Hi All-

MONORAL is on the road again!  As you can see on the home page, we have just announced 3 new shows, part of VAMPROSE's growing ROSE NIGHT franchise.

Joining MONORAL for all 3 shows is Kyoko, Japan's sexy, sultry, diva of rock.  Formally of the hugely successful band BARBEE BOYS, Kyoko never disappoints, and we are all very excited to have her at ROSE NIGHT!  Please check-out her songs if you get a chance... one of my favorites is "Match Uri No Cinderella" from her latest album, ENAMEL.  To check-out samples of Japanese artists' songs on iTunes Japan, switch from your country to　日本, at the bottom of the iTunes store.

In Fukuoka MONORAL and Kyoko will be joined by our good friends MEGA8BALL.  For those of you not "in the know", MEGA8BALL's leader is Rikiji Masuda who also plays bass for Oblivion Dust with K.A.Z... and of course K.A.Z is a member of VAMPS.  It's a tight-knit family.  Be sure to check-out MEGA8BALL's songs too, especially my favorites, "JASON" a song about a charsmatic young music manager who drinks too much (coincidence!?), and "GROOVE"!  FYI, Just like MONORAL, MEGA8BALL's music is available at www.CDBaby.com

Fukuoka is sure to be a fun night, I would be surprised to everyone sharing the stage at some point...

In Sendai, MONORAL and Kyoko are joining by another cool band called Peaky SALT.  Beautiful music that will make the cup seem half full (provided it is half empty).  Please check-out their music if you have time... it is sure to make you smile and put a spring in your step.

Finally, in Sapporo MONORAL and Kyoko will be joined by a band not yet announced.  It might even be my Polka-Metal Fusion band... so you better get your tickets quick!

Hope to see you all there!

Lastly, MONORAL has another interview up at the Russian music site, OJAPROJECT.  You can see the English version of the interview here!

Rock N' Roll baby!

-J

本日、５月３日パリでMONORALと観光してみませんか？
希望される方は、ノートルダム寺院の近くにあるPlace St-Michelの噴水前に
２１時までにお越しください。

Tonight, in Paris, near Notre Dame, by Place St. Michel, in front of the fountain.  Get there no later than 9pm...

Montpellier was cancelled... I cannot get into it at this time...

-J

Cancellation of shows in Vigo and Gijón

    We are extremely sorry to report that, due to production problems from our Spanish tour promoter Naizo, they are canceling the next two concerts in Vigo (Thursday 23th) and Gijón (Friday 24th)…

“Naizo Productions deeply regrets the cancellation of the April 23rd Vigo performance and the April 24th Gijon performance of MONORAL and Ninos Mutantes.  Naizo humbly apologizes to the bands, and fans for this inconvenience.  Tickets purchased through ticketmaster.es will be fully refunded.  MONORAL’s remaining Barcelona concert on Sunday 26th, is confirmed.

     Again, from Naizo we are extremely sorry about this situation.  If you have any questions or complaints, please contact us at:  info@naizo.es”



4月23日のVIGOと４月２４日のGIJONで行われる予定でしたライブが、
主催者側の都合により急遽キャンセルとなりました。
チケットを前予約して頂いた方や、当日を楽しみにして頂いていた方は、
ご迷惑をおかけする残念な結果になってしまった事を深くお詫び申します。
メンバースタッフ一同、とても残念に思っております。
尚、Barcelonaと残りのフランスでのライブに関しましては、予定通り行います。
チケットの払い戻し等に関しましてはwww.ticketmaster.esまでお問い合わせ下さい。
ご不明な点がある方はinfo@vamprose.comにて出来る限り対応させていただきます。
残りのライブをメンバースタッフ一同全力で頑張りますので、応援宜しくお願いします。

Hi All-

Not sure if you saw the new video message from MONORAL up on the Official VAMPROSE YouTube Channel, but you should if you haven't!

And, thanks to MONORAL's Spanish and French Street Teams, we have another cool interview with Ali and Anis about their upcoming tour Via Spain and Via France:

General:   
1.    Do you have a ritual before going on stage?
ALI: We're still looking for one. We're pretty much just disorganized before (and some say during) the gig. Actually, I guess trying to find Anis has become a sort of a ritual.
ANIS: Cheering up each other is what we always do…shaking hands, giving hugs, etc.

2.    Do you read the reviews of your shows?
ANIS: I don’t read anything…I quit that after high school! Sometimes, I check the live on DVD afterwards.
ALI: Yeah well, only if one of our managers has left one laying around.

3.    What professional dream do you want to become reality?
ANIS: Some of them already did! Like being able to play overseas.
ALI: To become a professional Alchemist

Europe:
4.    What was your first reaction when the European Tour was confirmed?  Had you ever thought of coming to Europe? 
ANIS: I was born in London and raised in Paris until 18, so Europe is my home continent.  One of my dreams was to go back to Paris and play in front of my friends, like I used to     at the very beginning. What can I say! I already got some e-mail of my friends! I hope they have time though, all my friends have become CEO’s and stuff!
ALI: We've always wanted to go to Europe. I personally have a fascination towards the European countries and sometimes wish I was born there. Nothing is confirmed until we get there though (laughs).

5.    What are your expectations of European audiences?
ANIS: I hope they like us! We had steamy crowds in our Latin America Tour, so our hopes are high!
ALI: Can't really imagine. Sexy?

6.    Do you think it will be differences between European, Japanese and Latin-American audiences?
ANIS: Of course there are differences, and I think the audience makes us different, too, because the shows are more interactive. It’s always good to see people enjoying our music, and the more I feel it, the more fun it is for me to perform.
ALI: I'm sure there will be a difference. Well have to try it to find out.

7.    What are your expectations about this tour?
ALI: I hope it will be a great experience for us and the audience. It is going to be a challenge for us though because one of our guitar players Micky can't make it. We're gonna miss him very much.  Nevertheless, I expect it to be one of our greatest moments this year.
ANIS: I am really happy and relieved that it’s going to happen!

8.    Did you prepare something special for this tour?
ANIS: I shaved my hair!  Just joking!!
ALI: Yes, Anis has nailed his Spanish and he is very fluent with it. I think he's gonna talk a lot on stage this tour.  I'll take care of the French.

France:
9.    Why have you choose to play in a city in the South of France?
ANIS: I never have been to South of France, so I am willing to do pretty much anything to go there!
ALI: I heard it's extremely beautiful in the South. We chose to go to the south in order to maximize our chance of witnessing a hard core UFO phenomena.

10.    Is there a meal you absolutely want to eat when you will be in France?
ALI:  McDonalds. Just kidding. I am really, really looking forward to the meals and wine.
ANIS: Steak tartare!!

11.    Which places in Paris are the most important for you (Anis)? Or which places are you looking forward to visit in Paris (Ali)?
ALI: Musee du Louvre
ANIS: Trocadero (where my elementary school was)

12.    What kind of memories do you have of Paris (Anis)? Or what is your idea of Paris (Ali)?
ANIS: Paris is filled with teenage memories.  Girls, girls, girls, boys, girls…
ALI: Lot's of Anis walking around. Dude, that'll be horrible! But, I expect it to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

13.    Anis, did you ever use the French language to seduce someone in Japan? (or, maybe more correct, "Is the French language a good thing to seduce someone in Japan?" - but we'd understand you choose to skip this question)
ANIS: I don’t quite remember seducing anyone through my talking technique, but yes, I think French is sexy, it sounds sexy even if you talk about groceries, I guess!
ALI: Yes, he does it all the time to these hairy macho studs (laughs). And yes, it does work.

14.    Ali, do you want to learn how to speak French?
ANIS: He is sooo funny when he tries to speak French.
ALI: Anis has taken away all my incentive to learn. He laughs so hard every time I try to speak in French. I think I am heavily traumatized.

Spain:
15.    Have you ever been to Spain before? 
ANIS: No! But I often saw it from my home country, Morocco!
ALI: No, this is my first time.

16.    Is there a meal you absolutely want to eat when you will be in Spain?
ALI: Well I heard they serve pretty good Paella in Spain
ANIS: I love Spanish food! Tortilla, Paella… bring them on!

17.    What places in Spain are you most looking forward to visit?
ALI: Granada seems to be a cool place, but I can’t wait to see them all first-hand.
ANIS: All the cities seem interesting and beautiful, but my friends tell me a lot of good stuff about Barcelona, so I am looking forward to stay a bit longer there!

18.    Have you listened to any songs from Niños Mutantes? What do you think about them?
ANIS: I listened to their songs and I am looking forward to play with them!
It is going to be a tight-scheduled journey, but I hope we’ll have fun together!
ALI:　I've checked them out on MySpace.  I very much enjoyed their cover of Depeche Mode.  Really looking forward to having a beer with them and seeing them on stage.

19.    Do you know any other Spanish bands/singers?
ANIS: Julio Iglesias was my mom’s idol; everyone’s mom I guess?
ALI: Ah~ not really. Looking forward to discovering some great artists.

20.    What do you think most Japanese people think about Spain?
ANIS: Picasso, passion, sun, flamenco!
ALI: I think a lot of Japanese people have a fascination towards Spain.  There's something exotic about the country to us.

Hi Everyone-

Thanks for your patience with the booking problem we encountered in Paris, but finally all seems to be resolved.  As you can see on the main page of this site, the new date and venue information are listed for the confirmed Paris show on May 5th.

Sorry again for the last minute mix-up.  We hope you can all still make it to this May 5th show... did someone say "Tuesday"!?

Thank you again for your patience and support!

-J

....

Hi All-

I am sorry to report that our promoter in France was unable to make the final contract with the venue we wanted in Paris on May 3rd.  We are waiting to hear now on what other day they will schedule the Paris show. 

Obviously, we are very upset and apologize to any of you who have already made plans for this Paris date.  I will update you again immediately once we have confirmation for the Paris show date and venue.

Again, we apologize for any inconvenience this last minute change may cause.

I will update you about this again soon.

-J
....

Hi All-

Yep, we added a couple more dates to MONORAL's upcoming tour... in France!

Our promoters are still locking down the details of the Paris show, so we are not posting the venue information for that city yet, but we will be there! 

As you can see, we have also added Montpellier... a city that sounds sexual when Anis says it with his cool French accent.  I had to quickly put on 5 official MONORAL wristbands (don't ask where!) to keep from turning the lights down and asking him to repeat it slower over and over again.  And be careful with Ali too... the way he says "me llamo Ali", will make you just melt... melt I tell you!

Buy Official MONORAL wristbands, you'll be glad you did!

-J
 
....

Hi All-

Well, the tickets for MONORAL's Spain shows with Ninos Mutantes are finally up for sale on Ticket Master's website:  www.ticketmaster.es

I cannot say this strongly enough... with Ninos Mutantes and MONORAL, you cannot go wrong!  Only 15 Euros... Ninos Mutantes and MONORAL... seriously, even in this economy we should be charging more. 

What Japanese fans have known for years, and more recently fans in Latin America have learned... seeing  MONORAL perform live will improve night-vision, increase your sexual prowess, make you a more adventurous person, and help you get pesky stains out of your clothes (which you might need considering your increased night-vision, sexual prowess and adveture-taking!)!

Don't delay! Buy your tickets today!*

-J


*Disclaimer:  As with all MONORAL's performances, female audience members directly in front of the stage may experience wanted or unwanted pregnancies due to the awesome raw testosterone eminating from the band.  In some cases, heterosexual male guests may also experience brief periods of homosexuality.  Buying and wearing official MONORAL wristbands during the performance has proven to combat these effects.  Legally, all offspring born as a result of attending a MONORAL performance must be named "J".
....
....
....

Hi All-

Hisashiburi (as they say in Japan when they want to say long time no talk)!

As promised we have good news about MONORAL...

First, our good friends over at Five For (the only Japanese music magazine you need), have another very funny and informative article with MONORAL in their current issue.  Please check it out!

Also, for those of you studying Japanese, or who like to look at funny symbols, here is a link to a Japanese interview with MONORAL.

And finally, as you can see on this site, we have announced MONORAL's next show dates... in SPAIN!!!  MONORAL will be playing 7 shows in Spain with another great Spanish band called Ninos Mutantes (there is supposed to be a little squiggle above the middle "n" in Ninos, but I cannot figure out how to get my keyboard to make it... no less respect for those guys though!)  We specifically designed these shows in Spain to be compact so that if say, any of you not living in Spain want to come, it will be more convenient for you.  Please give thanks to the great team at Naizo in Spain for making this tour happen!

Also, we are still trying to line-up some other shows after Spain, but nothing is confirmed yet.  So to be safe, just saying Spain for now. 

We are spreading the love!  Will you help spread the love by coming to see us in Spain?  Bring your friends, your friends' hot sisters, your friends' kid brother, any pets with ID and 15 Euros, etc.  More news in the coming weeks!

Thanks!

-J