Japan Visual TV will be hosting an appearance by the members of JILLED RAY on March 24. Japan Visual TV streams live on YouTube and hosts a wide range of appearances and performances, so be sure to subscribe to their channel so you don't miss out. The March 24 broadcast will include an appearance by the members of JILLED RAY as well as live footage from their one-man at Ikebukuro EDGE on March 6 so keep an eye on that countdown clock so you don't miss it.
Kenji Furuya, otherwise known as KJ of Dragon Ash, has announced the start of his new solo project and the release of his first single, Swallow Dive on March 16. Oh, hey, THAT'S TODAY! So, check out his starter video above and go get it!
It seems like the new thing is bandmen opening bars. We have ex-AND Eccentric Agent Ken-chan and Across the Border in Akihabara, ex-The 3rd Birthday's Yu-chi and Vulgar in Nagoya, and now it's Bar DraganoV in Shinjuku! Their facebook only says that the manager is an 'active bandman,' but we have a suspicion it may be Ryu of LuciD. There's no website as of yet, just a Facebook page and an inactive Twitter account, but we are definitely keeping an eye on things.
I feel like I may have mentioned this before, but it bears repeating. Female vocalist, Kazha, is in the running for this year's Rock on the Range Battle of the Bands. The competition uses what they call a 'buzz rating' to decide who will get a shot to play at the next Rock on the Range music festival. An artists buzz rating is calculated by activity on their page as well as shares via social media, so head over there, listen to some music, and spread the word!
All-girl pop icons, Shonen Knife, have anounced a whole slew of US appearances, including a co-hidlining tour with CJ Ramone. Their stint in the US starts on June 3 and will take them all over the East Coast. I could list them all here, but that would take forever, so either check out their homepage or our event calendar up in the sidebar for dates and venues.
Remember last week when I talked about the trend of Japanese artists reaching out to foreign fans? Well, the trend continues with Perfume. The girl group has started "Perfume Translyrics Project" in which users can find and submit translations to Perfume lyrics in 46 different languages. There are already 30 songs up, so go check it out and contribute if you can.
One of my favorite bands out right now, Nocturnal Bloodlust, just announced the release of their sixth single via a very criptic teaser trailer on their YouTube channel. It gives almost no information, only a release date of June 17, and the tag line 'the beginning of a new chapter.' OOooooo I have chills just thinking about it. Check out the teaser and let us know what you think.
Another one of my favorites, ALSDEAD, will be releasing a live-limited DVD at their one-man on March 20 at Takadanobaba AREA. The DVD will include six performances from their February live at Ikebukuro EDGE and the first is already up on YouTube so go check it out. These guys are amazing live. SOMEONE GET THIS DVD FOR ME!
Wow...that was unprofessional. Moving on...
Jrock veterans Dir en grey have collaborated with Capcom by contributing their song, Un Deux, to the commercial for Resident Evil 2 (known as Biohazard in Japan): Revelations. Word is, they are also working together on a music video featuring Resident Evil 2 and Dir en grey's Revelation of Mankind. How cool is this? I mean, who wouldn't want to shoot zombies to the tune of Dir en grey?
And that's the Quickie. You know you love it.
