.com
www.tokofuruuchi.net
Toko will also be doing a special signing for her CD PURPLE at Kinokuniya BookStore on Sept. 19th
Kinokuniya BookStore – NY Mainstore
CD Signing and Short Performance 3:00 PM – September 19, 2010
1073 Ave of the Americas, New York, NY 10018 (6 Ave/bet 40 and 41 ST)
www.kinokuniya.com
www.tokofuruuchi.net
[press release] PUFFY AMIYUMI TO PERFORM AT FAR EAST TO EAST SHOWCASE AT NYAF
Thursday, July 8th, 2010 by Kathy Chee
Duo To Headline Concert At NYC’s Irving Plaza
The New York Anime Festival (NYAF) and Superglorious today announced Puffy AmiYumi, an iconic Japanese girl rock band, will perform at the Far East To East Showcase (FETES) on Sunday, October 10, 2010. FETES is produced by Superglorious, a live event production firm responsible for orchestrating events with a very eclectic and exciting mix of artists. The New York Anime Festival, an anime, manga, and Japanese pop culture convention, will take place October 8-10, 2010 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in Manhattan. It is created by and co-located with the New York Comic Con. Puffy AmiYumi will be appearing at NYAF prior to their FETES performance. NYAF has already announced Japanese rock band VAMPS will appear as guests, and comics legends Stan Lee, John Romita, Sr., and John Romita, Jr. will headline the New York Comic Con.
FETES — going into its third year — is a night of music that brings together musical artists from both America and Japan, focusing on the borderlessness of song, and creating an evening appealing to anime fans, audiophiles, and casual New Yorkers interested in something new. Presented in Irving Plaza (East 15th Street, New York, NY) for the first time, FETES is proud to take place in this historic venue, and will be presenting a roster of performers fully befitting the concert hall.
“FETES has been a unique attraction at the New York Anime Festival since 2008,” NYAF and NYCC Show Manager Lance Fensterman said. “And, in 2010, we’re excited to welcome in a new year of FETES — with our biggest group of artists from both the US and Japan that we’ve seen yet.”
“I’m very happy to work with the renowned Puffy AmiYumi,” FETES Director Hayden Brereton said. “Their exceptional body of work and global appeal will promise a very exciting show for our audience.”
Puffy AmiYumi will be appearing at the New York Anime Festival and New York Comic Con throughout the weekend for panel discussions and autograph signings before taking the stage on Sunday night at Irving Plaza. Tickets are $22 in advance and $25 at the doors. Tickets can be ordered at Irving Plaza’s Box Office or via Ticketmaster from July 9th. FETES will be announcing further details and additional acts throughout the summer.
Tickets for NYAF or NYCC may be purchased at www.nyanimefestival.com or www.nycomiccon.com. Other information about the shows, as well as news about the Reed Pop Culture Group, which also organizes Star Wars Celebration, is available at Lance Fensterman’s blog, www.mediumatlarge.net.
[interview] ZAMZA
Monday, June 28th, 2010 by SarahZAMZA 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…)
[photo] GRAMM, VY & Toshi (Lilac) @ J-Summit 2, June 6, 2010
Monday, June 14th, 2010 by Kathy CheePhotos by Ossip Kaehr
This SimpleViewer gallery requires Macromedia Flash. Please open this post in your browser or get Macromedia Flash here.
This is a WPSimpleViewerGallery
This is a WPSimpleViewerGallery
[press release] JapanFiles & Victor Entertainment Partnership
Monday, June 14th, 2010 by Kathy Chee
JapanFiles and Victor Entertainment begin partnership with releases from KOKIA (Gunslinger Girl, Tales of Innocence) and detroit7
June 14, 2010 – The JapanFiles Digital Music Store adds releases from KOKIA and detroit7 this week, courtesy of a new partnership with Victor Entertainment.
Chart-topping Japanese singer/songwriter KOKIA is best known to Western audiences for her various contributions to anime/game soundtracks, including Origin: Spirits of the Past, Karakurizōshi Ayatsuri Sakon, Red Garden, Gunslinger Girl: Il Teatrino, Broken Blade, Tales of Innocence, Tail Concerto, Suikoden II, Demon’s Souls, Ar tonelico III.
KOKIA has also contributed songs to Japanese TV shows and commercial campaigns, and she has performed internationally in China, France, Ireland, Poland, Belgium, and Germany. Her song “Arigatou…” reached #1 in Hong Kong in a cover version recorded by Sammi Cheng, and her song “Yume ga Chikara” was used for the Japan team at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.
Eight full-album releases from KOKIA are now available from JapanFiles, including “pearl – The Best Collection,” “KOKIA infinity AKIKO -balance-” and “THE VOICE.”
http://www.japanfiles.com/kokia
Also available this week is the full “Black & White” album from indie-punk favorites detroit7. The album released on JapanFiles is the full 12-track Japanese release (vs. the shortened version on iTunes). Fans can now download the full album with its original artwork at the JapanFiles Digital Music Store.
[interview] MIYAVI – Samurai Guitarist and CEO part 2
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.
Interview part 2 – Click here to read part 1
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?
[review] Miu Sakamoto – Phantom Girl
Friday, May 28th, 2010 by Kathy Chee
Phantom Girl, like Miu Sakamoto’s singing, is hauntingly perfect in the clarity of the instruments and depth of layering sounds. The silent pauses in each track echo the emotions in her voice. The low key electro-pop instrumentals of Phantom Girl are thanks to producer Dave Liang of the Shanghai Restoration Project; the small doses of music brilliantly mixed with Sakamoto’s voice. Each little noise is a raindrop and, falling together, they make beautiful songs, bright and magical like a sun shower.
“The Blue Hour” opens softly with the slight off-key ring of a toy piano and a slow progression of introduced sounds that crescendo with Miu’s singing before tapering into the twilight of piano keys again.
The rest of the album follows suite, “Phantom Girls First Love” and “Destination” are just a touch upbeat and joyful. The sparse instrumentals, accompanying piano and layering of rhythms highlight Sakamoto’s sweet voice as the melody. Her own voice is layered into many of the songs, falling together to create her voice or falling apart to create indistinct notes.
The last two songs, “Our Home” and “A Girl’s Waltz”, don’t have any lyrics. There’s just a piano and Sakamoto’s voice, the lyrics forgotten or no longer necessary to Miu’s outlook of the world that her album encompasses.
Phantom Girl is Miu Sakamoto in a quiet, special light. She ghosts in and out of rhythm, constantly searching for the melody and holding your ears captive until the last song dissipates like mist in the morning.
Official Miu Sakamoto Website – http://www.miuskmt.com/ Miu Sakamoto Myspace – http://www.myspace.com/miusakamoto Shanghai Restoration Project – http://shanghairestorationproject.com/home.html[press release] STEREOPONY to Perform at AnimeNEXT
Tuesday, April 6th, 2010 by Kathy Chee
STEREOPONY to perform at AnimeNEXT as a guest of honor!! June 18 – 20 at the Garden State Exhibit Center in Somerset, New Jersey.
STEREOPONY is a Japanese all-girl rock band that formed in Okinawa in 2007, consisting of AIMI (Vocal/Guitar), NOHANA (Bass), and SHIHO (Drums).
The band gained their first opportunity on the Japanese rock radio program SCHOOL OF LOCK!!
Their debut single “Hitohira No Hanabira” was the 17th ending theme for the famous anime series BLEACH released on November 5, 2008 and ranked #25 on the Oricon Weekly Charts.
And 2nd single “Namida No Muko,” the second opening theme for the second season of the Sunrise series Mobile Suit Gundam 00; and achieved #2 in the Oricon charts.
In March 2009, the girls have performed in SXSW 2009, and received a thunderous ovation.
3rd single “I do it” is a collaboration with fellow Sony Music Entertainment Japan singer YUI, was released on April 22, 2009.
Their debut studio album A hydrangea blooms was released on June 17, 2009 and ranked #7 on the Oricon weekly charts.
5th single “TSUKIAKARI NO MICHISHIRUBE”, also released with the tie-in with the second season of hit anime series Darker than Black; it ranked #8 on Oricon.
Official STEREOPONY Website – http://www.stereopony.comOfficial STEREOPONY Myspace Page – http://www.myspace.com/stereopony
[press release] JIN AKANISHI to Headline Three Shows @ Club Nokia L.A.
Monday, March 29th, 2010 by Kathy CheeLOS ANGELES, CA – United Television Broadcasting (UTB) announces the American debut of Japanese superstar performer Jin Akanishi at Club Nokia LA Live on June 19th and 20th. Akanishi, a lead vocalist of the J-pop superband KAT-TUN, will perform a variety of songs in his native Japanese and in English. The You and Jin Tour’s two-night stand in downtown Los Angeles consists of three shows featuring a Vegas-style production, with big screen live simulcasts, arena-lighting and lasers, back-up dancers and chorus in the 2,300 seat venue.
Akanishi is a lead vocalist for the renowned Japanese pop group KAT-TUN, which has tallied 14 consecutive chart-toppers and sold 5.2 million CDs. On April 4, 2009, tickets went on sale for KAT-TUN’s eight consecutive shows at Japan’s largest venue, the Tokyo Dome, along with follow up shows in Osaka and again in Tokyo. All 440,000 seats sold out that day.
Akanishi performed 32 shows of You and Jin from February 7th to February 28th, in Tokyo at the Nissei Theater. The event is the brainchild of Johnny Kitagawa, President of Japan’s top talent agency Johnny & Associates, Inc. “I wanted to try an American style performance in Japan, with some of our greatest talent,” said Kitagawa. The success of the show encouraged Kitagawa to expand the tour outside of Japan, starting in Los Angeles.
“I’m thrilled to bring this show to my fans in the U.S. I believe we will broaden our fan base and reach by performing Japanese and English songs that appeal to a wider audience. We have worked hard to produce a high-quality, high-energy, visually stimulating show and I am certain our American fans will enjoy every minute of it,” offered Akanishi.
Showtimes are Saturday, June 19th at 6pm and Sunday, June 20th at 1pm and 6pm. Tickets will go on sale on April 15th through ticketmaster.com and allamerican-tkt.com.
Concert information will be available at www.jinakanishi.us
