Head Phones President
Encyclopedia
Head Phones President is a Japanese
metal band formed in 1999. Their sound is a mix between experimental metal, alternative metal
, nu metal
and hard rock
. They are noted for having a female vocalist, which is uncommon in heavy metal music.
They have played various festivals, including Loud Park Festival '08, Taste of Chaos
, Independence-D '07
and a headlining appearance at Addict XX, sharing the stage with the likes of Slipknot
, Avenged Sevenfold
, Story of the Year
, In This Moment
and Mucc
, to name but a few. They have also played in the U.S.
, Sweden
, Australia
, neighboring Asian countries, and South America
.
in 1998, she embarked on a solo career for almost two years, receiving help from guitarist Hiro and his brother Mar. They had a desire to play heavier music, so together formed the band Deep Last Blue. They found bassist Kawady and drummer Okaji and managed to release their first single, "Escapism" in 2000, after changing their name to Head Phones President. Bassist Kawady left soon after and was replaced by Take the following year.
Playing at small venues all over Japan, they started to gain more popularity. In 2002 the group released the EP ID, after which Take left due to family reasons and was replaced by Narumi. That year Head Phones President had their first international tour, including a stop in New York City
.
Head Phones President's first album Vary was released in late 2003, after which the band returned to America for another short tour and started releasing CDs in the United States.
Okaji left the band in October 2004, desiring to make his own music. They recruited support drummer Batch in January 2005 (he was made an official member in 2009). They continued to tour Japan, taking intermittent breaks to allow Anza to work on her solo career.
Head Phones President released their first DVD, Toy's Box, in August 2006. The band desired to tour Europe
, and in February 2007, they went to Sweden for two performances. In November, they performed at the animation convention, Pacific Media Expo
in Los Angeles, California
. Their second full length album, Folie a Deux, was released on December 12.
In July 2008, they played the Formoz Music Festival in Taipei
, Taiwan
, they returned to the city again in July 2009. On October 7, 2009, the mini album Prodigium was released on the Spiritual Beast label, and was mastered at West Side Music by Alan Douches (Mastodon
, The Agonist
).
On September 3, 2010, they released the self-cover album Pobl Lliw, which includes rearranged versions of old songs as well as some all new tracks. On September 19, 2010, Head Phones President performed at D'erlanger
's "Abstinence's Door #005" with Defspiral
and Girugamesh
. The concert was streamed worldwide live on Ustream.tv. The band returned to New York City to play three shows as part of Frank Wood's "10 Days of Wood" music event in November. On November 24, 2010, the band announced that guitarist Mar had resigned from the band due to unspecified personal reasons. The band publicly wished him well and stated that they will continue activities without him.
Former members
Singles
DVDs
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
metal band formed in 1999. Their sound is a mix between experimental metal, alternative metal
Alternative metal
Alternative metal is a genre of alternative rock and heavy metal that gained popularity in the early 1990s. Most notably, alternative metal bands are characterized by heavy guitar riffs and experimental approaches to heavy music.-Origins:...
, nu metal
Nu metal
Nu metal is a subgenre of heavy metal. It is a fusion genre which combines elements of heavy metal with other genres, including grunge and hip hop...
and hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
. They are noted for having a female vocalist, which is uncommon in heavy metal music.
They have played various festivals, including Loud Park Festival '08, Taste of Chaos
Taste of Chaos
Taste of Chaos is a hardcore tour that was started in the winter of 2005 by Kevin Lyman, the creator of the successful Warped Tour along with friend and business partner, John Reese. The Taste Of Chaos tour caters for fans of the post-hardcore, screamo, and metal genres, while offering the same...
, Independence-D '07
Independence-D
Independence-D is an independent music festival held annually in Japan since 2005. The 2007 edition took place on February 3 and February 4 at Studio Coast in Tokyo.-February 3 - Street rock day:*Strung Out*The Appleseed Cast*Lovedrug*Alpha Boy School...
and a headlining appearance at Addict XX, sharing the stage with the likes of Slipknot
Slipknot (band)
Slipknot is an American heavy metal band from Des Moines, Iowa. Formed in 1995, the group was founded by percussionist Shawn Crahan and bassist Paul Gray...
, Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold is an American heavy metal band from Huntington Beach, California. Formed in 1999, the group consists of vocalist M. Shadows, lead guitarist Synyster Gates, rhythm guitarist Zacky Vengeance, bassist Johnny Christ....
, Story of the Year
Story of the Year
Story of the Year is an American rock band formed in St. Louis, Missouri in 2000. The band was initially named 67 North but was then changed to Big Blue Monkey...
, In This Moment
In This Moment
In This Moment is an American metalcore band from North Hollywood , California. Formed in 2005, the group has released three albums to date, all through Century Media Records.-Founding:...
and Mucc
Mucc
is a Japanese visual kei rock band formed in 1997. Named after a character from the Japanese children's TV show Hirake! Ponkikki, the band is also known by the nickname 69 since "six nine" can be pronounced "muku" in Japanese...
, to name but a few. They have also played in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, neighboring Asian countries, and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
.
History
After vocalist Anza Ohyama ceased performing with the Sailor Moon musicalsSailor Moon musicals
The , commonly referred to as , are a series of live theatre productions based on Naoko Takeuchi's metaseries Sailor Moon. The series consists of 29 musicals which have had more than 800 performances since the show opened in Summer 1993...
in 1998, she embarked on a solo career for almost two years, receiving help from guitarist Hiro and his brother Mar. They had a desire to play heavier music, so together formed the band Deep Last Blue. They found bassist Kawady and drummer Okaji and managed to release their first single, "Escapism" in 2000, after changing their name to Head Phones President. Bassist Kawady left soon after and was replaced by Take the following year.
Playing at small venues all over Japan, they started to gain more popularity. In 2002 the group released the EP ID, after which Take left due to family reasons and was replaced by Narumi. That year Head Phones President had their first international tour, including a stop in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Head Phones President's first album Vary was released in late 2003, after which the band returned to America for another short tour and started releasing CDs in the United States.
Okaji left the band in October 2004, desiring to make his own music. They recruited support drummer Batch in January 2005 (he was made an official member in 2009). They continued to tour Japan, taking intermittent breaks to allow Anza to work on her solo career.
Head Phones President released their first DVD, Toy's Box, in August 2006. The band desired to tour Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and in February 2007, they went to Sweden for two performances. In November, they performed at the animation convention, Pacific Media Expo
Pacific Media Expo
The Pacific Media Expo is a multi-genre convention in California that focuses on anime and manga, Japanese rock and pop, Gothic Lolita, Japanese drama/Korean drama, Asian cinema and East Asian/Pacific Rim pop cultures. It was started in 2003 in by Mike Tatsugawa, one of the founders of Anime...
in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. Their second full length album, Folie a Deux, was released on December 12.
In July 2008, they played the Formoz Music Festival in Taipei
Taipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, they returned to the city again in July 2009. On October 7, 2009, the mini album Prodigium was released on the Spiritual Beast label, and was mastered at West Side Music by Alan Douches (Mastodon
Mastodon (band)
Mastodon is an American heavy metal band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in 1999. The band is composed of bassist/vocalist Troy Sanders, guitarist/vocalist Brent Hinds, guitarist Bill Kelliher and drummer/vocalist Brann Dailor...
, The Agonist
The Agonist
The Agonist is a Canadian metal band from Montreal, Quebec. Their debut full-length album, Once Only Imagined was released on August 14, 2007. Their second full-length album, Lullabies for the Dormant Mind was released on March 19, 2009. Alissa White-Gluz uses both vocal fry and clean vocals for...
).
On September 3, 2010, they released the self-cover album Pobl Lliw, which includes rearranged versions of old songs as well as some all new tracks. On September 19, 2010, Head Phones President performed at D'erlanger
D'erlanger
D'erlanger is a Japanese rock band considered to be important to the formation of visual kei...
's "Abstinence's Door #005" with Defspiral
Defspiral
Defspiral is a Japanese visual kei rock band composed of most of the former members of the Underneath. When the Underneath disbanded in 2010, most of the group was signed to Avex Mode to perform songs for the Kamen Rider Series...
and Girugamesh
Girugamesh
is a Japanese visual kei rock band, formed in 2003. The name is derived from the ancient king Gilgamesh, and is sometimes typeset with a metal umlaut as girugämesh.-2004-2006: Formation:...
. The concert was streamed worldwide live on Ustream.tv. The band returned to New York City to play three shows as part of Frank Wood's "10 Days of Wood" music event in November. On November 24, 2010, the band announced that guitarist Mar had resigned from the band due to unspecified personal reasons. The band publicly wished him well and stated that they will continue activities without him.
Members
- Anza Ohyama – vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
(1999–present) - Hiro – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
(1999–present) - Narumi – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(2002–present) - Batch – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(2009–present, support member from 2005–2009)
Former members
- Kawady – bass (2000)
- Take – bass (2002)
- Okaji – drums (2000–2004)
- Mar – guitar (1999–2010)
Discography
Albums and EPs- id (February 9, 2002, EP)
- Vary (April 25, 2003)
- Vacancy (November 23, 2005, EP)
- Folie a Deux (December 12, 2007)
- Prodigium (October 7, 2009, EP)
- Pobl Lliw (September 3, 2010, self-cover)
Singles
- "Escapism" (December 6, 2000)
- "Crap Head" (May 16, 2001)
- "De Ja Dub" (April 23, 2004)
- "Whiterror" (June 6, 2005)
DVDs
- Toy's Box (August 30, 2006)
- Paralysed Box (October 29, 2008)
- Delirium (July 6, 2011)