 Message from Marty to all-
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! to everyone who made 2007 such a special year for me. It was without a doubt one of the most exciting years of my career if not the most adventurous.
Aside from my other TV and print media duties, I celebrated a year with the show Rock Fujiyama, I managed to produce and play 3 albums, several single cuts, write my first top 20 single, do my first solo live DVD, as well as do my first solo trek thru Europe. I was fortunate enough to meet so many of my fans and friends at promo events during the year and also of course at Masa Ito`s annual bash that I`m always honored to do. Aside from that I was given my first shot at acting in a motion picture and it was a total blast!
On a more personal note, I was asked to judge next year`s annual statewide University Japanese Speech Competition of Arizona, the same competition that I entered as a contestant just 6 years ago. Hard work really does pay off.
But the MAIN thing is that I am currently putting together my new solo album, and I can tell you that I am halfway thru it now and I am absolutely thrilled with it so far. There are many huge and cool surprises…
So thank you Maysan for making this site so good and thank all of you for visiting us here. I appreciate all of your support more than you will ever know. An amazing 2008 to all of you-- I hope 2008 will be everything you want it to be!
MF
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Latest TV lineup!
Jan. 25 TV Asahi 1215 AM Tamori Club
Every Friday WOWOW 5PM Ougon American Pops
Every Monday NHK 1140PM Jukebox Eikaiwa
In American news, Marty contributed his voice to a character on the Cartoon Network Adult Swim show Metalocalypse. Broadcast early 2008, more details to come.
Enjoy an interview (in English) here:
http://www.seekjapan.jp/article/jz/1324/Hebi+Meta+San:+The+Marty+Friedman+Interview
For the second consecutive year, The Japan Iron and Steel Federation is featuring Marty in its annual ad campaign. Starting Oct. 15, life size billboards will be up in 21 subway and train stations throughout the entire Tokyo area.
Check it here:
http://www.avexnet.or.jp/marty/news.html
Marty appeared on Beat Takeshi`s hit prime time TV show “Daredemo Picasso” on Friday night 10/19 at 10PM on TV Tokyo. This episode celebrates the 35 year career of Ishikawa Sayuri, and has Marty on the panel of guests and also even features Marty performing his own arrangement of one of her songs with the legendary Japanese singer in person. Marty was influenced by her music considerably, so if you are a fan of either, the show was not to be missed.
In other TV news, due to overwhelming demand, Marty`s 3 month NHK TV series “Jukebox Eikaiwa” is being rebroadcast in reruns from the beginning of Oct. thru Jan. every Monday night at 11:40 on NHK.
Marty has landed a role in a major motion picture in Japan. The movie, entitled “Gugudatte neko dearu” features Koizumi Kyoko and is slated for a 2008 release. Marty began his filming last week and will wrap in December. We will keep you posted on its progress.
The Marty Friedman “Exhibit A: Live in Europe” CD and “Exhibit B: Live in Japan” DVD were both released on 8/22. The tracklistings can be seen here:
http://www.avexnet.or.jp/marty/discography.html
This marks his 1st solo live recordings ever and his 2nd and 3rd release through Avex in Japan. To commemorate this double release Marty will do two autograph sessions/Talk show events at Tower Records in Osaka/Umeda on 9/22 and Tower Records Tokyo/Shinjuku on 9/28. Rules apply so please check http://www.avexnet.or.jp/marty/news.html for details. (in Japanese)
Marty has completed producing tracks for the new album of Sony artist and Gothic/Lolita princess Nana Kitade. He is also playing guitar on the album, and Jeremy Colson is on drums. This unique combination (to say the least) is not to be missed…The album is a collection of Nana Kitade`s singles called "Berry Berry Singles" and will include 3 new tracks under Marty`s production. This is an absolute must-hear for fans of Nana Kitade, Marty`s fans (especially fans of his earlier work) and anyone interested in the absolute latest in the aggressive side of cutting edge J-pop. Release date 11/14 on Sony. Check it here:
http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/Music/Info/nanakitade/
He will also produce and play guitar on Nana`s next upcoming single.
Marty hosts a brand new weekly TV program, “Ougon American Pops” on Japan`s WOWOW network. First broadcast is 8/16. This show is to run for 10 weeks. The first show will feature a clip from the new “Exhibit B- LIVE IN JAPAN” DVD (8/22 release in Japan on Avex) He will also appear on the next “Eigo de Shabera Night” on NHK as well as an upcoming episode of NTV`s “Uta Sta”.
New pics and Marty`s recommended playlist can be seen in this (text in Japanese) net feature on Marty.
http://musicshelf.jp/?mode=static&html=special_e09/index
Marty is the cover story on Japan`s upcoming Player Magazine (on newsstands Aug.2) Along with Steve Vai, the two of them talk about their new live albums and much more.
The cover shot features Marty and his new Ibanez Marty Friedman model. This revolutionary guitar is like his previous axe except for one thing- it has no volume knob, only an on/off switch! Marty played this guitar on his recent European tour and it can be heard on “Exhibit A--Live in Europe” (Available 8/22 on Avex in Japan. stay tuned for rest of world info) The guitar will also be on sale to the public in a limited edition by this fall. Check with your Ibanez dealer for details.
In other media news, Marty had recently had a large feature in the Nikkei Shimbun (Japan`s equivalent to The Wall Street Journal). The story ran in Japanese and we have been told that the story will also appear in the newspaper`s English edition. We will upload the English version of the feature to this site when it comes out. Marty will also be featured in The Japan Times which is Japan`s number one English Newspaper. Online story here: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fo20070719pm.html
As Marty`s monthly feature in Nikkei Entertainment Magazine continues into its eleventh month, you can now also view a bonus extended version online at http://ent.nikkeibp.co.jp/ent/ (in Japanese)
Interested in Japanese sayings? Check here to hear them from Marty himself-
http://hmc.nifty.com/vinvin/kotowaza/
Also in Japanese, but a good online talk and photo session with Marty is here-
http://www.ocn.ne.jp/game/og/08-gogaku/hello.html
As always, along with Nikkei Entertainment, Marty`s features continue to be highlights in Saizo, Shosetsu Subaru and ASCII, and can be seen every day on any newsstand in Japan.
In TV news, Marty will appear on Best Hit USA on TV Asahi on Friday July 13th at midnight.
Mika, new British singer famous for his hit song, “Grace Kelly” and Marty filmed a segment together for the hit NHK program, “Eigo de Shabera Night”. Marty and Mika get into what makes them both crazy about Japan.
Marty will also appear on TV Asahi`s nationwide “Tamori Club” on Friday night (6/29) at midnight. If you have access to Japanese TV you will not want to miss these programs.
In recording news, Marty collaborated with Avex`s “Do-nuts” for their upcoming single, “Shopping Boogie”. This 2 girl unit of models from Okinawa made their major debut last year and is already being hailed as the next Puffy. This exciting new single will be released in July.
Suntory, leading manufacturer of beverages and health products in Japan is featuring Marty in its new `Healthiest people in Japan` TV campaign. Live footage from his latest Tokyo concert will also be featured in the commercial.
In other TV news, during the Loudspeaker European tour Japanese network NHK brought their camera crews to Amsterdam and Leiden in Holland to film a special feature on Marty for the hit show, `Eigo de Shabera Night”. Broadcast will be in June, more info on the Japanese side.
Marty`s May 5 appearance on the hit TV show, “Chubaw Desuyo!” pulled the Number 1 nationwide rating in Japan`s fiercely competitive Saturday night 11PM time slot. More info on upcoming appearances in the Japanese side of this site.
COLLABORATION WITH JASON BECKER?!!!
Yes folks it`s true---Marty has contributed a guitar solo to a new song by Jason Becker, marking their first collaboration in 17 years. The solo is for a song called, “Believe” and was recorded in Tokyo just prior to Marty`s European tour this March. We at the site, Marty himself and of course music fans around the world are hoping this is only the first of many future collaborations. Stay tuned for Marty`s thoughts on this in a very special interview we have coming up at this site later this spring! For release info and more details visit www.jasonbecker.com.
TV AND MEDIA NEWS!
“Chubaw Desuyo!”, a staple of Saturday night TV in Japan for over 10 years will feature Marty as it`s guest on May 5th at 11:30 PM on TBS. Marty will also appear on the new hit show “Utukushiki Aoki Donau” in May, broadcast time and date tba in the Japanese section of this site.
A special feature on Marty will run in the April 27 edition of the nationwide daily newspaper The Nikkan Gendai.
HIT SINGLE!
J-pop superstar Kotoko`s new song, “Kirei na Senritsu” made it`s debut at #18 on the Japanese national pop chart this week. Marty wrote the song for Kotoko and also played guitar on the tune, which is the ending theme for the upcoming DVD “Maria Sama ga Miteru”.
LOUDSPEAKER in AMERICA!!
LOUDSPEAKER finally to be released in the U.S.! Release date is March 13 on Shrapnel Records. The track listing and the jacket is exactly the same as the Japan and Europe versions. We are posting Marty`s Story Behind the Song for LOUDSPEAKER here at the site, so take a look and enjoy! Listen to audio samples in the Japanese area of this site. MORE INFO HERE:
http://www.shrapnelrecords.com/servlet/store?item=catalog&action=viewproduct&prodid=292
The most brutal and aggressive album of Marty`s career, this is the album that climbed to #20 on the Japanese mainstream charts, an unheard of position for an instrumental album.
MAINSTREAM MEDIA UPDATE!!
Those of you in Japan be sure not to miss brand new features on Marty in the current TV Guide, Shukan Josei, Josei Seven, AnAn and Brutus, as well as his regular features in ASCII, Saizo, Nikkei Entertainment and Shosetsu Subaru.
Those of you with access to Japanese TV, be sure not to miss Marty`s live broadcast appearance on Space Shower on March 6th as well as another upcoming appearance on Eigo De Shabera Night. More info in the Japanese section. Footage from the Rock Fujiyama Band concert in February will be broadcast on the March 5th Rock Fujiyama.Also be sure to check him out on `Orikyun`, `Jukebox Eikaiwa` `Yumeregi`, and of course `Rock Fujiyama` every week as well!
If you are in Japan there is do doubt you have heard been unable to escape the Mitsubishi commercial that is constantly playing on TV as well as radio. Yes, that`s Marty...
TV DETAILS!
Those of you with access to Japanese TV be sure not to miss Marty`s Friday night appearances on 3 consecutive weeks of Tamori Club`s “Sola Mimi Awards” on Feb.2 Feb.9 and Feb.16 A special “Takeyama Sensei!” featuring Marty will air on Saturday night, Feb. 3. There will be 2 appearances on Hot Wave as well this month, info in the Japanese side.
LIVE IN CONCERT!
Speaking of Rock Fujiyama, a one of a kind “Rock Fujiyama Band” concert, live in Tokyo on Saturday, Feb 17th. If you are anywhere near Tokyo you will not want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime event! The entire cast plus many of the guests from the “Rock Fujiyama Band” will be on hand for an unforgettable and unique rock concert experience…
More info here: http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/fujiyama/index.html and in the Japanese section.
MORE TV APPEARANCES IN JANUARY!
Jan.17th at 10PM Marty faces off with variety duo “Ori-Raji” on Fuji Television. On another program, “Takeyama sensei?!”, Marty finds himself at Japan`s top `Maid Café` in Akihabara. Broadcast details in the Japanese side. Marty created the theme song for the “Death Panda” character that made its debut on the “Takeyama sensei?!” program late last year. The song is a blistering death metal track with lead vocals by the teenage girls of AKB 48, Japan`s newest idol group sensation. This extremely unlikely combination is a high point of the show each week. The song will be released as a single in early 07.
Those of you with access to NHK or TV Tokyo, be sure not to miss Marty`s other weekly programs.
NEW ALBUM!
Songs from the new “Rock Fujiyama Band” were heard nationwide when Marty did a live broadcast on NHK radio last month and now with just under 2 weeks prior to release (on Avex in Japan) excitement is building as the mainstream media is all over the record. Marty and the others in the cast are planning a very special autograph session/talk show at the Shinjuku Tower Records in downtown Tokyo. More details to come!
NEW TV SHOW!
As TV Tokyo`s weekly “Rock Fujiyama” continues to score high in the ratings, Marty has now become a regular on Japan`s NHK network as well. Aside from often appearing on Pop Jam, Eigo De Shabera Night, and several other NHK shows, a brand new weekly show, “Jukebox Eikaiwa” has been created with Marty`s character in mind. The debut broadcast is on January 4th at 11PM, and every Thursday afterward. This makes Marty a weekly regular on 4 shows (the third being Shoko Nakagawa`s “Yumeregi” and the 4th being Fuji Television`s "Orikyun") and a semi-regular on several others as well.
Also note that Marty is featured in the first “Eigo De Shabera Night” of 2007. He appeared the show just recently with Janet Jackson.
ROCK FUJIYAMA BAND ALBUM COMPLETED!!
Marty wrapped up production of the Rock Fujiyama Band album for Avex this week and the release date is January 24. The cast as well as guests MCU, Aikawa Nanase, Kirito, Demon Kogure and others each sing a track and there are plenty surprises, including the new Rock Fujiyama ending theme for the upcoming 2007 season! Along with producing and arranging Marty played the majority of the abundant guitar on the disc, with the rest provided by guest spots from Japanese superstars Luke Takamura (Seikimatsu, Canta), Yoshio Nomura (Ayumi Hamasaki) and Rolly. This album is a must for fans of the show, Marty fans, everyone! The album will only be available in Japan but available through Tower Records Japan online and any other Japanese online sales outlet.
BEWARE OF ALL FRAUDULENT `MARTY PAGES`!
All “Marty Friedman” related sites on MySpace, MIXI, or any similar networks are NOT in any way related to Marty Friedman himself. The only official Marty Friedman site is this site, www.martyfriedman.com and the staff at this site are not responsible for any information found at any of the recent sites put up by imposters. Please make a note of this do not continue to contact this site regarding the status of any other site. Thank you!! Maysan (webmaster)
The directors of *Metal-A Headbanger`s Journey* were in Tokyo taking a look behind the scenes on the set of Rock Fujiyama. They filmed Marty in action there as well as in the studio for their upcoming movie, *Global Metal*.
In other metal news, Slayer`s Kerry King joined Marty on Rock Fujiyama where they did all the usual Fujiyama games as well as treated the cameras to impromptu jams of rare metal gems from Judas Priest, Venom, Pantera and more. Kerry and Marty have toured together (on Clash of the Titans in America and Europe) but this is the first time the two have played guitar together.
According to Avex, in Japan cellphone downloads for songs from Marty's *LOUDSPEAKER* album have topped 140,000 and show no signs of slowing down.
The leadoff track from *LOUDSPEAKER*, *Elixir* is the new ending theme for the current season of *Rock Fujiyama*. Other songs from the all instrumental
album are receiving heavy TV airplay on several other shows, mainly sports related.
A U.S. release for *LOUDSPEAKER* is in the works. Check back here for more info. The European edition came out on 9/15 on Mascot Records and the Korean edition came out in October. Marty was recently in Korea promoting the release with radio and magazine interviews as well as a live event and autograph session. See pix in the Japanese section.
Marty`s monthly feature in mainstream magazine, Nikkei Entertainment began last month to rave reviews! The second installment is out now.
Marty`s performance with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra aired on 8/26 on NHK and the reaction has been fantastic. Rebroadcast details in the Japanese section.
In TV news, thanks to consistently high ratings, Marty's weekly Rock Fujiyama program has been extended 2 more seasons, thru March 2007.
Marty`s special feature in the Japanese edition of Playboy is on newsstands now!
The special first edition of *LOUDSPEAKER* contained one bonus track, a vocal version of *Static Rain*, ending theme of *Rock Fujiyama*. This edition was limited to the first 10,000 copies, which sold out on the first day of release. After those went, the standard version of *LOUDSPEAKER* which has an instrumental version of *Static Rain* was put on sale.
In TV news, Marty filmed 30 weeks worth of his segment for M-On-TV with top model (and now singer) Shoko Nakagawa last week. Broadcast details in the Japanese side of this site.
Nippon Television`s *Uta Sta!* which is Japan`s answer to American Idol, features Marty on the judges panel.
Marty is currently on the cover of Young Guitar in Japan as well as Sound Designer. GO HERE: http://www.sounddesigner.jp/index06_07.shtml
for a look.
Remember this is the ONLY place for official Marty Friedman information on the web!! Thanks for your support!!
Mayzan
(webmaster www.martyfriedman.com)
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