Dir en grey...
Current mood: sad

Should I feel bad that Dir en grey is coming to New York again, and I don't care? They have always been one of my favorite bands, but as of late it seems that their sound has been regressing. I've been a long-time fan, and up until Vulgar and Withering To Death, I felt that their sound was evolving in a positive and exciting way and getting better and better! But with their latest album and all subsequent singles that have followed, I have become completely bored with their music. It was like a 120-mph high coming to the screeching halt of a fatal collision with a semi truck, going from "awesome" to "sucks" in a single terrible moment.

It really saddens me to have lost such faith in one of my greatest musical inspirations. I was excited when I heard that for the Dozing Green single they would be redoing Hydra (as they redid 秒「」深 from Missa on Six Ugly), but that was an utter disappointment which I listened to once and never again. And I hear they are bringing back Undecided from Kisou with the release of their new single. I don't even want to hear it.

With every new work of music they release I become further estranged from them. I truly was a devoted fan for many years. I bought every Japanese release album of theirs up until Marrow Of The Bone (which is where my disappointment began). And I even spent $2000 to fly out to L.A. with my girlfriend to see them when they played in the U.S. for the first time. It's not like I am some fickle fan who just goes along with the trends.

But somehow, they have let me down. It's as if I have been betrayed by a good friend or cheated on by a lover. It hurts to hear their music continue down a spiral of mediocrity.

Will they ever return to their former grace and again create sounds that uplift and inspire me?

5:24 PM - 11 Comments - 9 Kudos - Add Comment

ROCK ’N ROLL DOMINATION!!! Oh yeah, baby!!!

I have just uploaded a new track to my music page myspace. com/gabrieltanaka !!!!! Go check it out!!! If you dig it, please add my music page as well and support the rock!

I made this track with a few things in mind: keep it fun, sexy, and rocking hard! I pictured a crowd dancing (gogo, anyone? hehe) while making this track, and I tried to keep it fun and suggestive along the way. The track builds to repeated "climaxes" and doesn't stop kicking your ass for its duration.

If you make it towards the end of this 5:26-long rock monster, you'll be treated to a rare moment of me actually playing a real guitar solo!

Enjoy! And let me know what you think!

Gabriel

6:56 AM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

New Apartment, Recording Updates, & X Japan Cover?

My girl and I just moved into our new apartment this past week. It's definitely a step up from our old place, so the change in environment should add to my musical inspiration. Once I am finished rebuilding my recording studio in the new place I will get back to laying down tracks for the project I've been working on. I also thought it would be fun to cover an X Japan song just for the hell of it. For anyone who likes X Japan and would like to have input as to what song I should cover, please feel free to send me a message. Here are the tracks I've narrowed it down to, or if you have another suggestion, let me know.



Kurenai

Orgasm

I'll Kill You

Silent Jealousy

Sadistic Desire

Voiceless Screaming



There ya have it!

Gabriel

8:42 PM - 9 Comments - 12 Kudos - Add Comment

Sakura Matsuri 2008

So my girlfriend and I went to the Sakura Matsuri today in Brooklyn. It was nice... minus the noisy children tearing up the trees and the shear number of people crowding up the whole park. Through much hard effort I somehow was able to take plenty of pictures of my beautiful girlfriend amidst the Sakura in full bloom.

Check out her page at myspace.com/cafelepsyence (or click on my first Top Friend) to see all of the nice pics I took.

(Too bad my camera sucks, but some of them managed to turn out well.)

Have a look, won't you? Enjoy!

Gabriel

8:08 PM - 3 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

My band needs a vocalist!!!
Current mood: rockin
Category: Music

My band is looking for a serious rock vocalist/songwriter in the New York area for recording and live shows! The requirements are few. If you meet these criteria, you might be what this band needs!

You must possess these traits: originality, creativity, talent, professionalism, productivity, dedication to your craft, charisma, etc.

You must be able to: sing in key, rock hard, work a crowd, write lyrics (with sentiment and meaning above an 8th grade level), show up to required rehearsal & shows, etc.

You must not: use drugs, drink during rehearsals or shows, procrastinate, be an asshole, have an inflated ego, waste my time, etc.

That should give you an idea of what I’m looking for. So if you’re interested here is what you do. Meeting up right away for an audition is too costly. Pen up some lyrics for the demo track on this page, come up with some vocal ideas, and then rehearse in your bedroom, in your car, or in your studio or whatever. You can contact me and request an mp3 to be emailed to you if you have a professional sequencer you’d like to load it into. Or you can just play the track on your computer from Myspace and record a rough vocal track over it using Sound Recorder in Windows or your built in mic on a Mac. Message me, and I’ll give you an email to send your recording to.

That shouldn’t be too difficult if you’re a vocalist of the caliber I’m searching for. The demo track has a bunch of different ideas going on that should give you an idea of the kind of music you’ll be singing and writing with in this band.

So that’s about it! Good luck, Kick ass, and may the most awesome vocalist make the cut!

See you on stage!

8:56 AM - 2 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Delivering the Rock... FINALLY!!!
Current mood: confident

Great news for anyone who cares!!! I've been doing a lot of recording over the past several months and working on several tracks, most of which are coming along very well. At this rate I'll probably be posting a few songs on my music page (coming soon!) within the next couple of months and dramatically updating my page (finally!!!). At that time I will make known my musical agenda and plans for my musical direction (Live shows anyone? ^.-). Thanks to anyone and everyone who cares and especially those who look forward to entering my musical world.

To all things to come,

Gabriel

11:51 AM - 12 Comments - 14 Kudos - Add Comment