 XENON is pulling out all the stops for their February live stream event and will be hosting their next Q&A with one of the hottest new bands in visual kei! These live stream events are a monthly occurrence and past events have featured bands like CELL, DIAURA and Royz amongst many others. This upcoming event will take place on February 7th and will feature the band Arlequin who will be broadcasting live from Japan into the store which will be full of their American fans. These events are unique in that they not only offer the Western fans to meet and interact with their favorite artists, but also allow the band themselves to interact with the fans too by way of their own Q&A. An interesting twist on the standard formula if there ever was one. This is a very special opportunity, fans in the US should clear their calendars and prepare those burning questions! A-To-J will also be on site to film messages for the band and to cover the event itself! Arlequin is a band that formed in 2013 and is signed to Goemon Records. They may be relatively new, but they are one of the hottest bands in the scene today! They have won fans the world over with their blend of hard rocking songs infused with unforgettable melodies accompanied by some of the best vocal work this writer has heard in years. Not ones to work slowly, they have released four singles and their first album, titled "Near Equal", over the past year. Without a doubt this is a band to watch out for and we at A-To-J can hardly contain our excitement for this upcoming event and their continued career! It is no stretch to imagine Arlequin someday becoming as big as Dir en grey! Those who have not checked out the band yet are encouraged to do so. There are songs for everyone in their catalog, from those that prefer more hard rocking songs with harsh vocals to those who prefer softer more subdued songs, this band has it all. The PV for their song "HakaAna" can be seen below, it's a good one! XENON is the official Cure Magazine shop, located in The Little Tokyo Mall in Los Angeles (319 E. 2nd St #119 Los Angeles, CA 90012). It has been open since August 1st, 2014 and has hosted several events and fairs in that relatively short time. The store carries various apparel brands from Shibuya 109, including Jury Black, as well as, CD’s, DVD’s, and official tour merchandise of idols and visual kei bands straight from Japan. This event, like their past live stream events, is completely free. No cover will be charged. It will run between 8:00-9:30 PM on January 24, 2014. SNS and event page links below. Arlequin Are: ● Vocal: Aki (暁) ● Guitar: Kuruto (來堵) ● Guitar: Nao (奈緒) ● Bass: Shohei (祥平) ● Drums: Tamon (堕門) Official Event Page: Here Official Website: www.xenon-la.com   Visual Kei/Lolita group, Hysteric Lolita's new video "DISTRESS" was finally released in it's full version earlier in the month and both it and the song are set to stir up the world very soon! This new group from Union Music Japan has only one other single under their belts, but they do not fail to impress in their sophomore release. The song is both catchy and bears the distinct rocking visual kei style that is sure to attract listeners from around the world. Reminiscent of other all-girl rock bands like SCANDAL and Rick Rack, Hysteric Lolita adds style to the mix with fashions ripped straight from the pages of KERA. This comes as no surprise since it is fashion magazine KERA that sponsored the band's debut. Visually, the band looks great and each members bears a distinct look and style while still adhering to the same image. Musically, the girls are in perfect form. Noa's guitar drives the song forward and a blazing guitar solo keeps things from winding down too far. Meanwhile, Basil and Misa provide a driving beat that keeps everyone together and the dual vocals of Rani and Layra provide harmonies that add a dimension to this song that brings it to the top of the Indie music scene in Japan. The song itself is reminiscent of the visual kei stylings of bands like Dangan no Limit or ROYZ, but with a more pop/accessible feel. The video is beautifully shot and the locations are well used. Does anyone else get the MALICE MIZER feel in the scene in the church? I for one did. That being said, there is a uniqueness in the locations chosen as well as the addition of the occasional French word meant to accentuate the feel/meaning of the song. The central theme of the group being in a separate world within the mirror is a nice touch that adds another layer to this already amazing video. All the members get a good amount face time with the camera and while the video is mainly a night shoot, it is as colorful, if not more so, then their first single "Zetsubou no Spiral". "Vibrant" is one word that can be used to describe the video, but "Powerful" probably suits it better. The single releases on February 6, 2015 and if you have not heard much of Hysteric Lolita before this, be sure to check them out! Also be sure to check out their first single (the aforementioned "Zetsubou no Spiral") available from Itunes Japan and Amazon Japan as well as many online import shops. Hysteric Lolita Are: ●Vocal: Rani ●Keyboards & Chorus: Layra ●Bass: Basil ●Guitar: Noa ●Drums: Misa Official Site: www.hystericlolita.jp SNS links below  XENON in Little Tokyo will bring it's in-store live stream events into the new year on January 24, 2015! These events have featured bands like CELL, DIAURA and Royz. This upcoming event will feature the band DaizyStripper who will be broadcasting live from Japan into the store which will be full of their American fans. These events are unique in that they not only offer the Western fans to meet and interact with their favorite artists, but also allow the band themselves to interact with the fans too by way of their own Q&A. An interesting twist on the standard formula if there ever was one. This is a very special opportunity, fans in the US should clear their calendars and prepare those burning questions! DaizyStripper formed in 2007 and rose to stardom quickly with their unique brand of visual kei that varies from upbeat numbers to darker, more rocking, songs. Complete with sold out concerts and frequent indie chart-topping singles, DaizyStripper have also toured overseas in the US, Canada and Taiwan. Amongst some of their most well-known songs are "TRUTH" (Their first Indies Oricon chart-topper) and "Setsubou no Freesia" (Ending theme for the anime "Yu-Gi-Oh"). While the band has carried on as a four-piece since the 2013 departure of guitarist/leader Mayu, they have since announced their reunion with him in November 2014 and the five-piece DaizyStripper is together again with their original line-up. Their latest single "ARREST" drops on January 21st just days before the event at XENON. The PV preview and CM can be seen below. XENON is the official Cure Magazine shop, located in The Little Tokyo Mall in Los Angeles (319 E. 2nd St #119 Los Angeles, CA 90012). It has been open since August 1st, 2014 and has hosted several events and fairs in that relatively short time. The store carries various apparel brands from Shibuya 109, including Jury Black, as well as, CD’s, DVD’s, and official tour merchants of idols and visual kei bands straight from Japan. This event, like their past live stream events, is completely free. No cover will be charged. It will run between 8:00-9:30 PM on January 24, 2014. SNS and event page links below. DaizyStripper Are: ● Vocal: Yu-giri ● Guitar: Nao ● Guitar: Mayu ● Bass: Rei ● Drums: Kazami Official Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/799479846776156/ Official Website: www.xenon-la.com  Continuing their line of in-store live stream events, XENON in Little Toyko Los Angeles hosted a Q&A live stream event with visual kei band Lin ~the end of corruption world~ recently on December 13, 2014 and A-To-J Connections' alavic_222 was there to report. Xenon is a clothing store in the Little Tokyo Mall that offers unique fashion straight from the streets of Shibuya as well as releases from some of the biggest music acts Japan has to offer. They are also no stranger to hosting events for some of the hottest visual kei bands/artists whether it be live concerts (The Visual Kei Fest in July comes to mind.) or the many live stream events (Prior ones featured DIAURA, Royz and CELL) this store is the place to be if you are a fan of the Japanese fashion, visual kei music or the genre in general.  The Lin event did not fail to deliver as many fans came out to see Kisaki and crew both ask questions as well as answer them. Hosted by Ryo (ex. LF-laissez faire-) and DJ Meirlin, the event lasted over an hour and was completely free. Following some introductory clips featuring the new Lin line-up, the band was introduced and the session began. To start the show, Lin asked the crowd questions ranging from local hotspot recommendations to favorite anime characters. Answers varied and many laughs were had and more than a few surprises were revealed regarding the band's likes/dislikes as well as some of their eating habits! Not content to play things up with the standard Q&A questions, Kisaki shocked the attendees by requesting marriage proposals from the crowd! Some were lucky enough to be accepted, others were turned down and one fan, Felipe, was repeatedly singled out for special attention due to his knowledge of the members' previous work. Moving into the next segment, the band questions were followed by open questions from the attendees. The questions from the audience were as varied as the bands and ranged from inquiring about musical influences to worst nightmares. Unique answers were given and all were left wishing the session could have lasted longer still. Following the stream, exclusive Lin items direct from Japan were available for purchase.  On the verge of re-recording their former material with the new "Second Stage" line-up, Lin is set to take the visual kei world by storm and events like this can only ensure that their name and music spread throughout the world. We at A-To-J Connections, and all the fans in the US, can only hope that we can see more of the band stateside. Hopefully in concert form. A-To-J Connections will have exclusive video of the event that will be uploaded shortly complete with fan testimonials. Xenon's next in-store live stream event will be on January 24, 2015 and will feature the band DaizyStripper.   Former LAREINE/Versailles vocalist, KAMJO recently announced plans for a World Tour to take place in 2015. This might be exciting enough on its own, but this tour isn't just any tour, it will be his 20th anniversary tour. For KAMIJO this means that he will not only be on the road performing his recent catalog of solo material, but he will also be visiting songs from his long, varied career. This will probably be the first chance for many fans outside of Japan to hear material from LAREINE or NEW SODMY live. Also, songs from the more recent supergroup, Versailles, will be present. The possibilities of song combinations can leave a fan hoping for the tour to come quickly.
The tour, titled "KAMIJO World Tour 2015 -20th ANNIVERSARY BEST", will start next February in Russia and Europe with six dates announced (pictured above) that will blend into March and take him to five countries. The middle part of the tour is still not defined, but South America will be covered as will North America by way of Los Angeles and New York. These latter dates will probably please readers of this blog most, especially this author. Unfortunately details such as date and venue have not been given. The tour wraps up back in Japan during July and August with eight dates provided. We look forward to hearing more details, and bringing them to you, as they are given. We at A-To-J Connections hope to see both KAMIJO, and the many fans, on the road soon! Official Website: http://kamijo.syncl.jp/  Band-Idol/Visual Kei group, Hysteric Lolita's PV preview for their second single "DISTRESS" dropped a couple days back and it's great to hear new music from this up-and-coming new group from Union Music Japan. The video has a nice, dark feel and the group's new outfits fit both them and their surroundings well. The lolita look that was present since their formation seems to have taken on a more distinct visual kei look, which is not necessarily a bad thing. I expect great things from a group this talented and I hope UMJ does it's usual magic in promoting them well on both the local, and international, scenes. Rani's vocals shine here as does Noa's guitar playing and the rest of the band is on point. Per usual, the only real complaint here is the fact that the video is so short. If this is any indicator of what is to come though, then I think the wait is worth it! The single does not release until February 6, 2015, but I'm sure the full PV will be out before then. If you have not listened to Hysteric Lolita before, then be sure to check them out now! Hysteric Lolita Are: ●Vocal: Rani ●Keyboards & Chorus: Layra ●Bass: Basil ●Guitar: Noa ●Drums: Misa Official Site: www.hystericlolita.jp  This Saturday, December 13, 2014, visual kei band, Lin ~the end of corruption world~, will be hosting a live stream event at XENON in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo. The event is the fifth in a string of monthly live stream events that have presented bands like CELL, DIAURA and Royz. These events are unique in that they offer fans in the US to not only ask the band questions but also, just as importantly, allow the band to ask the fans questions too. This latter part is something that few see in Q&A events and is a nice twist to the standard formula. Lin, for those who do not know, is a band made up of ex-Phantasmagoria bassist, Kisaki and several members of the band Megaromania. Lin would mark the return to performance for Kisaki, who retired from performing after Phantasmagoria's break-up, and it's original line-up released two albums, two mini-albums and several singles before it too went on hiatus. They recently reformed earlier this year with a completely new line-up (except for Kisaki) and played a pair of live shows, cementing their return. After a record label change, several one-man and joint concerts and a coupling single with CELL, Lin and Kisaki are ready to continue their legacy with their new mini-album "Recollection of Phoenix" which will be released on December 24th. XENON is the official Cure Magazine shop, located in The Little Tokyo Mall in Los Angeles (319 E. 2nd St #119 Los Angeles, CA 90012). It has been open since August 1st, 2014 and has hosted several events and fairs in that relatively short time. The store carries various apparel brands from Shibuya 109, including Jury Black, as well as, CD’s, DVD’s, and official tour merchants of idols and visual-kei bands straight from Japan. This event, like their past live stream events, is completely free. No cover will be charged. It will run between 8:00-9:00 PM on December 13, 2014. SNS and event page links below. Official Website: www.xenon-la.com
   DIAURA have been making waves recently and their reputation is well-deserved. This past week saw the release of their third album "Triangle". Like those that came before it, this album features the smooth sound and the amazing vocal talent of vocalist yo-ka. While being a relatively new band, they have an impressive catalog already beneath them and have a cohesion that one doesn't always see in bands that have been around far longer. The video for the song "Moratorium" (a song from the aforementioned "Triangle" album) shows the band off and is a good barometer as to the sound and feel of the rest of the album. Productions values are high, the concept is dark but not heavily so and, possibly most importantly, the band looks great. Be sure to check it out if you have not already. The album can be readily bought on any number of import sites including CDJapan. One can also pick up DIAURA merchandise, that is usually nigh impossible to find outside Japan, at XENON in Little Tokyo. Watch and enjoy! DIAURA Are: ●Vocals: Yo-ka ●Guitar: Kei / 佳衣 ●Bass: Shoya / 翔也 ●Drums: Tatsuya / 達也 SNS site links below  For the inaguaral post to the new DRESS CODE blog, I would like to profile one of my personal favorite Visual Kei bands from Japan, THE RHEDORIC. Fans from the LA area might recall that they performed at the LA VK Fest that was held the same weekend as Anime Expo '14. I'll be the first to admit that I was not too familiar with them before this event. I had heard bits of their music from the videos shared prior from the event's page, but as far as the VK Fest was concerned, I came mainly to see ANTI FEMINISM and Carat. That's where things get interesting as I was not aware at the time that Carat vocalist, Yuuji was also the vocalist for THE RHEDORIC. Before my brief recap of this event I should point out that neither Carat nor THE RHEDORIC came out in full force. Carat was represented by Yuuji (vocals) and Nozomi (guitar) while THE RHEDORIC was represented by Yuuji (vocals) and TOMO (Guitar). Onto the event itself. The LA VK Fest took place at Bar Nirvana in Little Tokyo on Sunday, July 6th and ran well into the early morning of the following day. Lolita Dark, ANTI FEMINISM, Carat, and Kon (Vocalist from CELL) all took the stage prior to THE RHEDORIC's set and the place was packed. I was tempted to leave early as the show was already going well into the following morning and the entire weekend had been a tiring one, but I ended up staying. That may have been one of the best decisions I've ever made. THE RHEDORIC might not have performed as a full band, but their songs were amazing and it was clear that they had amazing stage presence and energy. Also, they performed with Nozomi from Carat. In essence this was a Carat x THE RHEDORIC collaboration show, something that you won't even see in Japan! They performed four songs and basically stole the show. The night ended the night with more energy than I would have thought possible for show at 1 AM on Sunday night. Even though I fell in love with their sound instantly, I foolishly forgot to purchase any of their merchandise at the show (I am actually not sure if there was any, but I'm going to assume there was.) and I spent the next few months waiting to get my hands on both their EP and eventually, their first album. After months of haunting XENON in Little Tokyo (An amazing store that I will profile later that was also the sponsor for the LA VK Fest.) I resigned myself to the fact that I would either have to wait for the merchandise to come by way of TOMO himself (Who I knew to be visiting the US later in the year) or I'd have to use an import site. After months of waiting, and purchasing all of Carat's CDs in the meantime (A band which TOMO produces by the way and a band I plan to profile later.), my patience paid off. Just this past week TOMO himself appeared at a XENON in-store event that was paired with a livestream by visual kei band, ROYZ. I was lucky to not only meet TOMO again, but also get both of THE RHEDORIC's CDs (Their first EP and their first album, "Jiggy") along with a Delfina Ma'riage CD. Delfina Ma'riage being one of the bands which TOMO participated in previously in his career. I must admit that I was not aware of this latter fact either even though I was a huge fan of Delfina Ma'riage at one point in time. Either way, I got that CD autographed as well as other merchandise and went home to finally properly listen to THE RHEDORIC for the first time.  I plan to post a full review in the future, but I will share some of my impressions upon hearing the album for the first time. From the opening track, "Guilty", I remembered why I fell in love with this band in the first place. Now, I had heard the song before via the PV preview on their Youtube Channel, but hearing the full version was something else entirely. The song is catchy, rocking and Yuuji's voice is something one can be hard pressed to find fault with. I listened to the complete album non-stop for three rotations and I found something new in each successive playthrough. Songs like "possibility", which features something that I have a weakness for: a bass solo, and "Meloncholic", which shows off Yuuji's amazing vocal talent. Both of these songs are featured in the video I am sharing on the bottom of this post. Both of these songs stood out immediately as my favorites and both feature a sound and energy that one doesn't always find in Visual Kei bands. Other songs like "Monster", "Truth" and "Critical" stand out too, but it is really hard to pick out favorite songs from such a strong album. The album also closes with a somewhat haunting, acoustic rendition of "possibility" that I might actually prefer to the original. If I had to pick an album-of-the-year type award, it would definitely go towards "Jiggy", it is simply that good. All the songs have that perfect blend of hard rock that is both strong and powerful while still being catchy and accessible. I hope that everyone who can, goes out and buys the album. If not, then just scroll to the bottom and watch the video at the very least. THE RHEDORIC have become my current favorite band and I'm sure if you give them a chance, they might become yours too! The album "Jiggy" is available at XENON in Little Tokyo and I encourage everyone to pick up a copy! With all this said, I hope to one day see THE RHEDORIC live in full force, or even in a fashion similar to what was seen back in July. Either way, I can't wait to hear more from them! Be sure to watch the video below too, you won't regret it! THE RHEDORIC Are: ●Vocal: 雄志 / Yuuji (Carat) ●Guitar: TOMO (ex-Deflina Ma'riage) ●Guitar: 須賀勇介 / Suga Yuusuke ●Bass: 時雨 / Shigure Links to their SNS sites can be found below. |
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