Night Flight
the world of La'cryma Christi
Night Flight
the world of La'cryma Christi
Koji was one of La'cryma Christi's guitarists, working alongside Hiro, but, in a shocking break in character from the previously rock-solid camaraderie of the band, he left in March, 2005, after ten years together, citing a desire to do music on his own.
He's listed on the &.U and Deep Space Syndicate albums as "guitar and ProTools." ProTools was the program he used to the mix the music.
In songs, Koji and Hiro trade off guitar parts during songs and neither of them plays lead. The way they use their guitars in relation to each other contributes greatly to the signature sound of the band, multilayered and tossing melody back and forth between different parts during a song. Their styles are very similar and it's nearly impossible to pick out who is playing what in a song without seeing it live. He uses the KG-Marquis guitar from Killer.
Koji was probably the most normal member of the band. He usually wore t-shirts and jeans on stage and never had a flashy look in photo shoots. Even back when the band was first starting out, Koji looked like a normal guy hanging out with a band full of insane visual-kei fanatics.
In a lot of their music videos he had a serious attitude and seems a little scary, but on stage he always had a huge grin and seemed to be overjoyed to be on stage, playing guitar, being a rock star. Koji was also the most popular member of the band among fans, maybe because of his more laidback style.
During concerts, he stood stage right, just to the right of Shuse.
Here is the band's announcement about Koji leaving and his own diary entry about it on the band's website.
It has been decided that Koji (g.) will be leaving La'cryma Christi. We hope that you will understand that it is a positive and mutual decision so that all of us can freely enjoy making music. For ten years, together with Koji, we've made music together, but if we as La'cryma Christi and you all as well can think of the special and treasured things which will remain, by no means will we think of calling it quits. From now on, we hope that you will wish for best for Koji and La'cryma Christi.
-- La'cryma Christi
An Update
2005/2/11 (Fri) 15:00 - KOJIAfter the live on March 21st I will have left La'cryma Christi. I'm facing forward and see this as something which allows all of us to go down a new road, but that doesn't change the fact that it's unfortunate. However, I think this was a necessary decision for all of us to keep leading a rich musical life.
I feel that while there are all these people cheering me on, to come to this conclusion is really inexcusable. You cheer me on, you give me such warmhearted words, I want to be able to give back these same feelings and emotions of gratitude. When you say 'Cheer up!' or something like that, I want to be able to say the same thing back through music. Right now I can't do that and it irritates me, so I really think that if everyone would try their best to again smile happily and meet me with smiling faces, I'll get my energy back.
I'm thinking that first I'll write a lot of songs and slowly begin to calm down again, but I'm not going to slack off. I think this is something I can't do with the other members of the band, so now it's time to go. I'm thinking that I want to meet lots of different people through music.
I'm really looking forward to the live on March 21st. The world which just the five of us made, we made it over these ten years. Let's see that world for the last time and then I think all of us can walk down our new roads.