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LA's Comikaze to Host X Japan Leader Yoshiki
posted on by Lynzee Loveridge
Stan Lee's Comikaze announced that YOSHIKI, the 48-year-old leader of the rock band X Japan, will attend the Los Angeles event as a guest of honor.
The musician most recently attended New York Comic Con with Stan Lee earlier this month to discuss their collaborations, including the comic series based on YOSHIKI, Blood Red Dragon. He performed with X Japan at New York's Madison Square Garden on October 11. Director Stephen Kijak (Scott Walker: 30 Century Man, Stones In Exile) and producer John Battsek (Searching For Sugarman, The Imposter) filmed the concert as part of the band's documentary film.
YOSHIKI performed without X Japan at this year's Otakon covention in Baltimore. He recently contributed the theme song "Hero (YOSHIKI Classical Version)" for the Saint Seiya: Legend of Sanctuary CG film. Katie Fitzgerald, the female vocalist of the Violet UK unit that YOSHIKI leads, sang the ballad while YOSHIKI himself performed the piano work.
YOSHIKI attended Texas' South by Southwest (SXSW) interactive, film, and music event in March. YOSHIKI has appeared at numerous anime events in the United States, in addition to performing concerts on tour throughout the country. In 2011, YOSHIKI was involved in fundraising for relief efforts aimed at helping victims of March 11's Great Eastern Japan Earthquake (Higashi Nihon Daishinsai) disaster, including the auction of his custom "crystal" piano.
X Japan's most notable anime contributions were the songs in the X² music video collection and later X movie. The animation studio Madhouse adapted both productions from CLAMP's X manga. The surviving band members — Toshimitsu "Toshi" Deyama, Yoshiki Hayashi, Tomoaki "Pata" Ishizuka, and Hiroshi "Heath" Morie — reunited in 2007, ten years after they first disbanded and nine years after the death of guitarist Hideto "Hide" Matsumoto.
Stan Lee's Comikaze convention will run from October 31 to November 2 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The event is also hosting Lone Wolf and Cub manga creator Kazuo Koike.
Thanks to Daniel Zelter for the news tip
