Interview with D'espairsRay at RTOC

Before taking the stage on a humid and hot April 4th, D'espairsRay sat down with JaME for fifteen minutes to talk about the Rockstar Taste of Chaos tour, their May-coming release and some extra tidbits to help us get to know the band better.


Thank you for meeting with us. Please introduce yourselves.

TSUKASA: Drummer, TSUKASA.
Karyu: Guitarist, Karyu.
HIZUMI: Vocalist, HIZUMI.
ZERO: Bassist, ZERO.

D'espairsRay performed at last year's JRock Revolution Festival. How does it feel to be performing for a USA audience again via a tour after nearly a year and following the success of that event?

HIZUMI: This tour has been very enjoyable and it's kind of hard to compare to since it's a totally different thing than what JRock Revolution was, but all in all it's been really great. We look forward to doing more of these kinds of tours.

What were your reactions upon being invited to perform on the Rockstar Taste of Chaos tour?

Karyu: The very first thing we thought of when we heard we were invited and looked at the schedule was, "This is a long tour!" (laughs.) We didn't feel intimidated; the only thing we were worried about was the food.

Since you're touring not only with Japanese bands, but also American bands, what has the atmosphere of the tour been from your point of view?

Karyu: Everyday has been really, really enjoyable; it's just like a fun and easy-going atmosphere.

Considering your audience on this tour is largely unaccustomed to Japanese music or visual kei, have you changed anything about your performance to better suit a crowd that is mostly unfamiliar with Japanese music?

Karyu: We really haven't changed much from our live performances other than the MC, which is obviously in English. Such as "Hey, what's going on?!" and all the in between stuff.

In January you participated in the stylish wave ILLUSION '08 event. What was it like to share the stage with so many bands of such varying styles?

HIZUMI: It was a really refreshing feeling doing that, being able to participate with so many bands of different styles and from varying walks of life.

Your music style has evolved since the start of D'espairsRay; has the way in which you write your lyrics and music changed along with it, and in what ways?

Karyu: Our music style really hasn't changed; what has changed is really just our imagination.

During our interview with you at JRock Revolution last year, you stated that you hoped fans would be able to hear MIRROR in the future since it wasn't available in the USA; now that MIRROR and Spiral Staircase #15 Final are available here, what are your expectations regarding these USA releases?

Karyu: We don't really know exactly what everyone else is thinking, but all in all it seems that everyone is really happy with it so that makes us happy.
HIZUMI: As far as our expectations, we really want to do a solo American tour where we are the headliners.

It's been over a year since the release of your last single and almost as long since the release of your latest album. What can you tell us about your upcoming single, BRILLIANT?

Karyu: The new song, BRILLIANT, is kind of a coming of age sort of song. It's going from a child into an adult and all those feelings that come along with it and the changes in the way you feel things. Relating it to D'espairsRay, it's kind of a feeling we had forgotten, so this song kind of brings back to life our coming to age.

You spend a lot of time together, particularly on tour. What are the most annoying characteristics other members have?

Karyu: (laughs.) The most troubling thing is, since we're all on the same bus together, sometimes someone really wants to listen to something or really wants to do something and some people are like, "I don't want to listen to anything. I just want it quiet."
HIZUMI: There are also people who are sleeping.

If you could sum up who D'espairsRay is using any one of your songs, which song would it be and why?

Karyu: I think the title track, MIRROR, from the MIRROR album.

Finally, please give a final message to your international fans.

TSUKASA: Whether or not the fans can actually understand what we're actually saying, we hope that they can understand what we're feeling and what we're trying to portray.
Karyu: (A cell phone goes off and Karyu and HIZUMI start dancing to the music while Karyu answers the question. Everyone laughs.) What we really want is, since everyone is kind of in this together, we're all having the same experience together, we're all in the same place at the same time, for people to be in the "now" and enjoying us regardless of if they know us or not.
ZERO: In addition to our album that just came out, we have our next single coming out in May, so we're really just hoping that everyone is going to enjoy it as much as we're hoping they'll enjoy it.
HIZUMI: In addition to being able to go to Europe and come to the USA, to do a tour with this much freedom, we just hope to be able to continue doing things like this, continue touring like this. What we really want to say is, since if you just listen to the CD you're not going to get it, that if you can make it to a live show and see us perform, then you're going to get it. So come and see our live show!


Many thanks to Rockstar Taste of Chaos and Heather Overstreet -- who also translated -- for making this interview possible; also, many thanks to D'espairsRay for taking time to answer our questions. Photos by Lacy.