IMARi ToNES -The First Christian Heavy Metal from Japan-: Imari Tones in USA, "Yes we are okay, we rock" tour

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Imari Tones in USA, "Yes we are okay, we rock" tour

(This is a newsletter sent on April 21st)

Hello, this is Tak from Imari Tones, Japanese Christian rock band.

Now we are in USA.
We are now in Dallas TX, and we are going to start our tour from here.
Still having jet lag, today I just want to let you know we are on tour.

We decided to team up with PAZ Japan to ask people help for Japan earthquake relief during the tour.
We gonna give out flyers which saying "Help Japan through local churches".
We decided to do this because, 1: We want to help through local Christian organizations, 2: We have some friends in PAZ Japan. They are so nice people.

Donate online or also you can send a check.
http://www.pazjapan.org/

Tour was so dramatic and troublesome since the first day.
On the day of the departure, our drummer Jake called me and he said "Hey I lost my passport. I can't find it anywhere. What are we going to do!?"

Well, we prayed, and I told him to come to Narita airport anyway, even if he can't find his passport.
And 3 hours later, we were all at Narita Airport (Tokyo, Japan).
We were wondering if we should cancell everything, because we can't tour without Jake.
But somehow, we were positive and we felt we should go on no matter what.
We prayed, but we could not find his passport.
I told Jake to have his passport re-issued, even if it would take a week.
But Hassy said, "I'm sure you will find your passport. Even if you can't fly with us, I believe you will come to USA 2 days later."
That's when I knew Hassy's faith was so strong.

We said 'See you soon in America" and I and Hassy flew to USA without Jake.
And, we first landed at Minneapolis MN, and I checked my email, and I got a email from Jake which says "I found the passport in my room. I thought I checked everywhere but....anyway I booked a flight flying on day after tomorrow."

God answers our prayer, even if sometimes it takes a while.
We experienced that again. And probably we learned our little lesson from this.

Jake arriving 2 days late, actually that's tonight. He arrives in Dallas TX tonight. (I'm writing this 5pm April 21st)
And our first show of this tour, is tomorrow night in Austin TX.
So it looks like we made it. We are not gonna miss a show.

I'm wondering what I'm gonna say when I see Jake at the Dallas Fort Worth airport.
It looks like Hassy got something to say on his own.

But we believe God's guidance.
Hope we can have this whole tour done, without any accident, and we can see as many people.

Here is our show dates.

April 22 Friday, Headhunters, Austin TX
9pm or later
http://www.headhuntersclub.com/

April 23 Saturday, The Moon Bar, Fort Worth TX
9pm or later
http://www.themoonbar.com/

April 26 Tuesday, Super Happy Fun Land, Houston TX
9pm or later
http://www.superhappyfunland.com/

April 29 Friday, The Music City Bar, Nashville TN
We play 8pm--10pm slot
http://musiccitybar.com/

May 1 Sunday, Hamilton Pointe Church, Hixson TN
Our concert at 6pm, Also some worship song and testimony at morning service 10:30am
http://hamiltonpointechurch.com/Map.html

May 7 Saturday, Mojo13, Wilmington DE
9pm or later
http://www.mojothirteen.com/

May 8 Sunday, Crossroads Church and Ministries, New Castle DE
Time and detail not confirmed yet.
http://www.mojothirteen.com/

May 11 Wednesday, The Wonderland Ballroom, Wahington DC
9pm or later
http://www.thewonderlandballroom.com/

May 13 Friday, Clash Bar, Clifton NJ
10:30pm
http://www.myspace.com/clashbar

May 14 Saturday, Goodbye Blue Monday, Brooklyn NY
somewhere between 8pm--11pm, needs to be confirmed
http://www.goodbye-blue-monday.com/

May 15 Sunday, Gloryzone Ministries, Deer Park NY
TBA, probably around 5pm
http://gloryzone.org/

May 21 Saturday, Blue Moon, Seattle WA
10:30pm
http://bluemoonseattle.wordpress.com/

May 23or24, Rocketown, Nashville TN
(Showcase gig in front of the music industry people. Wow that's gonna be an important gig. Detail TBA)
http://www.rocketown.com/

Japan is still having some major aftershocks, we're not sure if we can even call them aftershocks.
After all these disasters and nuclear crisis, we all know we have to change, repent, and re-born as a nation.
Please keep praying for Japan. Please give us power to rise up again, as a new nation, changed by Jesus Christ.

Thank you very much and God bless,
Tak "Tone" Nakamine
Imari Tones
"The first Christian heavy metal from Japan"
http://www.imaritones.net/

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Bio, Bio, Bio...

IMARITONES BIO

Written by Phil Putnam

Of the long list of factors that make ImariTones stand out from the world around them, it is their drive, their reach that tops it all. An unapologetically Christian heavy metal band out of Japan, Tak, Hassy, and Jake have a passion to reach beyond their culture to make the music they love, and to reach beyond their music to bring Jesus into their culture. While drawing comparisons to legends like Van Halen, Rush, and Stryper with their hybrid of old school metal/glam/Brit/70's prog rock, they are one of very few bands in the world that can claim true originality. How so? They are the first Christian heavy metal band ever to come out of Japan.

"There are very few Japanese bands who say 'Hey, we're a Christian band.' A Christian band from Japan almost sounds like a joke, since most people in Japan are Buddhists, or Atheists," says Tak, founder, guitar/vocalist, and frontman of ImariTones. Things didn't start out Christian for Tak, though. Having started playing electric guitar at age 14 and joining his first band at 15, Tak gained local teen success in his hometown of Toyohashi and won awards for his songwriting. However, he quit the band at 17 to pursue a career as a lawyer. Music stayed with him, though, and while playing an acoustic show in Harajuku Tokyo in December of 2007, Tak was impressed by several Christian performers who were playing as well. Feeling that Jesus may be the larger meaning behind music that he always felt was there, his mind and heart opened to Christianity.

Breaking many written and unwritten rules of Japanese culture, Tak, Hassy on bass/background vocals, and Jake on drums/background vocals, are reaching upward and forward to see changes happen in the world. Currently based in Yokohama, their astonishing 15-album discography includes Hero of the Lights, Color of Hers, fireworks, Japanese Pop produced by metal legend Sascha Paeth (Angra, Edguy, Rhapsody of Fire, Avantasia, Kamelot), Welcome to the School, and their most recent release Victory in Christ. Not content to play the standard soft pop/rock of the major label Christian industry, their music is 100% heavy metal and 100% independently recorded and produced. Victory in Christ hit the street in October 2010 with the single "Faith Rider" leading the charge. Originally written as a parody of the big 80's metal of Judas Priest and Stryper, it quickly became a fan favorite and was put on Victory in Christ.

With both their commitment to making stellar heavy metal music and their driving passion to share Jesus with their native Japan and the rest of the world, ImariTones is always reaching to join these two primary goals together. "Since we are a Christian band, our goal is not business success," says Tak. "We are not chasing glory in this world. We are chasing the glory of God." Staying independent and record label-free is an important part of the process for them. "We don't believe in 'music business', especially in Japan, and have chosen to go independent, looking for our own way. We really want to change something about society and about what people think and believe. That's our ultimate goal."

That ultimate goal, to see their native Japan embrace Christianity, is what they reach for most of all, even while their sights are set on the USA and the rest of the world. Some think they're a joke, or a contradiction, that Christianity, Japan, and heavy metal just don't belong together. Some think they're ahead of their time. But if you ask Tak, Hassy, and Jake, they'll say they're doing exactly what they love at exactly the right time, and they're never going to stop reaching for more.