Big in Japan: The Music You'll Be Listening To Next Year (Escapist)

Issue #145 of The Escapist is out, and its main focus is on Japan. There are five main features on everything from yaoi, Hello Kitty, magical girls and learning Japanese among otaku culture. One of them is something from me: "Big in Japan: The Music You'll Be Listening To Next Year." Basically, it's a list of 10 bands that are set to make it big in America. I know, the title is a little misleading...I suggested "Hit in America," a reference to the Beck anime series about a young Japanese band trying to make it big.

But anyway, the article is up, and obviously I think readers here at the A-Z would find it interesting. I put a lot of though into the band listing. I'm sure that just about everyone will have one or two bands that they are shocked to find missing from the list, that's to be expected. Part of what I was hoping to do was write for the general public that doesn't know anything about the Japanese scene or what's been going on in America. Another part was to just give credit where it was due and point out some of the most hard working Japanese bands in America. And yes, another part was just me wanting to support that bands I felt, rationally or otherwise, deserved a little more exposure.

The one thing I really hope to see emerge from this is a passionate and fiery discussion of not only the bands listed, but other bands not on the list and the reasons they should be on it. I'd love to hear everyone's own views and reasons. The best way to see more of our favorite bands in America (or the UK or wherever you live) is to talk about them and let everyone know that we want to seem them in our hometown.

So start ranting!