Puffy AmiYumi returns to the U.S. Announces “U.S. Tour 2017 Not Lazy”
Written by Ken Dubois
After a 10 year hiatus in the U.S., Puffy AmiYumi is back in the states for a 3 city tour that includes Los Angeles, San Francisco and Dallas, TX. In addition, the duo will make an appearance at New England’s largest anime convention, Anime Boston 2017. Puffy AmiYumi became household names in the states with their popular Cartoon Network show, ‘Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi Show’ along with a national GAP campaign.
ONE OK ROCK announces final details for their North American "Ambitions" tour
Written by Brian Lee
ONE OK ROCK will begin their North American headline tour in support of new album "Ambitions" in just under two weeks. This marks the fourth US tour in two years but the first where they are the main draw. Previous efforts saw them play alongside bands like All Time Low, Sleeping with Sirens, and Crown the Empire for the Back to the Future Hearts tour and Monster Energy Outbreak tour respectively. Their most recent lives had the band tour as the support for 5 Seconds of Summer. This new tour will find the band show up in many major cities including New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, and ends in Seattle.
Voice Actress, Inori Minase releases 3rd single “Starry Wish”
Written by Ken Dubois
Critically acclaimed singer and voice actress Inori Minase has released her 3rd single "Starry Wish." The lead track is the ending theme song of the October 2016-premiered TV anime "ViVid Strike!" where she was also cast as the main character, Fuka Leventon.
Silent Siren, also known as "SaiSai" (taken from the first sound of each of the words) stopped by San Francisco earlier this month, one of their two stops in the States on their S World Tour 2016 . This marks Silent Siren's second time in San Francisco. They were in town only a few months earlier in July for J-Pop Summit (check out our interview coverage here). Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to see them back in July, so it's the first time seeing them for me.
Silent Siren is a 4-piece all-female band formed by Suu (Sumire Yoshida as Vo & Gt.), Hinanchu (Hinako Umemura on Dr.), Ainyan (Aina Yamauchi on Ba.), and Yukarun (Yukako Kurosaka on Key.). They all have backgrounds as reader models for major magazines, though their passion towards their music is authentic. Their first single, “SWEET POP!” was released on November 2012 and since then, they have risen in popularity amongst Harajuku high schoolers, whom endearingly call them “Sai Sai” for short.
Make sure to check out what you're missing from their photos in Jakarta!
As a whole, the four-female member band Silent Siren is an exemplary piece of the modern Japanese music puzzle. Although the members, Suu (Sumire Yoshida as Vo & Gt.), Hinanchu (Hinako Umemura on Dr.), Ainyan (Aina Yamauchi on Ba.), and Yukarun (Yukako Kurosaka on Key.), all started off as fashion models in Japan, their passion and talent for music has helped them gain attention from music lovers across the globe since their inception in 2012.
Anime Expo 2016 had yet another US first to its name. The super-franchise Love Live has, til now, never graced American shores to a meaningful degree. July 2 would mark the date that six of the nine members of Aquors (pronounced "aqua") walked the stage and said hello, in person, to America.
This past Anime Expo was a banner year for musical events organized as a joint project between AX and Daisuki/Anime Consortium Japan under the name "Anisong Matsuri." The crown jewel of the event was Saturday night's Japan Super Live which combined the efforts of eight different singers and groups to put on a spectacular show in downtown Los Angeles' Microsoft Theater. This theater has been the Anime Expo home for names like Hatsune Miku, AKB48, and Momoiro Clover Z, among others.
J-Pop Summit has teamed up with Kyary Pamyu Pamyu to start the 2016 event off with a bang! On Friday, July 22, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu will play at the Regency Ballroom in the heart of San Francisco as part of her 5ive Years Monster Tour which celebrates her illustrious five-year career.
Japanese band Babymetal is a polarizing one for metal fans but they still have a die-hard fanbase. They're a combination metal and Japanese idol act; for those of you not familiar with idols it might be easier to think of the group as female-fronted metal. Whatever the case may be, fans do not have too many opportunities to see them in America. That changed this year with the announcement of a proper tour and a slew of dates to go with it. Most recently Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles were announced.
More...
While Anime Expo is coming up fast music fans in California won't be done just yet. Wagakki Band will be coming soon after for their "DEEP IMPACT" tour. We last saw them on the west coast in 2015 at the previous year's Anime Expo where they played to a sold-out crowd and rocked Club Nokia. Earlier this March they appeared at both SXSW and New York. This will be their first multi-date tour in America.
Anisong World Matsuri makes American Debut at Anime Expo 2016
Written by Brian Lee
J-POP DANCE/VOCAL Group DA-ICE to Make Overseas Debut at Fanime 2016
Written by Ken Dubois
Japanese dance/vocal group Da-iCE will make their American performance debut at FanimeCon later this month at the San Jose Convention Center, May 27-30. The groundbreaking five-member group has scored multiple chart-topping hits in Japan, becoming a pop music sensation for their multi-octave range, modern dance style, handsome looks, and sophisticated fashions. Their concert at FanimeCon will be the first chance for American fans to see the group’s energetic stage show that has sold out concerts across Japan.
Hatsune Miku needs no introduction for most fans of Japanese culture. For those who aren't fans of Japanese culture, or are fans but have somehow been living under a rock for the last half a decade, she's a virtual voice given life by fans. Her teal twin ponytails and futuristic appearance hide within them a surprisingly versatile voice. On April 30, 2016, Hatsune Miku would make her northern California debut at San Francisco's Warfield theater.