Cross-cultural rock duo Layla Lane combines exquisite arrangements and clever harmonies for a style that is equal parts 1960′s pop, gypsy swing, and good old-fashioned rock n’ roll. Fronted by guitarist Heday from Shizuoka, Japan and Los Angeles-born pianist Valerie Stern, the band captured the attention of Coca-Cola Japan and partnered with the brand on a year-long TV commercial campaign in 2010. Layla Lane released its major-label debut on the Avex Trax last Fall.
www.laylalanemusic.com | Visit their Facebook

Ikura and Kozue, two of the five vocaloid music dance sensation group “Danceroid” willl join us on the Pagoda Stage. They will also be joining the Vocaloid Dance Workshop, judging at the Vocaloid Dance Contest, and will be at the Vocaloid Conference! The group’s videos have been played a combined total of more than 50 million times online. They are most famous for their “Odottemita” (I danced) video.
www.danceroid.jp

Born in Kyoto Japan and raised in Seattle, Emi’s bi-cultural heritage has shaped the unique jazz-inspired pop sound heard on her three albums – one of which is entirely in Japanese. With the release of her first album, Curious Creature, Emi was invited to perform at the Sundance Film Festival and shot to #1 on the Japanese jazz charts. Her recent tour in post-earthquake Japan was featured on PRI’s “The World.” www.emimeyer.com | www.emimeyer.jp (Japanese)

Come check out anime K-ON!’s English Voice Actresses’ live show! Stephanie Sheh (Yui), Cristina Vee (Mio), Cassandra Lee (Ritsu), Shelby Lindley (Tsumugi), Karrie Shirou (Yui, Azusa). They will rock out with full-gear at K-ON! screening and also on the main stage!

Warm apple pie, sexy worn in cowboy boots, tassels, love songs, misty mountain tops, two steppin…The Patsychords are a Pasty Cline Tribute band! We want to make sweet Patsy proud as we deliver her heartfelt lovesick songs to as many ears and hearts as we can! We are based in San Francisco but are making plans to play for as many Patsy lovin darlings as possible!

The Patsychords will rock the Girl Rock Explosion 2011 with their Bay Area smooth rockabilly country and a tribute of Kyu Sakamoto’s Sukiyaki Song to boot! Visit their Facebook

Representing the young female music groups of the Bay, and presented by the Bay Area Girls Rock Camp, teen duo The Bayonettes will deliver their sweet acoustic set. These two young ones have been playing music together since elementary years. They both attend an art school in the forested jungles of Oakland, CA, where they study music. Although they are young, they produce sounds unknown to mankind. Don’t miss their own version of Japan’s no.1 punk rock song “Linda Linda”.
Visit their Facebook

Presented by:
Bay Area Girls Rock Camp is a nonprofit dedicated to empowering girls through music, promoting an environment that fosters self-confidence, creativity and collaboration. More >>

The Bay Area Girls are an all girl band that consist of five 12 and 13 year old girls that play instruments, sing lead vocals and compose their own original compositions. A few of the girls first got together to perform at their school talent show, which then inspired them to take it up another notch and entertain people of all ages. To mention a few accomplishments are “Tribute to Armando Peraza” (former Santana percussionist), and a spot performance at Yoshi’s with Pete Escovedo and Sheila E.At the J-POP SUMMIT, the Bay Area Girls will cover “Four Seasons” by Japanese Pop Diva Namie Amuro! BayAreaGirls.Net

Maya Songbird’s melodic voice and flamboyant style has engaged in a different approach to music that juxtaposes funk, punk, soul and electronic music. The San Francisco bred Songbird is poised to introduce the world to a genre of music which will make people take notice.

Maya and DJ Cia will enthusiastically take on Tsubasa o Kudasai – an all time Japanese favorite song along with her originals. www.mayasongbird.com

The composer and performing artist of this year’s J-POP SUMMIT Festival theme song “Tokyo Beat”. ZANEEDS is the VOCALOID creative team which produces the work of Hatsune Miku, Kagamine Rin and Megurine Luka. With five groups forming the members; Music by ZANIO, Illustration by CHAN*CO, Design by PPRP, Movie by Ippai Attenya and Direction by Torinos, ZANEEDS is proposing VOCALOID as a new genre of electronic arts which originated from Japanese pop culture. ZANEEDS’ music does not only sound like anime or video game music but is also inspired by acid jazz, deep house and electronica. They work to incorporate Japanese elegance and sense of beauty into their music. http://zaneeds.com/

DJ Amaya is returning after successfully turning the Peace Plaza into a massive dance hall at Festival 2010. This year he will feature mixes of Vocaloid music!

DJ Amaya has been DJing, producing his own original tracks, and remixes since 2002. Most known for his underground remixes of the Japanese Superstar Ayumi Hamasaki, and his podcast “Hitsuzen Radio” that features the best in Japanese remixes, and dance music from around the world. His 3rd original CD titled “Angel at Dawn” is available now. www.djamaya.com

Vex Mode, DJ and Music Artist, started producing video game music in 2005 under the name David Nereus. Vex Mode will join J-POP SUMMIT with his Japanese Rave music (J-CORE) remixes to kick off the festival! facebook.com/vexmode” target=”blank”>facebook.com/vexmode

Mike “BAM!” Tyau (rhymes with ‘meow’) has been creating graffiti art since 1983 during the NYC B-boy era. After taking a break from running the streets of San Francisco with his crew TWS (Together With Style), Mike has come back to the art & streets to show the world his true love for spraycan art. “My art is a Hawaiian mixed plate with all the cultural island flavors, but updated with a modern hip hop twist.” claims Mike. “By studying the history & culture of my family, my art & murals have more meaning than just tagging my name on every street block.”
MikeTyau.com | MikeTyau.Tumblr.com

Presented by:
The Estria Foundation shifts the social consciousness on critical human and environmental issues through education, art projects and community events around the globe. More >>

Born and raised in Hokkaido, Japan, Aoi Yamaguchi has been trained to master the basics of calligraphy by learning under the Master Zuiho Sato since at the age of 6, while refining her knowledge and skills. She is a recipient of numerous awards including the First Place prize from the Minister of Education at 44th Asahi Calligraphy Nationwide School Exhibit, Superior First Place at 33rd National Students Calligraphy Exhibition and others that are known as the supreme prizes at competitive public exhibitions. Her works show her exploration in juxtaposing the traditional Eastern classics and her contemporary artistic expressions, as well as her unique ambition of transforming two-dimensional art of Japanese Calligraphy into the art of physical expression through performances. Currently living in Oakland, she has been working on her unique calligraphy installation, exhibition, live performances, custom logo designs and art works internationally, as she pursues her career to preserve traditional arts with music in the modern world. www.aoiyamaguchi.com

Hechi-ken Hamazaki returns for the second year in a row serving the “Red Tea Ceremony”, this time on the festival grounds!

With his shaved head, red body paint, and red costumes, Hechi-ken Hamazaki is known in Osaka’s Minami Senba district as “The Red Man.” When he was twenty years old, Hamazaki traveled to England and after returning to Japan, opened a gallery to display his artwork in 1992 in Osaka’s Higashi Shinsaibashi area. In 1997, he moved the gallery to Minami Senba, painted the exterior and interior completely red and named it the Ken Hamazaki Museum of Contemporary Art, a title that, in Japanese, has the aggrandizing secondary meaning of the Hamazaki Prefectural Museum of Contemporary Art. www.kenhamazaki.jp/e/index.htm

Designer Naoto Hirooka will join the festival to promote the opening of his first U.S. store at NEW PEOPLE in October. Join him at the VIP Party, his fashion show, and also at the h.NAOTO Toyko Collection screening.

Creative designer Naoto Hirooka was born in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan in 1977. After graduating from Bunka Design College he entered S-Inc Co. Ltd. in 1999. In 2000, his brand “h.NAOTO” made its debut. Resonating to the ideas of extreme “punk”, he expanded his unique fashion views while incorporating Japanese subcultures such as gothic-lolita and visual-kei. the collection, filled with originality, gained much positive critiques and praises from artists and musicians from Japan and overseas.
www.s-inc.com/hnaoto

Producer of Kyoto’s clothing and tabi-sneaker brand Takeshi Wakabayashi will be attending the J-POP SUMMIT Festival this year to be a part of the first SOU・SOU Fashion Show in the U.S.

Based in Kyoto, Japan, SOU・SOU was created in 2002 by Katsuji Wakisaka (textile designer), Hisanobu Tsujimura (architect), and Takeshi Wakabayashi (producer). While modern and edgy, the brand is dedicated to preserving the best traditional techniques by using skilled craftspeople and time-tested materials. SOU・SOU SF website >>

Voice actress Cristina Vee (Mio in K-ON!) is an anime and video game voice actress residing near Los Angeles, California. She has starred in anime such as Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha as the titular character, Rozen Maiden as Kanaria, The Familiar of Zero as Louise, Aika in Aika R-16, and Mio Akiyama in K-ON. Other anime roles include parts in Kannazuki no Miko, Hare + Guu, and The Blade of the Immortal. In front of the camera, she has co-hosted AnimeTV and the Funimation On Demand recaps with Johnny Yong Bosch and Jonathan Meza. She helped promote Haruhi Suzumiya season 2 in the Adventures of the ASOS Brigade (as Haruhi Suzumiya). www.cristinavee.com

Translating the ancient Eastern knowledge and language to suit our modern lives today, Hoshi from not for sale. has read over 2000 fortunes per year in the Tokyo area. During our festival he will hold fortune telling sessions at NEW PEOPLE booth on Post Street (in front of NEW PEOPLE building) during the festival for $10 / 10 minutes reading for your fortune. Fortune-Tellers Unit “not for sale.” consists of 7 members including 4 Fortune-Tellers, 1 MC, 1 DJ, and 1 VJ. Each of the 4 Fortune-Tellers tell the same person’s fortune simultaneously with their respective styles such as Astrology of western style, eastern style, palm reading and Tarot cards.
http://not-for-sale.jp/

Make Your Appointment Now! >>
**This is for reservations only. Please pay $10 at the appointment. Reservation will be cancelled and passed on to the next customer on the waiting list if you are late for the appointment.

Brian Zisk is a serial entrepreneur specializing in digital media, web broadcasting and distribution technologies. He is a founder BuzzMakers, Inc., which produces the SF MusicTech Summit and the Future of Money & Technology Summit. Brian is a co-founder of Whobet. He is active in many influential computer-mediated forums, is quoted and published extensively in the media, frequently appears on panels and at industry events domestically and abroad, and is an expert at frenzy whipping, brand awareness, and in creating new business models. He will join the debate at the Vocaloid Conference. http://sfmusictech.com

Elaine Clark is an award winning actor, director, producer, certified teacher, playwright and the author of the quintessential voice-over book, There’s Money Where Your Mouth Is, in addition to being the owner/founder of Voice One. As an actor, she is a member of SAG and AFTRA, having performed in hundreds of voice-over and on-camera commercials, industrial narrations, video games, cartoons, film and made for television movies. She also serves as an audio engineer, casting director, and multimedia & anime director. She will join us as the moderator for the Voice Actor Workshop. www.voiceoneonline.com/instructors/elaineclark.html

Representing the voice of the West. Tempo-P from Vocalekt Visions will join the Vocaloid Conference to speak of the fast growing Vocaloid culture of the U.S. and Europe.

Vocalekt Visions is a Western Vocaloid music production group whose Vocaloid activities have spread internationally. They will have a downloadable digital EP album titled: “Tuned in the West” available on iTunes on 8/27/2011. During the J-Pop Summit Festival, be sure to listen to DJ Amaya, as he will be mixing in Vocalekt Vision’s original Vocaloid songs throughout his mixes! Tempo-P makes original Vocaloid music from his home studio in the bay area with his band partner, NeutrinoP who lives in Romania. www.vocalektvisions.com

Foxxee Lawrence has been a tireless face on the San Francisco House Music scene since it’s inception in the late 1980’s. Influenced by SF House Music pioneers Doc Martin, Pete Avila, Digit & EFX, Neon Leon, Blackstone and the Wicked Sound System (Markie Mark, Jeno, Thomas and Garth), Foxxee developed a taste for the communal vibe of the early house music scene as a teenager. First getting booked as a dancer/events choreographer at city hotspots like Osmossis, Toon-Town, 1015 Folsom, DV8, City Nights and Spundae. During this time he established relationships, paving the way for a career that would eventually span two decades.