J

Since the dissolution of Japanese rock outfit Luna Sea, bassist Jun "J" Onose has enjoyed the strongest solo trajectory among its five members, sustaining visibility through consistent live dates, studio work, and partnerships that have included Billy Duffy and Scott Garrett of the Cult plus Slash. His output presents a freer, more classic interpretation of the hard-rock-infused visual kei aesthetic that Luna Sea essentially codified during the 1990s.

J established the group Lunacy alongside drummer Shinya Yamada in 1989 and brought in Ryuichi Kawamura, Yasuhiro Suighara, and Shinobu Inoue; the ensemble adopted the Luna Sea moniker only the next year. The band appeared regularly on the Oricon charts across the ensuing decade. Although J issued his first solo album, Pyromania, in 1997 and enlisted Garrett along with Takashi Fujita of the metal band Doom at that time, his independent path did not fully accelerate until Luna Sea concluded its run with a farewell concert at Tokyo Dome in 2000. For the subsequent “Fire Wire” Japan tour he assembled a lineup featuring Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones and former Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan, then played five straight nights at Shibuya Ax in 2002—an achievement he duplicated in 2004. That same year he inaugurated an annual New Year’s Eve performance at the city’s Astro Hall. In 2003 he appeared at Budokan yet required the audience to remain standing throughout. J joined the Blowgrow imprint, Avex Trax’s rock-focused division that also housed Kirito, in 2005; Glaring Sun became his initial release for the label. Urge arrived in 2007 to mark his tenth solo year, followed by Ride in 2008. The six-song Stars from the Broken Night EP surfaced the following year. The ESP-produced J bass model has sold 50,000 units, reflecting the regard younger players hold for him. His website, incidentally, functions as an abbreviation of the phrase “What’s up, motherf**cker?”