Category Archive for Visual Kei + Music
SEBASTIANO SERAFINI & LA CARMINA IN LOS ANGELES! LA GOTH ALTERNATIVE MODELLING, NEW YEAR’S EVENTS & PARTIES. KOREAN FASHION SHOPPING SITE.
Adventure Team… ASSEMBLE. It’s official! “Latest victim” Sebastiano Serafini ( セバスティアーノ セラフィニー ) and I will be in Los Angeles, from December 28 to January 10. Each day will be filled with business and pleasure — two things excruciatingly intertwined in our Rocky Horror world.
What scandal is brewing? Seba and I are being hosted by a gorgeous boutique hotel. We have meetings with TV and entertainment execs. Modelling gigs with Lip Service and other Goth alternative labels. Prominent photoshoots, including the NOH8 campaign (to protest the Prop 8 ban on gay marriage in California). Red carpet events, and of course, a royally decadent New Year’s!
Sebastiano and I may be hosting events in LA — we hope you can join us and hang out. Please stay tuned to my blog and social networks for announcements. If you’re interested in having us model, do promotions or anything else in Los Angeles (Dec 28-Jan 10), please email La Carmina. (Paying gigs only.)
You can look forward to a full exposé of Seba’s first visit to America! I’ll soon post an interview with Sebastiano, our h.NAOTO collaboration photos, and news about a massive project debuting in 2011…
Both of us are quite OCD about travel planning, so we’re already thinking about what to wear. A new Korean fashion website is providing me with inspiration. AsianFashion.com sells men’s and women’s clothing from Japan and Korea, such as Ageha baby-doll dresses and criss-cross ankle boots. There’s an impressive selection of Asian beauty products, including circle contact lenses. The shopping site is very well organized and easy to browse; do check it out.
At least I don’t need to worry about how to dress up my legs. Artisan Socks sent me 18 pairs of stockings. In the words of my no-ears celebrity cat Basil Farrow: “Wahhh!”
Artisan Socks has an impressive stock of Japanese socks. Floral prints, skulls, stripes, tattoos, and even cyber fuzzy leg warmers!
Decisions, decisions… which ones to wear first?
Thank you also to Maru Music for sending me the latest Visual Kei music by The GazettE and Alice Nine! I was talking to Adventure Teamster Lemon about DIX-mas shopping. We agreed that Maru is the place to pick up CDs and MP3s as Jrock gifts. The label has also digitally released the hit single from the Kanon X Kanon project, and two albums by Vidoll. Visit Maru Music for more.
Are you psyched for our LA invasion? Can you suggest new places for us to visit? I have an Los Angeles Gothic Punk shopping and club guide here.
PS: If you’re interested in working with me and Sebastiano in LA (Dec 28-Jan 10, paid gigs only), please email La Carmina.
Japanese Word of the Day: Zaiaku = Sin
Song of the Day: Rocky Horror Picture Show – Don’t Dream It, Be It (Give yourself over to absolute pleasure / Swim the warm waters of sins of the flesh)
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AURAL VAMPIRE, BIRTHDAY MASSACRE, DOMMIN, BLACK VEIL BRIDES CONCERT TOUR 2010. SEATTLE GOTH PUNK & JAPANESE BANDS LIVE.
Aural Vampire takes over America! Rose and I had a genki night with Raveman and Exo-Chika of the electro-Goth band from Japan. Don’t feel bad if you missed out… I captured their concert in this spanking new video. Andy Six of Black Veil Brides also talks about Aural Vampire and the difficulties of communicating. There’s also a shoutout to my friend Mai Sassy Girl, who is Chika’s English teacher!
In October 2008, I wrote a blog post about Aural Vampire’s show at Tokyo Dark Castle, Shinjuku Club Marz. Some drama went down in that post’s comments…
I also interviewed the frontman of Dommin, Kristofer Dommin (yes, that’s his real name. Born to be Goth, right?) I asked him about his songwriting process, finding the right band members and covering Cutting Crew’s “I just died in your arms tonight.”
The video includes clips from Dommin’s show. I enjoyed the dark chimes and choirs, film noir vibe and lyrics of heartbreak. Take a listen to this band; I think you’ll like them too.
The night wrapped up with Birthday Massacre. What a gift they are to the contemporary Goth music scene. The live music at the end of the video speaks for itself. Singer Chibi is the sweetest; unlike the previous act, there were no water bottles being thrown into eyes!
After the show, guitarist Rainbow came up to say hi because he liked our styling. Aren’t we Canadians nice? I’m keen to see Birthday Massacre again. They should play Tokyo, ne?
Ready? Set? Let’s watch the Aural Vampire, Dommin and Birthday Massacre video above and on my YouTube. If you missed it, I interviewed Andy Six of Black Veil Brides in this concert report.
All of my Jrock and Goth concert reviews are found here. Please be a sweetheart and subscribe to my YouTube channel for more fun videos. There’s an Evil Queen makeup tutorial and Ice Cream Land nampa-fest coming up!
PS: Sebastiano Serafini and I both have exciting travel plans for New Year’s… hmm, could that be a coincidence? Stay tuned to this blog and my Twitter for the 411.
Japanese Word of the Day: Shichou = Mayor
Song of the Day: Aural Vampire’s Darkwave Surfer brings down the house in Seattle, November 20th 2010.
LA CARMINA
