Koshi Inaba InterFM Radio Interview Now Subtitled
Feature As previously covered in an earlier update, Koshi Inaba recently made a public appearance at HMV&BOOKS in the Shibuya Modi department store for a special radio interview. Today, as a holiday surprise, we have subtitled the entire 27-minute interview for all to enjoy. Because the program was a radio broadcast and we wanted to present the translation alongside the audio, we have created a video that we feel best presents the interview in a visual medium.
The interview took place during the「Happy Hour」program on InterFM 89.7, which broadcasts from inside the store. In the course of the show, Koshi premiered his upcoming single「Hane」and previewed another track from the upcoming release. In addition to the included previews of Koshi’s two new songs, also be sure to stick around until the end for a special surprise. 「Hane」will be released on January 13th, 2016 and can be pre-ordered now from CD Japan and other retailers.
The B’z Wiki Has A New Home: BzWiki.com
Site News 
The B’z Wiki, the most complete English resource for B’z online, now has its own domain at www.bzwiki.com! We are constantly adding new content, articles, translations, interviews, and transcriptions to the wiki and will always attempt to keep it as up to date as possible. If you are a fellow fan and wish to help out, send an e-mail to offthelock.com -at- gmail.com to sign up for an account.
For some of the articles you may have missed, check out some of the ones below that are available for viewing right now:
- B’z Unreleased Works — A complete list of all unreleased songs, demos, alternate versions, and live shows that never received proper releases
- B’z Songs by LIVE-GYM — An exhaustive list of every B’z song ever performed live, along with the total amount of performances for each song and during exactly which tours each performance took place
- B’z Home Videos — Listing of all B’z home videos as well as their contents, including every setlist and in every format each was ever issued
- B’z Television Appearances — A comprehensive list of B’z appearances on television dating all the way back to their first in 1989
- B’z Sales Records — List of all sales totals for B’z albums, singles, and home videos, along with various accolades and achievements scored by the band
B’z NEWS ZERO “Zero Culture” Interview Now Subtitled
Feature Earlier this year, B’z gave NTV program NEWS ZERO their first sitdown interview for a non-music program in seven years. Today, we are pleased to present the full segment subtitled for your enjoyment. Several topics are covered, such as their motivations and approach to working together, as well as Koshi’s interest in Rakugo. For those unfamiliar, Rakugo is a form of comedy staged by a sole storyteller as a performance.
Matsumoto Talks New Album and Tour in Be With! Vol. 108
Tak Matsumoto News T
he interview for the next issue of the fan club-exclusive magazine Be With! (due in January) was conducted the other day. In it, Tak talks about his new album and his upcoming tour. An excerpt of the interview has been posted exclusively on the official fan club’s website. Tak mentioned that his new album will have a lot more rock tunes compared to his previous works. Furthermore, he revealed that he will try to make use of the size of each venue to turn each performance into a unique one. To tie in with these plans, B’z Party is collecting votes for songs that Tak should play live.
Excerpt from the Tak Matsumoto interview from Be With! Vol. 108
Interviewer: The image song “Ups and Downs” for the Ukiyo-e exhibition is a strong rock tune and I felt that it is an unusual one compared to your previous solo works.
Matsumoto: It just turned out to be that way, I guess?Interviewer: Your recent solo works are more jazzy and thus that’s the image I have of your works.
Matsumoto: That’s true. But this time I made more rock songs.Interviewer: I also get the feeling that your new album has more rock songs…
Matsumoto: It will be an overall rock album compared to previous solo albums.Interviewer: And the long-awaited solo tour has been announced. It’s different from previous solo tours as it includes arena venues.
Matsumoto: I just thought that I’d be able to make something interesting with instrumental music in a big venue…Interviewer: I am sure it will be a different atmosphere from shows at the Zepp concert halls or the Blue Note. Can you tell us what kind of show you have in mind?
Matsumoto: Of course the atmosphere will change with the size of the venue. I would like to make it a fun show with lighting, stage set and performance tailored to a big sized venue!Interviewer: Of course we will get to hear songs off the new record, but will you also perform older songs?
Matsumoto: I will focus on the new tracks but of course I will also perform older songs! I’m not sure if there will be more of the new or the old songs, though…
Akihito Tokunaga as Supporting Band Member on Music Station
Koshi Inaba News Japanese band “doa” has announced on their Facebook page that their band member Akihito Tokunaga will be a supporting band member for Koshi Inaba’s appearance on Music Station on December 25. Akihito Tokunaga is a former well-known B’z support member, having played bass on numerous LIVE-GYMs and supported B’z as well as their solo projects between 1997 and 2008.
In addition to that, doa has also revealed on their Facebook page that Akihito Tokunaga is the man in charge of arrangement of all four songs found on Koshi’s new single 「Hane」. You can read more about Akihito Tokunaga in our B’z Wiki!
Koshi Inaba’s Song “BLEED” in New Ryu ga Gotoku Kiwami Trailer
Koshi Inaba News A new trailer featuring the theme song 「BLEED」provided by Koshi Inaba was unveiled today at a special event for the upcoming game Ryu ga Gotoku (“Yakuza”) Kiwami. In addition to the new trailer, part of the talk between series creator Nagoshi and Koshi was shown during the event.
The full version of the talk is included in the “Ryu ga Gotoku” special edition of Koshi Inaba’s upcoming single 「Hane」set to be released January 13.
「BLEED」 is audible from the 1:45 minute mark in the trailer below.
