Band histories. Do VK bands interest you more if...

[shiroihana 182]

Do visual kei bands interest you more if the members have been in previous bands that you recognize? I ask because visual kei especially has (or at least traditionally, perhaps less so much these days)  has had an endemic emphasis on extensive band histories, something you rarely see in most scenes. To me it's reminiscent of a family tree, and this 'rarez' would give the avid VK fan many more gems to discover and collect.

 

I don't see this so much anymore, as it would appear fewer and fewer pertinent VK bands consist of members who have played in dozens of bands before.  So while there once was a time it wasn't uncommon to see dudes sporting 15 preliminary bands behind their new popular one, it seems to be a relic of the past at this point.  But on the contrary, this doesn't seem to hurt anything. These fresh new kids are performing at a very high level.

 

But as I was saying, does this stuff even mean anything to you? Often? Or in rare cases if it's someone you REALLY like? I always thought extensive band histories were interesting and fascinating for many reasons. For instance, if I see a bunch of guys from different bands I'm familiar with playing together, it makes me think. Woah, what an eclectic mix of styles I'm familiar with. I wonder what they'll sound like together? 

[Rize 1593]

Hmm I think it does, for example I've been following:

Chisa (Vo. NEXX > DIV > アクメ).

from アクメ I noticed they have HAL (Drums) in their lineup and I know him from ARTEMA and just the type of music are sooo different but to make something new out of it is for me always mindblowing!

 

I'm just always curious about their previous work if I don't know them well. But same as their new works to see if they have changed their style in music, come up with new things and so on. I think it really does make a lot of difference.

 

I probably get more or faster interested into a band if I know any of the members in some band that I already been listening to.

[ShTon 268]

I like to check out members' history out of curiosity if I like the band. I found about a lot of bands I got to love this way. It's true that now past bands lists aren't as long, but it was never something I used to judge whenever a musician was good or bad. Just a fun thing to know two or more familiar faces were in one band at some point. xD

 

Edited September 5, 2020 by ShTon

[Gesu 1537]

I'll make an effort to check out every new band I see here, even if few manage to hold my interest. That being said, I guess I have higher expectations for bands with members from bands I love. Usually when I've found out a musician I like has joined a new band/used to be in a different band and checked them out, I haven't been disappointed at all, although there have been exceptions. Like I said, new bands will always get a chance from me so even if there are members from bands I don't like so much, I give them the benefit of the doubt because the way I see it, they might be in a new band because they wanted to try something new so I don't think I can ever truly know what to expect.

[zombieparadise 487]

I love diving deep into past members band's of the bands I really admire. Previous band's are usually super indie and sound like hot garbage, but if I'm lucky enough to find any releases I do enjoy the thrill of the hunt : >

Edited September 6, 2020 by zombieparadise

[fruitfork 116]

This is very fan-girly of me but of course band histories influence who I choose to lisen to... I get fixated on certain members, so if I really really like that member sometimes I will listen to trash or go out of my way to find rare stuff no one cares about just because I care about who made it/was a part of making it.

I think this is how I find most of the one off bands.

Edited September 6, 2020 by fruitfork

[nekkichi 6043]

I love checking on bandomen I formerly followed a decade+ ago to learn they either retired, or are stagnating in dead-end normie bands with a vague post-visual dusting which in most cases is a worse fate than death!

[Mamo 1172]

4 hours ago, nekkichi said:

I love checking on bandomen I formerly followed a decade+ ago to learn they either retired, or are stagnating in dead-end normie bands with a vague post-visual dusting which in most cases is a worse fate than death!

Was having a shitty day, no más. 😂😂🤣🤣💀 

 

Band histories don't really matter to me, just kinda like seeing the ones I like in new projects. But I rarely check through a say current band's members former projects. But ex. such-and-such yeah I couldn't care less.

Edited September 6, 2020 by Mamo

[Elazmus 1873]

Yeah I think it's only natural if you've been following a lot of bands that seeing familiar faces in lineups of new acts is gonna hold your attention, but VK is a very fast-paced industry. You learn to GET familiar fast in some cases lol

[Wakarimashita 317]

I don't usually really mind, unless it's ex-DELUHI members. I especially follow Leda's work since he usually delivers.

[Enki 137]

3 hours ago, Wakarimashita said:

I don't usually really mind, unless it's ex-DELUHI members. I especially follow Leda's work since he usually delivers.

He always picks the most boring vocalists though

[Wakarimashita 317]

Keita was ok... ish? I just feel like the band as a whole didn't have a specific direction. Well, fingers crossed for the next project!

[Total Saikou 735]

In my case, it’s actually a huge excitement factor. Some faces in the VK scene are so prolific with their involvement that they basically become a seal of quality when their name is attached to a project (like say, Sharaku Kobayashi, Kozi, Shuuji Ishii, etc). When I see that a bandoman who has continuously delivered is going to be part of a new band/side-project, I just know that I’m gonna love it. There's also the "brand new dream team" factor of new bands with old names. I remember when Roman Kyuko formed and I as a fan of both Siblebashir and Sex-Android, was wondering what power-house vocalist Izumi and obscure-style-lover Toru would sound like together (they sound amazing, Toru's love of Rockabilly 'n punk + Izumi voice = perfection).

 

Of course, I get attached to some band members and follow every single one of their side projects/new bands and even their off-stage activities. Some of these guys make the kind of art I want to see in the world and I wanna do everything I can to support that (and them). Plus most of these guys are just interesting people who passionately share their love for art and their personal artistic processes, so it's fun to get to know the people behind the instrument and root for their success because you like them as a person in addition to their musical outputs!

 

It can also be inversely, where I go backwards and check out some old and/or obscure band one of my favs was in it. From humble high school garage bands to subterranean hidden gems to one-time team-ups, going down the band name rabbit hole is something that I think is, as it is, special to the VK scene.

Edited September 7, 2020 by Total Saikou

[porawantstodie 18]

I usually do that with people I really like, for example I've been following the singer from gulu gulu (idk by which name he goes by now) since he was in kuroyuri to kage and then I started listening to the songs they had as memento mori.  I really like his voice, he's very talented and surprisingly I always find all his music really good. And apart from him if one of my favourite bands disband I usually try to follow what the members will be doing or what've they done because it's a good way to discover new bands or their old bands.

[Rahzel 110]

Does anyone not? I mean, if their newer band sucks isn't it Fun to look at what they did before and go "cmon I know you could do better!" or If the new one is cool but you don't like their earlier bands see in what ways they changed and ended up suiting your tastes better? But this doesn't go for vk only, I am always very interested in seeing past and future projects of any musicians I like/d personally. For vk there is the added factor of how their AeStHeTiCs cganged too. Rly cool 

Edited September 11, 2020 by Chell

[KrumpingChihuahua 108]

I do check out previous bands, current ones etc. 

Usually i do it more for the band members i took a liking too. 

Should i give an example, like most who wrote here did?

 

For example i follow up Ryo (joppin:cal, m:a.ture) i ended up listening to sound of  drug/ esolla because of him (there is not a lot of stuff from them eitherway), i listened to the stuff from serial number that got puplished during the time he was a member of them and i ended up listening to some of the stuff he played support-bass for. Thankfully i liked most of the stuff he participated. 

Of course there are other Bandmembers i ended up following too.

Also i don't always end up liking the new stuff they do. (Those two from Despa that ended up in The micro whatever for example.)

 

On 9/7/2020 at 3:30 AM, Total Saikou said:

Of course, I get attached to some band members and follow every single one of their side projects/new bands and even their off-stage activities

A stupid question, but does it sometimes make you feel like, following up an old friend? because thats what i noticed how it sometimes feels for me, of course i don't know them personally, but checking on them, seeing they are doing fine, even if i might not follow his current project,  makes me often happy. 

I know it sounds stupid, but there are bandmember i somehow followed up since 12/13 years or some where i lost track of them (because of my cursed break from vk) and suddenly i remember them and check over social media what they are doing. 

sorry, its a bit off topic

 

[Total Saikou 735]

7 hours ago, KrumpingChihuahua said:

A stupid question, but does it sometimes make you feel like, following up an old friend? because thats what i noticed how it sometimes feels for me, of course i don't know them personally, but checking on them, seeing they are doing fine, even if i might not follow his current project,  makes me often happy. 

I know it sounds stupid, but there are bandmember i somehow followed up since 12/13 years or some where i lost track of them (because of my cursed break from vk) and suddenly i remember them and check over social media what they are doing. 

sorry, its a bit off topic

Yeah, the more I think about it, trying to complicate it, I realize that it's as simple as that. It's like you've made a friend, one that may not know you exist (thanks to the internet, I can at least say that a few know of this Saikou^^) but provides you with the joy of someone who you feel understands you or thinks the way you do. They've always got something interesting to say and I'm fond of what makes them unique: just like how I feel about my friends!