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Meisa Kuroki featured in Tohoshinki’s (DBSK) latest PV
UPDATE: First of all, thank you to @amy for providing a link (see comments below) to the full PV and after watching it, looks like Meisa’s not in it. I guess we’ll have to wait for the movie to make its road show start to see Meisa in her full ballet glory. π Above clip…
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Chiaki (Syakari) posts pics of her sanshin
Chiaki, singer of the pop group Syakari, recently posted a couple pics of her sanshin on their official blog: γγγγγγΈγ«γ‘ζ₯θ¨. Originally from the band Diamantes, Chatan-born Chiaki started Syakari along with guitarist Masaru Kadekaru and former Rinken Band drummer Kazunari Uechi in 1998. Syakari’s “Kodou (γ³γγ¦)” from the 2005 album of the same title. Syakari’s…
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BENI’s “Mou Nidoto” PV
We blogged about BENI’s change of record label (from Avex to Universal) and name change (from Beni Arashiro to BENI) about a month ago and now we can finally see the fruits of that change in her first single “Mou Nidoto.” The song, if it’s any indication to where her music is headed from now,…
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Siori (γγγ)
I recall hearing about a singer from Okinawa who had made the jump as an indie artist to a major label and it’s funny that I’d stumble upon her via the U.S. iTunes store. Siori (alt. Shiori) is a 21 year-old J-pop singer-songwriter from Shuri who made her indie debut with the 2006 single “Smile”…
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Ryukyu Beatles, not an insect, rather, it’s the name of an album
Yup, Richie here at Karakui.com is a pretty big fan of The Beatles and it’s pretty cool to see their music redone with an Okinawan twist. The group of this wonderful album are calling themselves “Soul Gakudan” and they’re none other than Toru Yonaha (sanshin, fue), Kazunari Uechi (taiko), Yoko Onaga (koto) and Natsuko Morita…
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Stereo Pony to be the next big artist out of Okinawa?
I’ve seen a few of them come and go but can J-rock girl band Stereo Pony be the next big artist out of Okinawa in following the gigantic footsteps of ORANGE RANGE (OR) and HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR (HandMC)? If history is any indication, the answer should be a resounding yes, they can and that’s…
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Alan sings “Nada Sou Sou”
OK, I know we don’t normally go outside of our Okinawan pop culture bubble but we had to blog about this J-pop singer that we’re totally excited about: Alan (in keeping with the Japanese infatuation with using lowercase for names, in the J-pop world her name is listed as alan). Alan is a Tibetan/Chinese singer…
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It’s an all-Okinawan bon dance in Paia, Maui
I’ve heard about this all-Okinawan bon dance from Norman Kaneshiro sensei and it’s finally great to actually see footage of it (nifee to lyonashiro for uploading). Pretty cool stuff.
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GANGA ZUMBA’s 2nd album out on 8/20
Kazufumi Miyazawa’s (THE BOOM) latest project, GANGA ZUMBA, will be releasing their 2nd, self-titled album, on 8/20/08. The album will feature 13 tracks including the clip above, “Ashiato no nai michi.” The project commemorates the 100th anniversary of Japanese immigration to Brazil. Kazufumi’s (think “Shima Uta“) world-inspired pop rock for GANGA ZUMBA features Argentine-born singer…
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Ready to FLiP out?
Okinawa has a pretty good record of turning up some pretty popular punk bands like MONGOL800, INDIAN-HI and Bleach. Of particular note is that like Bleach, FLiP is an all-girl punk band comprised of Sachiko (vocals/guitar), Yuko (guitar/chorus), Sayaka (bass) and Yuumi (drums/chours). The band just released their first mini-album called “Haha kara Umareta Hinekure…
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