All posts filed under: Writing

A look at Lost Vector

Published by Ali Watson

There are times when people have said ‘try out this band!’ For many of these great bands, trying out is as far as I go. With Lost Vector, their story and music were very intriguing. For a few weeks, I paid attention to the band’s activities and their path as a new emerging band in a world where it seems thousands are born daily. While many bands that travel overseas do so at risk, most are at least well established enough to take that leap of faith. All artists start somewhere. This is where Lost Vector begins. This year, the final location of the Emergenza Festival will be held in Germany. The Emergenza Festival is an annual competition of newer and unsigned bands that number over fifteen thousand from various locations around the world. In each participating country, bands vy for top positions in elimination rounds before moving on. Lost Vector made it to the finals in O-EAST at the end of July. Unfortunately, they were not selected as the band to continue onto Germany.  Their accomplishment up …

Live report – B’z in New York City

Published by Ali Watson

October 2012. “You know what time it is New York? It’s time to SCREAM!” In the middle of the show, Inaba Koshi’s proclamation was met with roaring approval and enough noise to become a collective scream. Those standing moved in waves of excitement and despite the warmth of the standing room only area, the crowd pressed closer to the stage. On September 30th, the New York City show for B’z marked the 6th show on a 7-stop tour. With only one more performance on their docket, one might have expected to see energy waning, yet B’z treated the show as though it could have been their first. High energy performances are the forte of this well experienced duo. In their career, they’ve become the best selling artists of all time in Japan. Watching their lives, it’s easy to see the passion they have for their art as well as their fans. In fact, their fanbase ranges from the very young to those in their 40s and higher. One toddler sitting on the shoulders of his …

Live report – Dir en grey

Published by Ali Watson

January 2012. It’s relatively easy to say 99 percent of the people in the audience knew Dir en grey‘s music: from newer fans, to seasoned veterans or friends dragged along because “you have to see this band.”  Once the lights dimmed, the crowd’s deafening greeting proved its dedication. With the surge of people toward the stage, one had to wonder if the few security guards would be enough to keep the masses back. Fortunately, fans seemed to keep themselves in check just fine when the band entered the stage at the last three stops of their North American tour. Dir en grey consists of Kyo on vocals, Kaoru and Die on guitars, Toshiya on bass and Shinya on drums. From their inception, the lineup has remained true, as has their penchant for giving an intensely moving live performance. To date, they’re one of the few bands from Japan who have made a strong, consistent effort to reach their international fans. Having recently come off a Japan tour and one through Europe early in the year, Dir …

Interview – GACKT

Published by Ali Watson

September 2011. Some interview questions were also obtained by various staff at the time. JrockRevolution.com recently asked GACKT some questions about various topics. Read up on his insightful responses! Earthquake/Tsunami Relief Many people, yourself included, assisted in earthquake relief—do you feel you have accomplished your goal of showing people’s hearts and bringing a smile to the people of Japan? Japan is hardly close from recovery. My country needs all the help it can get and I will not stop supporting the victims of the East Japan Earthquake through YFC and my solo career as GACKT. What activities are you currently involved with for post-earthquake/tsunami relief? Through “SHOW THE HEART”, we have raised donations and shipped necessity supplies to the victims. SHOW YOUR HEART will continue to expand outside of Japan to support the children all over the world in need of help. Tour in Europe For the second time, you are touring in Europe, do you have any expectations for this tour compared to your last? It was the second time, but the band members …

Interview – LOUDNESS

Published by Ali Watson

July 2011. From the beginning of May to early June of this year, LOUDNESS toured the U.S. Accounts of the Los Angeles show described an eclectic mix of metal, rock and punk as well as curious new fans for a packed house.In Denver, the venue was heavier in rock with long time fans in concentrated numbers wearing band shirts displaying not only LOUDNESS, but also Metallica, Slayer, Alice in Chains and more. While at the Denver stop, we had the opportunity to chat with Minoru Niihara — vocalist of this legendary metal band — on the past, present and future. Enjoy the interview and look for their new album hopefully being released this fall! Is this your first time in Denver? I don’t think so. We’ve been here before, but it’s been a long time. We played at Red Rocks, opening for Motley Crue in 1986? Something like that. That’s in Denver, right? Yes, Red Rocks is right outside Denver [in Morrison]. Okay, so yes, we’ve been here once before. This would be the second …

Live Report – B’z San Francisco

Published by Ali Watson

July 2011. Anywhere in the world, it’s an accomplishment for any artist to have over 80 million albums sold with 17 studio albums and 49 singles – over 40 of those topping the best seller Oricon chart at #1. In their native Japan, it has marked B’z as the best selling band of all time. Taking chances and breaking records has become their forte. Though their U.S. performance was eight years ago, the wait seemed well worth it to a sold out audience at the San Francisco Fillmore on Friday, July 22nd. The line started queuing sometime in the morning of July 22nd for the show, tickets to which had sold out almost immediately. Many fans made the journey from Japan to see this legendary band play a venue as intimate as the Fillmore, a legend in and of itself. Other fans we spoke to came from as far as Singapore, domestically from New York City, local areas and even from Los Angeles despite the fact that B’z will play there on July 24th. The …

Interview – exist†trace 2011

Published by Ali Watson

[Photo originally courtesy of JapanFiles.com for JrockRevolution.com] May 2011. At Sakura Con this year, JrockRevolution.com had a chance to sit down with exist†trace. Among the many subjects we touched on were the past, the present, their future in going major and the international music scene. Enjoy! The band introduced themselves as: Miko, guitar Jyou, vocals Omi, guitar Naoto, bass – nice to meet you! Mally, drums Last night was your first concert in the United States. How did you feel about the performance? Jyou: The crowd was so energetic for us. That gave us a lot of power and we want to do it again. You brought a Japanese flag and an American flag with ‘kizuna’ written on it. Can you give us the story behind this? Jyou: Kizuna means ‘heart to heart’. There was a big earthquake in Japan and we received a tremendous amount of support from America. ‘Kizuna’ is about the connection between people, that travels even over the ocean, between Japan and America. We decided to write it on the flag …

Interview – LUNA SEA December 2010

Published by Ali Watson

December 2010. Just before the show at the Palladium, JrockRevolution.com had an opportunity to chat with Sugizo, Shinya, and Ryuichi. We talked about the present, some of the past and the near future for their World Tour: Reboot. At present, Hollywood is the second stop with the first being Germany and other dates being in Asia. You can find tour dates and information about Luna Sea right here at JrockRevolution.com. This is the first part of the interview with the final piece being published tomorrow! We started out asking about the twenty years together and how the reunion has gone so far. Shinya answered first, saying it wasn’t like someone had said, “hey, let’s do this”. The timing happened to be good. “A lot has happened over the years,” he explained. “Things were just right for this to happen now.” Sugizo agreed. “A certain kind of gravity brought us back together.” Like things were in alignment. Ryuichi added, “Also, the fact that we could produce an ideal sound at this point in time as a …

Live Report – LUNA SEA December 2010

Published by Ali Watson

December 2010. In the last few days leading up to Luna Sea’s Dec. 4 concert, a few things remained consistent throughout for many on the industry side and in the fanbase. Curiosity. Anticipation. Expectation. The same feelings the band likely felt up to the point of the lights dimming on the Palladium’s stage and the first note sounding over the roar of cheering fans. In Hollywood, California, fans from around the world descended to see this iconic band live — many for the first time in their lives. Luna Sea consists of Ryuichi on vocals, Sugizo and Inoran on guitars, J on bass and Shinya on drums. Starting out in 1989, the five rocked Japan and quickly gained a dedicated fanbase that only grew after their hiatus in 2000. Each musician, accomplished in his own right, went on to have successful solo careers before the stars aligned, Fate intervened or — as Shinya had pointed out — the timing was simply right to come back together. “We’ve been looking forward to playing here in Los …

Uchuusentai Noiz

Published by Ali Watson

JrockRevolution.com and Anime Diet shared an interview for Uchuusentai NOIZ. After a long day, we opted for a shorter interview, yet it was very enlightening! Our thanks to Anime Diet for letting us include their questions and the photos taken after the interview. Your battle suits are creative and unique. When you designed them, what inspiration did you draw upon? Kyo: There isn’t one specific thing; it is [in general] Japanese culture is one of the main draws. Masato: Hm. X-Men. Eye candy. Angel Taka: There isn’t anything specific such as “oh, I like this”, but the main theme is ‘Asian beauty’. Yamato: Creature. Kotaro: [did not get translation] [In relation to the suits], you were posing on stage. Are you posing because you were specifically influenced by the sentai dramas? Uchusentai NOIZ: It’s not so much influence – we are space rangers… As individuals outside your powers as heroes, what would you consider your personality strengths and weaknesses? Kyo: My strength is being positive. The weakness is without thinking, going into action. Masato: My …