State of visual kei - hiatuses and disbandments
There has not been much good news in the J-rock world. In the past week, I learned that An Cafe, Cellt, Moran, and Sendai Kamotsu are going on a hiatus or disbanding. Of these four, only Cellt has stated that they are ending things permanently. However, as Malice Mizer has demonstrated, an "indefinite hiatus" can seem rather permanent. Although Cellt and Moran are not very well-known, even in Japan, An Cafe has been really successful touring the world and Sendai Kamotsu has developed a cult following. It's not just them; 2009 has seen/will see the end of Sugar, Anomie, Billy, and Bergerac. Shattered Tranquility seems to make bi-weekly announcements about bands breaking up or taking a break. What is going on?
I started thinking about the reasons for all the break-ups and pauses. At first, I figured that maybe I'm just over-reacting. I returned to the visual kei scene recently so many of the bands that I "just got into" have actually been around for a few years. Furthermore, 2008 had its fair share of shocking news with two heavy-hitters, Phantasmagoria and Rentrer en Soi, among the bands that ended their activities.
Or maybe the musicians really do want to go their separate directions and/or see no future with their bands. Nevertheless, disagreement on the future of the band (or agreement that there is no future) seems like a convenient excuse, even if it is the truth. After all, disagreement is often used to explain a member's departure as well. One member's exit isn't the end of the world; some bands, like Jin-Machine, have continued on despite losing half of their original line-up.
Maybe band members are looking for a fresh start. It turns out that Billy became Shounen Hana Baddies while keeping all the members. Anomie and Sendai Kamotsu will still be around, as their more famous alter-egos, Matenrou Opera and Nightmare. Then you've got an established band like L'Arc~en~Ciel who are on a break to pursue other projects.
Another possibility is that the band members aren't willing to make their personal matters known so citing creative differences gives them an easy out. Japanese musicians are much more secretive than their Western counterparts, who sometimes air their dirty laundry in interviews. I'm not just talking about personal drama. Things like health problems are a very private issue in Japan (there's a superstition that says talking about someone's illness will only make them worse). When a band does face health issues or tragedy, like Versailles and Malice Mizer, their reasons for pausing activity is obvious. The news is still shocking though. These artists have crafted a larger-than-life image that makes them seem untouchable so the realization that they too are mortal takes time to process.
The timing of these announcements fall in line with the current economic crisis. Chiba of Sendai Kamotsu even said that they were going to "file for bankruptcy." I have no idea if he's joking or not, but financial issues would be a reason for disagreement among indie bands. These musicians, even the famous ones, work year-round, and the ones just starting out have to do their own hair and make-up, transport their instruments, and even sell their own CDs. The fact that I often don't hear about a band until it's too late just shows how hard it is to make a name for oneself in the industry. A band cannot survive on a small fanbase, at least not in the long run. The more well-known artists aren't immune to the effects of the economy right now either. They aren't making any money with illegal downloads, and even if they have an international fanbase, it's not cheap to travel around the world. That leads me to my second point.
An Cafe suspended their activities to "charge up by seeing themselves objectively." This sounds like burn-out. I have to wonder if the end of Sendai Kamotsu and Anomie is a result of their members not being able to juggle two bands. Not only is it not financially pragmatic, but perhaps it is too taxing (no pun intended) on the members. Today's audience is demanding; with mp3s and the internet, fans want instant gratification. Their attention is hard to sustain, which is why the most well-known bands, like the GazettE and Nightmare, work 365 days of year. When they're not doing oneman tours, they're playing events and festivals; when they're not doing that, they are recording or doing other promotional activities. Between their livehouse and hall tours (separated by three months), Alice Nine recorded tracks for a new single, made two PVs, created a book commemorating their 5th anniversary, and began promoting said new single. Nightmare has already announced a new album for January 2010 even though their latest record was released this past May. Considering that they have Sendai Kamotsu activities on top of that, it's a wonder how these guys deal with the stress. Surviving the music business isn't just about successful shows and releases. Like I said, the audience demands fresh material for established artists all the time. As a writer, I know how hard that can be, especially when it seems like your creative juices have been exhausted. You also have to consider the time needed to learn new music and to perfect a performance. The life of a rock star seem glamorous, but that's just the image projected towards the fans. They don't want the fans to see the blood, sweat, and tears.
In conclusion, I probably should be shocked because I've never paid this much attention to the J-rock industry. Fans often forget the business side of music, as well as the fact that their beloved rock gods are actually human. It's also easy to assume that people won't change attitudes and goals. Perhaps for a lot of these paused/disbanded groups, it was time to move on. Life throws us the most unexpected surprises, and everyone has his or her own way of dealing with them. To quote a musician whose time was cut short, Jasmine You, "It's okay for me to face heartbreaking situations and be stopped by them, but I want to continue moving forward." Let's hope the best for everyone.
I started thinking about the reasons for all the break-ups and pauses. At first, I figured that maybe I'm just over-reacting. I returned to the visual kei scene recently so many of the bands that I "just got into" have actually been around for a few years. Furthermore, 2008 had its fair share of shocking news with two heavy-hitters, Phantasmagoria and Rentrer en Soi, among the bands that ended their activities.
Or maybe the musicians really do want to go their separate directions and/or see no future with their bands. Nevertheless, disagreement on the future of the band (or agreement that there is no future) seems like a convenient excuse, even if it is the truth. After all, disagreement is often used to explain a member's departure as well. One member's exit isn't the end of the world; some bands, like Jin-Machine, have continued on despite losing half of their original line-up.
Maybe band members are looking for a fresh start. It turns out that Billy became Shounen Hana Baddies while keeping all the members. Anomie and Sendai Kamotsu will still be around, as their more famous alter-egos, Matenrou Opera and Nightmare. Then you've got an established band like L'Arc~en~Ciel who are on a break to pursue other projects.
Another possibility is that the band members aren't willing to make their personal matters known so citing creative differences gives them an easy out. Japanese musicians are much more secretive than their Western counterparts, who sometimes air their dirty laundry in interviews. I'm not just talking about personal drama. Things like health problems are a very private issue in Japan (there's a superstition that says talking about someone's illness will only make them worse). When a band does face health issues or tragedy, like Versailles and Malice Mizer, their reasons for pausing activity is obvious. The news is still shocking though. These artists have crafted a larger-than-life image that makes them seem untouchable so the realization that they too are mortal takes time to process.
The timing of these announcements fall in line with the current economic crisis. Chiba of Sendai Kamotsu even said that they were going to "file for bankruptcy." I have no idea if he's joking or not, but financial issues would be a reason for disagreement among indie bands. These musicians, even the famous ones, work year-round, and the ones just starting out have to do their own hair and make-up, transport their instruments, and even sell their own CDs. The fact that I often don't hear about a band until it's too late just shows how hard it is to make a name for oneself in the industry. A band cannot survive on a small fanbase, at least not in the long run. The more well-known artists aren't immune to the effects of the economy right now either. They aren't making any money with illegal downloads, and even if they have an international fanbase, it's not cheap to travel around the world. That leads me to my second point.
An Cafe suspended their activities to "charge up by seeing themselves objectively." This sounds like burn-out. I have to wonder if the end of Sendai Kamotsu and Anomie is a result of their members not being able to juggle two bands. Not only is it not financially pragmatic, but perhaps it is too taxing (no pun intended) on the members. Today's audience is demanding; with mp3s and the internet, fans want instant gratification. Their attention is hard to sustain, which is why the most well-known bands, like the GazettE and Nightmare, work 365 days of year. When they're not doing oneman tours, they're playing events and festivals; when they're not doing that, they are recording or doing other promotional activities. Between their livehouse and hall tours (separated by three months), Alice Nine recorded tracks for a new single, made two PVs, created a book commemorating their 5th anniversary, and began promoting said new single. Nightmare has already announced a new album for January 2010 even though their latest record was released this past May. Considering that they have Sendai Kamotsu activities on top of that, it's a wonder how these guys deal with the stress. Surviving the music business isn't just about successful shows and releases. Like I said, the audience demands fresh material for established artists all the time. As a writer, I know how hard that can be, especially when it seems like your creative juices have been exhausted. You also have to consider the time needed to learn new music and to perfect a performance. The life of a rock star seem glamorous, but that's just the image projected towards the fans. They don't want the fans to see the blood, sweat, and tears.
In conclusion, I probably should be shocked because I've never paid this much attention to the J-rock industry. Fans often forget the business side of music, as well as the fact that their beloved rock gods are actually human. It's also easy to assume that people won't change attitudes and goals. Perhaps for a lot of these paused/disbanded groups, it was time to move on. Life throws us the most unexpected surprises, and everyone has his or her own way of dealing with them. To quote a musician whose time was cut short, Jasmine You, "It's okay for me to face heartbreaking situations and be stopped by them, but I want to continue moving forward." Let's hope the best for everyone.