Dragon Ash is a Japanese rap rock group founded in 1996 by Kenji "KJ" Furuya and Sakurai Makoto. They were one of the first groups to popularize hip hop in Japan. Dragon Ash is a member of Mob Squad, which is an affiliation with the bands Source and Endive. Dragon Ash uses the French fleur-de-lis as their band logo/symbol.
L'Arc-en-Ciel is a Japanese rock band, founded in Osaka in 1991. With a reported 40 million records sold, they were the first Japanese act to headline at Madison Square Garden. In 2003, they were ranked 58 on a list of the top 100 Japanese pop musicians by HMV Japan. While they first got their start as a visual kei band, they have not had any association with the movement since their major label debut in 1994.
The Roosters are a Japanese rock band formed in Fukuoka Prefecture in 1979. Their music has mixed rock and roll, punk rock, British blues, ska, and new wave. Originally active from 1979 to 1988, they performed at the 2004 Fuji Rock Festival before restarting activities in 2009. Through the years, guitarist Hiroyuki Hanada remained the only constant member, with the band currently consisting of the original lineup. In 2003, HMV Japan ranked the Roosters at number 75 on their list of the 100 most important Japanese pop acts. In September 2007, Rolling Stone Japan rated their album Good Dreams number 28 on its list of the "100 Greatest Japanese Rock Albums of All Time".
Atsushi Sakurai is a Japanese musician and singer-songwriter. He has been the vocalist of the rock band Buck-Tick since 1985, previously being their drummer from 1983. He released the solo album Ai no Wakusei in 2004 and was also a member of Schwein alongside Hisashi Imai (Buck-Tick), Sascha Konietzko (KMFDM) and Raymond Watts. In 2015, he formed a solo project called The Mortal.
The Stalin were an influential Japanese punk rock band formed in June 1980, by leader and vocalist Michiro Endo. After numerous member changes, he disbanded the group in February 1985. In May 1987 Michiro formed a group called Video Stalin, which mostly made videos instead of albums; they disbanded in 1988. In 1989 Michiro created a new band named Stalin and continued to make music with them until 1993.
Buck-Tick is a Japanese rock band, formed in Fujioka, Gunma in 1983. The group has consisted of lead vocalist Atsushi Sakurai, lead guitarist Hisashi Imai, rhythm guitarist Hidehiko Hoshino, bassist Yutaka Higuchi and drummer Toll Yagami since 1985. The band has experimented with many different genres of music throughout their three decade career, including punk rock, industrial rock and gothic rock. Buck-Tick are commonly credited as one of the founders of the visual kei movement. They have released 22 studio albums, nearly all reaching the top ten on the charts.
Flower Travellin' Band was a Japanese rock band that was formed in 1967. They were connected to Japan's counterculture movement and noted for their mixture of early heavy metal with psychedelic and progressive rock. They received wide acclaim from critics but failed to achieve commercial success and separated in 1973 to pursue individual careers. The band reunited in late 2007, but permanently disbanded after the 2011 death of vocalist Joe Yamanaka.
Mucc is a Japanese visual kei rock band, formed in Ibaraki in 1997. Named after a character from the children's TV show Hirake! Ponkikki, the band is also known by the nickname "69" since the numbers six and nine can be pronounced "mu" and "ku", respectively, in Japanese. As of 2020, the band has released 15 studio albums, two live albums, three EPs, 41 singles and 21 home videos, some of which were also released in Europe.
Fake? is a Japanese rock musical project led by vocalist Ken Lloyd. Originally a duo, guitarist Inoran left in 2005. Lyrics are mainly in English and sometimes in Japanese.
The Wombats are an English indie rock band formed in Liverpool in 2003. Since its inception, the band's line-up has consisted of Matthew Murphy, Tord Øverland Knudsen, and Dan Haggis. The band is signed to 14th Floor Records and Bright Antenna. They have sold over 1 million copies worldwide.
Beat Crusaders were a Japanese rock band active from 1997 to 2010. During all promotional appearances, their faces are masked by drawings resembling themselves as printed by a dot-matrix printer.
Theocracy is an American Christian progressive power metal band founded in 2002 by Matt Smith of Athens, Georgia. They have released four albums and multiple Christmas singles.
House of Lords is a rock band based out of Connecticut, with members in New Jersey and Florida.
Mark Robert Boals is an American singer songwriter for the band Foundry. He is a heavy metal vocalist and occasional bassist, best known for his vocals with Yngwie Malmsteen. His first album with Malmsteen, Trilogy achieved platinum status in the USA and sold several million copies worldwide. As a young child, he learned to play the piano and bass guitar. Although Boals has never had any vocal lessons or training, as a teenager he gained experience as a vocalist in local groups. Boals is the founder and vocalist for the band Ring of Fire, and had a brief stint as the bassist for Dokken. He currently performs lead vocals, guitar and bass in the hit musical show, Raiding the Rock Vault in Las Vegas.
Versailles is a Japanese visual kei symphonic power metal band formed in 2007 by vocalist Kamijo and guitarist Hizaki. After recruiting bassist Jasmine You, drummer Yuki and guitarist Teru, they performed their first show on June 23. Their key characteristics are their Rococo-esque costumes, dueling guitars and heavy but melodic arrangements. The group gained a significant worldwide following soon after forming as their debut EP Lyrical Sympathy (2007), released by Kamijo's own label Sherow Artist Society, received a simultaneous European release and they performed in Europe and the United States the following year. Their first full-length album, Noble released in 2008, was also released in North America in 2009.
Change is the 12th studio album by Japanese singer-songwriter Miyuki Nakajima. It was released in April 1985. The album comprises nine tracks originally written for other singers, including "Kamome wa Kamome," which is known as one of the signature songs for Naoko Ken, and "Sparrow (Suzume)", which became the sole top-ten charting solo single for ex-Pink Lady member Keiko Masuda.
Atoms for Peace are an English-American supergroup comprising Radiohead singer Thom Yorke, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, longtime Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, drummer Joey Waronker of Beck and R.E.M., and percussionist Mauro Refosco.
BRADIO (ブラディオ) is a Japanese funk rock band. Their name is an acronym for "Break the Rule And Do Image On" and means that they will break the rules of everyday life, and while having a wonderful image all around, they will make a new good place. The members call their fans Funky Party People (FPP).
"Sakura Hitohira" is a song recorded by Japanese singer Misia, from the album Love Bebop. It was released as the album's second single digitally on February 11, 2015, through Ariola Japan. It was released as a limited double A-side CD single alongside the song "Shiroi Kisetsu" a week later, on February 18, 2015. The song was written by Misia, composed by her0ism and Shirose, from the band White Jam, and arranged and produced by her0ism. It was written specifically for the three-night TX drama The Eternal Zero, adapted from the film by the same name and starring Osamu Mukai, for which it serves as theme song.
New Season is the debut studio album by Japanese singer Chisato Moritaka, released on July 25, 1987 by Warner Pioneer. It was produced by Yūzō Shimada, who also produced albums by Akina Nakamori, Naomi Tamura, and Aco. At the time of the album's recording, Moritaka had not started to write songs; instead, the album's songs were written by several composers such as Hiromasa Ijichi, Hideo Saitō, and Shingo Kanno.
