Ken (musician)
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| Ken Kitamura | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | November 28, 1968 |
| Origin | Shiga, Japan |
| Genre(s) | Alternative rock Hard Rock |
| Occupation(s) | Guitarist, Composer, Lyricist, Vocalist, Drummer. |
| Label(s) | Ki/oon Records/Danger Crue Records |
| Associated acts | L'Arc~en~Ciel, Sons Of All Pussys, Ken. |
| Website | http://www.ken-curlyhair.com/ |
Ken Kitamura (北村 健 Kitamura Ken?), known professionally as ken, was born in Shiga, Japan on November 28, 1968. He is the guitarist of L'Arc~en~Ciel, a Japanese rock band. He is also the leader/guitarist/vocalist of his own band Sons Of All Pussys or S.O.A.P and solo album Speed.
Two months before his graduation, Ken stayed away from The Nagoya Institute of Technology (one of Japan's top schools in this field), where he was an architect major to join L'Arc~en~Ciel (ラルク アン シエル), or L'Arc or Laruku (ラルク), in 1992 at the request of his childhood friend Tetsuya Ogawa (aka Tetsu the bassist). It's rumored that as a result of this Ken's relationship with his parents turned sour. However during his MCs on some stops of L'Arc~en~Ciel's Theater of Kiss Tour he's mentioned/hinted at that he's now in the process of reconciling with them or if not has indeed now reconciled with them. He has written a breadth of L'Arc~en~ciel's music ever since his joining, including "As If In A Dream", "Vivid Colors", "Niji", "The Fourth Avenue Café, "Shout At The Devil", "Kasou", "Lies and Truth", "Lover Boy", and "Twinkle Twinkle". Today he is known as one of the best guitarists in Japan.
In 2002 Ken's own band, S.O.A.P, became active as a result of a break in L'Arc~en~Ciel's activities, with ex-L'Arc~en~Ciel member Yasunori Sakurazawa (Sakura) as the drummer, and Ein as the bassist (a half Japanese/German model who appears in a few L'Arc PVs). Each member contributed songs based on themes; Ken with love, Ein with Desire, and Sakura with his experiences in jail, and together they shelled out four albums; Grace, Gimme A Guitar, High! and Paradise. All S.O.A.P. activities have ceased since 2004.
On 23.08.2006 Ken released a solo album titled "Speed", referring to himself as just Ken and has taken a new, "clean" appearance similar to his early days with L'Arc~en~Ciel.
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[edit] Guitars
Ken is currently an endorser for Fernandes Guitars and is usually seen playing these guitars live with L'Arc~en~Ciel. However he tends to mod his models instead of using them stock. For instance, in the past he used to use Van Zandt pick-ups heavily in his own personal guitars and has since moved on to Kinman pick-ups (this change having now been reflected in one of his more recent FERNANDES musician models). However he has also used many different guitars in and out of L'Arc~en~Ciel, including Gibson, Fender, and Steinberger models.
[edit] Facts
Name: Ken Kitamura
Nickname: Ken-Chan
D.O.B: November 28th, 1968
P.O.B: Osaka, Japan
Horoscope: Sagittarius
Height: 178cm
Blood Type: AB
Weight: 60 kg
Family: Mom, Dad, older sister
Marital Status: Dating Rena Tanaka (actress - GTO The Movie, Hatsukoi, Drugstore Girl etc.)
Pet: ELIZABETH (cat) who appears in a music video
Favorite colors: Silver, Black
Favorite animals: Dolphins (he made joke about it at Otakon '04), cats
Favorite food: simmered dishes, truffes & fois gras
Favorite Alcoholic Beverage: Jack Daniels
Favorite Clothing Brands: Jun, Y's for men, Domon, Crazy Under Wear, 5351
Favorite Cigarette Brand: Marlboro Menthol Light
Smoking Status: Chain smoker
[edit] Trivia
- Ken was rumored to have married an elevator girl (but are now divorced)
- Ken can often be seen smoking, even during live performances. He joked about it with Matthew on Matthew's Best Hit TV.
- Ken was the guest guitarist on Kiyoharu first album.
- The first record Ken had ever bought was Pink Lady.
- Ken's most wanted thing is Doraemon.
- Ken used to be really bad at Japanese in school, although he was very good at doing his work.
- Ken is said to be very outgoing and easy to befriend.
- Ken has an avid fascination for dams.
[edit] S.O.A.P. Albums
- GRACE ALBUM
1.GRACE
2.Every Second, I'm IN ROMANCE
3.A Song For You
4.PRIVATE RELIGION
5.S.O.A.P. YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!
- GIMMIE A GUITAR ALBUM
1.I love you,I need you,I fuck you
2.gimme A guitar
3.Tsumi No Nagame
4.Dunce
5.GO!GO!S.O.A.P.
- HIGH ALBUM
01.high
02.I wanna fly with your airplane
03.2 seconds to the top
04.red sky
05.S.O.A.P. 100%
- PARADISE SINGLE
01.Moving on
02.Paradise
[edit] Solo Albums
- SPEED
1.Speed
2.Empty Rooms
3.The Shadow Of Your Smile
4.Speed（karaoke）
[edit] External links
- Curly Hair - Ken official site
- Bubble Star - SOAP official site
- L'Arc~En~Ciel - L'Arc~En~Ciel Official site
- Grace - Approved fanlisting for Ken
- The Lyrical Smoker - Ken English/Italian fansite
- Every Second I'm in Romance - Ken English fansite
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