Category Archive for J-News
DNR, DREAMS NOT REALITY, ITALIAN VISUAL KEI BAND: SEBASTIANO SERAFINI IS NEW VOCALS & KEYBOARDS MEMBER!
La Carmina blog is always full of surprises and sharp turns… and here’s one that will knock your socks off. I’m tickled to announce that Sebastiano Serafini is the fifth member of DNR (Dreams Not Reality), the Italian Visual rock band! He will be performing as vocalist and keyboardist in DNR’s upcoming concerts, in Eastern Europe and the 10,000+ audience festival Notte Rosa.
DNR was formed on May 2, 2008 — ten years after the death of HIDE, legendary guitarist of X Japan. The band describes its sound as “Euro-Visual KEI,” a genre that mixes Visual Kei / Jrock influences with American 80s metal and Gothic; electronics and melodies meet powerful riffs. (You can hear tracks on DNR’s MySpace.)
☆ DNR has toured around Europe and been featured in many magazines, including All Star and Bravo in Russia.
☆ The band is recognized by Mr. Seiichi Hoshiko, called the “father of Visual-kei”. DNR is currently ranked fourth on Visualog.
☆ Guitarist Kira uses Hide’s signature guitar in the Beyond The World music video (see above). The song is available in English and Japanese on iTunes.
☆ DNR collaborates with Luminor from Cinema Bizarre, who will be touring with the band and Seba next month.
And… there’s a collaboration between DNR and La Carmina in the works! Seba and I will be in Italy soon, working on this secret musical project. (Can you guess what it might be?)
We’re currently tearing up Hong Kong and Macau. Tons of coverage and photos coming right up.
PS: Thank you to Sandi of Wearable Art Blog for interviewing me about Harajuku DIY fashion and crafts.
PPS: Agepoyo gyaru blog wrote a funny post about me and Sebastiano. How random!
Have you heard of the Italian Visual Kei band DNR? What’s your reaction to Seba joining them? Surprised? Excited?
Song of the Day: DNR – Beyond This World
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HONG KONG & MACAU, MAY 2011! GALAXY MACAU HOTEL RESORT GRAND OPENING, ROOMORAMA ASIA APARTMENT RENTALS.
Ai-yah, fei maoo. Sebastiano and La Carmina will be in Hong Kong and Macau for the month of May! (Time to unpack my Cantonese 101 books…)
We’ve got a full schedule of journalism and TV work. Get ready for coverage of Hong Kong’s alternative, kawaii and pop culture scene. How about panda and toilet theme restaurants, Victorian boudoir bars, and cute food cooking lessons?
We’ll be staying in a modern apartment in Causeway Bay, thanks to the lovely folk at Roomorama. Like Tokyo’s Shibuya, this chic district is loaded with cafes and boutiques, and the SOGO Japanese department store. Seba and I will show you what it’s like to stay in one of Roomorama’s short-term rentals (they have locations all over the world, so you can live like a local wherever you go). Perhaps you’ll try out their apartment rental service on your next trip.
Seba and I will also take the short ferry ride to Macau… for the media and VIP-only preview of Galaxy Macau, a giant 2 billion dollar hotel-resort opening this month! We’ll be staying there before it opens to the public — test-driving the 50 restaurants, 2,200 hotel rooms, spa, sky top wave pool, and man-made beach (perhaps we’ll build a sand castle?).
Macau is in boom-mode. Gambling was its lifeblood for decades, but now, entrepreneurs are setting up lux hotels that make Las Vegas look like a pile of pennies. And I’m dying to see how the Rococo-spirited Galaxy Macau will raise the bar.
I haven’t been to Hong Kong in over 3 years, but I went yearly when I was a munchkin, to visit relatives. Creepy-cute characters have always haunted my life.
Here I am on a Cathay Pacific plane ride. In those days, my favorite stuffed toy was a round bear that I insisted that it was a cat. It was my fate to wind up with a earless teddy bear…
Sebastiano also has a Hong Kong history: he was a model there before moving to Japan.
Where in the world is Sebastiano Serafini? Milan, and now Tokyo. Above are images from the Stand Up! The Fragile launch party, featuring him as main model.
If Seba’s Paint drawing is any indication, our Chinese adventure will be full of 8-bit action! (Only his brain could conceive of us as Tanooki Mario and Goth Princess Peach.)
Have you been to Hong Kong or Macau? We’d love to hear your recommendations — please leave us a comment. And tell me what you’d like me to blog about (Hong Kong fashion? Theme restaurants?).
PS: I previously wrote about Gothic Lolita shopping in Hong Kong.
Song of the Day: Joy – Lost in Hong Kong (12″ Italo Disco, ai-yah!)
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LA CARMINA
