Duel Jewel

members:
Vocals: 隼人 (hayato)
Guitar: Shun
Guitar: 祐弥 (yuya)
Bass: Natsuki (ex-Platina, hide and seek)
Drums: VAL (ばる (baru))

former members:
Guitar: Takashi
Bass: PSY
Bass: Ka-non

Biography
Duel Jewel is a Japanese rock band based in Tokyo. Formed in January 1997 by founders Shun and Val, the group consists of: Shun (gu), Val (dr), Hayato (vo), Yuya (gu), and Natsuki (ba). During their early beginnings they released several demos. The vocalist Hayato joined in 1997, left, and returned in 1999. The band released their first album in 2001 and Natsuki joined in 2002 when Ka-non left the band. They performed at A-Kon (an anime convention) in Dallas, Texas in June 2002, which was their first international concert. They returned to the United States, playing in Washington, D.C., Chicago, Anaheim, San Jose, and Houston through the rest of the year and into 2003.

The first U.S. visit was a success as the band gained many new enthusiastic followers. Two concerts during the visit drew approximately 1500 fans and autograph sessions were quite popular as well. This success also spread to Japan, where Duel Jewel added more dates to their live schedule in the Tokyo area and began to hold more events in other major Japanese cities. Additional time was also spent in the recording studio as the band released their 2nd album, "Noah", and contributed songs to indies omnibus CDs.

2003 and 2004 continued this momentum as the band returned to the U.S. six times and held exciting shows in Washington, D.C., Chicago, Dallas, Anaheim, San Jose, and Houston. Each visit added more fans to the band's overseas support base and also exposed more people to Duel Jewel's infectious, happy style of visual music. The group also enjoyed meeting all of their overseas fans at each appearance, signing numerous autographs and posing for endless photos with the fans. These two years also saw the band increase their popularity in Japan with a full live show schedule, another CD titled "Vermilion", and more tracks on omnibus CDs. Duel Jewel also began receiving attention from Japanese media outlets with magazines like "SHOXX" and "Cure" featuring the band in interviews, photos and reports (a report of the band's Houston appearance was featured in 2 consecutive issues of "Cure"), and music TV shows began airing the group's videos.

2005 has seen Duel Jewel concentrate primarily on activities in Japan, with another CD release ("The Birth") in February, live events (including important tours during the summer with major indies groups like Phantasmagoria, ISABELLE and D'espairs Ray), more one-man live shows in April and September (both sold-out), and increased magazine attention. In September the band signed with a new management company, Zero Range Entertainment, which has taken an active role in promoting the group across Japan and fine-tuning the members' already strong musical talents.

Musically, Duel Jewel covers a wide range with songs from soulful ballads to headthrashing hard rock. Each member contributes to every song in the band's repertoire, resulting in a strong sound that's sure to please even the most discriminating music fan. The group's live shows (especially one-man performances) are a must-see, as the band goes all out in their on-stage performance, encouraging the fans to respond in kind. And a one-man is usually not complete without a surprise or two, usually from Yuya.

The band continued to tour in Japan, gaining a larger fanbase, and in May 2007, the band performed at the sold-out two-day Jrock Revolution concert held in Los Angeles, CA. On July 11, 2007, they released their first single on Universal, "Es."

The past eight years have seen the boys mature immensely as a band and become a solid name in the Japanese indies scene. The members are very eager to make more overseas tours and meet more fans, both old and new. It looks like the future will be very bright indeed for Duel Jewel.

Hayato[vo] was born on December 29, year unknown.
Shun[G] was born on February 3.
Yuya[G] was born on April 29.
Natsuki[B], was born on September 11.
VAL[D] was born on February 4.

Information from: <http://www.jhouserock.com/portal/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=135&Itemid=451>
and <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duel_Jewel> · close