Today's Band: a.b.s and Word of the Day!

Ok, first of all, we're going to start out with the word/phrase of the day, which is: Omedetou Gozaimasu (おめでとうございます）. This phrase means 'Congratulations,' and can be used, just as in English, for pretty much any occasion, such as birthdays (tanjyoubi omedetou gozaimasu), getting a new job, getting an award, etc. But the reason this phrase is our word of the day today, is because Miyavi, that jrock-punk singer that I can't help but love (b/c of his personality not his music) just welcomed his baby girl into the world yesterday. He and his beautiful wife, pop singer Melody, welcomed the little one at 4:40 PM (Japan time) after 20 hours of labor. So, Miyavi-sama, Omedetou Gozaimasu!

And moving on...

Today's band is abingdon boys school (aka a.b.s). A.b.s formed in 2005 around the already famous jrock singer TM Revolution (real name Takanori Nishikawa). He decided to form a new unit with a few of his current backup band members to establish a new sound. A.b.s was a surprise to most fans for the lack of build up before their debut, and first became a blip on the radar via a NANA tribute album for the anime. Over time, they gained some popularity (many of TM's fans naturally became fans of a.b.s. as well), and they made songs, as most new jrockers do, for anime opening songs. In late 2006 they released their first single 'Innocent Sorrow' and it's been looking up from there. What sets a.b.s apart from many other jrock bands is their lack of official drummer or bassist, their English school boy dress (they're named after a real boys school in England), their age (TM is in his 40s), and Takanori's tendency to write songs with entirely English lyrics. The band is: TM Revolution/Takanori on Vocals, Sunao and Shibasaki Hiroshi both on guitar, and Toshiyuki Kishi on Keyboard. And without any further ado,