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A to Z with Versailles -Philharmonic Quintet-
Interview - 20.01.2009 12:00
Versailles -Philharmonic Quintet- answered our các câu hỏi from A to Z the ngày before their performance at anime USA.
With a new addition to their band name, Versailles -Philharmonic Quintet- touched ground in the US for the một giây time this năm to play at the anime USA convention and a solo hiển thị in New York. On opening ngày of the convention, the band took some time out of their packed schedule to answer almost everything from A to Z with JaME.
anime USA: What do bạn think of the convention?
All: We haven't actually done anything yet, so that's what we would like to know! (all laugh)
Beauty: What is the most beautiful thing you've seen?
TERU: Us.
hoa nhài You: Yes, us.
YUKI: We are the most beautiful band in the world!
(Everyone laughs)
bạn all agree?
All: Yes!
Concert: Do bạn have any pre hoặc post buổi hòa nhạc rituals?
KAMIJO: Not quite. As much as we'd like to, our hair, make up and getting into costume takes up all the time.
TERU: After I finish make up, what I do is listen to my âm nhạc and imagine what the buổi hòa nhạc is going to be like.
HIZAKI: For me, it's the opposite of TERU. I try to concentrate and not feel high levels of tension and calm myself down.
Death: Why do bạn use death as a theme for your music? Is there a specific purpose?
KAMIJO: In order to think about life, there must be death.
English: bạn like to use English and other languages.
KAMIJO: Yes.
What appeal does using other languages in your lyrics have for you?
KAMIJO: (Thinks) I might not be able to pronounce it well, I might not know the language, nor the meaning of the word, but the image another language can give- that image is part of the sound.
Fast food: tình yêu it hoặc hate it?
Versailles: Fast food? (Everyone looks at HIZAKI)
HIZAKI: Kentucky Fried Chicken! KFC!
Gift: What's the most memorable gift you've received?
HIZAKI: A star, named Versailles.
A ngôi sao in the sky?
All: Yes, the những người hâm mộ named a ngôi sao Versailles for us.
HIZAKI: Tell us something about HIZAKI.
HIZAKI: What? (Laughs) Something specific, hoặc anything?
Anything!
HIZAKI: Ah... (Flustered) Could bạn give me a topic? (Laughs)
How about something bạn like to do on your off time?
HIZAKI: I like to soạn thảo music!
Internet: How do bạn feel about downloads?
KAMIJO: If it's not legal downloads, I really don't like it. Legal downloads are good, but we really tình yêu our những người hâm mộ to see the CD jacket, too.
hoa nhài You: Tell us something about hoa nhài You.
hoa nhài You: What about me? (Laughs)
Anything!
hoa nhài You: Every time I take a bath, I always put in hoa nhài extract.
KAMIJO: Tell us something about KAMIJO.
KAMIJO: About me? I am the prince for all the girls in the world.
(Everyone laughs)
Language: A phrase bạn use a lot.
KAMIJO: Bonjour!
YUKI: (In English) Heavy metal! (makes the rock sign with hands)
hoa nhài You: hoa nhài bạn desu!
HIZAKI: (In English) Come here!
TERU: (Not paying attention) What was the question?
(Everyone laughs)
Something bạn say a lot.
TERU: Please wait a little bit! (Laughs)
Magic: Why did bạn start to do magic shows in your lives?
KAMIJO: Yeah, why? (Laughs)
hoa nhài You: It's one of my hobbies.
NOBLE: How do bạn feel about the upcoming US release?
HIZAKI: It's a really big honor.
Opportunity: What is an opportunity bạn wish to have in the US?
KAMIJO: A big live house tour.
Philharmonic Quintet: Out of all the entries, how did bạn decide upon this combination?
KAMIJO: Philharmonic means an orchestra, quintet meaning five. Us five bởi ourselves as a band are a quintet, but to be philharmonics- to be a complete orchestra, we need the fans. Together, we are a Philharmonic Quintet.
Question: Something you’ve always wondered hoặc thought about.
KAMIJO: I've always thought that I would tình yêu to meet thêm people.
Reliable: Who do bạn think is most reliable?
KAMIJO: That depends on what it is. Art and visuals, YUKI. For band sound and arrangement, HIZAKI and I. TERU is someone who watches over all of us. hoa nhài bạn is very good when it comes to communication.
Season: What is your yêu thích season and why?
KAMIJO: Winter, because I like the snow.
hoa nhài You: I also like the winter.
Why?
hoa nhài You: Because I can wear different jackets, like leather and lông, lông thú coats!
YUKI: Also the winter, because I don't like the heat (laughs).
TERU: Spring, because my birthday is in the spring!
HIZAKI: Summer.
Why summer?
HIZAKI: I just wanted to pick something different!
(Everyone laughs)
TERU: Tell us something about TERU.
TERU: I tình yêu making different things.
Unique: What makes Versailles -Philharmonic Quintet- unique?
KAMIJO: Everyone's sounds and visuals together and everything else about us makes us unique.
Versailles -Philharmonic Quintet-: Where would bạn like to see yourselves in three years?
HIZAKI: I would like to be in a field where all our những người hâm mộ will come to see us whenever we come back to the states.
YUKI: Tell us something about YUKI.
YUKI: I can cry on command!
All: (Look impressed) Really? Wow.
Zodiac: Does your personalities match your zodiac sign?
HIZAKI: We don't know much about the zodiac, but our blood types? We all match (laughs).
Thank bạn very much!
All: Thank you!
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Versailles Attends A-KON 19
Interview - 10.06.2008 13:00
During the last weekend of May, JaME had the opportunity to attend a press conference as well as hold an exclusive interview with Versailles.
During the last weekend of May, Versailles was invited to attend and perform at the anime convention A-KON 19 in Dallas, Texas. As it was the band's first stop during their USA tour, they were greeted bởi a multitude of những người hâm mộ during a variety of activities throughout the weekend. There were multiple autograph sessions -- one for each ngày of the convention, a rarity for invited guests -- a buổi hòa nhạc on Friday night, and a câu hỏi and answer session on Saturday.
Before the người hâm mộ câu hỏi and answer session, Versailles attended a press conference hosted bởi Tainted Reality and we later met for an exclusive interview. In the small conference room, there was a luxurious red carpet that spread across the table, overflowing onto the floor, with a large golden "V" for the band's name surrounded bởi vàng flowery patterns. Immediately after the band's arrival, the press conference began.
First of all, please introduce yourselves.
KAMIJO: (Stands and bows.) How do bạn do? I am the vocalist of Versailles; nice to meet you. (In English) My name is KAMIJO. (Sits.)
HIZAKI: I am the guitarist of Versailles, HIZAKI.
TERU: I am the guitarist, TERU.
hoa nhài You: I am the âm bass, tiếng bass, bass player, hoa nhài You.
YUKI: Drummer, YUKI. Nice to meet you.
Your costumes are quite elaborate. Who designs them?
KAMIJO: There's a costume team in Nhật Bản called ID Nhật Bản who's a specialist in this kind of design.
Are your outfits historically accurate hoặc are they a creation of fantasy?
KAMIJO: It's just a hobby.
What are your impressions of the American audience?
KAMIJO: They were very passionate, very exciting.
You're at an anime convention. Do bạn have any yêu thích anime hoặc manga?
KAMIJO: Yes, I like "Conan the Boy Detective" and "Lupin III."
HIZAKI: "Naruto," which we know is very được ưa chuộng in America.
hoa nhài You: "Yu Yu Hakusho."
TERU: "Death Note."
YUKI: "Dragon Ball."
Well, bạn all already dress up, but have bạn ever considered cosplaying?
KAMIJO: We've already done quite a bit of cosplaying.
What were your first reactions when bạn heard bạn were being invited to perform in the USA?
KAMIJO: I thought, I could meet some of my family. I have a cousin, who is a policeman, living in Los Angeles.
What did bạn think the American crowd would think of your style of visual kei?
HIZAKI: Well, we ourselves are big những người hâm mộ of Dream Theater, Pantera, and Metallica. So we would be very happy if there would be reciprocation.
Did bạn think metal những người hâm mộ might not respond well to visual kei?
HIZAKI: Other Japanese visual kei bands have được trao it a shot so we would be very happy if we're accepted; we'd very much like for that to happen.
You've mentioned various American bands who have influenced bạn musically, what bands have influenced your visual style?
KAMIJO: phim chiếu rạp were a big influence.
Pantera was actually created in Arlington, which is not far from here. Have bạn considered going over there and seeing where it all started?
TERU and YUKI: (Laughing.) We would very much like to.
TERU: Pantera are gods to us.
Which was the most impressive cosplayer bạn saw here?
KAMIJO: This was in Japan, but there was a cosplayer who was a completely green statue of liberty. Everything was covered and all bạn could see was the face.
Did he di chuyển around, hoặc stand still all the time?
KAMIJO: It was at a buổi hòa nhạc and he did this. (Pumps fist up and down in the air mechanically. Everyone laughs.)
bạn mentioned that phim chiếu rạp have influenced you, what are your favorites?
KAMIJO: "Interview with the Vampire."
Continuing off the same theme, your lyrics usually contain references to shinigami, zombies, and vampires. Why do bạn use these creatures?
KAMIJO: In order to convey the images, feelings, and ideas we want to express, we feel it's necessary to employ the image of death.
Are bạn những người hâm mộ of European power metal bands such as DragonForce and Blind Guardian?
HIZAKI: Yes, they are very được ưa chuộng in Japan.
How do bạn feel when bạn see other people cosplaying you?
KAMIJO: Very happy.
HIZAKI: That makes us the happiest.
Could your style ever become mainstream in either the USA hoặc Japan?
KAMIJO: No. (Everyone laughs.) It only Luật sư đấu trí us.
How do bạn develop the composition of your âm nhạc and incorporate your lyrics?
KAMIJO: We are all free to create our own songs. However, for lyrics, Versailles has only one narrative. In order to establish that, I am the only who writes the lyrics.
In Nhật Bản it's common to go to high school, go to college, then become a lawyer hoặc a doctor. What is it like to be the family member who did not take that traditional route?
TERU: The people around me have very much encouraged me to follow my own path, to do that which makes me happy.
HIZAKI: At first my parents were very opposed to the idea, but I continued and carried through with it, and now they support me.
KAMIJO: My mother was a keyboard instructor. My grandfather was a violinist and my grandmother was a pianist. So they all supported me.
What would bạn be if bạn weren't a musician?
KAMIJO: A quần vợt player.
HIZAKI: The president. (Everyone laughs.)
YUKI: (Turns to HIZAKI.) But Nhật Bản doesn't have a president. (Everyone laughs.)
TERU: I really like making things so if I couldn't be a musician, I would want to be some kind of constructive artist.
YUKI: I really like doing some kind of physical activity so I think I would have been some kind of athlete.
Please give a message to your overseas fans?
KAMIJO: On July 9th of this year, Versailles will debut its first full-length album. We're not sure whether it'll happen at the same time hoặc maybe slightly delayed after that, but we will debut this album on iTunes. So people of the world will be able to download it. We're very much looking phía trước, chuyển tiếp to their reaction.
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The following day, after the much anticipated third autograph session, Versailles was able to take some time in the afternoon on the final ngày of the convention to answer some of JaME's questions. In a thêm private conference room, the band sat on comfortable couches, fully dressed in costume, ready to receive our questions.
Thank bạn very much for meeting with us. To get us started, when bạn were starting out, why did bạn decide to post a trailer on YouTube? What audience were bạn trying to target?
KAMIJO: It was đã đăng as a joke. We wanted people to treasure hunt where we are the treasure.
HIZAKI: We were found pretty quickly. (Everyone laughs.)
Please tell us thêm about the time when the German TV crew interviewed bạn after seeing the trailer. Were bạn expecting such a reaction?
KAMIJO: Before the German TV crew interview, we had only been interviewed online via e-mail, but that was the first time we had a face-to-face interview in any country including Japan. After that, the media in Nhật Bản began to quảng cáo us thêm in newspapers and on TV, making us thêm popular. So we really thank the German TV crew for interviewing us. We didn't expect to become thêm được ưa chuộng in Nhật Bản after the initial interview. It was a miracle.
What is appealing hoặc interesting about the vampire figure for you?
KAMIJO: We like beautiful things and we think ma cà rồng are beautiful so we started using them for that reason.
Why did bạn decide to have most of the lyrics for The Revenant Choir in English?
KAMIJO: It's not because we can express our feelings better with English lyrics, but because Japanese lyrics didn't go with the melody.
For your những người hâm mộ who don't speak Japanese, what were some messages hoặc ideas that came up in the lyrics?
KAMIJO: First of all, we want to express everything and not just the lyrics, but also the melody and other instruments. So we expect the listeners to get our expressions with everything combined and not focus just on the lyrics. If bạn look at the lyrics card, the Chinese characters are based on pictures so we think that listeners who don't understand Japanese can guess the feeling from the image in the lyrics card.
Can bạn tell us anything about the new album NOBLE that's coming out in July?
HIZAKI: It is our first full-length album and we have all kinds of songs including some that are ten phút long. We expect our listeners to listen to all kinds of songs.
YUKI: I think that our expressive songs convey thêm intensified feelings from what we have previously been doing. For instance, our sad songs will make the listener sadder.
Early on in the band's career, bạn held a "males only live." How does that compare with a "female only" live?
KAMIJO: It was very different. (Laughs.)
HIZAKI: The smell was different. (Everyone laughs.)
YUKI: In a live where the audience is mostly female and there are fewer male audiences, the males cannot really mosh hoặc get crazy. In "male only" lives, it's like a lion was released from its cage; they get crazy and mosh. We thought it was pretty exciting to watch. The audience was much thêm intense and involved. Though, I could feel from both lives that the audiences were truly enjoying the performance.
bạn participated in the hide memorial concerts with many other bands. How was that experience?
hoa nhài You: It was a great honor to participate in a buổi hòa nhạc that all people respect. We are really happy that we could perform at that concert.
KAMIJO: Standing on the same stage with LUNA SEA and X JAPAN, I feel that I saw the extremes of the Japanese âm nhạc scene. That stage was the hàng đầu, đầu trang from this scene so I would like to stand on a stage like that again in the future with just Versailles.
Already within about one năm since your band's name was announced, bạn embarked on a European tour! Is there any particular moment, sight, hoặc experience that will stand out in your memory about that tour?
TERU: I really feel the cultural differences. Living in Japan, I didn't really notice, but Japanese people have a really big heart; we're very sentimental. It makes me very proud to be Japanese.
hoa nhài You, you've done some magic tricks in your trước đó lives; can bạn tell us where bạn learned to do that? Why weren't there any magic tricks performed during your hiển thị on Friday night?
hoa nhài You: I've loved magic since before Versailles. I have a teacher who teaches me and I've even been in some magic shows. It's something I like to do. My shows are very intense and I didn't want to offend anyone during the concert.
How are they intense?
hoa nhài You: They're S&M magic shows. (Everyone laughs.) Something I really tình yêu is S&M.
KAMIJO: (Turns to hoa nhài bạn and asks in English.) Do bạn like S&M? (Everyone laughs.)
hoa nhài You: (Answers in English.) I like S. (Everyone laughs.)
Finally, please leave a final message for your international fans.
YUKI: We live in and are based in Japan, but I would really tình yêu for people from all countries to listen to our music. I would like for us to continue making thêm songs and to travel to as many countries as we can to perform, along with meeting all kinds of people in the world.
KAMIJO: Starting Versailles was a great chance to meet many people overseas. I don't want this opportunity to end; I want to take advantage of it bởi continuing to meet as many people as we can and enjoy spending time with them at our lives. I want to take this chance to go to other places.
TERU: Being a musician, I not only listen to music, but also play the music. I think that I can really appreciate all kinds of âm nhạc I listen to now. I really dream that some people will pick up an instrument because they were influenced bởi our songs.
hoa nhài You: In the future, I want to tour all over the world and if that happens I want to play the most beautiful melody for the fans.
HIZAKI: Our new album will be out pretty soon and the album will eventually be released all over the world. I would also like to travel and tour all over the world, but with our schedule that's impossible so I want to go to the place that gives us the most tình yêu and return that love.
Thank bạn very much for meeting with us.
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Here are the đường dẫn to the original articles...
link]http://www.jmusiceuropa.com/uk/articles-6332-a-to-z-with-versailles-philharmonic-quintet-.html[/url][/url]
link]http://www.jmusiceuropa.com/uk/articles-4998-versailles-attends-a-kon-19.html[/url][/url]
