QUAFF in the USA

Japanese rock/rap group QUAFF has recently announced that they will be doing a short U.S. tour this coming September (kinda like when Diru came the first time). Currently, only three dates are scheduled at the following locations:

9/19 – Drunken Unicorn – Atlanta, GA
9/21 – Sam’s Burger Joint – San Antonio, TX
9/27 – Knitting Factory – New York, NY

Hope to see you there.

JaME MySPACE

HIT THE DECKS WE GOT RELEASES

Another round of releases, appearances, and even some postponements have been made. Lets get started shall we.

Megamasso will be releasing their new single, Beautiful Girl, on August 6. The single will come in 2 versions. Version A (regular) will have 3 tracks, while Version B (limited) will contain 2 tracks and the DVD containing the PV for the title track.

Angelo is making a few stops in L.A. during the month of October. Amongst these stops will be a concert at Whiskey A GoGo (which I’m guessing will be 21+). They will also be holding photo sessions and meet-and-greets. But to get to attend these events you have to be a member of the Angelo fan club, which you can apply for between  July 1st and 31st.

SIVA is making their return with two brand new singles and their second mini-album. August 20th, singles, demolish and libelalism will be released. These upcoming singles will be limited up to 3,000 copies. Death Education, the new album will be hitting streets on October 8th in two flavors. The CD+DVD edition will contain 5 tracks and the PV for libelalism, while the regular edition will carry a bonus track titled grief.

D has announced that they are postponing the release of their new single, Yami no kuni no Alice. As some of you may know, this song will be used for the theme of the game “Twilight Syndrome -kinjirareta toshi densetsu-“, which could in fact have something to do with the postponement.

12012 will be releasing their new single, 太陽 (Taiyou), or August 20. The new single will be available in three versions. The regular edition will feature the title track in addition to KALEIDOSCOPE as well as a live version of butterfly. Limited edition A will come with the previously mentioned tracks along with a DVD with the music video for Taiyou. Lastly, limited edition B will feature the bonus track, Hello, seventeen.

+D’espairs Ray+ announced recently that, 神風 (Kamikaze), their new single will be released on August 6th.

JaME

GPKISM’s Official Street Team Page

On the night of June 19th, GPKISM has set up an official street team page. They made the street team because the demand of one was high from fans that want to promote their music. This street team is not difficult to get into, it has the similiar guidelines of BLOOD’s and Spectrum-X’s street teams. In case you do not know them, then here is what they posted on their bulletin:

Due to the popular demands of GPKISM and tremendous amount of fans who wish to promote our project, we decided to create a centralized official street team page for those who would like to contribute their effort to help promote GPKISM.

http://www.myspace.com/gpkismofficialst

Please obey the following commandments, so shall we accept you to our paradise~ LOL.

1. Please add GPKISM official myspace song “Immaculatus” on your Myspace.

2.Please put GPKISM jpg banner on your website (http://darkestlabyrinth.jp/img/gpkbanner.jpg)

3. Please put GPKISM official MySpace on your top friend list.

4. Please put “GPKISM” on your profile as your favorite artist.

5. If your profile is set to private, please change your settings to accept messages from non-friends so we can contact you.

Rui, yuki, and Reno’s blog entries

Bokura has translated the last three NoveLis Members blogs about the split. She has done a totally awesome job, and deserves cookies, cakes, and hugs!

You can find the earlier post, with Ko-ki and Sakura’s posts here.

Rui:

To everyone who came to today’s live
Thank you!

The important announcement was that in September NoveLis will pause activities, and myself, Reino, yuky, and ko-ki have decided to leave the band.
…I think everyone has different opinions, but this is the solution that all of us members were able to come to after discussing it.

Personally, I’m not thinking about anything. I haven’t decided what I’m going to do.
However… I definitely am thinking that it’d be great to keep singing.
For now, that’s it.
Goodnight☆★
and thank you to everyone!

yuki:

It’s late, but thanks to everyone who came to yesterday’s live!

About the sudden, important announcement…

We could’ve announced it a little later, but no matter what we didn’t want to keep secrets from everyone.

I’m really sorry it came so suddenly.

This September, NoveLis is pausing activities and the four of us, Rui, yuky, Reino, and Ko-ki, are leaving the band.

Like what everyone else has said, the reason is because of differing opinions about the direction of the band.

There are probably a lot of people who are wondering “What’ll they do now?”

Well, everyone is staying positive about it, so I hope we’ll all find peace.

We’ve announced that we’re leaving the band, but the the five of us aren’t finished yet.

Until that time comes, the five of us are still NoveLis!

So, until the end, I hope that you all can look after us.

Until the end, I want to see your best smiling faces.

Because until the end, we will give you our best!

Until the end, together, let’s enjoy ourselves!

Reno:

Well then. Let’s have a little conversation about NoveLis, the band itself and the band’s members.

I’m not a talented writer, but if you take the time to carefully read all of this for me, I bet you’ll enjoy it if even only a little.

First,

Rui

Rui and I have been friends since forever ago, we were always together in middle school, come to think about it we’ve almost annoyingly seen each other’s face everyday. Yep, always together. We’re kind of like a pair of Japanese comedians, me being the idiot, Rui being the always laughing trickster. In the car too, he always drives, and I’m relaxing in the passenger seat (haha). If something happens, he calls or we chat about it, and he loves the band DEEN. His music skills are amazing, and his voice is beautiful… but sometimes he goes a little flat. He’s bad at doing MCs (Bokura note: when the band talks between songs during live shows) and he sucks at furitsuke (Bokura note: choreographed hand dances popular during Japanese, especially visual kei, concerts), but it’s this Rui who I believe is the best of vocalists! That was true up until now, and from here on out it won’t change. Absolutely won’t change. Honestly, I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that I am who I am today because of him.

next

yuky

At first glance, he seems completely and utterly unsociable and mean, but the truth is he is a total softy. When I was trying to act silly, he would laugh at my jokes, or we’d laugh together. When I was telling him a private story he’d laugh while at the same time listen intently, and we always play Winning Eleven (the soccer game video game) together. (Really, He can’t beat me but…) Other than that, he’s forced me come stay over his house, and we were able to drink and chat together. He acts uncooperative, like an Amanojaku (Bokura note: a kind of Japanese demon), malicious, and quick tempered, but if you look at who he really is, he’s more gentle, courteous, and methodical with everything than anyone else. We all thought that at lives he wouldn’t express who he truly was, but we were wrong. He was always making a great show in front of the audience. However, sometimes he missed a few notes. I think that he plays the bass wonderfully, but in truth, our sounds stabilized one another perfectly. He has an interesting jump. When he smiles he looks like an emoticon (Bokura note: i.e. ^_^ ) Thinking about it, he really is a big sweetheart.

and

ko-ki

This young master is really friendly and I’ll miss him, but he’s annoying … to describe him roughly. Whenever I wanted to act silly, he was right there with me. When we were backstage or on stage, or even at a restaurant, we always acted silly together. Really, nowadays I’m probably with him more than anyone else. He always came over to hang out, and we’d watch videos of our lives or play video games. More than any other drummer, he works his hardest, practicing with all of his might. As a matter of a fact, the first time I played with him I wondered if he was all right, but if you pay attention you can still tell he’s young and his sound is maturing. I think in a few years from now he’ll be amazing. When I think “When I was his age would I be able to do what he can?” the answer is no. He’s the hardest worker in NoveLis. I believe he’ll have a bright future.

and lastly
Sakura

Like a cat, he’s kind of a loner, and I never know what he’s thinking, and he’s stubborn and won’t bend his opinion for anyone, but those who know him know he’s an amazing composer, I know if it was me that I couldn’t put together music that well … come to think about it, an easy way to describe him would be that of a “Shadow Leader”. As far as music goes, we would always get together at the studio and do jam sessions, and music really brings us together. He would always be willing to have a conversation with me about my favorite guitarists (Steve Vai, Gary Moore and other blues and hard rock artists) … yep, he’s a music nerd. His whole life is music. It’s his existence. Even now, he’s a bit of an enigma to me. I know he moved recently, but he’s the type that doesn’t say much about himself.

I think that the above 4 people are the ones who have changed my life the most.

Tough things, painful things, sad things, enjoyable things.

With all of them I have shared this experience, with them I have cried, sweat, laughed, acted serious, behaved as a complete idiot…
I wrote this in my previous blog, but I really love these guys.
This year I’ve walked through life with these guys, always with one of them.
Because of this we’re really like a family, kind of like siblings.
So, to all of the fans that have supported the five of us siblings.
I really love you!

To the fans who stared directly into my eyes at the lives.
To the fans who are a little more shy.
To the fans who listened closely to our music and shed tears.
When I did a stage dive, to the fans who caught me.
I’m sorry that you had to see my butt (haha)
To the fans who spoke to us in casually even though it was our first meeting.
To the people who nervously shook as they handed me a fan letter.

…and those that wouldn’t let go after a handshake (haha)

To those who think about us constantly.

To the fans who kept putting money in our drop box.

To the fans who had to take the last train because of us.
To the fans who waited in the cold.
To the fans in the rain who waited under umbrellas just for the chance to talk.

I really really love you guys. Really I love you.
I want you to be by our side forever. I want your support forever.
There are even those who don’t fit those profiles, who don’t even have our CDs.
However, I am truly grateful for everyone who knows even a little bit about NoveLis.

So, have we conveyed something to everyone?
Have we given them something?
Did we make them feel something?

I wonder.

So, Until the very end.

Rui

Renoyuky

ko-ki

Sakura

The 5 of us want to convey to you our feelings.

We want to transfer this feeling to the depths of your heart.
With all of our might, until the end, we will do this!

I know that’s cheesy and it sounds like something a father would say,
but it’s really how I feel.

Thanks for reading to the end.
Next is our in store event on the 21st right!
On that day I’m going to have an ad-libbing jam session with Sakura, so make sure you come!

Well then!

Pre Order St. Beast

Alright Danger☆Gang fans, the moment you have been waiting for is here. You may now pre order St. Beast on CDJapan, which will be released on the date of July 21st. Make sure to reserve your copy now before supplies run out.

Pre Order St. Beast Here ($25.70)

GLAY Concerts~!

Hello everyone!

GLAY has announced that they will be making three stops in California. Yes, three. Some details about it are below. So far, these are their only stops in the USA, but maybe there will be more as time goes by. I know there are many of you that aren’t in California, that would love to see them as well!

August 12th (Tues): The Fillmore (San Francisco)
August 15th (Fri): House of Blues Sunset Strip (Los Angeles)
August 16th (Sat); House of Blues Sunset Strip (Los Angeles)

Ticket information has been released, and you can find that here;
San Francisco The Fillmore on 8/12
Tickets go on sale 6/22:
Tickets

Los Angeles House of Blues on 8/15 & 8/16
Pre-sale starts 6/17, General Public is 6/22:
Tickets

You also have the option to use Ticketmaster instead of the other sites intended only for those venues.
Ticketmaster

They have never been to the USA, regardless their extremely high active time. So we need to show them that they mean a crazy amount to us!

Possible S.K.I.N. II???

Toshi of X-Japan fame has announced a new side project in the works that consists of Jun and Touya. The article found on JaME is as such:

“X JAPAN’s TOSHI has begun the formation of a new band, TOSHI with T-EARTH, featuring young visual kei musicians JUN (ex-Phantasmagoria) and Touya of Charlotte. Though few details have been confirmed regarding this new project, a tour has already been scheduled and will feature performances at the following locations in Japan:

8/12 – ZEPP Nagoya
8/14 – ZEPP Sapporo
8/16 – ZEPP Sendai
8/18 – ZEPP Osaka
8/19 – ZEPP Osaka
8/21 – ZEPP Fukuoka
9/03 – ZEPP Tokyo
9/04 – ZEPP Tokyo

Further details regarding this new venture will be posted as they are confirmed. “

Needless to say peeps, I’m kinda curious to where this will go. Will it be a couple shows and then die like S.K.I.N. did with AX07? Or will Toshi and the boys find time for their next project? … The world, may never know… (ahh i miss those crappy Tootsie Roll pop commercials)

JaME

Sakura and Ko-Ki’s blog entries translated

Bokura has translated Sakura and Ko-ki’s blogs concerning their recent announcement.

Sakura

Thanks to everyone who came to our last live.

At the live, it was announced that in September Novelis will pause activities. In addition Rui, Reino, yuky, and Ko-ki will leave the band.

We formed last Februrary, so the five of us have been together for about a year and a half, and until September the five of us will continue our band activities together.

I’m really sorry to all of the fans who had to find out about it this way. However, this is the path that the five of us have chosen, so I’ll be grateful if you could warmly look over us. Soon enough, I will put a formal announcement about this up on our home page.

Ko-Ki

Thanks to everyone who came to our live today!

Today we had a serious announcement…

The announcement was that after our live in September, Rui, Reino, yuky, and myself have decided to leave the band.

In addition to that, after the live in September, NoveLis will pause activities.

The reason is that we all have discrepancies in where we should go from here. It’s not related to music, all of us love NoveLis’ music and we’re all close friends.

However, everyone’s opinion of what we should do from here on out is different.

We’ve had discussions about this over and over again.

However, the five of us could never agree on one concise opinion.

I don’t want to lie about it.

NoveLis is everyone’s first Visual Kei band, so we’ve all put our all into it up to this point.
Seriously, we started from 0.
So, we’ve always tried to work as one.
Making use of everyone’s individual personalities, we’ve been able to come this far.

NoveLis is a band that has always been a serious band, so we were able to continue. However to continue in our current status would be deceitful to all of our fans.

I think there are a lot of people who dislike me. I’m kind of a person who gets carried away easily, so really it can’t be helped. I think there are others who think I’m just a young wise-ass.
However, I love all of the fans who have supported me.
No, not just my fans, I love all of the people who have supported Novelis. Therefore, I’m always going to pour in 100% of my effort into this band.

It was heartbreaking seeing fans crying today. I tried to smile, but I felt so so bad, I couldn’t give a truthful smile.

I’m really sorry!

This is my first serious band.

So therefore, seeing fans cry so much on our behalf is a really serious thing.

Thanks for reading this lengthy message.

After this, what will I do? … That’s still not decided. I may not be in another band. I may go study overseas, but who knows I may continue with music. I have an abundance of things that I want to do and things that I must do.

I still don’t know anything. That’s why at our last live I want to enjoy myself with everyone!

We want to see fans who are in other areas as well, that’s why in September we’ve also decided to go to Osaka.

During this tour, I won’t be able to consider all of these adult decisions … I’m sorry …

After this, NoveLis won’t exist as the five of us. So, if you are able to, I would really like you to come see us.

Goodnight

GLASS SKIN

Dir en grey

NEW SINGLE

yep that’s right, the new single is coming out soon. Theres no track information as of yet, but it will be posted.

OHP

All good things must come to an end.

I was alerted to this first by the Novelis LiveJournal community and then I saw the same thing listed on Shattered Tranquility.

According to Sakura’s Blog, Yuki, Ko-Ki, Reno, and Rui will be leaving NoveLis in September.  The band will officially be going on hiatus, as Sakura will be it’s lone member.

This is sad, sad news.

As most of you know, we’ve supported this band from it’s beginning, and it’s horrible to see a band as full of talent as this one going the way of so many others.

We wish the 5 members of NoveLis luck with whatever endeavors they do in the future, and I sincerely hope that this isn’t the last we’ll see of them.

I’ve sent Ko-Ki’s and Sakura’s blogs about this to Bokura and asked her to translate them.  I’ll post them when she does.

Diru – New Album news

Well, the boys have started recording their new album recently (title TBA). And they have started giving some information out about it.

“Golden God nominees spill the beans on their new record

J-Rock royalty Dir En Grey have released details about what to expect from their brand new album.

Starting pre-production work on the record in mid-March, the band commenced recording their new album in the Sony Tokyo building studio’s recently. When they finish recording their first batch of tracks in the forthcoming weeks, the band will then return to pre-production to work on the remainder of their songs before completing work on the album in time for a late 2008 release.

“The album will be stuffed with themes of ‘guilt and reincarnation’, as well as ‘the past, present and future of Dir En Grey,” says guitarist Kaoru. ‘This will be heavier and darker than previous albums, with a sort of oriental and religious mood and connotations. We’re experimenting with different sounds – we’d like to introduce a multitude of different instruments on this album.”

Despite reports to the contrary, Dir En Grey have confirmed that X-Japan member Yoshiki will not be producing the album. Instead, the band will be self-producing.”

Well with that being said, lets hope its not (in my opinion), a failure like M.O.A.B. was. I just wish they’d be reasonable and let Yoshiki help them produce a modern hard GAUZE.

Metal Hammer