J-Pop World News and Comments

News update from SYNC MUSIC NEWS:

“A headline-making band of wolves “MAN WITH A MISSION” is coming to JAPAN EXPO 2012!!!

With their first single released on 4/4/2012 ranking #6 (as of 4/16) on Oricon’s Weekly Single Chart and their first nationwide one-man live tour going sold-out immediately, MAN WITH A MISSION, a 5-piece rock band of wolves, are rocking away at full speed and expanding their horizons as far as Europe! MAN WITH A MISSION will participate in JAPAN EXPO 2012, a world-famous Japanese cultural event taking place in France.

MAN WITH A MISSION Profile:
Tokyo Tanaka (Vocal)
Jean-Ken Johnny (Guitar, Vocal, Raps)
Kamikaze Boy (Bass, Chorus)
Spear Rib (Drums)
DJ Santa Monica (Djs, Sampling)

MAN WITH A MISSION is a 5-piece rock band of wolves whose members are Tokyo Tanaka (Vocal), Jean-Ken Johnny (Guitar, Vocal , Rap), Kamikaze Boy (Bass, Chorus), Spear Rib (Drums) and DJ Santa Monica (DJ, Sampling). They are mutant creatures with wolf heads and human bodies. The members claim to be “the extreme creatures” who have surpassed the boundaries of many types and shapes of creatures on earth.

They have performed at various music festivals and events in Japan even before their debut. They also appeared on TV and attracted much attention among those who can recognize real rock sounds.

After carefully but surely paving the way, MAN WITH A MISSION finally made their major debut in June 2011 with their first release going sold-out at many different CD shops all around Japan. Through power-plays on radio and tie-ups with TV programs, they received a tremendous amount of attention as their music was featured on 28 different channels nationwide. Tickets for their first one-man live held in July 2011 were sold-out only in 10 minutes after the ticketing began. Only in 2 months after their debut, they performed at “SUMMER SONIC 2011,” Japan’s biggest summer music festival, in front of an audience of about 10,000. They also participated in big-scaled events such as CDJ11/12 and RADIOCRAZY, thus attracting so much attention from rock fans.

JAPAN EXPO’s scale and number of participating guest artists from Japan kept on growing ever since their very first event back in 2000. With the main theme of introducing Japanese pop culture, JAPAN EXPO is a grand-scale event where everyone can experience what’s happening “in Japan now” at first hand.

MAN WITH A MISSION may come off as a comical band at your first glance, but here is why they were capable of mesmerizing the audience of Japan. Their heavy sounds in a moderate mix of danceable tunes and heart-touching melodies are a sure thing to impress any audience they perform for. That’s why they will be on their way to France for JAPAN EXPO this coming July.

JAPAN EXPO Statistics:
Number of visitors & List of guest artists from Japan
1st 6/2000 3,200 visitors
2nd 12/2000 8,000 visitors
3rd 7/2001 12,000 visitors
4th 7/2002 21,000 visitors
5th 7/4-7/6/2003 29,000 visitors
6th 7/2-7/4/2004 41,000 visitors
7th 7/7-7/9/2006 56,000 visitors?
8th 7/6-7/8/2007 81,000 visitors
10th 7/2-7/5/2009 164,000 visitors
12th 6/30-7/3/2011 192,000 visitors?
http://www.japan-expo.com

MAN WITH A MISSION
Official website: http://mwamjapan.info
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/mwaminfo029
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MWAMjapan

DISCOGRAPHY OF “ MAN WITH A MISSION”
1st limited debut mini ALBUM????
“WELCOME TO THE NEW WORLD”
2010.11 .3 RELEASE? FYTD-1001 1,000 yen (tax in)

limited indies SINGLE
“NEVER FXXKIN’ MIND THE RULES“
2011.4.6 RELEASE FYTD-1003 777 yen (tax in) limited production of 2029 CDs

Major 1st Full ALBUM
“MAN WITH A MISSION”

2011.6.8 RELEASE? CRCP-40295 2,200 yen (tax in)
2nd mini ALBUM

“Trick or Treat e.p.”
2011.10.5 RELEASE? CRCP-40302 1,500 yen (tax in)

Major 1st SINGLE
“distance”

2012.4.4 RELEASE
CD + DVD CRCP-10273 / 1,700 yen (tax in.)
CD CRCP-10274 / 1,200 yen (tax in.)”

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Post your comments about our The Rubies Interview and let us know what you thought of them.

“Last year was a difficult time for everyone in Japan and many countries helped us get back on our feet. So, as a representative of the Japanese people, we said “Thank you” so many times from the bottom of our hearts.” – Kazuya

One of our favorite old school rock groups of 2008 was the three man group The Emeralds. Four years later the new reincarnation of the group, now called The Rubies, is still reviving the sounds of classic rock and roll. With Kazuya and Osuke leading the way and new band mates Daisuke and Taro adding their style, the ever colorful band is hard at work on a new album.

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On April 9, 2012 the members of The Rubies were kind enough to give an interview to J-Pop World. The Rubies Interview.

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On March 19, 2012 the members of CANTOY were kind enough to give an interview to J-Pop World. CANTOY Interview.

Post your comments about our David Myhr Interview and let us know what you thought of him.

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From the land of ABBA to the streets of Japan, David Myhr has seen his share of the world’s music industry. Formerly of the group The Merrymakers (see our August 3, 2009 interview), David has finally parted company with his longtime music collaborator, Anders Hellgren, to launch his own solo effort. Beginning with the release of two new singles and an all new album, “Soundshine”, David has managed to create that foot tapping sound we came to love in his “Boom Boom Beat” music for Puffy AmiYumi.

On February 26, 2012 David Myhr was kind enough to give an interview to J-Pop World. David Myhr Interview

One easy and fast way you can help the people in Japan recover from the Earthquake and Tsunami is to donate to the international Red Cross organization. You can specify on their donation page for your funds to go to helping the Japanese Earthquake/Tsunami relief efforts.

Donate Now

Post your comments about our Kazha Interview and let us know what you thought of them.

“Hideki is just really good at interplaying with my melodies. I was very impressed and actually cried when I listened to his work on Another Day.” – Kazuha Oda

When the vocals of one artist flow perfectly with the sounds of the guitar, bass and drums of a band you have found something that no amount of corporate backing can create — magic. We’ve heard a lot of that magic in songs like Close To You, I Still Remember and Another Day from the group Kazha. Composed of Kazuha Oda on vocals, Hideki Matsushige on guitar, Yota Sato on bass and Rui Aranai on drums, this new group released their first album “Overture” in 2010 and are currently touring the US.

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On June 3, 2010 the members of Kazha were kind enough to give an interview to J-Pop World. Kazha Interview.