Amidst the chaos of convention life, both Rose Noire and DaizyStripper were kind enough to sit down with me prior to their lives at Anime North. Both bands were present during the interview, so the conversation will bounce between both bands. Enjoy!
First I'd just like to start by welcoming you here to Anime North. Fantastic for me to meet you guys (to Rose Noire), I know you just came from Calgary and You (to DaizyStripper) who were there as well 2 years ago, welcome back to Canada.
All members: Thank you.
What has been your favorite part so far, for you (to Rose Noire) your first time, and to you (DaizyStripper) returning?
Jill - It's actually my second time.
Kazami - I guess I have to say that seeing everyone again, that was really good and also the fact that people remembered us.
Yugiri - I was happy to reunite with the same staff we worked with last time, yeah, but more than that the fans. I'd have to say, I'm looking forward to reuniting with them again.
Nao - Well ah, everyone in Japan is kinda shy so I'm kinda glad to be in Canada again cause in Canada is like we're all friends.
Rei - Yeah, I have to say that I am happy that people have been waiting for us to come back again, and that we can perform again in front of such a lively crowd.
Louie - Actually a few years ago there were talks of us doing a tour here in Canada but that never happened. So I'm actually glad that we were able to come to Canada to perform.
Jill - I find that fans in Canada, they're very...they're not afraid to express their emotions very honestly. If they are enjoying something they'll show it and they'll cheer and cry and I really like that about Canada. Also, including the staff here and generally people on the street, everyone was really polite in Canada, so I like that.
This one, for DaizyStripper. Last time you were here in Edmonton, you were celebrating your 5 years. Now you're here in Toronto, a couple years later, a lot more achievements under your belt. What would you say is y our greatest accomplishment since we saw you last?
(Band talking amongst themselves)
Kazami - So in 2013 we released 5 consecutive release singles and we made it into the top ten in the rankings and we've never had that before, and that was something, and that a lot more people listened and that was really something we felt good about.
For Rose Noire, You've obviously just come from Alberta, Otafest. What was your favorite part about performing there?
Jill - The whole event, the execs, the fans, they were all very ...you could kind of really tell that they were the ones making the event, everyone they were participating and making the event happen. And also just performing in Canada this time was very exciting.
DaizyStripper as you mentioned 2013, 5 consecutive releases as well as another cover single release and a track on the Tribute II -Visual Spirits- compilation album. Never mind your crazy tour schedule and your different promotions. I want to just kind of go through those releases and have a look at them. First up of course STARGAZER, with -Z-UNIVERSE as the accompanying track. You chose a fairly glamorous look for that PV, how does this tie into the title track?
Yugiri - So when we decided that we would do 5 consecutive releases in 5 months pretty much we wanted to set the bar, the standard for these, so people would say you know when you think DaizyStripper you think this. So that was the goal that we wanted to go for. The glamorous look so people will remember you but to also make an impression on people.
Rose Noire - Inspiration comes in many forms. You had said in our previous interview that your band name 'Rose Noire' is to reflect the meaning 'beautiful like it does not exist'. Is that a challenge you give yourself in your music, to find beauty that does not yet exist?
Louie - Of course, so I'm trying to find combination of cords or the combination of sounds which they've never used before. So it is difficult because never used, the combination is not so familiar, ....so its not pop, its not catchy. So I try to find the new combination, the new sound
Is that what motivates you as well in your music, that challenge to find the things they've never been put together before?
Louie - Oh! Of course! Yes that's why, my motivation.
DaizyStripper - Next up was MISSING with second track [eating apple] <- which I have to point out, is my favorite track of last year, perhaps I'm just a sucker for the heavy sound.... MISSING feels like a DaizyStripper track; the sound, arrangement and vocals all scream 'DaizyStripper'. Consequently, that makes [eating apple] stand out all the more to me. Why did you pair these 2 tracks together?
Nao - MISSING really does incorporate everything that is DaizyStripper. There's a lot of action going on, but also some element of sadness. I made the coupling song, but what we wanted to do with that was destroy what MISSING had built up, destroy that 'DaizyStripper-ness' and kind of rebuild it anew from the coupling song.
Rose Noire - Working with family is often rewarding but present unique challenges of it's own. Having known each other for so long, how do you balance your sibling relationship versus your professional relationship?
Louie - Now, the professional relationship is the priority. Our priority is making the music, making the band bigger and that's our relationship now.
Do you miss back when you were little and you didn't have to think about anything like that?
Louie - No (laughs)
DaizyStripper - In the middle we have uso to kagerou with Rainbow Blue as the second. This release definitely has the most fun feel to it. Yugiri - your hair was blinding! Rei, I loved seeing you with the vertical bass. What brought this release together?
Kazami - So when we decided to release the 5 consecutive singles, one of DaizyStripper's characteristics we think is that we incorporate many genres, we like to think of ourselves as a multi-genre band. And we wanted to kinda of pick something, make each of these very different from each other. And Jazz, like a jazz kind of feel, like we've never done something like that so for this release we chose to incorporate that.
Rose Noire - Since you know each other very well, what would you say is the most unique, stand-out thing about your sibling that you would call their own? It could be a habit, a fragrance, a food, etc?
Louie - She loves artwork, very much.
Jill - So, since Louie is very, he's serious and stoic, but also he has his own little quirky bits and he'll suddenly start singing out of nowhere. That surprises me sometimes. I guess as for other aspects he's very careful about his diet. I myself, I eat a lot, but he's very careful and only eats a little bit.
DaizyStripper - The 4th release HELLO, again with LIVE or DIE, another favorite of mine. HELLO, again in stark contrast to the previous release with a much more somber feel, and certainly the PV reflecting that image as well. What was the inspiration behind this song?
Yugiri - In one of our 5 releases we wanted to do something in a ballad style, but not too quiet, so we decided to do a rock ballad. So Rei and Kazami co-composed the song and the rest of us listened to the demo tape and added our own stuff in. And the melody was very kind of gentle, very warm and emotional so we wanted to keep that feel and add lyrics that kind of suited that melody. So the song is about life, death, parting and saying good-bye but it also has that underlying element of gentleness. It's just very accepting and personally I think it's one of our best songs.
Rose Noire - You've been working with some support members and have commented that it helps expand the expression of your music. How do you feel it aids you?
Louie - So there is a support drummer, he's making the beat, bass tones, important things for the stage so we can share without using a backing track. The problem with backing tracks is they are not real on stage to the fans. But now, with the supporting members, with the drums we can make it real, the experience, the feelings. With supporting members that heavy because it's in real time, it's live, it gives us a lot more room to do things in style, impromptu...
more personality?
Louie - yes, humanize.
DaizyStripper - Last, but certainly not least, Derringer and マネキン(Manekin). Let me just throw out that I love the variety in these releases, showing just how versatile and talented you are as a band. Derringer certainly deals with an issue that anyone, regardless of culture, can relate to. Why did you choose to focus on this darker side of humanity? Do any of you have any personal experiences dealing with bullying or self-hate?
Kazami - I've experienced both sides of the spectrum, I've been bullied, but I've also been a bully as well. But what I think is that when good things happen bad things will too. But when bad things are happening that means good things are happening too so that's the way I look at it.
Yugiri - Well I myself have never been bullied by people before. But I do feel loneliness and what we wanted to do, was kind of take those dark elements of loneliness and emotions like that and kind of convey it because a lot of people think for example, to describe our band as either light or dark most people would say light and a lot of our songs are, run with that kind of theme. So we kinda wanted to put it out there that we are capable of writing dark songs too and we can show another side of ourselves too.
Nao - Well I've never been bullied like in the derringer PV but I was bullied by my sister when we were younger because I kind of have sweaty hands and even though I was a little kid she would never hold my hand. But now we've made up and she will holds hands with me even though she doesn't really want to.
Rei - I also have never been bullied as badly as the main character, but in elementary school I think it was I did go through a little bit of bullying. Although I've never experienced the kind of bullying that goes on in the PV I do want people to be aware, I want people to see the PV, to be aware that this is happening and realize that there are people that if they see someone getting bullied that they'll look the other way or there are people that'll say something and say don't do that. But I think a lot more people would look the other way if they saw this happening. So I do want people to see this PV and kind of think about, you know 'what should I do? What am I doing? Should I get out of the way, am I going to say something? What can I do? Should I do something?' I do want people, more people to kind of step up and say something.
Rose Noire - In our previous interview you both mentioned L'arc en Ciel as a major influence. What is it about the that drew you to their music and performance?
Louie - I guess I've said this before too but I guess their pop element, it's very unique and they kind of maintain that originality.
Them over others just because they're more unique that way?
Louie - Them, more than others, they are very balanced, they incorporate a lot of elements into their music.
DaizyStripper - In celebration of SID's 10 year anniversary you did a cover of "mousou nikki" which was released just before the anniversary live. How did you approach 'your' version of their song? Was it intimidating to know that there were 9 others also covering the same song, as well as the original to compare to?
Kazami - So I have listened to all of the other artists that also did that same song and they are all very unique. And when we thought about what makes DaizyStripper unique, like we said before our energy our sound, that kind of mood, so we tried to ass that into the song. A lot of our songs you can head bang to them and we did want to add that element so that when we performed it live people could head bang along.
Rose Noire - A stage performance can define a bans in a way that recording never can. How do you approach the stage?
Louie - In Japan we have other members so the sounds, bass and drums, so with the bass and drums, you can enjoy the real time sounds, it's live.
But for your own performances, how do you approach your lives?
Louie - We care the quality of sound. When recording, you master the sound. On stage you have energy and heart and the stage can give you power and passion so it's not priority about the quality of the sound. If we make a mistake, the breathing...so the energy on the stage is different.
DaizyStripper - You certainly aren't taking any breaks with a new album out this June and the latest single G.Z.S.K.K out just over a week ago. What is G.Z.S.K.K.?
Yugiri - So basically there's this word in Japanese "genzai shinkoukei" Which means, currently happening, currently going on and we took the first letters of each syllable and that's why GenZai ShinKouKei.
Rose Noire - After a show can be a high and a low. What do you like to do to either revel or refocus after a live?
Jill - Well of course, after concerts I'm very excited. So excited that I can't sleep. But I mean it's very fun and I think that's the part of a good thing, it's a good thing that you're excited. So I kind of leave it to nature to do it's course and I'm just going to stay excited all night.
Louie - Beer. (all laugh) It's a joke! I'm always doing a cool down, like practice. Always always,.
DaizyStripper - I have to ask, 'music slip' who's idea was that? Love them!
After some pointing back and forth 'Yugiri'.
Rose Noire - After your performance here tonight what are you looking forward to doing?
Louie - Going to the Niagara winery.
DaizyStriper - Back when we saw you at Animethon, Yugiri, you commented that the band hadn't changed, that only your dreams had become larger. What is your new dream for DaizyStripper?
Yugiri - So SID performed at Nippon Budokan at the end of last year. And basically, since then we've gone through a lot of hope and despair, both sides of the spectrum. And we'd like to take that experience and kind of bring it all together and also bring that to people in our performance.
Rose Noire - It's the beginning of summer, the weather is getting warmer, everyone heads outside and production gets busy. What's next for Rose Noire in the midst of 2014?
Louie - We're going to release a new album. Not a re-release/remaster, but a brand new album. Probably fall or winter.
I am looking forward to it!
(To all) Your final thoughts for your fans?
Kazami - Of course, we are very thankful to be in Canada for our second time and not just Canada, we are willing to go anywhere if people will invite us. So if people would continue to support us. Also we want to say please come to Japan as well!
Yugiri - Yeah, I mean, if it's just our songs you can listen to our PV's on YouTube, but I think the best thing about DaizyStripper is our concerts. Our most attractive points are in our concerts so they are only things you can experience if you see us live. And although we are not very good at English we can communicate through our music so we're willing to go all the way around the world, world-wide, so we'll do our very best here in Canada and I look forward to going to other countries as well.
Nao - You are my sunshine!
Rei - Definitely yeah, I want people to know about Japanese music and experience it. And we're in the VK scene, so I do want people to get to know more VK music. And I myself think DaizyStripper's great so I want to share that with a lot of people and with people who enjoy music and we're very exciting to see live so I want people to come to our concerts as well.
Louie - We are very happy we could be here in Canada at this time. So, we want to go to many places we've never been to, so thank you.
Jill - We're very happy that you've come to know us, Rose Noire and to know our music. We'll be performing in Canada today but we'd love to go to other countries as well. When you live life you never know what happens, what comes your way, so we'd like to share all these experiences that come our way, the joys and sadness so we thank you for listening to our music.
-END-
A HUGE thank you to
Rose Noire: Jill & Louie
Darkest Labyrinth
DaizyStripper: Yugiri, Nao, Rei & Kazami
Beyond-MAX, Inc.
