Japanese bands Dazzle Vision, Cantoy to play in Pittsburgh in April.

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Those who know about Tekkoshocon don't need to be reminded that it's coming up, but for the sake a complete blog we'll mention that Pittsburgh's "Japanese Pop Culture Convention" will be at the David Lawrence Convention Center from April 5 through April 7. The costumed fans get the most attention, but it's worth noting that for the first time in a year Pittsburgh will have some Japanese rock bands in town.

Dazzle Vision is a metal band with equal parts melody and screamo thrown in (here's a Youtube playlist). Cantoy would fall under the punk category (here's a Youtube playlist). The setting seems rather sterile, but anime conventions are about the only opportunities for medium-sized cities to attract Japanese groups. Concerts the last two years have drawn over 900 people.

The third musical guest is Chii Sakurabi, who is described on her own webpage as "a breakout international J-POP singer and recording artist". You can find some of her videos on YouTube; I don't get it.