#they have made me watch marching band videos.

[hauntedpotat]

I'm going to a DCI show tomorrow for marching band bc we do an annual field trip for it, and there was this shirt i wanted from last year's performance that I never managed to get ahold of and now that it's been a year since the tour it's been marked down to $10 :3

I am very happy

[yridenergyridenergy]

The wholesome-ish friendship between Shinya and Kyo

Their latest playful Q&A in Haiiro no Ginka vol. 100 has prompted me to compile examples of this weird but overall wholesome relationship that Kyo and Shinya have and which is not obvious at first.

Situation #1

In October 2017, Kyo gifted Shinya with a custom white version of a MadaraNingen one-piece. As far as I remember, that article of clothing was not available for purchase in white at all, to the public. And of course, we all know that Shinya prefers to wear white.

Situation #2

I think that in response to Shinya sharing a video of him briefly playing with the minicars that were sold as tour goods in This Way to Self-Destruction, Kyo posted a story on Instagram of him revving up a bunch of mini-cars and persistently making them hit his phone propped up on a counter and displaying a picture of Shinya. At age 43. To which Shinya made an Instagram post vaguely hinting that: "Good children should not play with the mini-cars to hit someone's picture!"

Kyo's Instagram Story "The proper way to use mini-cars" video

Shinya's translated response

Situation #3

In late 2022-early 2023, Shinya publicly celebrated his bandmates' birthdays via emojis on Twitter, and Kyo was the only one to respond, in kind.

Situation #4

Kyo posted a cryptic picture of Shinya's video meeting with Mana in an Instagram Story and he has mentioned on Twitter at least once that he was watching Shinya Channel (the making of the FaFa onigiri).

In the same vein, Shinya took his failed attempt at needle-felting a pink bunny in March 2022 and turned it into a miniature hammer-wielding bunny in October 2022, in response to sukekiyo unveiling their Mosaic Shoujo PV which featured Kyo in the killer bunny suit.

Situation #5

This very old video of Kyo teasing Shinya by pinching the side of his dress, Shinya reacting by pushing Kyo a bit and Kyo falling into a robot dance in response.

Situation #6

The coffee maker. In one of the live talks held during the COVID-19 pandemic at concert venues, Shinya mentioned having a coffee maker which was of no use to him, and Kyo expressed interest in taking it from him. Later, in the Galacaa livestream talk between the two, it was revealed that Shinya had promised to give Kyo his coffee maker, but he never pulled through on that offer. Kyo, sporting a doodled face to hide his own, insistently questioned Shinya on this unreliability when the topic was brought up by fans in the comments. Shinya kind of struggled but ended up explaning that the coffee maker was really useless because of a defect, that it would not have been an appropriate gift anymore. But he forgot to update Kyo about it after he tried to contact the manufacturer. Kyo replied like: "Oh, alright then."

At some point, Kyo took the matter to Twitter, confronting Shinya about it with their respective member photos to illustrate the dialogue, and Shinya replied the same way.

Situation #7

In that same livestream, Shinya is so used to Kyo's bullshit by now that he completely ignores Kyo's doodle face sheet and casually leans forward to look past him and at the interviewer, sat on Kyo's right. After a while of this, the interviewer points out to Shinya that Kyo is insistently staring at him with this disturbing face, which is when Shinya becomes startled and nervously laughs upon realizing that, also making Kyo chuckle.

Situation #8

More often than others, Shinya and Kyo are documented chatting on the chairs backstage while they wait for everyone to be ready to start the show. Maybe there's something to be said of how they are the two members of the band to leave the stage the quickest, while Kaoru, Toshiya and Die stay for a while to throw picks.

Situation #9

Miscellaneous pictures of the two:

Situation #10

Apparently it was Shinya's earbuds that Kyo used to play with the cat (also Shinya's?) in this famous old video.

Situation #11

Other interactions on Twitter include commentary regarding the song battles that fans were voting on via that same website, during live broadcasts from their manager Fujieda on Galacaa. Kyo and Shinya were the only two members reacting to the songs that were pulled out of the box, Kyo sometimes replying to Shinya's own tweets wondering what he meant or outright questioning his preference.

Another interaction consisted in Kyo copying Shinya's tweets regarding the release of their Phalaris album and twisting Shinya's cute comments into hellish versions.

Situation #12

Probably a bunch of elusive comments throughout the years, but here's an example of something that Shinya said about Kyo in a magazine interview.

Situation #13

In Haiiro no Ginka vol. 100, the members were asked to send each other member five questions. Some chose to personalize them based on what they actually wanted to ask of the others, while a couple decided to send the same questions to all, but members were not told who the questions came from. Kyo picked up on that anonymous part of the game and when answering Shinya's set of questions, he ended each of his short answers with a second sentence that can either just be the Kansai dialect for: "Aren't you Shinya!", or in other dialects, translates more to: "Shinya, you bastard!" hahah. From what I saw, nobody else hinted at who they thought the questions came from in their answers. In reverse, Kyo took up two of his five alloted questions for Shinya with the simple statement: "You don't know you're dead yet!", a quote from Fist of the North Star which is highly intimidating as it hints that someone has defeated the character so easily and lightning-fast that they are a dead man standing, their body having trouble catching up with the reality that they were slaughtered. Shinya, in response to that repeated tease, stubbornly replies in his polite and formal Japanese that: "No, I'm not dead." Their Q&A with the other members were not nearly that quirky.

Situation #14

At his SERAPH birthday concert in 2023, Shinya said that his three treasures in life are:

DIR EN GREY

SERAPH

sukekiyo

Situation #15

Kyo replying to Shinya's post featuring a very old picture of Kyo (which was however respectfully hidden by Phalarisu-kun) by pulling out the oldest/youngest postcards of Shinya he could find, also commenting to paraphrase Shinya: "Postcards that probably no one has anymore." His own postcard depicting him peeks from underneath.

Shinya replied to that with: "I tried to look for it but couldn't find it 🥺"

Situation #16

On Twitter, Shinya posted a photo with other artists which he explained as: "Yesterday, we had a birthday celebration for everyone born in February and March 🎂 Happy birthday everyone 🎉🎉🎉"

To which Kyo directly replied: "I wasn't invited." (born February 16th)

And Shinya responded with: "The DIR EN GREY guys are a bit mean 🥺"

Kyo never replied to that.

Situation #17

Going to combine two things considering how long ago they were.

Shinya and Kyo were the first members of Dir en grey to meet, and the day right after I posted this compilation happened to be the 28th anniversary of when they first performed together.

There's also an anecdote that, way back then, no one in the band knew how to contact Kyo because none of them had his phone number, but eventually Shinya just casually revealed that he had it all along and said: "Oh I'll just call him"

Situation #18

Shinya and Kyo are the only members who are clearly dog lovers in the band, while Die and Toshiya are part of the cat team. Shinya used to have a dog (chihuahua?) and Kyo now has Pun-cha. Shinya recently wore a sweater with a dog on it.

Situation #19

In a tweet that Kyo has since deleted, he wrote that if there was one grudge he still held, it was that he never appeared on the cover of a Rockin'f magazine. Shinya also wasn't featured, so he added that while he doesn't have a grudge against them, he has declined interviews and comments for a certain magazine after that.

Situation #20

During their European tour 2024, Kyo and Shinya embarked in a playful spat on Twitter, seemingly out of boredom while traveling on the tour bus. It was funny the way it culminated in both of them forcing the other to subscribe to their fan clubs to find out more. On Kyo's side at least, I didn't see anything related to that on kyo-online for real hah.

Situation #21

Shinya took the time to snap a picture of Petit Brabançon playing on the Yunika Vision screens while he was out solving a game, then posting that on Twitter and promoting Petit Brabancon. " I heard Kyo sing while solving a mystery in Shinjuku"

He also made numerous mentions of the Petit Brabancon posters around Gorilla Hall in his video touring that venue:

... Did I miss any? And there will undoubtedly be more to come!

Thank you very much to shinyaburashka, mementoboni, lamenty45 and degtau for your help!

[badnewswhatsleft]

total guitar #160 march 2007 [joe's video]

transcript below cut:

You voted Dance, Dance in at No 57 in TG’s 100 Greatest Riffs, so we managed to collar the dual guitar talents of Fall Out Boy’s Joe Trohman and Patrick Stump to ask them how they write riffs, who they think is the ultimate riff-writing machine and what they deem to be the top five greatest riffs ever written…

Words: Claire Davies, Images: Joby Sessions

When you look at Fall Out Boy or listen to any one of their albums, it’s easy to dismiss them as pop punk scamps who like to mess around on the guitar but don’t take it that seriously. In some respects you’d be right, but singer/guitarist Patrick Stump and his talented co-guitarist Joe Trohman know quite a bit about writing insanely catchy riffs and playing guitar.

Patrick, for instance, doesn’t respect players who wail unnecessarily over a song. “I like restraint in guitarists,” he says. “It’s easy to go overboard and try to be Eddie Van Halen. But here’s the thing: you’re not.” Joe, on the other hand, is completely obsessed with vintage guitars. “I was really into vintage Gibsons, but I just used to break them all the time and it turned out to be kind of expensive. Now I play Washburns ‘cos they have that same wide-neck feel and pickups as some of those 70s Les Pauls.”

One thing they’re both passionate about, however, is writing great riffs and how you - by expanding your musical horizons - can write one with as much groove as Pantera’s Walk…

So guys, why did you choose guitar and when did you start playing?

Joe Trohman: “I started playing guitar because of Metallica. I used to listen to them loads and when my grandma got me the Live Shit: Binge And Purge video I couldn’t stop watching it. I used to play viola and trombone in my school band, but watching bands like Metallica and Smashing Pumpkins made me wanna play guitar. From the moment I got a cheap $50 guitar, I played it all the time.”

Patrick Stump: “I chose drums to begin with, but my dad was a folk singer in the 70s so he always had a guitar lying around. I’d mess around and write songs on it, but I never fancied myself as much of a player. When the band started I ended up singing, even though I was supposed to be a drummer. Then one of our guitarists quit, I had to fill in and it went from there.”

When you were starting out, which guitarists influenced you?

Joe: “Kirk Hammett and Dimebag had a huge impact on me, as did Billy Corgan. I was into a lot of lead players, I guess, but as I got older I realised how important it was to play rhythm as well. People don’t realise how good a rhythm player James Hetfield is. I also love Johnny Marr, who has probably been my biggest influence so far.”

Patrick: “I’m not a huge Stones fan, but I appreciate Keith Richards’ playing ‘cos it’s all about his riffs. Outside of that, my favourite shit as a guitar player is funk; everyone from James Brown to Prince. I also love jazz player Joe Pass, who is one of the only people good enough to noodle on guitar, and Jesse Johnson who was in a band called The Time from the Prince movie Purple Rain. My favourite solo of his is just one note, but the crazy shit he does with that one note is unreal.”

Moving on to riff-writing, how would you describe a guitar riff?

Joe: “It’s a cool guitar part that catches you instantly. It’s something you can play over and over without it losing its edge.”

Patrick: “Yeah, it’s four bars that are simple and that grab you immediately, like the riff from Janet Jackson’s Black Cat. I think a good riff comes down to a good rhythm section. When you look at a guy like Dimebag, he always got right in there with the bass and drums. Pantera were built on a groove as strong and simple as any R&B groove.”

Joe: “Yeah, Walk has to be one of the simplest riffs ever but it grooves, and that’s what matters: what you do with the riff and how much it grooves.”

So how do you come up with riffs, such as the one on Dance, Dance?

Patrick: “We just fuck around until we come up with something. You’ll come up with a gazillion riffs when trying stuff out, but every so often something will jump in front of you. Once you’ve got your four bars, stuff will start happening. With Dance, Dance I was just sitting in the van and we were all talking about The Cure, and I had this idea of a Cure bass line that they never wrote, which ended up being the riff in Dance Dance.”

What’s the best riff you’ve written?

Patrick: “I really like the riff on Of All The Gin Joints. But The Take Over, The Breaks Over from our new record [Infinity On High] is easily one of our best riffs. I wrote it after reading something Bowie said: that he was sitting around one day and decided that he really wanted to write a riff like Keith Richards did. So he wrote Rebel Rebel. After reading that I thought, ‘Fuck! I wanna do that!’”

What, in your opinion, makes a kick-ass riff?

Joe: “A great riff comes from being part of the rhythm and acknowledging that you’re not gonna produce something totally original. You should listen to loads of different music and put your own spin on it. Like on our last album we wrote a riff that was like Panama by Van Halen. We’ve obviously taken influence from them on that song, but we’re not ripping them off wholesale. Instead it’s like paying homage to them.”

Patrick: “When you’re writing a riff you’re part of the rhythm section and you keep up the tempo and rhythm as if you were the drummer. You have stabs as though you were the snare drum and you’re hitting low notes as though you’re the bass drum, but you’re also controlling the melody. At the end of the day, a riff is something that you can hum and it’s a rhythm you can play on drums. If you have both those qualities in your riff then you’re onto something good.”

What do you think are the Top Five greatest riffs ever written?

Joe: “I love the start of This Charming Man by The Smiths, and Black In Black by AC/DC. Walk by Pantera is probably one of the best riffs ever, same as Battery by Metallica, but if you can’t do triplets and haven’t got tons of stamina then it’s hard to play. I also love South Of Heaven by Slayer just ‘cos it’s so evil sounding.”

Patrick: “Satisfaction by The Stones is the be-all and end-all of riffs. I’d also go for Rebel Rebel by David Bowie, Janet Jackson’s Black Cat, the second section of Bohemian Rhapsody and Black Sabbath by Black Sabbath. That one riff alone changed metal as we know it. I also wanna throw in Owner Of A Lonely Heart by Yes ‘cos it’s a great example of having really talented guitarists who still keep it simple.”

Who do you think is the ultimate riff-writing machine?

Joe: “I’d go with Randy Rhoads, just ‘cos I love that riff in Crazy Train. That guy was a genius.”

Patrick: “Angus and Malcolm Young have written so many phenomenal riffs that you can’t do any better than those guys. But I come from an R&B background so I wanna say Prince, just ‘cos Let’s Go Crazy is so awesome. And I also wanna know who wrote the riff to Michael Jackson’s Beat It [TG mentions it was session musician and Toto guitarist Steve Lukather]. Was it Lukather? Yeah, of course it was: he played the riff and Eddie Van Halen played the solo. I wonder why Lukather doesn’t get more recognition? Now you’ve mentioned Lukather, I wanna change one of my Top Five riffs to Toto’s Hold The Line, ‘cos that’s one of my favourite riffs ever!”

How did you approach the guitars on your new album, Infinity On High?

Patrick: “We’re both playing a lot more rhythm on this record, but if there is lead then it’s in much more of a BB King way where there’s a call and response.”

Joe: “My favourite thing about the guitars on our new songs is that I can ad-lib when we’re playing live. I know scales well enough and understand the fretboard well enough to do that. I could never tell you what key something is in, but in my head I know what it is. The cool thing about being in this band is that Patrick and I play guitar really well together, and I’ve learned a lot from watching Patrick and playing guitar with him.”

So can we expect a lot of guitar interplay from you on this album?

Joe: “Patrick also plays piano on this album, so he’s not always on guitar, but we split up a lot of the guitar playing. There’s a solo on The Take Over, The Breaks Over that we split in half when playing live, even though on the record it was done by Chad from New Found Glory and Ryan from Panic! At The Disco. We thought it was cooler to have guest guitarists than guest vocalists. So yeah, we split a lot of the guitar stuff up and switched between rhythm and lead. The weird thing is that I’m always pegged as the lead guitarist of the band, but we always switch back and forth.”

Patrick: “I think in general, I play a lot of the single-note leads and Joe plays a lot of the octave and chord leads.”

Which tracks on the new album best exemplify you guys as guitarists?

Patrick: “The end solo of Don’t You Know Who I Think I Am? Is how I love to solo. It’s real bluesy, which is what I’m about as a player. I’d also say the solo on You’re Crashing But You’re No Wave.”

Joe: “Yeah, that one had a lot of Johnny Marr filler guitar in there, and also Don’t You Know Who I Think I Am? It's filler guitar that doesn’t really jump out at you, but it’s atmospheric and it changes the vibe without you really knowing it.”

Finally, how proud are you as guitarists of your new album?

Patrick: “This is my favourite record because it’s restrained and funny. It’s basic rhythm playing, which is my favourite kind of guitar playing. I’m much happier playing a strong riff 100 times over than playing a kick-ass solo once. We do have kick-ass solos, but the way we write doesn’t always leave that much room for them.”

Joe: “I learned from playing on this album that I don’t need to play solos all the time. I’m proud of the record and proud of the cool riffs and songs that we’ve written together.”

Patrick: “I’m less impressed when someone shows off, and on this record we don’t show off a lot so obviously you should be impressed… I’m kidding!”

[ooapple-greaseoo]

Thundering Drums

I don't know how to feel right now. I haven't ever been a big KISS fan because I was born in 2006 and never felt a strong connection with the band. I didn't know any songs besides "I was made for loving you" and I didn't even know any of the band members names. However, now as of March 2024 I learned more about KISS not because of the band but because of a person who was in the band. The first band members name i ever learned was Eric Carr's name. I guess much like other people they felt a connection with him. I felt that when i started watching videos of him goofing off (I wasn't even listening to any of the music he made/helped make. I was purely just watching for who he was as a person). I don't feel that type of connection with any other band members like you won't be seeing me actively reading a Gene Simmons biography because I want too. Eric Carr just seemed so human. He was such a good guy and I may not have met him but hearing stories about him...I kinda miss the guy you know? How could I miss someone I never had the chance to meet? Even as I'm sitting here crying while writing this every so often glancing at the picture of Eric Carr on the face of my own copy of "The Eric Carr Story" I feel like I need to make this post. I wrote this type of post before I read the book but it sadly got deleted. However, after reading the book in basically one day I feel compelled to rewrite it to get my own emotions and feelings out. One thing I wrote in the previous post that stood out was that I said I felt empty. I get like that sometimes when I get so vested into a person its like I lose a part of myself. So I was feeling very hollow before I read the book. But now after reading the book I feel like I gave that part of myself to Eric Carr and he sorta handed me back this piece of hope and confidence to keep going with my life to strive for better things. I think for me at least Eric Carr is the best drummer in the world not just for his skill but also for who he was as a person. He is definitely one of my role models now to strive to be remembered as someone who did something. I don't cry a lot it's not who I am but when i read the book and write this post I'm crying. It really shows how in such little of a time that I've learned of Eric Carr how much he grew on me and influenced me. I'm very glad I had the chance to learn about him through the people who loved him like his family, Carrie Stevens, and the many people who befriended him. I hope no one forgets who he was and what he's done for everyone.

Keep Rock n Rollin, Izzy

Shout out to @spacefoxy and many other fans for posting so much amazing Eric Carr content. I think it helps a lot of people in many different ways.

P.S I won't speak on my own feelings of KISS the band and who they are now and what they did while Eric Carr was sick and dying. But I hope their happy because I think at the end of the day Eric would have wanted them to be happy too.

"But this too is true: stories can save us."- Tim O'brien (The Things They Carried)

[sp00ked-banshee]

Hi, first of all, I loved your Heather x reader headcanons SO much!!!!!!

Thank you for writing it!!!

Can I ask for a part 2?

Like an AU where Heather survives to the mall massacre, and her and the reader ends up being part of Sam and Deena group to stop the killers?

That would heal me!!!!!!

OF COURSE!! I've always though Heather would've made a great final girl with Deena and Sam since so many of the other important side characters get killed off-

I hope you enjoy!

Survival

The shock she would be in after not only having Ryan try and kill her but wash him die above her-

I'd say she takes plenty of time off from school and work but, Shadyside doesn't have that much empathy, so she only gets a day off.

I don't think they mention if she's in marching band or any sports but pulling a page from Robin's book let's just say she is.

Would sneak you onto the bus with her when they're all heading to the Memorial thing. That's probably where she interacts with Deena, Simon, and Kate.

You'd be arguing with them about "The Witch". Your girlfriend was attacked by one of her friends AND had to watch him die, the reality of this shitty town isn't because of some scary story for kids.

She'd probably blow up at them if they kept talking.

"SHUT UP....You didn't know him, no one that keeps talking about it did! He was just a weird guy into video games and horror he wouldn't just try and kill people for something stupid like 'serial killer fame'...."

After the memorial and the car accident you two wouldn't seen anyone from the group till the next night or so.

Skull Face/Ryan showing up out her windows after he goes to Deena's would be the reason you're out walking to her house.

Her house is near the one Kate is babysitting at so when you see the group plus a Sunnyvale girl running in the street away from something they just kind of run with you into her house.

You and her are still pissed when Josh keeps bringing up "The Witch" and her supposed lore.

"So we're just supposed to believe a mad ghost from the witch trials hates everyone living in them town?" "Well I mean is it easier to believe ghosts or dead people coming back to life?"

She's read and seen enough horror content to know that going to the high school is a horrible idea.

She and you are waiting at the store when everything goes down.

Skull Face was after you and Heather. Pulling you away from her about to cut you open, only for Kate to ram into him letting you and Heather get away.

After watching the killers disappear after Sam momentarily died it's just fear and sadness left.

Heather and you join Deena and the others from that night in doing a small personal memorial for them that same night.

You two spend the rest of the night into early morning attached at the hip in Heather's room.

Having to see Ryan again after what happened, and watching Simon and Kate get brutally murdered was something that would probably never leave the minds of you two. Especially when Kate died saving you.

Heather was even more jumpy than the night at the mall, she'd hold in a scream when the phone started ringing non-stop.

You two head downstairs to answer hand in hand.

"Watkins residence..... what do you want?"

"C. Burman is still alive.... And...And something is wrong with Sam..."

Heather starts tearing up hearing Deena through the phone next to you.

"It's not over..."

AHHHH-I hope you guys like this!! I was originally going to post a Scream request I'm working on but it is taking a little longer than expected so I wanted to post this for tonight since I did say I'd post tonight- So to whoever requested Scream I'm sorry for the delay!!

[l0veisyona]

Nastyona - who are they, what happened?

thought i'd make a little post to share my love for them!

Nastyona is a Korean indie band from the 2000s who are now inactive. the group was started by lead singer/Keyboardist Yona(요나),guitarist Hojin(호진),bassist Dong-jun(동준), and drummer Yong-jin(용진) in Pusan, Korea in March, 2002. they released 3 albums.

the first album is "bye bye my sweet honey" which was first released in 2004! however, i believe its the least popular. the second album is "another secret" which released in 2008. i actually am a little confused about the third one to be honest :,) i cant find its name anywhere, or maybe im blind. i did find what i believe is its Korean name though! 아홉가지 기분, which roughly translates to "nine moods."

the band changed bassists from Dong-jun(동준) -> Tae-hyuk(태혁)! not sure exactly when, but they did. all the other members remained the same.

currently, you can find them on spotify, but they only have the second album on there :( theres a few fan uploaded songs tho!

the band stopped making music and performing around 2010 i'd say. nobody really knows what happened, but many believe they disbanded to go their own ways in the musical industry.

yona, lead singer and keyboardist, made a few solo songs though! you can find 3 of them on spotify. "undo", "redo", both on an account called "yona" and "dont die" which is on the nastyona account.

she also produced and wrote the soundtrack for a Korean short film called "padak"! the songs are really cool. i havent watched the film, but it is written to be horror, so be aware!

she also has an instagram account named "loveisyona" although she only posts her dog, plants, and flowers. theyre really sweet pictures.

Yim Tae Hyuck, the bassist, also apparently produces music now too! i cant find them all, but ive found at least one of his songs. they dont have the same feeling as nastyona songs though, so be aware of that!

currently, i cant find anything about hojin, though. i'm sure hes doing something but i cant find it, so let me know if you do!

thats basically all my information about them! you can find videos of their concerts and practices on youtube, too. its really nice!

if you like nastyona, you may like a korean band called MOT! they have very very very cool music. theyre basically unknown. they actually opened for nastyona at a concert before im pretty sure

follow me if you like nastyona..

[umazane-muesli]

Well I ended up watching the concert movie in the middle of the night like some kind of lunatic (I haven't had a real sleep schedule since i was like 14) and wrote down a few of my favourite moments. They're not that interesting or original so i'll put them under a cut, but I wanted to keep a few of my thoughts on this blog <3 And you can also read this if you're debating whether you want to rent the video or not, maybe it'll help you make your choice. (it does contain "spoilers" though, if you can even call it that)

- JURE MAČEK!!!!!!!!! Holy shit I hadn't realised how starved I was for Jure content, having so many shots on him was the highlight of the show for me I love this funky little drummer!! Back shot and side shot and seeing his little face!!!! 🩵🩵🩵🩵

- I love the trumpet player! The trombone and saxophone players as well of course but trumpet man you are the star to me. The 3 guest musicians were such a cool addition to the show, it was a good way to make this concert special, and it was so cool to incorporate them not only in SSOL but also in ASTP and Ona. (Also, tangent sorry, but I keep saying "brass ona" because it's fun to say and I'll probably keep saying it but. I have a confession to make. Saxophone is not a brass instrument lol it's a woodwind. Anyway)

- Kris' transition from Bele sanje to Plastika. I know we've already talked about this but it's so good. And Jan vibing to it!!! Love it

- The melodrama of Bojan's performance of Plastika. This man needs to do The Most at all times or he'll explode. 10/10 please keep doing this mr Cvjetićanin

- One of my favourite things is when Kris stretches his arms out and he looks 4 meters tall. I love you giraffe man

- Sweatyyyy (look, i didn't say my thoughts were going to be profound)

- Every time Jan MARCHES down that catwalk I swoon a little bit, ngl

- The bts sections are interesting and pretty well incorporated, I enjoyed them a lot. If I had to say one negative thing about the movie it's that the subtitles are pretty inconsistent, the same way they were sometimes in the carpe diem and wwttb vlogs. Sometimes there are lines missing and the quality of the translation seems a bit uneven. (and apparently they were not added immediately when the video became available, but I rented it only later, so I didn't see that). Still, I was glad they added these bts sections, we got to see the prep, the crew and their roles (I'm always very interested in that), fan interviews and even a tiny bit about Jan's green guitar.

- Bojan melodrama part 2: floor edition

- the Padam montage was pretty cool, but I found it a little bit funny that they mixed footage of actual difficult moments (like them getting sick, etc.) with "joke" difficult moments? (Like "fuck you, fuck you, fuck you, I'm leaving this band"). But anyway, the way they used the screen during the show was pretty smart throughout, I thought.

- Mark Pirc' passion for black and white video needs to be studied

- Omamljeno telo made me want to be there SO BAD, it looked like so much fun. When they all (well, except for Jure) come on the catwalk together!!! <3

- Bojan's little bow to let Nace, Kris and Jan pass on the catwalk. silly and cute

- Martin hug. Need I say more

- So many moments where Jan and Kris' guitars compliment each other so well. I love when you can really hear their two melodies intertwine together. And actually properly seeing that is so cool.

- Nace's energy in Tokio. I mean his energy is great the whole time but during Tokio he gets Silly and it's very fun to watch

- Novi Val was so emotional <3

- it was a lovely idea to include a bit of footage from their vacation during the credits. Very cute. And saying that they missed Bojan and Bojan missed them 😭

I'm sure I would have had more to say but this is already unnecessarily long and I sort of forgot to write things down towards the end, so I'll stop there. But I really enjoyed the concert movie, I'm very glad to have watched it (would love to rewatch it at a normal human hour). I'm still holding out a tiny sliver of hope that it will be available to buy and permanently own someday, but in the meantime it was a very well-spent 8€ (well, 7.45 chf).

[0revengefulvampire0]

The legendary band, MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE.

In the beginning

Formed on September 12th 2002 was a band millions of people will never forget. Their band members in the beginning consisted of, Frontman Gerard Way, Lead Guitarist Ray Toro, Bassist Mikey Way, and Drummer Matt Pelisser. Their name was My Chemical Romance, Gerard stated that they were a rock band but they mostly got grouped with the emo and pop punk genre. Their first record was very harsh- second record was also harsh- third album was more of a mix of both harsh and sorrow- third record was more hyper, just different than the rest.

Bullets Era

The first album they came out with was called “I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love”; The album came out on July 23rd 2002. Before It was released Frank Iero joined as the rhythm guitarist and was featured on two tracks, "Honey, This Mirror Isn't Big Enough for the Two of Us" and "Early Sunsets Over Monroeville". Iero says he sold shirts at small venues they played at and he loved how they sounded. The band needed a rhythm guitarist and Iero was the perfect fit. The first song on the Bullets album “Skylines and Turnstiles," which lead singer Gerard Way wrote based on his experience during September 11, 2001.

This story of the album is two lovers running from an enemy (their sins) and getting murdered in the end, the track “Demolition Lovers” explains it all, being the very last song on the record explaining that they both die together. The next album explains the rest of the Demolition Man's journey. The story tells many things about the concept on most of the songs.

Revenge era

The second album they made was called “Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge”; It came out on June 8, 2004. That album Went Platinum and really boosted their fame. The most popular track “I’m Not Okay (I Promise)” with a music video that was set in a high school. The Frontman Gerard way really started experimenting with the band's look; wearing red eyeshadow, pasty white skin, black hair going down to his neck, and a black velvet suit with a dark red tie. The other band mates wore similar clothes and makeup.

The continued story of the album, the last track on the bullets album fades into the revenge album, Gerard titled the cover art “Demolition Lovers II”; it has two people on it covered in blood. The concept of the revenge album is the Demolition Man going to hell without his demolition love and the devil making a deal with him that if he goes up to earth and gathers the souls of 1000 evil men he will get his lover back. Again like the last album, revenge tells so many things about the whole story.

The Black Parade era

Now this album went crazy famous! It was their third record, “The Black parade”. It came out on October 20th 2006. It’s most famous tracks “Welcome To The Black Parade” and “Teenagers”. This album is about the reflections of a dying cancer patient. And it comes with a whole new look for the band. It goes from, the band members wearing marching band outfits and they’re all black and white, to military costumes for the music video “The Ghost Of You” and many other looks, but primarily the marching band outfits.

In this album it’s all about the dead- with the first track called “The End” that fades into “Dead!” On the “Welcome To The Black Parade” song’s music video it starts off with a man in a hospital bed in a small room, he dies and the curtain walls fall down and reveal this huge dystopian looking world. The band is on this huge parade float, all of the members are playing instruments and singing on it. The huge world has wrecked parts and it’s all black and white with a distant city in the background, Of course there’s a marching band of the dead and they have a bunch of cool costumes on. The song is all about sorrow and death, lots of sad melancholy sounding songs on there.

The Black Parade tour was completely legendary. It Started Feb 22nd 2007 and ended on May 9th 2008. (You can watch the very last tour they did on YouTube called “The Black Parade Is Dead!” )

Danger Days era

Their fourth and final album “Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys” it came out on November 22, 2010. This whole album is so different from the rest. Less “emo” and more colorful and “hyper” than all the others. It mostly has desert scenery in most of the music videos including, “Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)” and “sing”. The whole album is super neat, going from fun to sad just like the rest of the albums songs. The band members' characters (killjoys) in the album are "Party Poison" (Gerard Way), "Jet-Star" (Ray Toro), "Fun Ghoul" (Frank Iero), and "Kobra Kid" (Mikey Way). The outlaws (killjoys) are outlaws in a desert outside of “battery city” where there are evil men.

Fun fact time: The last track on the record called “Vampire Money” (Gerard way claims) is about how the Twilight movie franchise wanted my chemical romance to do a song for them, and Gerard said they were just chasing money and he wouldn’t do it.

Gerard Way made comic books about “the True lives of the fabulous killjoys” the first issue came out on June 12th 2013.

Conventional weapons singles

a compilation album, released as a series of singles between October 2012 and February 2013. They were all unreleased songs that were made before “Danger Days”. There are a total of ten songs on each of the 5 compilations.

The tragic date.

On March 22nd 2013 my chemical romance made an announcement that the band was over, they had broken up. The post reads:

“Being in this band for the past 12 years has been a true blessing. We’ve gotten to go places we never knew we would. We’ve been able to see and experience things we never imagined possible. We’ve shared the stage with people we admire, people we look up to, and best of all, our friends. And now, like all great things, it has come time for it to end. Thanks for all of your support, and for being part of the adventure.

My Chemical Romance”

So many fans were devastated and shocked. They had been talking about a fifth album and everyone was so excited for it. The band members had lives outside of music, getting married, having kids, and just working on solo music.

My chemical romance never dies!!

From Dec 20, 2019 – Mar 26, 2023 the band made a comeback tour going all across the world.

The foundations of decay

On May 12th 2022, my chemical romance released a surprise single called “The Foundations Of decay” and changed MILLIONS of lives. It was their first song after the conventional weapons compilation album, which was almost a decade after they split.

There’s much conspiracy in the fan base about MCR5 and how they are all hinting that there might be a possibility that another album could come out!!

Go check out all of the band members solo work, About them, and make sure to stay safe out there on the internet, there’s lots of weird things!

Happy listening!

Skye Bourgeois-Gillis <3

EXTRAS:

[happinessismusic]

"Tuesday night marked Blake Shelton’s first appearance at RodeoHouston in six years and the sixth time he’s mounted the famous revolving stage in the middle of the stadium. Shelton’s brand of workhorse country has always been aggressively crowd-pleasing.

Shelton started the night with the fiery testimonial “God’s Country” — a sort of “A Country Boy Can Survive” update from 2019. Five years on, it seems to have kicked in the doors for the likes of Jelly Roll and Hardy. Fittingly, the latter has a songwriting credit for it, vibe-checking the Charlie Daniels Band and Bocephus along the way.

Shelton is an elder statesman of sorts in the corner of the pop country world that he inhabits alongside fellow 2024 performers Luke Bryan and Brad Paisley. The aw shucks everyman with a truck bed full of hooks and an earnest twang beating under his sweaty pearl snap Poncho shirt.

To the delight of every beating heart in NRG Stadium, Shelton’s wife of three years, Gwen Stefani, joined him onstage for one of the dynamic duo’s many duets they’ve recorded together — “Nobody But You” and “Purple Irises.” Keen eyes probably knew something was up when a black SUV rolled up near the stage in the middle of Shelton’s set. The recently-released music video for Gwen-centric “Irises” shows the pair clad in couture denim in a vintage living room swooning like Kenny and Dolly. If wedding songs are still a thing, add it to the Spotify playlist.

“Holy hell Gwen Stefani came out here and sang tonight,” Shelton said, looking genuinely flushed and revving up his cover of George Jones’ “Ol’ Red.”

When the towering Okie debuted on country radio airwaves in 2001 with “Austin” he was up against Brooks & Dunn and Lonestar for FM supremacy. The song that broke Shelton open wide made its way late into Tuesday night’s setlist and got the smartphone flashlight nebula treatment, a high honor at RodeoHouston.

“What kind of people come out here in Houston to a stadium to watch a rodeo and then a damn country music concert on a Tuesday night?” Shelton chuckled, launching into “Hillbilly Bone”.

Lock in Houston, this horsey ride lasts until March 17.

Attendance: 59,461

Blake Shelton, February 27, 2024 at RodeoHouston

God’s Country Guy With A Girl Neon Light Sangria God Gave Me You Nobody But You Purple Irises (with Gwen Stefani) Ol’ Red Austin Honey Bee Hillbilly Bone Boys Round Here"

----------------------------------------

I like that Blake changed his lineup of songs for RodeoHouston. So happy for everyone who got to witness Blake and Gwen.

[twopoppies]

This is so random, but I just have to communicate this to someone and I like how you think. I've only been a fan of Harry's since Feb or March 2022, and soon after I started looking into all the 1D guys (as one does). Louis intrigued me right from the start and stole my heart. So obviously I haven't been there to see what he was like back in the band days, and I can only try to paint a picture in retrospect. And I think I've managed to do that well enough to not buy into the laddie lad image he has going on now. I mean, I'm sure that's a part of him, but there's so much MORE. BUT, and this is why I needed to come here right now, I just finally got around to watching videos of him from his x-factor judge time and I mean. I. My heart and brain are just helplessly flailing their metaphorical arms in the air?! He was so emotional. The way he helped Anthony? I thought I had a good picture of how big this man's heart is, and yet here I am. Flailing. He CRIED. Plural.

I'm so heartbroken I can't go to the Cologne concert this week. I have a ticket, but now it turns out that I just can't afford the journey and hotel. I wish I could be a part of this tour, because it means so much to him. I know he's so loved, and he's being shown that at every concert. I'm so grateful for everyone who goes to see him perform and makes him feel so supported and loved. So, to anyone who reads this: thank you for doing what I can't. In conclusion: Louis big heart. Me big flail. Sad. Grateful. x

PS: I made the grave mistake of buying my ticket on Eventim and so far they've made it impossible for me to (legally) just give my ticket to someone else on short notice. I'm still trying to find a last minute solution so maybe someone else can go in my place. If anyone is willing to give it a try with just a screenshot of the digital ticket, let me know and I'll happily send it to you. It's upper tier 608, not close to the stage at all, but it's first row. I'd be happy to just see pics or videos from you. <3

Hi, love. XFactor Judge Louis is one of my absolute favorite versions we've seen of him. He was so professional, so encouraging, so vulnerable... Just everything about him was lovely.

I'm so sorry you can't make the show. Hopefully, we can connect you with someone who can.

Available: 1 Ticket for Louis in Cologne

[nonsubstantial]

MARCH 2024 DIARY POST

I'm keeping up the habit of writing a monthly post to catalogue all the things I've been obsessed with in 2024. At the end of the year, I want to be able to look back and remember what was making me happy all year long! If you are reading this, I hope you will enjoy hearing about these things or checking them out too! First, a chaotic collage of those things!

VIDEO GAME: As you may already know, Splatoon is probably my favorite video game franchise of all time. I really cannot overstate how important it is to me. Naturally, I was highly anticipating its new singleplayer DLC, titled Side Order, but when it finally came out at the end of February, my elbow was fractured in a way that made it painful for me to play. So, I had to wait until about a week into March for my elbow to heal a little. Then, I spent about 10 hours obsessively playing it, and I loved pretty much every second of it. It featured by far the most difficult levels ever seen in a Splatoon game, which was a treat to me as a player who was disappointed by the rather simplistic story mode of the base game. Splatoon 3: Side Order took the form of a roguelite battle tower, similar to Salmon Run but with new enemies, unique (and sometimes puzzling) stages, and customizable weapon builds. Even players who find it a bit too challenging at first can eventually mod the difficulty to an extent that (hopefully) makes it doable. The story was nothing crazy, but the gameplay and visuals were so unbelievably good that I honestly wished I could erase it all from my mind and play it again from the start. Just yay 💕, I love Splatoon so much.

TWITCH STREAM FAN EDIT: If you don't already know who Jerma is, he is a prolific video game streamer that I became a big fan of a few years ago. His unique humor has consistently impressed and appealed to me, and his fan community has proven itself to be both creative enough and motivated enough to persistently churn out edited “best of” versions of his streams. For better or for worse, Jerma announced his retirement from streaming last year, leaving his eager fans with nothing but his earlier content to dredge for, well… content. One such fan edit that was released this year, post-retirement, was a massive compilation of all his Nancy Drew playthroughs (save for one). This edit in particular was one that I found overwhelmingly funny and good, and it inspired an ongoing fanfic that I’m still currently working on writing. Oddly enough, watching this caused a domino effect that got me back into writing in general and has given me the surge of confidence and inspiration that I needed to keep working on creating the fiction that has lived inside in my head for years. I really hope this feeling never dies. You can watch the stream that inspired me, linked here!

MUSICAL ARTIST: Peach Kelli Pop is probably tied (with a few other artists) for the title of my favorite band of all time. Their entire discography is only about 2 hours long, but they were still my most listened to artist for several years in a row. It’s due to the consistency of the vibe across all of her work: upbeat and positive while still delivering a profound emotional impact. I've been able to just listen her entire catalog of music over and over and over again on shuffle. I might describe it as DIY rock, or feminist punk, and if you haven't heard it before, Gentle Leader is probably the best album to start with. Listen here!

MUSICAL ARTIST: After listening to nothing except Peach Kelli Pop for about a week straight, I started to look into similar bands that I hadn't already checked out and found one that really caught my interest. That's how I was introduced to Tacocat! Their band name is both a palindrome and euphemism, and their album Lost Time was love at first listen. They have cozy lyrics about aliens, birth control, and creating your own values, and their music has left me in a good mood every time I've thrown it on. You can listen to the first song that I heard, linked here!

SONG: It's Don’t Rain On My Parade, by Barbra Streisand!! I still haven't watched the musical that this song is from, but the drag queen Plasma mentioned it on RuPaul Season 16, which is how I ended up hearing it. This song gets an individual mention because I was absolutely blown away by this one individual track! It's brilliant and catchy right out of the gate, "Life's candy and the sun's a ball of butter! Don't bring around a cloud to rain on my parade!" It's from 1964, but its recording sounds crystal clear and it channels its intended emotions perfectly. I felt compelled to listen to it over and over again, because it really is just so cheerful and artistically inspiring. I feel like it's a perfect piece of music. Listen here!

SONG: I have to give another song an individual mention! It's Mood Indigo, by Nina Simone!! I’ve been a big fan of Nina Simone for years now, but more often than not, I've stuck to my favorite album, Pastel Blues. I did branch out and listen to this song a few times in the past, but it only recently dawned on me just how perfect it is. Wikipedia says that it was recorded in 1964, about the same time as Don’t Rain On My Parade, and while it's technically a cover of an old Duke Ellington song, Nina Simone’s version has a totally unique vibe, evident from the first few bars. Its lyrics are meant to be cathartic, as they discuss suicidal ideation, while the drums, bass, and piano create a beautiful and upbeat swing melody that perfectly juxtaposes and rebuts the content of Nina’s vocals. It's menacing, catchy, uplifting, and truly perfect! I now believe it to be a landmark in Nina Simone’s career, and the whole of music history in general. Listen here!

MUSICAL ARTIST: Okay, one last music rec, I swear!! I was really feeling the vibes this month (but mostly just listening to bands that I already know and love). Along with Peach Kelli Pop, another one of my favorite bands is King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. Ever since 2017 (aka, the year of the gizz) they have probably reigned supreme as my #1 most listened to band. They just have so much music, with so much variation, that I can usually find at least one of their songs that appeals to me. Since the start of this year, I've been collecting and organizing a playlist of my favorite songs by them, titled 31 Days Of Gizz. Not for any particular reason, but just because I find it fun to make lists! At the last minute, I decided that I would organize the songs, specifically in the way that I would play them if I were introducing someone new to the band. So, if you haven’t heard their music before, maybe it’s time I introduced you? But no pressure, I just like their songs and I made my playlist just for me! I'm linking to it on spotify, HERE, if you’re interested! (forgot to put this one on the collage, lol)

VIDEO GAME: Right before the month ended, I bought the new fantasy tactics game, Unicorn Overlord, and I am fucking in love. I’ve been a longtime fan of the fantasy tactics genre, so as soon as this game started making waves, I begrudgingly accepted that I HAD to play it. I really don’t have a lot of time in between trying to take care of things at home and working on my writing, as I mentioned before, but I briefly dropped all my other hobbies and managed to fit about 10 hours of gameplay in before the month ended. I really wish I had time to obsess over it, because I feel like it is a masterpiece, even if the rumors about there being gay content ended up being a disappointing exaggeration (the game was developed by Vanillaware, but was published by homophobic giants ATLUS and SEGA, so I’m not surprised). Despite the story being pretty much dog shit though, I believe the gameplay is damn near perfect, and even revolutionary within its genre. I’ll probably be sinking all my game time into it until the new Elden Ring DLC drops. If you’re a person who also likes fantasy tactics, then I highly recommend playing it (I got it for the Nintendo Switch, where it seems to run perfectly).

(that’s it. It is now APRIL!! There might be some repeats this next month, or I'll leave them out... we'll see. Hope you have a good day! ♡)

[manjuhitorie]

Ongaku to Hito March 2023 Issue - Bocchi the Rock! Insights and Interviews with Bandmen

Shinoda from Hitorie: I’m a big fan of the guitarist who does the arrangement work for Kessoku Band, Mitsui Ritsuo (also known for his work in The Youth, Lost in Time, and la la larks). I’ve been listening to The Youth since I was a teenager, and now that I’m older have I gotten the opportunity to perform shows along with Mitsui-san, on top of getting to go out drinking with him as well. Before I had watched the anime ‘Bocchi the Rock!’ I had happened to stroll upon the music video of “If I could be a Constellation” from the soundtrack. I had assumed it was just any other old popular song, until I saw Mitsui-san’s name on it. “Holy shit, Mitsui-san is gaining traction?!” I thought, [he laughs]. To top it all off the song was absolutely brilliant. I had been hearing the name ‘Bocchi the Rock!’ floating around a lot at the time, but this song is what finally got me to sit down and watch it.

I had started with the manga, so I then got to really appreciate just how well the anime expanded off of the snail’s pace of the 4 comic. It made me realize just how mighty the anime really is. The creators’ sheer determination to shape it into something people would enjoy runs deep through every aspect of the show, and that’s what makes it such high quality.

Not to mention that it depicts real life. What had surprised me the most were how realistic the octopus rice crackers in Enoshima on the screen were, that scene alone made me feel like I was watching live-action instead of anime. Also the scenery of Shimokitazawa city and the guitar section of the music store and stuff. It made me go “Hey I’ve been there before”.  When you actually know the city, it makes you wonder if maybe the girls really are out there in the city rocking out somewhere. That’s the level of attention to detail we’re talking with this show. The part I especially empathized with while watching was Bocchi-chan’s mentality, the way her mind works. Her mental struggle with people; the way she afraid of certain things when it comes to interacting with people… It all really hit home. I would never my crawl into a garbage pail or hide under a cardboard box to perform as she did but, the meta portrayal in scenes made me realize that I too may shelter my heart.

I’ve always been not so great at talking with people but, I’ve always enjoyed standing up in front of a crowd more. So concerts are nothing but a joy for me. That’s the difference between Bocchi and I. Though it’s true that playing guitar in the comfort of your own home versus performing on stage are two totally different worlds. There’s some things on guitar you can only play at home for some wild reason. I find that skills I’m technically capable of will, for some reason, just refuse to show themselves on stage. Possibly because when you’re aware that you’re standing up in front of an audience, along with the subsequent necessity to align yourself with them and the other performers, it all impacts your performance in a strange way. Bocchi-chan was stressed over this at first too, and I understand her sentiment deeply. I was like “I feel you!”.

After receiving advice from others did Bocchi-chan slowly but surely begin to find her own style and put her own twist on things- this part was really so much like what happens with real bands. By doing music with others do you actually reflect on yourself more. In my case, I was under the impression that I was the best guitarist in the world back when I first joined Hitorie. There, my bandmates politely told me that I needed to practice more, and I realized that in order to adapt to this band I would need to put much more effort in. My naivety chipped away at me. There’s so many things that you’ll never understand simply by mulling all by yourself. It’s all more the reason why doing things with others is so beautiful. That’s the epitome of bands if you ask me.

The most impactful episode to me was episode 8, when Kessoku Band had their very first concert. It was all going downhill, and I was thinking to myself “Been there, done that”. The bass drum flipping over during the intro was so realistic, merely listening to it made me feel nervous, yet then to flip the tables did Bocchi-chan improvise and rip out an ad lib guitar solo. Just wow that was so cool! Bocchi-chan’s talent and potential of which she was never able to unleash alongside the band finally awakened. It was so cool that I cried just watching. I can tell the people making the show have an abnormal amount of passion, they make us viewers feel as if they’re watching an actual living breathing band in action, and it’s just incredible.

Also the music itself is purely and simply great too. Mitsui-san had mentioned in an interview at some point that he had purposely wrote the songs with fewer notes. He refused to use instruments other than the ones the characters use, and he eschewed from letting instruments drown each other out as much as possible. And the fruits of his efforts turned the album “Kessoku Band” into a single collection of an unbelievable amount of electric guitar. Just last year was there discourse and theories on the internet about how guitar had become obsolete and unwanted. Because many artists are skipping the guitar solo and stuff. Yet this album pays no heed to such and is just a raw unadulterated masterpiece of rock.

When I see albums like this take the number 1 spot in rankings, it makes me realize just how much of a farce discourse on the internet is. I’m sure there’s people out there whose interest in rock bands was piqued after watching the anime but, I want people to take this opportunity to start forming their own bands and come on down to see some shows as well. Also, if the anime is going to continue on into the future then I would love the chance to be a part of it. Please let me write a song for ‘Bocchi the Rock!’!

————————————————————

Takamura Yoshihide from BLUE ENCOUNT:

Our bassist, Tsujimura (Yuuta), had told me about “a cool anime” he had seen, and that’s what got me to watch it. I had spotted the name in Twitter trends prior but I was sitting on the fence, like “It must be good if people are talking about it, maybe I should watch it too”. Then only once I saw the incredible quality of the first episode did I too get hooked.

Bocchi-chan’s shut-in tendencies and negative vibes were striking. Such as playing guitar in her closet, or getting so depressed that she sunk into a trash can. Nobody in real life would actually go to such lengths, yet that's exactly why the exaggerations were so impactful. This kind of thing is only possible in anime, and I love it when people use extremes to portray. Not only does is it exciting to watch, but they painted the scenery of Shimokitazawa so vividly and realistically that it brought back memories of back when we were in indie band and we performed there ourselves. Between the year 2010 and 2011, we were constantly performing at a venue called Shimokitazawa ReG. Not many people came to see us back then but, when we opened for KISD the tickets sold out off of reservations alone. I was thrilled, yet then on the day of the show only about half the people showed up. So in episode 8 when due to a storm people who payed for tickets didn’t show up, it really struck a chord. Plus, there really are people who only show interest in the band they came to see, and don’t so much as bat an eye at the other. And how to attract their attention is the number one struggle of an indie band. Playing a guitar solo to do so, as Bocchi did, is one orthodox method. I myself jumped down on to the floor once (he laughs). I just wanted the audience to at least look at one of us, so I just desperately threw myself out there. That’s why I personally really understood how the girls on stage must’ve felt too.

The other part which left a huge impression on me was Hiroi Kikuri. Ordinarily she’s just another sake-loving drunk, yet when she gets up on stage does her other charismatic side show its colors. I think they really hit the nail on the head with this. People whose livelihood is a tad off from the humdrum; people whose sensibilities are a bit strange, they can still become a star. That so the impression I got. They may have exaggerated it, but I do believe this was the kind of message they were aimimg to express.

Also, for indie bands and amateurs, are the managers of livehouses actually big people in their lives. So I thought the fact that they included a relationship between Kessoku Band and a livehouse manager, Seika, was great. The first livehouse manager to ever support us was someone by the name of Kumamoto B.9 Fukuda-san. Unlike in the anime though, he was a big scary dai-senpai who made chills run down my spine whenever I saw him (laughs). Yet, it was until later did I learn that behind the scenes he had actually been looking out for us, had been taking care of things for our band, and had gotten us a lot of connections. It’s really thanks to people like him that bands are able to grow, slowly but surely. Having someone close who supports you is just so important.

The interesting but difficult part of being in a band is that you’re a bunch of different people all striving for the same goals. Each member of Kessoku Band has such unique personality, they’re all enjoyable, and I must say, that they start off with such a high level of musical ability. Bocchi-chan is absolutely incredible at guitar, and the other 3 are way past the high school level. We could never have held a torch to them back when we were in high school ourselves (laugh). Yet unfortunately throughout my life I’ve seen my fair fill of players whom may be incredibly skilled individually and yet never make it as a band. When it comes down to the aspects that aren’t just raw technique, they run into a wall, such as the struggles involved in creating something together with other people, or the questions posed about how to make their concerts a success. The difficulties and challenges involved in being a band, they’re all represented in episode 12. And that’s what made it feel so realistic. Getting emotional and snapping at each other mid-concert, snapping their guitar strings.. By getting through it bit by bit did Kessoku Band’s concerts improve bit by bit too. All the little things add up and make bands grow.

With that said, if you were to compare Bocchi-chan in episode 1 to her in episode 12, it’s evident that she hasn’t changed much. And I love that. Her shyness is part of her core personality, it wouldn’t just change overnight. Just performing a concert at a shool festival won’t turn your whole world upside down, the next day is just any other old day, and that’s the end of it. I absolutely loved how that was the ending for the show. Despite life not dramatically changing, obtaining a single, small valuable experience may just impact one’s mentality and the way one interacts with the world even just a teensy tiny bit. That’s why it felt so relatable, and natural to watch.

I haven’t read the manga yet so I have no idea what will happen next but, if it’s to follow the same patterns as other classic media then I’d imagine they’ll strive to become mainstream. However, I’m also interested in just seeing more of whatever antics the gang gets up to at school and at the livehouses.

————————————————————

Takeuchi Kiyoka:

Strolling down the streets of Shimokitazawa, passing by a giant merchandise store on her way to a concert venue, Goto Hitori. As soon as she arrived at her destination “STARRY” did her face turn pale, as she internally screamed the words “Is this hell on Earth…? “. The venue “STARRY” of which Kessoku Band makes their base of operations is modeled after the real life venue “Shimokitazawa SHELTER”. When I first entered SHELTER I too had shared the same sentiment as Hitori going down that dark stairwell in the first episode. The accuracy astonished me.

The anime is stuffed with countless moments, spectacles, and sights of which anybody who’s interested in bands has surely seen in their life at least once. The streets of Shimokitazawa are obvious but, the insides of SHELTER were even depicted with such detailed accuracy. From the stairwell when you first enter, to the big clock, the wall covered to the corners in band posters, and the arched steel pipe chasing the walls. In reality the steel pipes are a blackish color while the anime instead opted for an eye-catching red, plus the size of the backstage area is slightly different but, even though they did switch things up a bit for the sake of the anime, the overall faithful re-creation and the sincere delicate process with which they made it is just pouring out of the screen.

The home base of the alcoholic rocker Hiroi Kikuri, Shinjuku FOLT, too is lovingly modeled after the existing venue, Shinjuku LOFT. The black and white checkerboard floors, the screen veiling the stage, the stage passes plastered across the backstage walls- they’re all sure to evoke a strong sense of familiarity for anyone whom has ever been there. Countless anime have been incorporating real life places into their stories over the years but, what makes ‘Bocchi the Rock!’ unique is that they potray the places and environments surrounding Japanese band culture with minute detail. There’s never before been a “band anime” that explained about how livehouses are treated as restaurants, or about their ticket quota. They don’t merely display a place, they go the extra mile to depict the various affairs and experiences which accompany band life. That’s what gives the show such a high resolution, that’s why it feels as if the members of Kessoku Band are drawing breath before you.

Things may be adapted for the animation but, a reality that brings real life and entertainment together is truly within ‘Bocchi the Rock!’. So I can’t help but wonder if maybe the girls are out there rehearsing in a studio right now, or maybe they’re off doing some part time work somewhere, or what if they’re planning their set list for their next show- these flights of fantasies of mine just naturally take off. Yet more so then anything, do I think this. To a livehouse I want to go, to a concert.

[mgarmagedon]

Childhood TV shows? (cartoons, disney/nick sitcoms, etc.)

THAT WILL LIKE GIANT POST BECAUSE I WATCHED THOUSENDS OF CARTOONS, SITCOMS AND MUCH MORE XDDD

Long story short, I didn't have any friends in my childhood and usually I was bullied physically and mentally at elementary school so yeee- That is why I spend 50% of the time in my home looking non stop at the TV screen and watching whatever i found (rest of the time i was playing with my littlest pet shops and monster high dolls making cults, apocalypse, and cities. I LOVED making city for my pet shops and rule them all >:D)

So I will tell about the most important ones for me, because this post would never end if I start talking about EVERYTHING (and won't talk about movies, because it's about what children channels was showing.)

In my kindergarten era my favorite cartoons was mainly on one channel BBC for kids. It was my gold, everything i needed after long day in kindergarten where children were beating shit out of me. And lately I rewatched Numberjacks, Charlie and Lola (funfact my 20y/o dog is named after her older bro XDD), Big coock and Little cook, Teletubbies, The Koala Brothers, etc. (i watched everything what was showned at that time on BBC) This shithead from Numberjack still makes me scared.

He is a demon from my past.

But my parents because they doesn't gave a shit what i was watching my top 1 kindergarden cartoon was original Ben 10 and Lady Gaga music videos (And I'm not even fucking kidding, my family has videos that i could sit for an hours and just watch poker face over and over again.)

And i also rewatched it lately and found out that most of the talking roles are shared between Ratchet and Optimus polish VAs (Jarosław Boberek and Dariusz Odija)

Later we got more channels on our old TV so I started watching channels like Nick, Disney channel and Disney XD (we had cartoon network, etc. before so yeah). And for that time Hannah Montana was perfect for me i truly love it. I loved this show. The same with ICarly (fuck Dan Schneider, fuck paramount and nick that was hiding him and other p3does for years, they are acting like disney but worse) BUT there were also sitcoms for boys, and if you know me I LOVE MEDIA FOR TEEN BOYS. After Hannah Montana stopped showing up, I really felt in love in I’m in the Band, Zeke and Luther, Kickin’ It, ESPACIALLY Crash & Bernstein, because it was mupped show but cooler for me at the time XD

More ppl should know about it XD

And after it my golden era begin, because we got even more channels and I could watch for first time show that will change my life forever, thanks to this show I'm with you guys rn and start to draw:

My first ever episode of lego ninjago was the episode where 1ep of 3 season, and it got me so hard XDD and at the time I cried me when I was 10 I cried like little baby when Zane died and was this show-don't-tell ending with Pixal. It was everything I needed... and it made me nerd also XDDD At the time i start to watching Teletoon+ like crazy!!! I watched MLP there and LPS too! And I'm so pissed of on myself, because TFP was shown there to but I didin't want to watched, because since i was youngling I hated Bayverse and was scared of their faces, so fuck you Micheal Bay, I almost missed the best TF show ever because of you :))

But also worth to talk about is The Amazing world of Gumball, oh boy I love it the same as Lego Ninjago and Nexo Knights!!! It was spiderman universum for me, when i was young, I watched since it premiered to the very end and even as a young teen I appreciated the animation and creativity that Gumball was showing us. Since today I think that animation and ideas are just pure genius and I can not even tell one thing bad about it like about Total Drama (1-3 season lives rent free in my head still, that is why I'm danganronpa fan) XDD

And now we are getting to second most necessary canon even in my life. The March 16th of 2015 first episode of polish Transformers robots in disguise was showed and it was fun for me! Fun enough that I recommended it to my friend that I created this au with, and she told me that it was cool too! And then years has passed and in 2022 she rewatched because she was bored and discovered Transformers Prime, she was so amazed of it that she begged me for MOUNTH to watch it! And guess how she convinced me to watch it??? XD she showed me that one ep that Starscream was running with KO, because zombie Silas was hunting them XDD (I'm spoiler proof, so I wasn't angry that she showed me ep from 3 season). AAAAnd that is how it started and that is why I'm with you rn and drawing transformers stuff for more than 2 years

So Rid15 literally get me into this awesome fandom!!!

And then I started using internet to the state, that I stopped watching TV at all so yeah... (i mean i was using internet since 2010 when I was 6, and using school computer to play dress up games, but yk what i mean) AND ofc there was much much much more cartoons and shows i watched BUT like I told you there is too much of it XDD

As a funfact my sister forced me to watch naruto and sailor moon in very young age, so I never watched fully and to the age of 13, because of her I HATED anime XDDD

[youngveinsworld]

the young veins at sxsw

On 19 March 2010, the Young Veins played a set at the Dirty Dog Bar in Austin, Texas, as a part of South By Southwest (SXSW) film and music festival.

^ Photograph by Flickr user roblynn529

Several old friends of Ryan and Jon were also playing at SXSW that year. Jon reconnected with his former 504 Plan bandmate Tom Conrad (more info about it in this post). Travie McCoy and Patrick stump also both played at the Dirty Dog bar on the same night that the Young Veins did. According to this website, the lineup was:

9:00pm - The Young Veins 9:45pm - Travie McCoy and the Lazarus Project 10:15pm - New Politics (a Danish band that was signed to Decaydance) 11:00pm - Patrick Stump 01:00am - Hole

Both Travie and Patrick were newly solo artists in March 2010, as both Gym Class Heroes and Fall Out Boy went on hiatus the year before in 2009. This SXSW show was Patrick's first performance as a solo artist, where he debuted some new songs that would go on to be on his 2011 solo album Soul Punk.

^ Travie and Patrick at SXSW 2010. Photographs by Dan Boczarski.

Pete Wentz did not attend the show but posted an explanation on his blog several days later, explaining that he had wanted to see Patrick and the Young Veins but had feared his presence overshadowing his friends' music:

Sucks that I feel like i even have to address this, but i have had so many people hitting me up about that i will. people saying i left austin before patricks show or was there and just didnt go. first off: i was in a completely different part of texas the night before last san padre (sp?) djing a spring break party (spring break wooo!) and then i flew to dallas to meet my family and fly home. i was in austin at south by southwest a week ago and flew home the night after i hosted an event. even if i had been in austin i would not have gone to the crush showcase. why? not because i wouldnt want to see all the bands (young veins and patrick included). but because i think the media would have scrutinized me being there- like i was still trying to steal patricks spotlight, like i was trying to make it about me (theres a reason im not sending this through twitter- this is for the fans). while all the shit going on with fall out boy is hard for me. i completely support the other guys musical endeavors. we were friends before the band and we will be after. i think its ridiculous that the media keep trying to pit us against each other. i got the chance to watch the show on cruddy youtube quality video and it still looked and sounded great to me. im okay being made out to be the villain. maybe i am even the villain. but dont make it seem like i hate one of my best friends.

^ Ryan at SXSW 2010 photographed by Dan Boczarski.

[cherrylng]

Fan Site [STYLE Series #004 - Muse (August 2010)]

Fan Site The main reason for the worldwide success of the three Muse members so far is the support of their dedicated and faithful fans. In their home country, there is a 'MuseWiki', 'How dare you!*' and other detailed websites that follow their activities in detail. The most detailed and affectionate site in Japan is ‘MUSE-shrinking universe’. We interviewed the site's administrator, Luna.

MUSE — shrinking universe http://mmmmyboom.blog69.fc2.com/ [T/N: Sadly, as of 2024, this fan site is fully defunct and can only be found via Wayback Machine]

Q: If you had to describe the band MUSE in three words, what would they be? A: Euphoric, funny, and free.

Q: What are your three favourite Muse songs? A: 'Uno', 'Micro Cuts', and 'Dead Star'.

Q: Which is your favourite music video in Muse? A: In terms of 'favourite', 'Time Is Running Out' is my favourite, but 'Supermassive Black Hole' is also very memorable as it was the first PV I ever saw.

Q: When and where is your most memorable Muse stage performance? If possible, please also tell us which songs were the most memorable. A: I travelled to Tokyo (a big decision for me) and saw them for the first time at Shinkiba Studio Coast (11 March 2007). Because I was so close to the stage, I was overwhelmed by every song and sound, but especially when the piano intro to "Sunburn" came on, as it was the first song on the first album, I was moved to say "I finally got to hear Muse live!!!" I was moved.

Q: Do you have a favourite cover of Muse by another artist? A: I don't have a personal favourite, although it's true that there aren't many songs by Muse that fall into that category.

Q: What is your favourite song covered by Muse? A: 'Feeling Good', which I feel is no longer a Muse song in its entirety.

Q: Do you have any personal memories of 'me and Muse'? A. Four years ago, when I watched the DVD of the Absolution Tour without knowing many of the songs, Matt appeared in front of the audience in a long white coat and completely overturned my stereotypes and aesthetics of rock stars. I still can't forget that. And I feel like I've stayed that way to this day (laughs).

Q: What made you decide to set up the website? A: Mostly I wanted to showcase the very interesting writing of the writers of the home country music magazines, who describe Matt Bellamy as a person, and how they end up being captivated by him.

Q: What are some of the best moments you've had doing the site? A: It's a bit of a cliché, but when people say, "I love Muse even more now that I know about this site", or when there's something new in Muse, mainly when Matt has something funny to say or do (laughs), there's a place to express that fun and the fans can relate to it.

Q: How do fans connect with each other? Are there any exchanges of information, offline meetings, etc? A: I didn't originally set up the site for that purpose, and I live in a rural area myself, so the actual exchange itself is not very active due to family and work commitments, but I enjoy exchanging emails with people I have met on the site and meeting up with them when they come to Japan for shows. As for information exchange, fans from all over the world are very active in providing information on the official website and message boards on the big fan sites in their home countries, so I get most of my information from there, and I often receive information on Japanese TV and magazines from visitors by email. We often receive souvenir stories and photos from gig-goers.

Translator’s Note: *I legit cannot figure out what is the second Muse fansite that was mentioned in this article, since the actual name tends to get lost in translation unless there’s someone here who does remember what that site’s name was. I even checked on Musewiki for other fansites, but none of the ones in the page clicked on me. The closest that I would say might be Microcuts.net? After all, prior to its demise, it was the second biggest website for Muse fans to flock to, right after Muse’s official website itself.

And with this, we’ve reached the end of the STYLE Series magazine! Give a round of applause to yourself, for having read through the whole book with me! Tune in next time for other magazines that I’ll scan and translate!

[miashyperfixations]

HONEY REVENGE: THE EUROBEEAN TOUR

22.05.2024 @ The Deaf Institute, Manchester (250 Capacity)

Over 3 weeks late but better late than never! Honey Revenge has been my favourite band for a little while now, so seeing them live at The Deaf Institute, with another of my favourite bands, Artio, was such a special night. This concert fell right in my 2-week long break in the middle of my final exams, so it was a no-brainer. The tickets were bought as soon as they went up for sale, in my college’s library, whilst I should’ve been studying. 

The band was in town for Slam Dunk on the weekend, so were playing some warm-up shows in the week across the UK. In this small tour, they weren't coming to my home city, so Manchester it was, we’ve been to quite a few shows in Manchester now, specifically this venue too. Classic Manchester, it was a very rainy day but it didn't matter to me, they're my favourite band and I was determined to see them live - Honey Revenge are the only band I'd do a 5-hour commute for (BOTH WAYS!).

The set itself was incredible as always. It always amazes me how singers can keep up such energetic vocals for entire sets, and rock singers, especially Devin, just adds to that. Accompanied by their touring band, Tay on bass & Matt on drums, it’s clear that they have fun on stage. There was even a circle pit during 'Distracted’, which I wasn't expecting AT ALL, considering their songs are pretty tame compared to other rock bands on the scene right now. But that’s what makes them stand out, it’s the kind of music that you can dance to, headbang to, and cry to, and I love them for it. Their several synchronized high-kicks over the course of their set only emphasized this. We were in a similar spot to last time, on Donny’s side of the stage so we were able to watch their insane guitar solos from RIGHT THERE in real time and it was absolutely amazing. The setlist was a little different to the last show as they didn’t play every song in their discography, with only 2 cut out though, so most songs were played.

At the time of the show, they hadn’t released anything new since the last time we’d seen them live in December, however they did play their (then unreleased) new track ‘Recipe For Disaster’ in full [see above video]. They’ve since released this song alongside the announcement of ‘Retrovision: The Extended Edition’ to be released in early August. Even though the song was only released on the 24th of May, it was still my top song of the month (🫣) - It was ON REPEAT for the whole weekend. 

In between sets, we bought merch from both bands and had a chance to chat to both merch sellers for both bands as they were both friends of the band and not just a random crew member. After the show, we were also able to hi to one of the band’s team crew, and Devin’s boyfriend, Kyle who is also a musician, he was really cool and gave us some solid advice for venturing into the music industry. It was fun to meet Claire again, a photographer friend who has worked with Honey Revenge before as well as South Arcade back in March.

Once the show was over, Devin & Donny came back out to say hi to everyone whilst their crew packed down. We first chatted to Jai & Ieuan of Artio who had also come back out, but eventually we were able to talk to Honey Revenge themselves. I wasn’t able to go back in and meet them last time, due to the gig being in the upstairs of a bar and I was under 18, but to my surprise, they remembered this and were greatly appreciative of us waiting so long to meet them this time! As we were some of the last people in there, we were starting to get ushered out, but they still made sure to have a full conversation with us as we wanted to talk to them more about the scene and the industry as well as tell them what big fans we are. It was so incredible to finally meet and have a conversation with them having been a fan for so long and they also made sure to take a photo with us and sign the poster I'd bought earlier. Devin also encouraged me to talk to their sound guy as I’d mentioned that this is what I want to do after education!

This night was EVERYTHING and more. This band is without a doubt, one of the biggest, and best, newcomers to the scene in recent years. With plans to go on Idobi Radio’s Summer School Tour this July, and no doubt more plans afterwards, I can’t wait to see what the future holds for Honey Revenge.