RIZE 2012 Fallin' Tour

RIZE TOUR 2012 - Sponsored by Stride gum

Everyone's favorite Japanese grunge-rock band RIZE is back at it again, along with the release of their newest single, "Local Defense Organization." 

Japan's Top R&B - A.I.

I love music. It's simple. Unfortunately, finding new music I like is often impossible. Either it's too "poppy" for me or it lacks a certain element of the underground, which I so desperately crave. In recent years, in terms of the music I've been listening to on a daily basis, most of the music I listen to these days were orchestrated by friends I've made in real life. Today's featured artist is no different, allow me to introduce you to Japan's top R&B singer, the beautiful "A.I.".

Born in Los Angeles, California in 1981, AI would go on to become one of Japan's top R&B artists. In 2000, she signed with Universal (BMG) Japan, and moved to Def Jam Japan in 2002. It wasn't until 2005 when AI found major success with her single, "Story." Since then, AI has gone on to win numerous awards from Billboard Japan, Space Shower and MTV Japan. No matter what AI does, there is just no stopping this sensational singer.

Nobuaki Kaneko's New JDrama - VISION

Nobuaki Kaneko, the drummer to the popular Nirvana-esque Japanese garage punk band RIZE, finds himself behind the camera once again in this summer's new police drama- Vision.

Nobuaki Kaneko (NK) has been a drummer his entire life. When he was 17 years old, he created the (now famous) band RIZE with his lifelong friend, Jesse McFaddin. RIZE has gone on to release 7 major full length albums, spanning the genres of Rock, Reggae, Rap, Punk, and JPop. It is also rumored that RIZE will release a new album in 2012 (or early 2013), but the release date has not yet been confirmed.

In Vision, NK plays the role of the lead character Kazuma, a cop who frequently finds himself on the wrong side of the law. In episode 1 - Awakening, the plot reveals that Rena, the lead actress, thinks she is being followed by a ghost. I won't spoil anything though, so if you want to find out what happens in this summer's hottest JDrama, head over to Crunchy Roll and check out the first two episodes.

PaymoneyTomyPain

One of my personal favorite bands from Japan, PaymoneyTomyPain offers up a collection of rhythmic hits, each with their own catchy guitar riffs and punk/rock hooks. Formed in 2005, PTP continues to make waves throughout the Japanese music scene.

The band consists of four main members: 

K - Vocals

Pablo - Guitar

Zax - Drums

Tsuyoshi - Bass

Albums

• Another Day Comes (September 12, 2007)
• After You Wake Up (March 18, 2009)
• Remember the Name (January 26, 2011)

Top 5 from Nex

It's been a month, and I've only just begun posting. I never introduced myself yet, I'm Nex. Rising Sun Freestyle has grown a lot the past month, and it's because of readers like you, and the consistent effort from Ryo and Katherine. I'll do my best to live up to their standards.

So we're posting our top 5 bands, and talking about a recently discovered band.

Nex's top 5 are as follows:

LIVE REPORT - RIZE 2012 TOUR FINALE, AKASAKA BLITZ

Live Report – RIZE 2012 TOUR FINALE, AKASAKA BLITZ
Date: May 27, 2012
Location: Akasaka BLITZ
Written by Nex
Photos by Dao, Kai, and Nex (edited by Nex)

Outside Akasaka Blitz, the place was buzzing with people

This wasn't my first time seeing RIZE, or meeting the members of the band. However, as I road the train to Akasaka, my heart was still racing. RIZE never fails to deliver an awesome show. It doesn't matter how many times I see them, or meet them, I'll always be psyched to see them. They have an infectious energy and passion that hypes people of all ages and lifestyles. So as I walked up the stairs of the station, and the RIZE flag came into view, I couldn't help but grin from ear to ear.

Кирпичи - Kirpichi - Russian hip hop group

It was once upon a midnight dreary, when I pondered weak and weary, over many a page of Youtube videos I don't know...

Rize in NYC at Webster Hall Studio

Here are some photos from the Rize shows in NYC and Toronto. It's been a couple of months since the shows, but everyone is in agreement it was probably one of the best tours North America has seen in ages.