tokyohive was fortunate enough to recently obtain an interview with the electro/industrial�band, Aural Vampire, and through the�interview, we discovered their favorite songs, their inspiration, impressions of the United States, and more!

The duo will end their first North American tour this Sunday in Cleveland, Ohio at Peabody�s Down Under.

th: This is your first time touring the US, what are your feelings about this tour?
EXO-CHIKA - It was hard in the beginning to live on the bus, but I'm getting used to it and enjoying it now. Since we are holding a live almost every day for a month, I learned that there were some performances I couldn't be satisfied with because of the technical difficulties and my mental feelings. What supported me were the band members and knowing that the fans were enjoying our live.
RAVEMAN - I�m enjoying it. Wherever we go, there are people who cheer for us. I had a little anxiety before the tour started, since I like to have time to myself to concentrate. However, the atmosphere on the bus is nice. The band members of "Birthday Massacre" are all very nice, so there are no problems right now.

th: Do you two have a ritual (something traditional) you do before going on tour? How about before the start of a live?
EXO-CHIKA - Not really, but I personally would say changing my clothes to the costume is the ritual for me.
RAVEMAN - It depends on members, but I try to relax right before the live. I love to go on stage, but I am very shy person off stage.

th: You are playing in many cities in a short amount of time, did you have any time to actually go around any of the cities?
EXO-CHIKA - There was one day off to see the city, but when we hold lives, we can only walk around the live house.

th: Out of all the cities you have been in so far, which is your favorite and why?
EXO-CHIKA - The live performance at House of Blues around Disneyland in Anaheim was quite impressive. I love Disney, so it was like holding a live in fantasy world! Also, I have lived in California before, so I have memories of Disneyland already.
RAVEMAN - I like big cities, but I also like suburbs where I would never get a chance to go if not for this tour. To be able to visit a place like Texas, a place that is vast, was a rare experience.

th: Between Europe and America, which do you prefer and why? What is the difference between the two in terms of performance and fans?
EXO-CHIKA - It's more like each event is different in terms of performance and fans, but I would say the reactions of foreign fans are bigger than the Japanese fans. If you ask which I prefer, I can only answer both. Europe has the merit of Europe and the same thing goes for America.

th: Who are your musical influences?
EXO-CHIKA - There are many people who gave me musical influences. Misora Hibari-san is one of them, but I take everything I like and remake it to my style.
RAVEMAN - I get influenced with the work that goes into the music more than the artists. For example, "Metal Dance" by SPK is the origin of Industrial, Pop, and Dance, and that influenced me.

th: Who comes up with your wardrobe? Do you have a stylist or do you pick them out?
EXO-CHIKA - I order all my costumes from "abilletage". �I tell them the image I have, and their designer, "bambi", makes it. They always make it beyond my expectation, so I'm always very satisfied with it.
RAVEMAN - I do almost everything by myself. Nobody gives me advice...

th: EXO-CHIKA, how do you come up with the lyrics? What or who inspires them?
EXO-CHIKA - The lyrics come up from anywhere. I can get them from reading a book, watching a movie, or even just being in the middle of a crowd.

th: Raveman, what is the significance of the mask? Is there a meaning behind it? Is there meaning behind the colors and design?
RAVEMAN - With anonymity, the range of a performance can expand and still evolve. The black is a motif of a VHS tape, so it's like describing the grudge a VHS tape has to the DVD.

th: Do you two have a favorite song of yours? Please explain why it�s your favorite.
EXO-CHIKA - My favorite is the one we have not released yet. I hope I can officially release it soon.
RAVEMAN - My favorite is the latest one as well, since we improve the sound each time.

th: When can fans expect new material?
EXO-CHIKA - I do want to make a new album, but there are no plans of one as of yet.
RAVEMAN - I'm thinking of making new songs after this tour ends. I'm not sure yet when everything would be complete, but I want to release it as soon as possible.

th: Since you joined avex, what is the difference between being independent/live band and with a major label?
EXO-CHIKA - Fortunately, we have more staff that is involved, but the base for Aural Vampire is the same, and RAVEMAN is still producing.
RAVEMAN - The purpose of joining avex was to expand our activity, but at the same time still keep our ways when were an Indies band. Even though our staff is bigger, we all get along and everything is going well.

th: What is something you like and dislike about America?
EXO-CHIKA - There are many things I like about America. For example, everybody is friendly, they talk to us frankly, and also the portion of the food! Sometimes I miss Japanese food, but there are places we can get Japanese food. The thing I don't like about America is the baths. I want to take a long bath, but I don't see many bath tubs, only showers.
RAVEMAN - The cities and environments here are different from Japan. I do like the simplicity of the big cities though. The only thing I didn't like is that we can't bring alcohol outside, but I guess it really doesn't matter anyways.

th: What is the best part about performing live?
EXO-CHIKA - The best part is that we can share the same space with the audience. The heat from the live performance can be felt only at the live, not from a CD, not from a video, and not from the internet.
RAVEMAN - Everything looks different when we share it with everybody, and you can actually only 'experience' it live.

th: Which song is the most fun to perform?
EXO-CHIKA - A song from the past which we can't perform any more. It was my favorite in terms of video, sound, and lyrics, but we don't play it anymore because of several reasons. It's a phantom song.
RAVEMAN - It�s fun to make songs to just perform. I always have fun including new elements such as adding props and dancing. When we held a Halloween party, we included dancers, instruments, and we even hand-made some of the props. That is a part of Aural Vampire, and it's an important element to our performance.

We would like to thank Aural Vampire for taking the time to answer our questions during their busy schedule, and avex group for making this�opportunity�possible.

Don't forget to check out tokyohive's live report from the Anaheim House of Blues and the live photo gallery.