JAM Project “Lantis Festival” Special Interview
The Japanese biggest anime song festival, “15th Anniversary Live Lantis Matsuri 2014” was held at Shiokaze Park in Tokyo on September 12th 2104.
This event was organized so as to celebrate its 15th anniversary , featuring a lot artists from the label including JAM Project who have founded the label since the launch. 12 thousand audience got together at Odaiba to celebrate the anniversary.
The following interview with JAM Project is on the world tour titled ”Anisong World Tour-Lantis Festival 2015”.
— Please tell us how you felt about today’s Lantis Festival.
Kageyama: Looking down from the stage, I was deeply moved by the sight of all the fans getting together for this special day.
Okui: With the red lights from the audience, it looked as if they were all fireflies.
Kageyama: Anime Song fans always cheer up all the artists besides their favorite ones. This is something special about anime song live performances.
— You shared the stage with a lot of artists. How did you feel about it?
Kageyama: We have been performing as JAM Project since the launch of Lantis, and at that time there weren’t so many signed artists. We celebrated the 10th anniversary 5 years ago. Even compared to that, now we have more artists, audience, staffs and the event seems bigger than ever.
Okui: We get to meet voice actors who we don’t get to work with for our own gigs. It’s fun to share stages with them.
Kageyama: Yes. They are all actively performing, doing solo shows. Sometimes we get to see them at bigger shows such as Lantis Matsuri and Anime Summer Live Events.
— JAM Project has been performing internationally . What’s the most impressive memory you’ve ever had overseas?
Kageyama: Unexpected things can happen at places you’ve never been. So we bring comparably many staffs from Japan to prepare for that. That is also the fun part of performing overseas. We learn a lot from that, too.
We also get inspired and moved. For example, when we went to Beijing, we had been told that the Chinese audience are shy and quiet but it does not mean that they are not having fun. On the other hand, when the show started, they were so full of energy. Since we were not expecting it, it really caught me off guard and I was deeply moved by that.
Okui: With the content of the lyric, that was such a touching moment.
Kageyama: Also when I was performing as JAM Project at OTAKON, Fukuyama couldn’t make it due to the recovery from his illness. Instead, he joined the show acoustically with a guitar over Skype. It was super early in the morning.
Fukuyama: That was a tough time (lol).
Kageyama: But the fans in Baltimore was so happy with joy. It was another touching moment.
Fukuyama: Since I was performing right in front of my PC, I couldn’t really hear their voice and it was hard to catch their reaction(lol).
Kageyama: I’ve been to so many countries, but anime song concerts are now international sensation and Brazil is one of the most enthusiastic one.
— What do you think of the fact that the Japanese-born Anime songs are now popular among international fans.
Kageyama: I was a bit skeptical at first but when you are there, you see a lot of cos-players in the city and there were a lot of indie anime magazines and anime song contests. You hear Brazilian kids singing in Japanese.
Fukuyama: I was so surprised at their great pronunciation. Sometimes I don’t remember the lyrics but audience overseas, they do. That’s so amazing.
— JAM Project has been performing overseas a lot but this will be as the whole label festival “Lantis Matsuri”. What do you think of it?
Kageyama: I think it’s great. Till now it’s been artist by artist, but now we get to do this as the whole label even for two days. That’s just amazing and even history-making.
— Is there any difference in your in your mind as JAM Project and as the leader of the label?
Kageyama: Since we have the longest career, we would like to make other performers relaxed and feel comfortable in order to get the best performance out of them. I think that’s our responsibility.
Young Lantis artists are all polite and respects us, seniors. In a good way, we would like to build a bond to do our best. I think that’ll be the best thing for us all to do.
— How was collaborating with young artists?
Kageyama: It was phenomenal! Some are younger than our own children (lol).
Fukuyama: As a collaboration with Stylips, JAM got to have some joint performance with dance.
Kageyama: You were not dancing as much as your mouth does (lol).
Fukuyama: I did!(lol) Stylips did the choreography but it was hard with dancing even on familiar songs.
Kageyama: This time they asked for this collaboration. It was flattering.
— Is there any advice from JAM Project for Young artists on looking into overseas?
Endo: Well, It’s harder to expect things overseas compared to Japan. But if you get caught up with that, you won’ be able to enjoy the show. We were like that, too. You should just take it as it is and have fun.
Kageyama: You gotta do what you gotta do. Even with troubles, it’s not like you only have one microphone (lol).
Endo: We shared two mics by five one time (lol).
Okui: You’ll get used to it as you get more experienced.
— This time, Us concert takes place in Las Vegas. Why Vegas?
Kageyama: OTAKON has been been supportive for Lantis and now they are going to launch “OTAKON VEGAS”. This is why we chose Vegas.
— Please give some message to US fans for the Vegas show.
Kageyama: We would like to bring Japanese Lantis Matsuri as it is, with the same amount of energy and the same intentions for US fans!
In Japan, Anime songs are for people to feel happy about. I would like the same chemistry to happen in the US and it actually did in other countries. We will do our best to make the two days the happiest days in your memory!
JAM Project
http://jamjamsite.com/
JAM Project (“Japan Animationsong Makers Project”) is a Japanese anime song supergroup formed in 2000 that is comprised of five veteran vocalists: Hironobu Kageyama (Dragon Ball Z), Masami Okui (Revolutionary Girl Utena), Yoshiki Fukuyama (Macross 7), Masaaki Endo (The King of Braves GaoGaiGar), and Hiroshi Kitadani (One Piece). They have achieved an extraordinary position in the “Anisong” genre. In 2008, they completed their first world tour called “No Border” in 8 countries and established strong international recognition. After adding a South American tour in 2012, JAM Project continues singing “Anisong” all over the world to represent Japanese culture.
About Lantis Festival in Las Vegas
Lantis, the world’s largest label for anime song artists, presents “ANISONG WORLD TOUR ~ LANTIS FESTIVAL” on January 16 and 17th , 2015 at The Joint – Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, NV. The Lantis Festival brings 7 major artists to spread their Anisong circle to U.S. fans.
The U.S. show will kick off their 6-city world tour as “the circle of Anisong” that connected all of Japan goes overseas to deliver the heat of Anisong throughout the world.
Lantis Festival at Las Vegas is presented in conjunction with Otakon Vegas.
Concert Information
January 16th, 2015 Show time: 7pm to 10pm
January 17th, 2015 Show Time: 2pm to 5pm
Ticket
Now on sale
January 16th:
http://www.axs.com/events/256244/anisong-world-tour-lantis-festival-tickets?skin=thejoint
for January 17th:
http://www.axs.com/events/256245/anisong-world-tour-lantis-festival-tickets?skin=thejoint
Ticket Prices
VIP Tickets: $125 (limited quantity)
• VIP Pass
• Early Entry
• Lucky bags
• High-touch session with all artists after show
Advance Tickets: $50
Venue
The Joint – Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, NV
http://www.hardrockhotel.com/las-vegas-concerts/the-joint
Artists
JAM Project // Yoko Ishida // YOUSEI TEIKOKU // ChouCho // Faylan // Sayaka Sasaki // bamboo (from milktub)
About Lantis Festival
The 2015 ANISONG World Tour Lantis Festival will bring hit anime songs to 6 cities: Las Vegas, Hong Kong, Singapore, Seoul, Taipei, and one more city to be announced. The ongoing Lantis Festival covered a total of 9 concerts across 4 cities in Japan, delivering successful performances for many thousands of fans. The Tokyo concerts held on the 13th, 14th and 15th of September had an amazing turnout of 28,000 fans in 3 days.
About Lantis Records
Lantis, the premier Japanese record label that represents the largest roster of anime song artists, was established November 26, 1999. To commemorate the 15-year mark of their establishment they held the “Lantis Festival 2014” to bring anime song loving fans in Japan together for a memorable experience.
About The Joint
The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas is a 4,500-person capacity venue that serves as a sophisticated, intimate and unparalleled entertainment destination. The Joint features seven Luxury Suites, a VIP Studio Level, state-of-the-art sound system, superior video system and a production package tailor-made for artist comfort. It has received numerous accolades including “Best Concert Venue” in Las Vegas Review – Journal’s “Best of Las Vegas” awards 2010 – 2013, “Best Music Venue” in 2012 and 2013 Las Vegas Weekly Awards, “No. 1 Hottest Club in America” award by Billboard Magazine in 2011 and 2013, “Best Live Music Venue in Las Vegas” by MetroWize.com in 2011, “Best New Major Concert Venue” at the 2010 Pollstar Awards, and “Best Live Music Venue” in AOL City’s Best 2010 awards. The Joint delivers unforgettable live music experiences with performances by both legendary and ground-breaking artists including Paul McCartney, The Killers, Bon Jovi, Kenny Chesney, Nine Inch Nails, The Who, Imagine Dragons, Prince, Arcade Fire, Muse, Drake, and No Doubt. The venue created the successful concept of rock ‘n’ roll residencies with Supernatural Santana: A Trip Through the Hits, Mötley Crüe in Sin City, Mötley Crüe invites you to an Intimate Evening in Hell, Guns N’ Roses Appetite for Democracy, Guns N’ Roses – An Evening of Destruction. No Trickery! and Def Leppard VIVA Hysteria! as well as Tiësto In Concert featuring electronic DJ and producer Tiësto. KISS kicked off its nine-show residency, KISS Rocks Vegas, on Wednesday, Nov. 5. Follow The Joint on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest news and updates.
Links
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ANISONGWorldTourLantisFestivalinLasVegas
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjR6YoI3EYrJXoQlEHt4HfQ
bamboo,ChouCho,Faylan,JAM PROJECT,Lantis,Lantis MASTURI,Sayaka Sasaki,Yoko Ishida,YOUSEI TEIKOKU