Dir en grey

      Dir en grey was originally the group La:Sadies.  They only put out one CD before their bass player left.  Toshiya then came and they became Dir en grey in 1997.  Their manager was Yoshiki, former leader of X-Japan.  I do not know if he is currently the manager.  I think not.
      With the exception of X-Japan, there has been no other group more influential on the Visual Kei genre.  Dir en grey's sound ranges from pop to punk, depending on the song, and their CDs have a perfect balance of singing and screaming, of piano and electric guitar.  From the quiet "Hotarubi" to disgusting " Egnirys cimredopyh +) an injection" to tear-jerking "304 Goushitsu, Hakushi no Sakura" to "Mask," which fits into no catagory, Dir en grey has put out something for everyone.  Fans of all genres will come to like every song Dir en grey has produced.  Listening to the wrong  song first may turn some off, but please, if you do not like them, listen to a wide variety of songs before deciding.  You will be captivated.  I swear it on Die's super mullet and Shinya's leather tutu.

      Although there have been rumors concerning a breakup and/or Kyo leaving, Dir en grey is still togeather, as far as I am aware.

Group Facts

• Dir en grey  "grayish-silver coin"
• Dir en grey went to a working camp mid 1999 and played badminton togeather, apparently that is now  Shinya's favorite sport to play.
• In an interview, Dir en grey stated that Shinya is everyone's little brother; because of this they pretty much let him do whatever he wants.
• Hotarubi was originally composed with a flute instead of a violin.  Kyo described the song as a "ballad" and said it has a "magical" feel to it.
• At the NKH Hall concert, it was the final encore.  Dir en grey came out carrying tiny guitars, exact, tiny replicas of their own.. Even Kyo carried one around the stage and strummed tunelessly on it.  Only Shinya did not have a tiny instrument.  Once the audience had a good laugh, they swapped them for the real instruments.
• Same concert.  Toshiya and Die approached the same microphone to say their farewells. They did the "you first, no you first, no I insist" thing for several moments, then they did Rock, Paper, Scissors, only they had not decided whether the winner or loser speaks first, so they ended up saying their farewell in unison.