DIVE INTO THE WORLD OF NERO CHRONICLE: CONCEPT AND VISUAL INTERVIEW

© Nero Chronicle

Please introduce yourselves to the readers of Summon the Roses

I'm TOSHIYA, vocalist and lyricist, and NiNE, guitarist and composer of the Japanese Visual-Kei band Nero Chronicle. Thank you for this interview.

Your band concept is "Spinning and telling a Story". What story are you trying to tell with your music?

The story of a certain characters in another world is being told by us in the form of a song.
We can't tell the whole story yet, but the music contains the feelings and emotions of the character, and it also evokes the scenes and landscapes of the time.
We hope you will listen to the songs with various expressions and immerse yourself in the world of Nero Chronicle.

You recently released your 3rd EP "NIGHTMARE". What is the meaning behind the EP's artistic cover?

The jackets of the CDs depict scenes from the story. The jacket for "NIGHTMARE" depicts a character from the dark side opening the gates of a nightmare and dragging the world into darkness with the inhabitants of the nightmare. In contrast, the jacket design for the second EP "SAGA" depicts the back of a character on the bright side, giving the impression of hope.

What is your favorite track on your 3rd EP "Nightmare"?

TOSHIYA:

My favorite song is the main song "NIGHTMARE". By expanding the range of my voice, I was able to express both eeriness and fragility, giving the song a dark impression, but also a beautiful and sad feeling. The more you listen to it, the more comfortable you will feel with the exquisite highs and lows of the melody, which makes you want to listen to it again and again. It is a song that I can recommend with confidence as a suitable main song!

NiNE:

My favorite is "Farewell". It has a gentle melody line and a waltz-like rhythm that evokes a sense of elegance and nostalgia. The fast-paced development in the middle of the song is also nice

In your 1st EP "DIALOGUE" you have an animated version of yourselves. Who came up with the idea for this?

TOSHIYA and NiNE came up with the idea together.

Since we play our music dressed as characters from stories, we completed the jacket of our 1st EP "DIALOGUE" with the image of overlapping the characters and us. The image of a dialogue between good and evil is also linked to the MV of this song.

Can you describe your style and costumes? Do you design your own outfits?

This is a combination of various clothes to make one costume. We didn't design it ourselves.

Are you currently working on a secret project?

We have a couple of projects going on at the moment. Look forward to it.

How does performing in front of a live audience make you feel?

We started our activities in November 2020, but since then we haven't done any live performances because we were in the middle of a pandemic.

Has the current pandemic impacted your music production?

Although we were affected by the lack of live performances, we were able to concentrate on music production and video distribution of music videos, and we were able to deliver many of our works to you.

Do you have plans to perform overseas?

We don't have any plans at the moment, but we have received a lot of comments from people overseas on Twitter and Youtube, so we would like to do a LIVE show overseas eventually. We are all looking forward to hearing from you.

What is your ultimate goal as a band?

We want to bring the music and stories of Nero Chronicle to as many people as possible.

Lastly, What message do you have for your fans?

This November, Nero Chronicle celebrated its first anniversary. In the second year, we plan to go full-scale with our live activities and focus more on sound production. We're going to try a lot of new things, so please keep your eyes peeled. Check out our Twitter & YouTube for more info!
Thank you.

🌹Links🌹

https://nerochro.base.shop/

https://www.youtube.com/@nerochronicle

©Summon the Roses

INTERVIEW WITH EMILY BINDIGER: AN EARLY START TO A SUCCESSFULL CAREER

 

©Emily Bindiger

Please introduce yourself to the readers of Summon the Roses

Hi, everyone, my name is Emily Bindiger, I'm a singer who has worked on all kinds of projects, from touring to singing on movie soundtracks to performing with all kinds of bands to singing on commercial jingles, movie soundtracks and on Broadway and international stages.

You released your first album, Emily, at the age of 16. Can you tell us what it meant for you to release an album at such a young age?

I didn't really think about it too much at the time. I was doing a show in France and was "discovered" by a producer at a record company. It has gained sort of a cult status, but if I were to do it again, I would have taken more control of the production and made it a little less complex.

Can you tell us the story behind the cover of your album Emily? Do you remember that exact day when you took the picture?

It was the producer's idea. I think it was February and IT WAS FREEZING OUTSIDE!!! It was taken just outside Paris, in the Bois de Boulogne.

The Accidentals a capella group has been a huge part of your life as a singer and musician. What has been the most beloved project you have worked on with The Accidentals and how did it impact your career? 

The Accidentals were/are very important to me. It was so great to make music with these amazing singers for about 20 years. I think the most wonderful thing we did was win the Harmony Sweepstakes, which is an a cappella singing competition. We sang our very best and we won!

Who came up with the name The Accidentals and is there a special meaning behind the name?

In music, an accidental is a sharp, flat, or natural sign that is placed before a note that is not normally within the key signature. The founder of the group, Margaret Dorn, came up with the name.

You have performed worldwide and lived in France at a young age. What has been your favorite place to visit?

One of my favorite places in the world is Japan. I first worked there in 1999, touring with Neil Sedaka, then accompanying my boyfriend (now my husband) when he was playing keyboards with Carole King and James Taylor in 2010, then again about 6 years ago with Yuki Kajiura live. I just love Japan - cannot wait to go back!

You have recorded with Japanese composer Yuki Kajiura for the Fantasy animated series .hack//SIGN, can you share with us a special memory of your time working on this series?

Yuki is an amazing composer and we always had a great time working together. Her harmonies are so beautiful and complex and she and I just "clicked" and would laugh when we both knew something I had recorded was perfect.

What kind of preparation did you have to do before working on .hack//SIGN? The sound is iconic and surreal gives a feeling of isolation. Did you find yourself visiting different places to get into the appropriate feeling?

I visited them in my brain!!! (LOL) I always approach singing as storytelling. The composer wants to tell a story and it's my job to tell that story.

How would you describe what it was like to work on the Cowboy Bebop soundtrack with composer Yoko Kanno and the Seatbelts?

Yoko Kanno is another extraordinary composer. Working with her was very different from working with Yuki. Usually in recording, everyone records their part separately. In other words, the pianist puts down his/her part, then another instrumentalist, then another, then the singer. So if you make a mistake or want to redo something, you just stop the track and redo it. But when I was working with Yoko, she likes everyone to perform together at the same time, like a live performance, so the bar was raised very high to get it right. If you stop, then EVERYONE has to start over. Lots of pressure! There were some parts of her songs that I would like to have done over, but she was happy with what I did, so I didn't get the chance to re-record.

What has been your favorite song to record/perform for an animated series?

I think my favorite anime songs that I sang are Fiction and Every Time You Kissed Me, both by Yuki Kajiura.

You have recorded countless of Tv shows soundtracks and commercials, what has been your favorite soundtrack so far?

My favorite soundtrack was "A Chorus Line - The Movie". It was my first, and the arrangements were complicated and it was fulfilling to be able to get it right.

What would you say to up-and-comers who are trying to make it in this industry?

OH my goodness...what to say...? Things have changed so much! People record in their own homes now, upload their videos to YouTube and TikTok; the industry is really different from when I first started out. I would say, write your own songs, or find someone to collaborate with, learn the basics of home recording, and just stick with it. Interestingly, the pandemic has opened up lots of avenues on the internet to get your voice and your music out there. BUT, also understand that study is important. Really learn to sing well and to understand, at least, some basic concepts of music.

You have collaborated with different composers and artists in your career as a singer. Are there any artists you have not yet collaborated with that you would like to work on a project with?

I have been very lucky to work with such amazing people like Leonard Cohen, Carole King, Neil Sedaka, George Benson...I would love to work with someone like James Taylor, and there's a Broadway artist, Jessica Vosk, who is just extraordinary and I would love to work with her as well. You should all check her out!

Having had such a successful music career, are there any goals you look forward to pursuing in the future, both in and out of the music industry?

I started doing volunteer work a few years ago and had to stop due to the pandemic. I was teaching Citizenship Preparation to immigrants who want to become U.S. citizens. So very rewarding, and I look forward to getting back to it when I feel it is safe. Musically, I look forward to more producing and arranging.

What are some projects you are currently working on that you can share with us?

Which leads to my next answer! I have been producing a singer-songwriter named Marcia Pelletiere. She was in The Accidentals with me and has written some incredible songs. She asked me to be her producer and we have been working together remotely during the pandemic. A very wonderful collaboration, I think, and it should be finished by the end of this year.

Do you have a question you've always wanted to answer but never been asked in the past?

"Is there anything else you'd rather be doing?" 

And the answer is NO! I love what I do.

Lastly, do you have a message for your fans? 

Yes. THANK YOU for being my fans. It means so much to me that you have been so lovely and supportive. Thank you so very much!!!

🌹Links🌹

We want to give a special thanks to Emily Bindiger for allowing us to conduct this interview.

GLIM GARDO SHARES VISION FOR UPCOMING PROJECTS IN RECENT INTERVIEW

 

©GLIMGARDO

Please introduce yourselves to the readers of Summon the Roses

Noku: Nice to meet you! I'm Noku, Guitarist. 

Sakuya: I'm Sakuya, vocalist.

Runa: I'm Runa, bassist

What is the meaning behind GLIM GARDO. How did you come up with the band's name?

Noku: Grimgard" is a coined word. We had the idea to write a song based on the Grimm's fairy tales and that's how we decided on it.

How are you preparing for your upcoming performances on March 24th? 

Runa: Due to Sakuya's illness, he was unable to perform, so we had two vocalists that we know very well support us. Despite the accident, we were able to perform as well as we could, and at the same time, we felt the greatness of Sakuya.

Do you have any plans of releasing a full album in the near future?

Noku: A full album has been one of our goals since we started the band.

Recently we have been working on the music and we hope to release it in the near future.

We are aware that Vocalist Sakuya was hospitalized and he has been discharged and recovering safely at home. We wish him a happy and fast recovery. How has this situation impacted the band?

Noku: Thank you very much. Sakuya is currently recovering at home, so the band will stop playing live for a while, but we have more time to spend with the members. Now, we are ready to start thinking about what we can do for the future.

Performing under Covid restrictions, has it been challenging for the band?

It's true that the shape of the live performance has changed, with the use of acrylic panels and the maintenance of a social distance, but we don't feel that it has affected us too much, because we are still delivering music to the audience.

What are some bands you would like to tour with if you had the opportunity?  

Runa: We want to play with bands from other genres, not just visual-kei, to reach out to new needs.

Can we expect a full album before the year ends?

Noku: It's difficult to announce a full album, but we hope to release some new songs.

What are some projects you are currently working on?

Sakuya: We are constantly working on songs for our next release.

What are some of your goals as a band for the future?

We want to make GLIMGARDO more known not only in Japan but also abroad. We would like to make a music video and send it out.

Lastly, do you have a message for your fans?

Noku: Thank you for reading to the end. We know that a lot of people don't know about us yet.

If you're interested in our music, we'd love it if you'd check us out on YouTube and other streaming services.

Sakuya: Thank you for all your support. We will continue to release songs, music videos and LIVE activities and we hope you will watch us evolve.

Runa: Whether you like visual-kei or not, we hope you'll give our songs a listen. And if you like us at all, please support us. That's what keeps us going. Thank you very much.

🌹Links🌹

https://www.youtube.com/@glimgardo4005

A special thanks to GLIMGARDO and STAFF for allowing us to conduct this interview.

©SummontheRoses