Saturday, May 30, 2015

Dadaroma Fan Interview

©Dadaroma

Summon the Roses has been promoting Dadaroma as a request from the fans. We are now going to be requesting a fan interview, in which the fans are going to be asking the questions to Dadaroma! All fans must participate and post their questions to Dadaroma! Summon the Roses will then request an interview with the band, and hopefully they answer our fan questions.

Simply post the questions in the comment box and we will set up the interview!


Friday, May 22, 2015

Summon the Roses Interview with guitarist Tomo Asaha 2015

©Tomo Asaha


Summon the Roses had the honor of interviewing guitarist Tomo Asaha! Check out this awesome interview with the talented artist!

Thank you Tomo so much for this second interview with Summon the Roses.

Are you working on any projects right now? If so, can you tell us a little about it?

Tomo: I'm working with Shahidah Omar. She's a talented singer and you may have seen me perform with her on a TV show a while back. 
Right now we are working on a new album, which is almost done so it will be released soon. I will post about it on my social media pages when it's released, so please check it.

You performed at the Bonni Hunt show a while back, do you have any plans of making another appearance on American Television?

Tomo: Yeah! After Shahidah's album is finished, we will be on a couple TV shows in America for sure.

Do you have any performances planned for this year?

Tomo: We are gonna do a release party in LA and New York for the new album, and we are thinking of doing a tour and some music festivals this year as well.

What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced in the music industry?


Tomo: Right now, my biggest challenge is learning how to be a producer. I used to be a composer/arranger/guitarist, but producing is completely different. It's still new to me. Creating an entire song from zero, everything from the timing to the sound, to running a studio, scheduling, every detail. I think this is a big turn for me, as I'm building my network here in a new city. 

What goes through your mind when you're on stage performing in front of a crowd?


Tomo: I focus on enjoying the music and getting into the music. If I couldn't enjoy it, I don't think I could make the audience enjoy it too, because it's connected. That's how art and music is. 

Could you name one of your biggest influences in the music industry?


Tomo: Radiohead. I can't expect what they're gonna do with their music. It's always different. Recently, I've become influenced by Jonsi and FKA Twigs also.


Do you have any plans of collaborating with another artist in the near future?


Tomo: No plans yet, but I am getting offers!

Do you have a message for your fans?


Tomo: Recently, I haven't been performing on the stage in a while, but I'm still working on music and creating a new approach behind the scenes. Please keep supporting me. Hopefully I will be able to deliver my heart to you soon. Thank you for taking time to read my interview! 
TL;DR version: I'm still working on stuff so stay tuned. 

🌹Links🌹


Kiwamu Interview with Summon the Roses 2015

©Starwave Records

Summon the Roses had the honor of interviewing Kiwamu (ex:Blood, GPKISM) for a second time! Check out the interview =)


Are there any special projects you are working on right now?

Kiwamu: There is the subunit of my label artist. Recently, foreign J-rock movement is not good situation. So the promoter can’t pay transport fee. I made the idea of sub unit. Anyway, we can announce that project soon. I think easy to promote.

You work with a lot bands, is it stressful to keep things on track sometimes?

Kiwamu: All of them are family to me. If there are many works, I will not be tired. there is one thing I don’t like. I need to give my advice to all bands about the live show, schedule and image etc, but some people dose not listen to this. If they don’t listen to advices, they will not grow up. 

Is there a project that you always wanted to work on, but never got the chance to?

Kiwamu: If I find the good band, I alway talk to them. Sometimes, they join in my label. So I worked with the bands I wanted to work.  

You work on a lot different things, such as managing your own label, designing, composing music, etc, which of these do you find the most difficult?
 
Kiwamu: Recently I don’t have my band. So I don’t need to work for songwriting. So I started to take the video by myself. On my label youtube, there are many videos I took. This is the most difficult part in these years. But owing to this, I can make many movie for my artists.

Out of all the bands in your record label, is there one that you enjoy working with the most?
 
Kiwamu: I think that is the one-man live show. For example, Misaruka and Synk;yet had the one-man live show in Tsutaya O-west. Many people came to there. I was very happy about these. 

Do you have any plans of returning to the United States?
 
Kiwamu: Recently I don’t have my band. So I don’t have any plan to go to there. but my label artists want to go to there very much.

Do you have a special message for your fans?
 
Kiwamu: Please check my labels. There are many type bands. I think there is the band you will like!

🌹Links🌹

©Summon the Roses 2015

Monday, May 18, 2015

Kanon Wakeshima Interview with Summon the Roses

 © Defstar Records Inc.


Back in 2009, Summon the Roses had the honor of interviewing Kanon Wakeshima @ Otakon! Here's the interview! Enjoy =)




Please introduce yourself to the readers of Summon the Roses.


Kanon: I am Kanon Wakeshima and I have been playing the Cello since I was three years old and now I am a Cello Vocalist.


How do you feel about performing in front of a large audience for the first time in the U.S?


Kanon: In America the audience gets so excited and it makes it fun and also the people were in really cute costumes. I really liked it!


Aside from playing in America you have played concerts in Europe and Japan, how are they different?


Kanon: In Japan audiences tend to just stand quiet and try to concentrate on the music and try to feel the music but here in America and also in France, in those countries the reaction is kind of similar. They try to get together and enjoy the music, and they get really excited and that gives me energy on stage. The audiences seem really excited and that makes me happy.


What do you want your fans to take away from your latest album Shinshoku Dolce?


Kanon: I want my fans to feel the mixture of the classical elements and electro musical elements in the album. The title of the album Shinshoku Dolce describes Dolce which means sweet, and it describes something very sweet and girlish. Shinshoku describes having a dark image so it is a mixture of both dark and light so it would be great if the fans feel the mixture of all these things.


Do you like the change after getting into the music industry?


Kanon: Since my childhood I'm lived with music so my environment it's not really that much different.


Did you enjoy playing Cello when you were younger?


Kanon: When I was younger I was always playing Cello so I did not think much about it.


When did you first start singing?


Kanon: When I was a Junior High School student there was a time I started listening to J-POP and at that time I began to wonder what kind of music I would create as a musician and at that time I started singing.


Did playing Cello come naturally to you?


Kanon: Playing Cello is something like brushing my teeth, it is a very natural thing for me.


Have you ever had any interest in playing other instruments?


Kanon: I was once tried the Piano and Guitar but I realized Cello is better.


Do you have any aspirations of breaking into the music industry outside of Japan?


Kanon: I first would like to break in Japan then I will think about it.


Do you have a favorite musician or group?


Kanon: In Japan a Japanese artist I like is Mayumi Kojima and in America I like Lady Gaga. I like Lady Gaga's costume, they are cute.


Many of your fans really like your clothing, who makes them and do you have any in-put in the design?


Kanon: My producer Mana-sama designs my costumes.


How did you feel when you found out you were going to be working with Mana-sama?


Kanon: Mana-sama is very sincere and a gentle-man choosing the music and music creation. He never gives up on what he wants to express. I am learning a lot of things from his attitude.


Has any of Mana-sama's past projects influenced you in your music?


Kanon: I feel that the songs composed by Mana-sama has similar image from the songs of Malice Mizer. Malice Mizer also tried to express a combination of dark and light.


Do you like Anime? Do you have a favorite?


Kanon: Vampire Knight.


Any reason why you like that one?


Kanon: They have really cool costumes. They are cute.


Lastly do you have a message for your fans?


I am Kanon Wakeshima, I want to do many lives as soon as possible and I want to come back to the states again. Please support me so that I can come back here.

🌹Links🌹

Summon the Roses would like to give a special thanks to the Otakon staff members who made this interview possible and to John Petrokonis and Giulia Palermo who conducted the interview.


A special thanks goes to Alyce Wilson who helped us a great deal in making this interview a possibility.
© Summon the Roses 2009