SoundWitch to perform at Tekkoshocon 2012

SoundWitch to perform at Tekkoshocon.

February 4, 2012 – Osaka based gothic-metal/rock band SoundWitch will make their American live performance debut at Tekkoshocon 2012. The band will perform a live concert and attend autograph and Q&A sessions for fans during Tekkoshocon’s four-day event in Pittsburgh, PA from March 22 – 25, 2012.

Tekkoshocon information and pre-registration at:

http://www.tekkoshocon.com

SoundWitch PROFILE
SoundWitch was formed in Osaka, Japan in 2005 and performing in the Kansai area. In 2007 and 2008, they released three demo single CDs, and in July 2008 performed at the female vocalist festival, “ADDICT XX”.

Maintaining their momentum, they moved into production of their first album and in April of 2009, “WICCAHOLIC” was released. For this release, they set out on a Japan-wide tour and released their first promotional music video, “WITHOUT”. SoundWitch ended their tour in January 2010 with their first solo “one-man” live show in Osaka, performing 8 news songs which signalled the start of production on their 2nd album.

In 2009 and 2010, SoundWitch performed at several Japanese music festivals, including “FAR EAST RAMPAGE” and taking the headlining spot on the sub-stage of “ADDICT XX”, followed by the release of their second album “GROTESCA” in October 2010. After the release, they began the “GROTESCA SHOW” tour country-wide, finishing the tour in November 2010 with a “two-man” show with their 413 Tracks label mates and friends “6ft. down”. In March of 2011, the “KISS ME KILL ME” 2011 JAPAN TOUR CHAPTER ONE was announced.

SoundWitch members are: Twin (vocals), May (guitar, programming), Sack (drums), Matsubai (bass), Drug-on (guitar).

SoundWitch appears at Tekkoshocon by arrangement with JapanFiles and Monsters, Inc.

LINKS!
SoundWitch official website: http://www.soundwitch.jp/
SoundWitch on JapanFiles: http://www.japanfiles.com/soundwitch

VIDEO!
SoundWitch – “FRUSTRATE ME”

SoundWitch – “WITHOUT”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sME_AYiNnQ

 

TOTALFAT to release new opening theme song to NARUTO Shonen-hen on 2/14

TOTALFAT’s new song “Good Bye, Good Luck” has been featured as the new opening theme to the smash-hit animation series NARUTO Shonen-hen.
This single will be digitally released in the US on February 14 through iTunes and Amazon.

TOTALFAT has just released “Place to Try”(ending theme song to NARUTO Shippuden) on November 9, 2011 in the US, and on February 14, 2012, they will be releasing their new song “Good Bye, Good Luck”(opening theme song to NARUTO Shonen-hen), a graduation song about starting a new journey.

This single also includes song “Place to Try -Featuring Atsushi Suemitsu Version-“, a ballad arrangement version from their previous release.

Both songs ““Good Bye, Good Luck”, and the newly arranged “Place to Try -Featuring Atsushi Suemitsu Version-“ will best describe and match for Japan’s graduation season in spring.

TOTALFAT performed 7 times as the opening act for THE OFFSPRING’s “Rise And Fall, Rage And Grace” JAPAN TOUR, and the band has also played with many overseas artists including Good Charlotte. With their amazing career, they have been appearing in various music festivals attracting enormous numbers of crowds.

[RELEASE INFO]

Title: Good Bye, Good Luck (NARUTO Shonen-hen opening theme)
Feb.14, 2012 Release via iTunes and Amazon

1.Good Bye, Good Luck
2.Attack Or Die
3.Place to Try -Featuring Atsushi Suemitsu Version-
4.Good Bye, Good Luck -NARUTO Opening Version-
5.Good Bye, Good Luck -Instrumental-

Title: Place to Try (NARUTO Shippuden ending theme)
NOW AVAILABLE at iTunes and Amazon
US iTunes link:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/place-to-try/id482395955?i=482395958&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

US Amazon link:

http://www.amazon.com/Place-to-Try-EP/dp/B006H3FX74/ref=sr_shvl_album_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326710579&sr=301-1

* Watch Naruto Shippuden, now on VIZAnime.com, VIZ Media’s own website for free anime, as well as on the streaming content provider HULU
www.vizanime.com
www.hulu.com

[PROFILE]
4 piece band with a spectacular live performance power, collecting much attention for being noted as the “Next Hero” in the Japanese Rock Scene!
High school friends, Shun (Vo / Ba) and Bunta (Dr) went to see The Offspring’s “Americana Japan Tour 99” together, and they were completely knocked out by their great stage performance and presented entertainment.

On the way home, they were determined to form a band together and thus created TOTALFAT.
Since then, they’ve performed over 1,000 shows, and in 2008, they opened 7 shows for the Offspring’s “Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace” JAPAN TOUR.
The band has performed with many other overseas artists including Good Charlotte.
With their strong performing talent that was built through their experiences, they’ve been attracting tremendous amount of audiences in various festivals.

They have a west coast melodic punk sound as their roots, but the music that they produce is beyond its genre.
Their music is filled with exhilaration of rock, speed, power, emotional impulse, and melodies.
TOTALFAT’s lyric is another big great appeal. Their strong and straightforward messages have been raising sympathy especially among teenagers, and many say that “they’re the most powerful band that can give strength and courage to the kids in Japan”.

www.totalfat.jp
www.totalfat.net

 

ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION to release their first greatest hits album in the United States

ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION to release their album in the US for the first time!

ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION will be releasing their very first greatest hits album consisting 17 songs from their 6 full albums and 2 mini albums, added with their brand new song “Marching Band”.
Concurrently with the Japan release, the album is now available in the US through iTunes and Amazon.

Not only in Japan, ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION has gained international popularity through features on various animation films including:

“Far and Beyond” (track 1) – opening theme song to NARUTO
“Rewrite” (track 5) – opening theme song to Fullmetal Alchemist
“A Town in Blue” (track 10) – theme song to Taiyo Matsumoto’s animation film Tekkon Kinkreet
“After Dark” (track 11) – opening theme to BLEACH

ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION
“BEST HIT AKG”
Now available on iTunes and Amazon

<Tracklist>
1. Far and Beyond
2. Piece of the Future
3. Understand
4. A Flower Named You
5. Rewrite
6. To Your Town
7. Loop & Loop
8. Black Out
9. Blue Train
10. A Town in Blue
11. After Dark
12. Rock’n Roll, Morning Light Falls On You
13. Mustang
14. Fujisawa Loser
15. Love songs of new century
16. Soranin
17. Marching Band

[PROFILE]
Formed in 1996 through their music club in college.

Released their 1st album “Hokai Amplifier” in 2002 from an indie label.

In April 2003, “Hokai Amplifier” was exceptionally re-released from Ki/oon Records, making their major debut. By summer, the band played FUJI ROCK Festival and SUMMER SONIC.

Same year, the band launched “NANO-MUGEN Festival” at Shinjuku LOFT. Joined by international artists from 2004 including Ben Folds, Third Eye Blind, and Stereophonics, the festival gradually expanded and shifted its venue to Budokan, and then to Yokohama Arena.

Starting with their first overseas performance at Korea’s music festival “INCHEON PENTAPORT ROCK FESTIVAL”, they appeared in 10 summer rock festivals all over Japan in 2007.
In 2008, they shared the stage with WEEZER at “WEEZER FESTIVAL” for both Tokyo and Osaka shows.

On June 23, 2010, they released their 6th original album “Magic Disk” achieving No.2 at the ORICON chart.

The band has released a total of 9 albums and 15 singles selling 2.5million units.

www.asiankung-fu.com

 

Ayumi Hamasaki files for divorce

While quick weddings are no surprise in the US, in Japan, one of their high profile celeb, singer Ayumi Hamasaki (34) has filed for divorce from husband, actor Manuel Schwartz (31) as announced on her fan club website, Team Ayu.

Thet wo who married in August 2010 got married on New Years Day in 2011 and moved to the US.

According to the reason of the divorce, after the Earthquake disaster, her strong ties to the Japan had made her want to stay in Japan and thus preventing her from being with her husband in the United States.

Source: Sankei Sports

 

NEW PEOPLE CELEBRATES GANTZ II RELEASE WITH SPECIAL S.F. FILM SCREENINGS

NEW PEOPLE ENTERTAINMENT CELEBRATES GANTZ II: PERFECT ANSWER RELEASE WITH SPECIAL THEATRICAL FILM SCREENINGS AT S.F. JAPANESE POP CULTURE THEATRE

Exciting Concluding Chapter Of Kinetic Japanese Sci-Fi Film Epic Based On Popular Manga Series Released On DVD/Blu-ray; NEW PEOPLE In San Francisco To Screen GANTZ I and GANTZ II On January 14th

San Francisco, CA, January 4, 2012– NEW PEOPLE Entertainment celebrates the recently announced release of GANTZ II: Perfect Answer on DVD/Blu-ray with a special series of screenings of the entire GANTZ film saga on Saturday, January 14th at the S.F. Film Society | NEW PEOPLE Cinema located in San Francisco’s Japantown. Tickets are $10. Additional ticket and film info is available at: www.newpeopleworld.com/films.

GANTZ (Dubbed) 1:00pm
GANTZ II: Perfect Answer (Dubbed) 4:00pm
GANTZ II: Perfect Answer (Subtitled) 7:00pm

All those attending the screenings of GANTZ II: Perfect Answer will receive a free full-color GANTZ poster. A special ticket bundle is also available for $25 (DVD) or $30 (Blu-ray) that includes a movie pass, poster, and either the DVD or Blu-ray release.

How will we face the end? The GANTZ saga meets its ultimate conclusion in GANTZ II: Perfect Answer, which offers an intensely gripping story-line yet to be known to even readers of the original manga series. Determined to resurrect his friends who have died on previous missions, Kei and other members trapped in the world of GANTZ aim to score the 100 points needed to break through and regain their freedom. But with the emergence of a mysterious man investigating the Gantz members, Gantz begins to act up and the next target shocks the members. Some fight for love, some for justice but what will each member sacrifice?

GANTZ and GANTZ II: Perfect Answer are based on a popular manga series created by Hiroya Oku. The ongoing 31-volume sci-fi action epic has sold more than 16 million copies in Japan and is published in North America by Dark Horse Comics. The live-action films star leading Japanese actors Kazunari Ninomiya (Letters from Iwo Jima) and Kenichi Matsuyama (Death Note, Detroit Metal City).

Kazunari Ninomiya, best known in America for his role in Clint Eastwood’s 2006 blockbuster, Letters from Iwo Jima, is both an actor and a singer. He is also world-renowned as a member of the Japanese boy band “Arashi,” which topped Japan’s music charts in 2009 with the three best-selling singles.

Kenichi Matsuyama is currently one of the most sought-after actors in Japanese film and he has won several awards including Japanese Academy Awards Best New Actor (2007) and Most Popular Actor (2009). Matsuyama is widely recognized for his part as L in Death Note (2006), Death Note II: the Last Name (2006) and Death Note: L, change the WorLd (2008) and also for his portrayal of Johannes Krauser II in the outlandish rock and roll comedy, Detroit Metal City (2009).

For more information on GANTZ and other NEW PEOPLE Entertainment films, please visit: www.newpeopleent.com.

 

JAPANESE MUSIC SUPERSTAR YOSHIKI TO COMPOSE THEME FOR 2012 GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS®

HOLLYWOOD, CA, January 5, 2012‹Yoshiki, the classically trained
multi-instrumentalist and leader of one of Japan¹s most successful rock
groups, X-Japan, will compose the theme for this year¹s Golden Globe® Awards
show. The announcement was made today by Hollywood Foreign Press Association
(HFPA) president Dr. Aida Takla-O’Reilly and dick clark productions (dcp)
executive vice president, television, Barry Adelman. The 69th Annual Golden
Globe Awards airs internationally in more than190 countries (please check
local listings). In the U.S., it will be broadcast LIVE coast-to-coast on
NBC on Sunday, January 15, 2012, with the pre-show from 4:00-5:00p.m.
(PST)/7:00-8:00p.m. (EST), and main telecast from 5:00-8:00
(PST)/8:00pm-11:00p.m., (EST), hosted by Ricky Gervais from the Beverly
Hilton Hotel.

³Yoshiki is a world-renowned musician and composer of enormous talent and
versatility, who in addition to being a rock superstar has composed for film
and television,² said Takla-O’Reilly. ³As an international organization
dedicated to creative achievements, the HFPA is delighted to have a global
musical artist of Yoshiki¹s stature create the theme for the show.²
Added Adelman, ³We look forward to incorporating Yoshiki¹s music into the
production of the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards.

³The Golden Globe Awards are extremely prestigious, but the show is also
edgy,² said Yoshiki, who attended the awards presentation for the first time
last year. ³I¹m a classical pianist and a rock drummer, so it was natural to
create something beautiful that also has an edge.

Produced by dick clark productions in association with the HFPA, the Golden
Globe Awards are viewed in more than 190 countries worldwide. The 2011
³Golden Globe Awards² earned the event’s biggest overall audience (17
million) since 2007.

About Yoshiki
Yoshiki, considered Asia’s most influential music artist and biggest rock
icon, is also a songwriter, drummer, and a classically-trained pianist. His
rock group X Japan has sold 30 million singles and albums combined and
filled the 55,000-seat Toyko Dome a record 18 times. Now the band¹s
popularity is spreading throughout the world, having recently completed a
sold-out World Tour, performing in North America, Europe, Latin America, and
Southeast Asia. In 1999, Yoshiki composed a piano concerto and performed it
with a 77-piece orchestra to celebrate the 10th year of the Emperor of
Japan’s reign. In 2005, Yoshiki composed the theme song and conducted the
Super World Orchestra at the opening ceremony of the World Expo. Previously,
Yoshiki recorded a classical album co-produced and arranged by acclaimed
Beatles producer Sir George Martin and performed by the London Philharmonic
Orchestra. Beyond music, Yoshiki has his own Visa Card and MasterCard issued
by one of the largest Japanese banks. Recently, the legendary Stan Lee
created a Super Hero based on him, and for the first time, a Hello Kitty
product line is named after a person ­ “Yoshikitty.” In 2010, he launched
his non-profit organization Yoshiki Foundation America , which continues to
donate to various charitable organizations, including supporting Japanese
Earthquake victims. Follow Yoshiki on www.twitter.com/yoshikiofficial
, www.yoshiki.net
and www.xjapanmusic.com
.

About the Hollywood Foreign Press Association
Founded in the 1940s during World War II, the HFPA was originally comprised
of a handful of Los Angeles-based overseas journalists who sought to bridge
the international community with Hollywood, and to provide distraction from
the hardships of war through film. Sixty-eight years later, members of the
HFPA represent 55 countries with a combined readership of 250 million in
some of the world¹s most respected publications. Each year, the organization
holds the third most watched awards show on television, the Golden Globe
Awards, which has enabled the organization to donate more than $12 million
to entertainment related charities and scholarship programs. For more
information, please visit www.goldenglobes.org
, and follow us on Twitter (@goldenglobes) and Facebook
(www.facebook.com/goldenglobes ) for
exclusive celebrity videos and up to the minute Golden Globes news!

About dick clark productions
Founded in 1957, dick clark productions, inc. (dcp) is a leading independent
producer of television programming. dcp produces perennial hits such as the
³American Music Awards,² ³Golden Globe Awards,² ³Academy of Country Music
Awards,² and ³Dick Clark¹s New Year¹s Rockin¹ Eve with Ryan Seacrest.² dcp
also produces popular weekly television programming, including ³So You Think
You Can Dance,² and owns and maintains one of the world¹s most unique and
extensive entertainment libraries, which includes more than 30 years of
³American Bandstand² footage.

 

AKB48 wins Grand Prize at the 53rd Nihon Record Taishou

AKB48 has won the Grand Prize at the 53rd Nihon Record Taishou (Japan Record Awards – equivalent to America’s Grammy Awards) on December 30th.

AKB48 is the brainchild of Yasushi Akimoto, the producer of the large female pop group Onyanko Club and the AKB48 franchise. Despite struggling CD sales in Japan, AKB48 has received significant sales over a million in 2011.

Fairies won “Newcomer of the Year”.

 

Pop star Kumi Koda engaged and 8 weeks pregnant

Kumi Koda held a press conference to announce that she and BACK-ON guitarist KENJI03 are engaged and that she is also 8 weeks pregnant.

The singer wanted to set the record straight about her engagement and pregnancy as many media were speculating if Koda would retire from the music industry.  During the press conference, media noticed a baby belly and said it out loud to the artist.  Koda replied, “I do”.

Kumi also said that she met KENJI03 through her sister misono and both started dating this spring.

 

L’Arc~en~Ciel to release new album! Live steaming via USTREAM for their mastering process!

L’Arc～en～Ciel
New Album is Almost Ready for Release!
Live streaming via USTREAM for the mastering process!

New album is almost ready to be released! Live scenes of the members in mastering process of their new release will be broadcasted live via USTREAM! The secret is hidden inside “CHASE”!
Date & Time for USTREAM Live Streaming: 12/26/2011(Mon) 22:00~ (JST)
For more details, check the information slip included in the new single “CHASE” to be released on 12/21.

New Single “CHASE” out on 12/21/2011!
Theme song of the movie “Wild 7”
【1st Limited Edition】
DVD: “CHASE” Music Clip
◆Special sleeve
◆Exclusive access code to join live streaming for mastering process of the new album!
◆Double picture label
KSCL 1906-1907  1,575 yen（tax in）
【Regular Edition】
1st Press Limited Edition-
◆Special sleeve
◆Exclusive access code to join the live streaming for the mastering process of the new album!
◆Picture label
KSCL 1908  1,223 yen（tax in）

P’UNK～EN～CIEL
Release of 1st Album “P’UNK IS NOT DEAD”!
P’UNK～EN～CIEL, formed in 2004 with L’Arc～en～Ciel members playing different parts, are finally releasing their very 1st album!
*More information will be available soon!

Smart Phone Application
Available on smart phone application this year! There will be many things to enjoy, such as music, music clips, photos and more! “Hurry Xmas” download starts!

DVD “20th L’Anniversary LIVE”
DVD box of the memorable lives on 5/28 and 5/29/2011 at Ajinomoto Stadium is ready for release! DVD “20th L’Anniversary LIVE” will be out on 12/28/2011!

“20th L’Anniversary LIVE -Complete Box-“
【Special Limited Edition】
20th L’Anniversary LIVE -Day1- & -Day2- track list of 45 songs!
20th L’Anniversary special package!
◆Set of 20 postcards included
◆20-page live photo book
◆Replica of staff pass and sticker sheet included
DVD 4-disc set KSBL 6005-6008　19,800 yen（tax in）

“20th L’Anniversary LIVE -Day1-“
1st press limited special package!
◆20th L’Anniversary LIVE -Day1- staff pass included
DVD 2-disc set KSBL 6009-6010　7,980 yen（tax in）

“20th L’Anniversary LIVE –Day2-“
1st press limited special package!
◆20th L’Anniversary LIVE -Day2- staff pass included
DVD 2-disc set KSBL 6011-6012　7,980 yen（tax in）

20th L’Anniversary WORLD TOUR Final!
Tokyo and Osaka lives in 5/2012

L’Arc～en～Ciel WORLD TOUR 2012
3/3/2012(Sat) Asia World EXPO ARENA / Hong Kong, China
3/7/2012(Wed) IMPACT ARENA / Bangkok, Thailand
3/10/2012(Sat) MERCEDES-BENZ ARENA / Shanghai, China
3/17/2012(Sat) TWTC Nangang Exhibition Hall / Taipei, Taiwan
3/23/2012(Fri) The Theater at Madison Square Garden / New York, USA
4/11/2012(Wed) indigO2 / London, UK
4/14/2012(Sat) Le Zenith / Paris, France

20th L’Anniversary WORLD TOUR 2012 Final tour lives in Japan!
Tokyo and Osaka in 5/2012  Details will be announced soon!

 

NEW PEOPLE STARTS HOLIDAY FUN JAPANESE STYLE w/ 3 FILM SCREENINGS ON 12/17

Japanese Pop Culture Venue Welcomes The Holiday Season And Presents Eatrip, DOCUMENTARY Of AKB48 to be continued, and GANTZ II: Perfect Answer At The Bay Area’s Hottest Movie Theatre

San Francisco, CA, December 6, 2011 – NEW PEOPLE, the nation’s only entertainment complex dedicated to Japanese popular culture, has announced a trio of Japanese live-action films to screen on Saturday, December 17th at the venue’s SF Film Society | NEW PEOPLE Cinema. The screenings will include the culinary documentary Eatrip, which plays at 1:00pm, the newly released music biopic, DOCUMENTARY of AKB48 to be continued, which plays at 3:00pm and again at 8:30pm, and finally the action-packed conclusion of the celebrated GANTZ sci-fi saga with a showing of GANTZ II: Perfect Answer at 5:00pm. Tickets are $10.00 each per film. Information and advance tickets are available at: www.newpeopleworld.com.

Filmgoers that bring their movie ticket to NEW PEOPLE, The Store, located in the building’s lobby, before or after each show will receive $10.00 off any NEW PEOPLE Entertainment DVD or Blu-ray release that day.

Eatrip              Screens at 1:00pm
The film takes audiences on an intriguing journey throughout Japan and features interviews with interesting personalities from a variety of walks of life to look at how life can be led richly through the daily ritual of eating. To eat is more than a necessity – it’s a universal experience all human beings share. In the film, Yuri Nomura embarks on an insightful journey throughout Japan to examine the daily rituals of eating among people from different walks of life. Actor Tadanobu Asano, singer UA, and fashion designer Jurgen Lehl are among those featured. From the Tsukiji fish market to a farm in Okinawa, Eatrip offers poignant interviews with intriguing personalities including the head monk of a famous Buddhist temple; a distributor of Japanese soup stock (Bonito broth); an Okinawan woman leading a self-sustainable lifestyle devoid of modern conveniences; a tea ceremony master, and a musician and writer who recites poems about food. Eatrip is available now on DVD from NEW PEOPLE Entertainment.

DOCUMENTARY of AKB48 to be continued                    Screens at 3:00pm & 8:30pm
The new music biopic follows the unstoppable all-female Japanese pop idol group, AKB48, on their incredible rise to fame.  AKB48 was conceived in 2005 by Yasushi Akimoto, one of Japan’s most respected music producers. Beginning as a small all-girl singing group based in the Akihabara district of Tokyo – the city’s bustling electronics and anime/pop culture shopping Mecca – AKB48 has grown to 60 members and topped Japan’s Oricon music charts with the two best-selling pop singles in 2010 as well as another two singles ranking in the Top 10. The film was just released by NEW PEOPLE Entertainment on DVD on December 1st.

GANTZ II: Perfect Answer               Screens at 5:00pm
The GANTZ saga meets its ultimate conclusion in GANTZ II: Perfect Answer, which offers an intensely gripping story-line yet to be known to even readers of the original manga series. Determined to resurrect his friends who have died on previous missions, Kei and other members trapped in the world of GANTZ aim to score the 100 points needed to break through and regain their freedom. But with the emergence of a mysterious man investigating the Gantz members, Gantz begins to act up and the next target shocks the members. Some fight for love, some for justice but what will each member have to sacrifice? GANTZ is based on a popular manga series created by Hiroya Oku and star leading Japanese actors Kazunari Ninomiya (Letters from Iwo Jima) and Kenichi Matsuyama (Death Note, Detroit Metal City). GANTZ II: Perfect Answer will be released by NEW PEOPLE Entertainment on DVD and Blu-ray on January 17th, 2012.

The SF Film Society | NEW PEOPLE Cinema is a 143-seat subterranean theatre located at 1746 Post Street in San Francisco’s Japantown and features plush seating, digital as well as 35mm projection, and a THX®-certified sound system.

About NEW PEOPLE, Inc.
Based in San Francisco, California, NEW PEOPLE, Inc. (www.newpeopleworld.com) offers the latest films, art, fashion and retail brands from Japan through its unique entertainment destination as well as through licensing and distribution of selective Japanese films. NEW PEOPLE Entertainment (www.newpeopleent.com), a film division of NEW PEOPLE, Inc. strives to offer the most entertaining motion pictures straight from the “Kingdom of Pop” for audiences of all ages, especially the manga and anime generation, in North America. Some titles include DEATH NOTE, GANTZ, KAMIKAZE GIRLS, and THE TASTE OF TEA.

 

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