An Evening with Yoshiki USTREAM Broadcast

Yoshiki, considered to be one of Asia's most influential music artists and their biggest rock icon, will be broadcasting his first-ever U.S. solo performance at The GRAMMY Museum on Ustream on August 26th, 2013. The event - dubbed An Evening With Yoshiki - sold out within a few days of going on sale. Yoshiki will be performing songs from his highly-anticipated classical album entitled Yoshiki Classical (set for digital release on 8/27), as well as songs from his globally recognized rock band X Japan. He will also be taking this opportunity to interact with his fans in real-time during the event, including live song requests on his official Yoshiki Facebook and Yoshiki Twitter pages. To round out the event, spectators will take in a discussion between Yoshiki and Vice President of The GRAMMY Foundation and MusiCares about his illustrious career and new album. Fans will be able to watch the event at Ustream from start to finish, as well as Yoshiki's official Facebook and Twitter pages.

An Evening With Yoshiki is part of the highly regarded series at the GRAMMY Museum, which has seen performances by Brian Wilson, Ringo Starr with Ben Harper, and Natalie Maines.

Catch the stream at: http://www.ustream.tv/yoshiki and if you haven't already, be sure to purchase Yoshiki Classical here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/yoshiki-classical/id688431015.

Yoko Kanno to debut "PIANO ME" concert at Otakon 2013

Baltimore, MD (May 15, 2013) – The renowned composer will present the world premiere performance of her new project, "PIANO ME", at Otakon. For this concert, the simple intimacy of one performer with one instrument will be enhanced by experimental live visuals that respond to her performance. To see a sample of that performance, you can see it on our website at http://www.otakon.com/.

While studying at Waseda University, Yoko Kanno made her first debut as a member of “Tetsu 100%” which was released from CBS Sony. After the group split up, she became a composer/arranger for commercials, animation, movies, games and TV series. Known as a great master of animation music, her best works include Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Cowboy Bepop, MACROSS Frontier, Genesis of Aquarion, and The Vision of Escaflowne. She has also written and produced songs for artists such as SMAP, May’n, YUKI, Miki Imai, Maaya Sakamoto, Kyoko Koizumi, Crystal Kay, T.M Revolution, Shione Yukawa, Chitose Hajime, YOSHIKA, ORIGA and more.

Her recent performances include in 2008 the “Galaxy Tour” for MACROSS Frontier as well as in 2009 for the “YOKO KANNO SEATBELTS / Chojiku Tanabata Sonic” event of which both were sold out almost immediately.

For the recently released movie Petal Dance which came out in April 2013, she wrote a piano soundtrack which she performs herself. The piano score will be released from her own label PIANO. In summer 2013, she plans to release a score of “Song of departure, which is A Cappella Arrangements for Male Voices.”

Otakon 2013 will be held August 911 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, MD.

Be sure to check out her super adorable announcement video below!

T.M. Revolution Returns to Otakon 2013

Baltimore, MD (January 30, 2012) - Otakon is pleased to highlight the "Year of Awesome" by welcoming back musician T.M.Revolution for a special Saturday concert at Otakon 2013. He returns ten years after debuting to American audiences in 2003.

T.M.R. was the first major Japanese rock/pop performance at Otakon. The success of that show demonstrated that Japanese acts could find an audience in America by leveraging the fanbase for anime. T.M.R.'s american debut helped bring Otakon to the attention of the Japanese music industry and helped stimulate interest in bringing J-pop and J-rock acts to the US.

Takanori Nishikawa, born in 1970 in Shiga prefecture, made his debut as T.M.Revolution (T.M.R.) in May 1996, with the single “Dokusai –monopolize-”. Since then, he has established a reputation as a singer with ear-catching tunes combined with intriguing and irresistible live performances. Many singles have been picked up as themes of major anime and games including Mobile Suit Gundam and Sengoku BASARA. Since his debut, T.M.R. has built a global fan base and reputation mainly among anime fans.

Shinsei Rock Musical Bleach REprise Cast

The rock musical remake of Kubo Tite's Bleach manga is returning to Tokyo this summer in Shinsei Rock Musical Bleach REprise. This is a revival of the musical that was performed in six locations nationwide last year.

The musical will run from August 30th through September 9th at the Shinagawa Stellar Ball. The cast includes several new cast members, including a new Ichigo actor from last year's Shinsei run.

• Masashi Ōyama as Kisuke Urahara
• Eisuke Tsuda as Jūshirō Ukitake
• Kōhei Norizuki as Ichigo Kurosaki
• Miki Satou as Rukia Kuchiki  
• Kōsuke Kujirai as Renji Abarai  
• Yūya Kido as Tōshirō Hitsugaya
• Motohiro Ōta as Byakuya Kuchiki
• Isamu Ishizaka as Shunsui Kyrōraku
• Kanami Ayano as Haruka (original stage play character)
• Shinya Niiro as Niiro Shinya (original stage play character)

Check out the official website here.  [Source: Natalie via ANN]

HearJapan.com to close on June 30th

The digital music store for Japanese music, HearJapan, regretfully announces the closing of HearJapan.com on June 30th. HearJapan launched a new version of the site in February that was over two years in the making. Unfortunately, there were many unanticipated costs in doing this that made HearJapan impossible to manage.

This website will be shut down by June 30th, unless another company decides to purchase the website.

HearJapan was started in late 2007 as an mp3 download store dedicated to spreading Japanese music around the world. Until June 30th, users will still be able to make purchases and download music.

MIYAVI vs YUKSEK - DAY 1 (Teaser)

Because we always need a little something to get us through the day, why not let Miyavi help us out.  The samurai guitarist strikes again in a way only Miyavi can do.  And this MIYAVI vs YUKSEK collaboration is HOT, HOT, HOT! Check out DAY 1's teaser below and it won't take but a bar or two to understand what I mean...

DAY 1 single comes out July 11th.

YELLOW FRIED CHICKENz Disband

Guitarist TAKUMI, from YELLOW FRIED CHICKENz announced through his blog that the band will break up on July 4th -- the day of their Budokan live and coincidentally, Gackt's birthday.

During the last Nico Radio broadcast, Takumi and Chacha discussed the breakup as a positive thing.  The members want to pursue their own, separate goals, which they won't be able to accomplish as YFC.  "Camui Gakuen, Sparkly Male Cram School, Happy Birthday Live, Don't Cry, Let's Say Sayonara With Smiles" will be their last live.

New projects are brewing and each hope that fans look forward to more fun and interesting things from them. [Source: JPOP Asia]

L'Arc~en~Ciel World Tour Voting

One of the things that makes L'Arc~en~Ciel such a fantastic band is how attentive they are to their adoring fans. (Their music is bloody fantastic too...).

This time around hyde, ken, yukihiro and tetsuya want to know where you want them to perform next. Starting in June, fans will be able to vote for the cities where the band should perform during their next world tour.

Simply visit L'Arc~en~Ciel's official website on June 1st to cross your fingers and vote for the band to visit your favorite city or hometown. Use the below schedule to determine what time voter registration opens for your timezone.

• GMT(London) 8:00AM
• Tokyo 4:00PM
• Hong Kong 3:00PM
• Bangkok 2:00PM
• Shanghai 3:00PM
• Taipei 3:00PM
• New York 3:00AM
• Paris 9:00AM
• Singapore 3:00PM
• Jakarta 2:00PM
• Seoul 4:00PM
• Honolulu 9:00PM(May 31st)
• Mexico City 2:00AM
• Santiago 3:00AM
• Sao Paulo 4:00AM

DIR EN GREY Cancels "The Still Reckless Tour"

Earlier this week, rock band DIR EN GREY announced that they are canceling their upcoming "The Still Reckless Tour" in North Amerca.  This also includes solo shows originally scheduled March and April 2012, due to vocalist Kyo's health.

Kyo's physician recently diagnosed him with nodules in his vocal cords.  While this won't pose any major health risks, it was determined that he needs to rest his voice.  Depending on his progress and recovery, Kyo may have to undergo surgery.

Here's wishing for Kyo's good health and speedy recovery!

[Source: Natalie] 

Japan Artists cover The Beatles' "All You Need is Love"

March 11th will mark a year since the devastating Tohoku earthquake and tsunami hit Japan, but its people have certainly not forgotten. Thirty of the country's greatest singers and musicians are collaborating together to release the charity single "All You Need is Love", a cover of the 1967 song by The Beatles.

The "JAPAN UNITED with MUSIC" project's single will be produced by multi-talented Ryuichi Sakamoto and Takeshi Kobayashi and include stars such as Crystal Kay, Verbal (m-flo/Teriyaki Boys), SUGIZO (Luna Sea/X Japan), Atsushi (EXILE), Bonnie Pink and Tomoyasu Hotei.

All proceeds from the single will be donated to the Tohoku earthquake relief effort. Pre-orders for the March 7th CD single release, which will include a sticker and bonus DVD of the promotional video, can be placed at CD Japan today.

ToshI Special DVD Box Live Japan Release

It's a good thing my New Year's resolution wasn't to cut back on the pre-orders...

ToshI, the solo artist and vocalist for super band X Japan, announced on his Official Website today the release of a Special DVD Box Live Japan set that is sure to please fans. Featured in the set will be a T-shirt, 4 DVDs from ToshI's various 2011 performances (including the April 10th charity concert held in Kanazawa for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami ), a Best of 2010-2011 CD and a photo and lyric booklet with both Japanese and English text!

The set is reportedly going on-sale January 15th, which also happens to be the day of the airing for the Golden Globe Awards, where fellow X Japan bandmate Yoshiki's theme song for the show will debut.

Nobuo Uematsu + EARTHBOUND to perform at MAGFest X

I am super stoked to announce that the all powerful master of music Nobuo Uematsu and his new band EARTHBOUND PAPAS will be attending as guests and performing at MAGFest X!!! This is HUGE news and as a long supporter and attendee of MAGFest, I couldn't be happier!

Best known for creating the sound tracks for almost all of the Final Fantasy series, Uematsu created his new band, EARTHBOUND PAPAS, after his former group (The Black Mages) disbanded. Several former members of The Black Mages join EARTHBOUND PAPAS. Together, they are:

• Nobuo Uematsu: Keyboards (Composer for most of the Final Fantasy Series)
• Michio Okamiya: Guitar (Performer/arranger on several Square Enix soundtracks, and former Black Mages member)
• Yoshitaka Hirota: Bass (Shadow Hearts trilogy composer)
• Tsutomu Narita: Keyboards and Guitar (Composer for UnchainBlades ReXX)
• Arata Hanyuda: Drums (Performer on the More Friends, and Final Fantasy III (DS) albums, and former Black Mages member)

Since we overgrew our regular location, the 10th MAGFest, celebrating music and gaming, will take place at its new location at the Gaylord National Hotel & Convention Center, January 5-8, 2012!

If you haven't already, be sure to register NOW!

Hatsune Miku Live Party 2011 One-Night Only Screening

To commemorate the November 16th release of "Hatsune Miku Live Party 2011" on Blu-ray/DVD/Live CD, distributor Live Viewing Japan will be screening the live in theaters worldwide.  The set includes both 39's LIVE IN TOKYO (that took place on March 9th) and 39's LIVE IN SAPPORO (that took place on August 16-17th).

Three locations in Japan will screen the Live Party on Nov 15th.  Other screening locations include Thailand, Brazil, Singapore, France, England, and the US!  That's 9 US cities on November 10th to be precise:

1. Baltimore, MD
2. Boston, MA
3. Chicago, IL
4. Houston, TX
5. Los Angeles, CA
6. New York, NY
7. Orange County, CA
8. San Francisco, CA
9. Seattle, WA

Check out the full list for specific theater information on the official Live Party Event site.  [Source: Live Viewing]

DIR EN GREY's UROBOROS Album Remastered

Dir en Grey announces the upcoming release of a remastered version of UROBOROS, titled "UROBOROS [Remastered & Expanded]!" The remastered album will include 14 tracks with some lovely trimmings.   The album also brings about the return of sound engineer Tue Madsen, who worked on Diru's latest album, DUM SPIRO SPERO.  UROBOROS [Remastered & Expanded] will be released on January 11, 2012.

The album includes:
- The long version of "SA BIR" that, until now, was only heard live before.
- The exclusive version of "BUGABOO" that was previously only available on the limited first press analog release.
-  "DOZING GREEN" and "GLASS SKIN" with Japanese lyrics, and 'HYDRA -666-' the coupling track on single "DOZING GREEN." 

Track Listing
1. SA BIR
2. VINUSHKA
3. RED SOIL
4. DOUKOKU TO SARINU
5. TOGURO
6. GLASS SKIN
7. STUCK MAN
8. REIKETSU NARISEBA
9. WARE, YAMI TOTE...
10. HYDRA -666-
11. BUGABOO
12. GAIKA, CHINMOKU GA NEMURU KORO
13. DOZING GREEN
14. INCONVENIENT IDEA

L'Arc~en~Ciel 20th Anniversary Concert in Theaters

How many times have you folks that love Japanese musicians but do not live in Japan complained that you can’t go to your favorite band's concerts because, well, you don’t live in Japan?! L’Arc~en~Ciel knows they have fans that love them worldwide and they won’t let a little detail like distance keep them from returning that love.

The band, in cooperation with Live Viewing Japan, Inc. will be releasing their "20th L’Anniversary LIVE" concert in movie theaters. This two-hour special that took place on May 28th and 29th will be running for one night only in several cities around the world, including Tokyo, Singpore, Paris, Baltimore, New York, Los Angeles, and many more. U.S. screenings will take place on November 29th.

Click here to find out if your city is screening the event and to purchase tickets.

This will be the third entry Third Impact has posted about Hyde, Ken, Yukihiro and Tetsuya this month. We may just have to rename this month L'Arctober.

[Editor's Note: If you've never seen Larku live, this is definitely a treat. But let me just say that I completely agree with Sam...with all the love Third Impact has been giving Larku this month, L'ARCTOBER it is!!!]

L'arc-en-Ciel x Pinky:st Collaboration

What to do about my love affair of Pinky:st figures? Sure they are adorable, and possibilities are endless with their ability to swap accessories, hair, and clothing. Then you have the special collaborations every now and then. My favorite ones from my collection include: the crew from Sky Crawlers, Tokikake, Henrietta's Gunslinger Girl, and of course the Range Murata series. Now, it looks like it's time to add L'arc-en-Ciel into the mix.

BabySue does it again with an adorable collaboration set. The set includes figures of all the band members in one package, each coming with their own base containing the names on it. From the looks of it, several accessories are included with the pack, including 4 different wristbands, a bass for Tetsuya, a guitar for Ken, drumsticks for Yukihiro, and a mic for Hyde (along with an additional arm to hold said mic).

Retailed at 6,500 yen, no street date has been set for its release yet. A special guitar pic featuring Ken in pinky:st form is also available in Japanese music stores (for 105 yen).

hide Fashion Doll Pre-Order Open!

I'm a girl, so I'm supposed to be hard wired to like dolls, right? You're darn right I am if that doll is modeled after one of my favorite J-ROCK icons of all-time!

Doll company Groove will add hide (the dearly departed X Japan guitarist, solo artist and front man to past bands Zilch and Spread Beaver) to their Taeyang collection on January 31, 2012. The legendary musician's look is designed after his promotional video with Spread Beaver, "ROCKET DIVE". Wearing a faithfully reproduced Parker zipper detail track suit with hoodie (yes, stamped with the hide logo!), the 13" doll features the iconic rocker's pink hair and includes stand and removable yellow tinted sunglasses.

Pre-ordering at the price of $183.00 is now open to all you Speed Freaks at CD Japan and will run until November 7th while supplies last. Adios!

Kyo and Gara in MASSIVE Volume 3

If you're a DIR EN GREY or MERRY fanatic, I highly recommend you pick up Volume 3 of MASSIVE. The bands respective vocalists, Kyo and Gara, are the featured cover story, with a combine 62-page interview and pictorial discussing their art, their recent album drops and shots from their recent tours. Trust me, the full-page shots of these two talented men together is worth the money alone.

Also included in this month's issue are other joint interviews and concert coverage from LAID BACK OCEAN's Yafumi and UVERworld's Takuya∞. Kazuya Yoshii, sads, cali≠gari, J, RIZE, 9mm Parabellum Bullet, and SIAM SHADE.

The high quality work put in MASSIVE has quickly made it one of my favorite periodicals from Shinko Music Entertainment's extensive line of music books and magazines. The current volume ranks #6 on CD Japan's Top Book listing. Buy yours today.

Tenimyu Single: Jumping up! High touch!

Seeing as I’m back on my "Prince of Tennis" musical (or "Tenimyu") kick lately, I bring news from this autumn’s volume 15 issue of "Neo Actor" magazine, which includes an interview with Yuki Ogoe, Daiki Ise and Kazuhiro Okazaki (performing as Echizen Ryoma, Wakashi Hiyoshi and Shinji Ibu respectively). The folks in Japan can catch the "Dream Live 2011" concerts on November 5th and 12th, but we all don’t have to wait to enjoy the 2nd Season tunes. Just when I thought I got the chorus from "F.G.K.S" out of my head, this energentic diddy comes along...

Four editions of the musical anchor single “Jumping up! High touch!” are set to release on September 28th. Fortunately CD Japan will "serve" up all four!

• TypeA: [Limited Editon] CD featuring All Members version and Seigaku Members version, karaoke, and Voice Collection, including DVD bonus of the single's promotional video filmed on July 26th at Tokyo Dome City Hall and "Making Of" special.
• Type B: [Regular Edition] CD featuring All Members version, Fudomine Members version, additional track, karaoke and Voice Collection.
• Type C: [Regular Edition] CD featuring All Members version, St. Rudolph & Yamabuki Members version, additional track, karaoke and Voice Collection.
• Type D: [Regular Editon] CD featuring All Members version and Hyotei Members version, additional track, karaoke and Voice Collection.

Miyavi 30th Birthday Celebration

Someone has a birthday coming up! On September 14th singer-songwriter and aptly nicknamed “Samurai Guitarist” Miyavi is turning 30 and he wants you to join in the celebration.

Starting at 11pm on Tuesday, September 13th (Japan Time) you can head to the MIYAVI USTREAM channel for his “From Tokyo 2 the world” broadcast. Show will end at 12:30am Wednesday, September 14th (Japan Time).

MIYAVI OFFICIAL USTREAM CHANNEL: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/miyavi-official

LIVE BROADCAST: http://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv62896926

Let this tie you over until the kick-off of his world tour, starting October 20th in San Francisco. Don’t forget that Miyavi’s single with hip-hop star KREVA, “STRONG” is being released on October 5th. This will be the first collaboration release from Miyavi’s “SAMURAI SESSION WORLD SERIES.” Pre-order your Limited Edition copy (with DVD) at CD Japan.