Runchu & Rena — Retired?
18
Feb, 2012
Big Ern here with two questions today, from Mangoes and Cathy!
Q. Erniee~ Do you know what Runchu has been doing since the disbandment of Tokyo Shitei? I saw the one day revival he was in(Plum, I think…) but that’s all I’ve heard~ Do you know anything else? If you do thank you! If not, still, thank you!
A. Unfortunately, it looks like he’s retired and isn’t doing anything right now.
Q. Hello! I want to know, if Rena retired from the music scene after his departure from D? Do you know something new about him?
A.He did retire! There’s a lot of purely rumor-based speculation about Rena, but we’ll probably never know what he’s really up to now.
No good news this time! Maybe next time!
Posted in Ask ErnieTags: D, Tokyo Shitei
What happened to Kousei?
16
Feb, 2012
Here’s a question from Jen! I have an answer!
Q. What is Kousei (ex: GHOST) doing now? Is Drop Star Shooting still his project or did he retire?
A. Bad news: Drop Star Shooting’s website is dead! Good news: The official Ameba blog was last updated in December. Kousei’s most recent live was a one-night GHOST revival at Takadanobaba AREA on November 29, 2011. In the past few months, he’s branched out onto Facebook and MySpace where he seems to keep in touch with foreign fans. He also still appears quite active on his personal blog, which he’s updated a few times this month. (However, this blog is more focused around his personal life than musical activities.)
All in all, it looks like he’s not retired and just pops into the music scene from time to time!
Posted in Ask ErnieTags: Drop Star Shooting, GHOST
Where are Tomo and Loki now?
14
Feb, 2012
Big Ern here with a recent question from uchihanochikara!
Q. I know that former chariots members Riku, Akito, and Reiya have all moved on to Lin, but what are Tomo and Loki up to now? Yuuri (their original bassist) is in Cu[be] now isn’t he? Thanks!
A. Right on! Yuuri’s in Cu[be] and going strong. Tomo’s officially retired from the industry, and the most recent news from him is that he got married last summer. Congratulations! Loki’s whereabouts are less known; it’s suspected that he’s retired from the industry based on a post on the Pumpkin Head’s old blog — but no one seems to know for sure!
I hope that answers your question! Keep ‘em coming!
Posted in Ask ErnieTags: chariots, Cu[be], the Pumpkin Head
Where is Shagrath?
4
Nov, 2010
Man you readers just love asking about jrockers who vanish huh? Its okay I don’t mind, especially when I know the answer!!! This time its about Shagrath who used to be in Aikaryu and IRODORI!
Spii writes:
Q: Dear powerful, yet lovely Ernie. I have a question which has been bothering me for awhile now, and nobody I know can seem to provide me with an answer. What ever happened to Shagrath (ex-Aikaryu, ex-IRODORI) I hope you can help me with this one!
A: Flattery is gold my dear reader! Shagrath actually is pretty active in the session scene. We last spoke about him over here, a session called Ultimate Sonic. The project (which Shagarth will be in the line up) also has a an event with UNDER CODE on November 7th! You can follow him at his blog.
I really hope that helps! Another edition of Ask Ernie has ended!
Posted in Ask ErnieTags: Aikaryu, irodori, Ultimate Sonic
Do you know who this band is?
26
Oct, 2010
A reader who goes by DokiDoki Danger on twitter presented me with a quest about a mystery band!
Q: @stdotnet do you know which band is this?
A: I actually do know this band is! This band is レクレンズ (Rekurenzu). We talked about them over here.
Line up includes:
Vocals – みさき (Misaki)
Guitar & Programming – クマ (Kuma) [ex-beaU, ex-AibeLL, ex-GizeL]
Bass – ゆずき (Yuzuki) [ex-jail, ex-Homura]
Drums – まぁ (Mar) [ex-SectMa, ex-GizeL] (her twitter)The band JUST came out with their first maxi single on October 16th and nation release will be on November 13th. They are also gave out a free one track single at their October 16th live. Check out their new site here.
I hope that helps DokiDoki Danger!! This concludes another edition of Ask Ernie!
Where is Ryuuto?
21
Oct, 2010
Its been awhile since I answered an Ask Ernie. Lets get started! Christy has emailed me asking me to locate Ryuuto ex ClearVeil.
Q: Dear Ernie!!! Please answer my prayers, where is Ryuuto of ClearVeil???! Does he have a new blog? He was my favorite.
A: I loooove when you guys send in questions! I actually know Ryuuto’s blog and the musician has actually opened a twitter account! You can find his blog here and follow his tweets over here!
Thanks to Yuuya for noticing on Ryuuto’s newest blog entry that he will be moving to this blog.
Send me your questions, OH and fan art!! I want more visual kei fan art please!! I know we have some artists out there!
GallowS’ blogs
18
May, 2010
My dear devoted followers. Its me your trusty sexy king, Ernie! I was kidnapped by the government after they found out my hidden fortress underground. I have been through alot, but I managed to escape!! Never fear, because I am back and I know many of you have sent in questions for me to answer. I do apologize for the lack of random facts and Ask Ernie posts. I hope to make it up to you. Lets jump into a question that was sent in by Aina last week. Its about the beautiful girls of the band GallowS!
Q: My Dear, Sweet, reliable Friend Ernie.
Ive Looked Everywhere For GallowS’s Members Blogs.
Perhaps Im Not Looking Hard Enough Or My Research Skills Suck But I Was Hoping That Maybe, Just Maybe You Might Have Them =D
A: My Aina, sweet talk gets you everywhere with me. GallowS gals actually moved to ameba some time ago.
Yusei’s personal blog
22
Dec, 2009
Mariih asked me a question about Yusei who recently left Misaruka the other day, I hope you’re reading!
Q: Well, I need to know if this is really yusei: http://profile.ameba.jp/white-rose-prince/ T_T
Posts are the same like his other blog, I think. He aswered my message in english. It’s really confusing. XD
A: VKDB updated yesterday about Yusei’s last live with Misaruka. We broke the news back in November, with his heart felt message. Now it seems official that he is retiring from the scene. The blog in question does seem to be his real personal blog!
This concludes another edition of Ask Ernie!
Where is Az’s blog?
30
Jun, 2009
Ah a question that is super easy since I like Az! I hope you are reading this Kazuto baby!
Q. oh great and powerful Ernie. i have tried several times to locate Az’s blog and i have failed. do you possibly know the url to her blog?
A. She has moved blogs a couple of times but she always keeps the title Straight Number. Her old blog was located here. But her current blog is located here. Also as a bonus, her personal site is here.
Also guys, calling me great and powerful gets you extra bonus points. This has been another edition of Ask Ernie!
Posted in Ask ErnieTags: Arian:rhod
What Happened To…?
13
Feb, 2009
The Big Ern once more. I’m definitely on a roll here don’t you think? As usual, your questions and inquiries mean a lot to me so I appreciate your curiosity—it keeps me busy. Anyways, this question comes from Renan:
Q. Hello!! can Mr. Ernie help me find these guys, and what they are doing these days? Maru, Shunsuke, Seika (all ex-bis); Tsukasa (what happened to RHYOLITE?); Nyon (ex-DreqixRudra); THOMAS ex-vocalist; Shuuya (ex-Clavier); Makoto (ex-/ucifer); Sakito (ex-[FIGURe:]); Rose (ex-TRAX);
A. Well this one was a doozy. Took me a while to search for everything, but I did my utmost best on everything:
Maru, Shunsuke, Seika (all ex-bis)
After bis, Shunsuke really joined a session band called 仏滅ヘッドロック (butsumetsu HEADROCK), which stopped activities in December of last year. Seika ended up joining the session band BIRTHDAY that only lasted a short while. As for Maru, nothing is really known of his whereabouts or what he us up to, but it is rumored that he may have left the music industry.Tsukasa (what happened to RHYOLITE?)
Well we did mention over here that RHYOLITE will disband at the end of February. Tsukasa still updates his blog quite frequently, but I would assume he is most likely to continue on in the music industry even after RHYOLITE disbands.Nyon (ex-DreqixRudra)
Either than being in the session band 彩-PSYCHO-, Nyon hasn’t been active since his days in DreqixRudra.Syn, (ex-THOMAS vo.)
It seems that Syn. is one of those guys that just disappear off the face of the earth when they leave a band. It seems like no one has heard from him or knows what is going on with him as of now.Shuuya (ex-clavier)
Shuuya is no where to be found as of yet, but rumor has it that he may be making a return back into the music scene, so keep your fingers crossed.Makoto (ex-Λucifer)
Makoto has launched himself a solo career and released an album in 2007 and some live DVDs. His current web page can be found hereSakito (ex-[FIGURe;])
It appears that Sakito has actually retired from the music scene.Rose (ex-TRAX)
Although Rose and The TRAX is a Korean band, I thought I may as well help you out here. After he left the TRAX, he pretty much went solo. As for his activities now, he seems to still be in the music industry, he’s in a band called THE ROMANTIST and plays guitar for them. (ohp here) They haven’t released anything official. Also, No MinWoo is currently getting into acting.
Well that’s that. I hope I could satisfy a majority of your curiosities and I hope I have shed some light on some things. The Big Ern isn’t perfect so forgive him for being a little vague. Anyways, keep sending in those questions.
What Happened to √eight?
13
Feb, 2009
Hey hey! It’s me again, trying my best to fulfill all of your questions. Thanks guys for being so curious and entrusting me with all your jrock inquiries. I’m glad to always help out. This question comes from Nicke, who asks:
Q. What ever happened with √eight? Are they still active with a new singer?
A. It appears that yes indeed, they are active. Actually, some time around the end of August of 2008, they found themselves a new vocalist named U—whom by the way is female! They changed their name from √eight to THE EIGHT, however they still consider themselves as eight. All the other member’ remain the same, with the addition of U. They also seem to update their blog quite frequently, which can be viewed here if you are looking for more information. Either than that, they have yet to release anything new and official with their new vocalist as of yet.
I hope that has answered your question dear Nicke. And once again guys, keep sending me in those questions of yours. I also remind you that if you have already sent yours in, I most likely have it, I’m still working on some of them.
What Happened to KEI of Viored?
13
Feb, 2009
Hey guys, Ernie here. I’ve been itching to answer your questions again and they’re starting to pile up, so I thought I would try and get some of them answered for you! This question comes from Kles:
Q. What happened to viored members ? espacially KEI do you have any news of him? thanks.
A. Well, upon my research, I have discovered that KEI has actually retired from the music scene, so we won’t be seeing him anymore unfortunately.
As for the other members, Nagi is currently in the band Sel’m. You can visit their home page here. As for their drummer, Kou, it also appears that he as retired from the music scene. As for Yuichi and Seiya, they were in a session band for a short amount of time called Chulla, whom have already seized activity, but they did manage to release 2 live sold singles. However, Yuichi is already currently in another session band called OX.
I hope this answers your question, Kles. Thanks for sending it in. As for the rest of you, you know what you need to do.
What happened to the Saruin members?
31
Jan, 2009
It seems like a lot of people are wondering what happen to members of their favorite bands, after they disband. I’m sure a lot of people are curious about the answer of this one, so thank you to erinia for sending it in!
Q: Dear Ernie, illuminate me! I was giving a listen to Saruin today after a long time and thought… what have the members done after disbanding? are they in any new project?
A: I will try to be as illuminating as possible!!
This one was a another question that had great timing, because I recently say posted in the Saruin community on LiveJournal that a few of the previous members will be participating in a session band on March 7th at Holiday Shinjuku called 『めがっさ☆ごっちゃまぜ-1限目-』 (Megassa☆Gocchamaze-1genme-).
The sesion band with the former Saruin members is as follows:
Vocals - 詩闇 (Shion) [ex Diz]
Guitar - 柳 (Yanagi) [ex-Saruin]
Guitar - 蘭丸 (Ranmaru) [ex-Saruin]
Bass - 駁 (Baku) [ex-Saruin]
Drums - 夕音 (Yune) [ex-Saruin]澪牙 (Reiga) has been quite busy, however, not as a drummer! He has switched to vocals, and was in 安眠祈願 (Anmin Kigan) who came to a close on the 30th. On the 12th, he also participated in the session band ARLSW which consisted of quite an interesting line-up:
Vocals - 澪牙 (Reiga) [ex.Saruin]
Guitar - 恋†架 (Renka) [ex.EREMIA]
Guitar - 濡夜 (Juya)
Bass - 渉流 (Wataru) [ex.STELLA...]
Drums – あぎぃ (Agii) [ex.Jigolo]Almost all of the members have all been participating in session bands on and off. A few of them still keep up their blogs, so the best way to stay on top with what they are up to, is through there!
澪牙 (Reiga) – http://ameblo.jp/reiga-blog
柳 (Yanagi) – http://profile.ameba.jp/yanagi-lily-henachonpe
駁 (Baku) – http://profile.ameba.jp/baku-baUnfortunately I couldn’t find anything about Maria, so if anyone has any news, please feel free to comment and let us know!
Posted in Ask ErnieTags: Anmin Kigan, Saruin
What happened to Since 1889?
31
Jan, 2009
Thanks to all the people who have been sending in their Ask Ernie questions! I’m working hard on getting through as many as I can, so please be patient if yours hasn’t been answered yet!
Today’s question is from Thursday, and it was perfect timing!
Q I’m curious to know if you have any idea what might have happened to SINCE1889. Their website is gone.
A: So I set off to find the answer to your question, and indeed their website was gone. The one on vkdb didn’t work, nor did the one linked from their label, Sequence Records.
I headed the member’s blogs, and Hiroki had just posted today (January 31st) that Since 1889 has relocated their OHP.
You can now keep up to date with them by visiting http://www.since1889.jp!
You can see on thier OHP that they now have four members, instead of three plus a new look! Their new member is “SUPERguitar”ist yoshiatsu. As stated in his first entry to his official Since 1889 blog, he joined on January 14th.
Since the beginning of the year, the band has participated in two lives, and have a few planned for February and March.
For all fans who want to keep up with the band, you can also add them on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/since1889official, and check out the member’s blogs:
Ko-ta – http://yaplog.jp/since_ko-ta
Setsu – http://yaplog.jp/since_setsu
yoshiatsu – http://yaplog.jp/since_atsu
Hiroki – http://yaplog.jp/since_hiroki
I hope that answers your question! We’ll be sure to keep up with them and post news as it comes!
Where’s S-T Survivor?
27
Jan, 2009
This was a very easy one to answer, and I really hope that there are other people who are wondering the same thing! It’s something I’ve thought should be addressed, so thanks to Iria for asking!
Q. Dear Ernie, Whatever happened to Shattered-Tranquility Survivor?
A. For those who don’t know, Shattered-Tranquility Survivor was a little game we were playing here on the site. If you’re interested in reading about it, you can check out rules, gameplay and tribes here.
First, we wanted to apologize for the delay in Survivor! I know there are readers who want to know what’ll happen next on the island, and to see who the final winner is! But, we do have every intention of it making a return to the site within the upcoming weeks! With the holidays approaching, and then the contest, the writers were a little overwhelmed and unable to get the ‘episodes’ out.
But it’ll be back! So if you have ideas for what you would like to see happen, send them on over!
Maybe after Survivor, we could try another reality show… Shattered-Tranquility’s Next Top Model! Oh, oh, Big Ern’s APPRENTICE! S-T’s Project Runway? The Bachelor, starring YOURS TRULY!
Why is the maxi-single form popular?
26
Jan, 2009
I’m on a roll here guys! I definitely want to stick to my resolution. So this question came to me from Jane and Jane asks:
Q. Why is the maxi single format so popular?
A. Well, the maxi-single is quite popular in places like Japan because the bands/artists want to put out more songs before they release a full album or mini-album. The more songs, the better. Instead of the regular or usual 2 songs, artists/bands think by putting on more songs will make their single sell better believe it or not, because sometimes the songs don’t even end up making it to the full album! So many fans will feel like they just have to get the maxi-single.
Also, as you may have guessed it, the record companies heavily rely on these record sales, because after all it costs a lot of money to produce these songs or even for the band to do other things so they put out these maxi-singles so they can get something back. (I think it’s nice actually) In Japan, they find that the maxi-singles will boost the record sales quite a bit! Plus, it gives fans a taste of what will be on upcoming albums.
I hope that answered your question Jane, and even for anyone else that may be curious. I really have fun answering your questions guys, so please don’t hesitate to send anything in! I have a few still unanswered, but don’t worry, I’ll definitely try my best to get to them.
What happened to Takumi and Tara?
26
Jan, 2009
I received quite a lot “Ask Ernie” forms recently, keep on asking questions to me, it makes me feel like I’m the source of all knowledge. And Big Ern loves to be praised ! So here we go for a new question sent to us by Zellie.
Q. Oh Wise Ernie! Whatever happened to Takumi (ex Panic Channel) and Tara (ex Panic & ex 176biz)? Did they just up and leave the business or what?
A. Well, dear Zellie, after some research, I found out that Takumi joined a band called ELIA (now disbanded). Since then no news from him.
About Tara, it seems he decided to stop playing music after he left 176BIZ…
This was Big Ern for you Zellie ! I hope that answers your question well enough.
Posted in Ask ErnieTags: 176BIZ, ELIA, Panic Channel
What Happened to the members of ex.ラブcan/ELL?
17
Jan, 2009
Hey guys, Ernie here! I told you I would try my very best to answer all of your questions that you have sent to me. It’s my resolution after all. Once again, I apologize if you have sent in a question and have had no response from me. I’m still looking out for them though.
Anyways, this question comes to me from emke:
Q. I was wondering what happened to ex-ラブCan/ex-ELL. -members. ELL. disbanded last year and I’d love to find out where are they now and what are they doing.
A. Well emke, it seems that a majority of the members aren’t really doing much nowadays. The only active member seems to be the bassist, Ral. Ral is now playing bass for a band you may or may not know, called シネマストリップ (Cinema S’trip) At first he was a support bassist, but he eventually fully integrated into being their permanent member.
If you’re interested to know, you can visit his blog here.
As for the other members, you can pretty much say that they have fell off the face of the earth as they are no where to be seen.
I hope that somewhat answered your question. As for the rest of you, if you still have some questions for me, be sure to fill out an ‘Ask Ernie’ form and I’ll do my best!
What happened to Shu?
12
Jan, 2009
It’s been a while since I’ve done an Ask Ernie! I’m sorry to those who have sent in questions that I haven’t gotten to. T_T If you sent one in that I didn’t answer, and you’re still looking for the answer, please send it again! I’ve decided that one of my New Year’s resolutions is to become much more dedicated to answering any questions I can. So send them my way!
So anyways, here we go! This question was sent to us by Kairii! It makes me feel like a private eye.
Q. I just wanted to know if you have any clue what has happened to Shu of MissTeaBlue ex.Necromance. Do perhaps know if he has any blog links?
A: Well, Miss☆Tea☆Blue disbanded back on August 17th. As mentioned in the question, Shu was formerly in the band Necromance. The vocalist for Nercomance, D-prince (who now just goes by D) started up a new band called “Betray“.
According to Shu’s mixi, she is now the drummer for “Betray” (she has written in his profile: ・Betrayというバンドでドラムやってます。). Oddly enough, this isn’t currently reflected on the Betray OHP, but she does have the Betray schedule up there! Aside from being in Betray, Shu was involved in a session band back in December.
As for a blog link… no such luck. Her old blog is still up, but he hasn’t written in it since August, when Miss☆Tea☆Blue disbanded.
Well, there you have it! I hope that answers your question well enough. ^^
Remember, if you’d like to send me a question, just fill out the Ask Ernie form!
Posted in Ask ErnieTags: Betray, Miss☆Tea☆Blue, Necromance
What’s the difference between first press and regular press?
30
Aug, 2008
Time for another Ask Ernie! Our next question: What is the difference between first and regular press? How can I find out if something I have is first or regular press?
The Answer
There are several differences between a first press release and a regular press!
A first press release generally has a limited amount of copies. Because it’s the first edition of a particular release, there are often extras included. For example, a first press copy might have an extra song, come with a postcard, sticker or a DVD containing live footage or a PV. Also, some retailers that sell the release also receive extras such as photo sets, posters, comment papers or Cd’s, the list could go on. Sometimes even the cover art or packaging can be different.
A regular press edition of a release usually is just the songs, however this can vary between artists. For example, the recent release from D’espairsRay, Kamikaze, has a first press limited edition and a regular pressing. With the first press you receive a random photo card of one member, a DVD containing live footage and a poster. The regular edition still comes with the random photo card and poster, but does not contain the DVD – but includes a live audio recording of the song Brilliant. Again, this is just one of the many examples that could be given.
The best advice for finding if what you have is first or regular press is to look at the discography of the artist from that release. Generally, a first press edition will be identified with the kanji “初回盤” and regular press with “通常盤.” Another way is to consult online retailers like Cd Japan who will often list the first and regular press as well as the differences between the two.
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