My December Concert Parade: TarO & JirO at J-Music Lab

Hello again, another late post of my last year concert parade. This time I went to J-Music Lab in fX. The event was held by Japan Recording Association in order to introduce Japan Music to Indonesian audience. Those who already familiar with J-Music were more than pleased to see some talented musicians since day one. I missed Kaname Kawabata show and I feel gutted. I mean, I'm a fan of Chemistry (his duo group along with Dochin Yoshikuni) and it's a rare event for me to see Kaname live. I think he/they won't be coming again in the future as Chemistry remain in hiatus for unspecified time. Kaname has the voice that could easily melt your heart. Soulful.

Speaking of soulful, the show I attended was pretty much soulful and invigorating at the same time. It was my first time seeing 2 brothers who shared the same passion in guitar playing. I know Miyavi, the Samurai Guitarist, whose skill level is rarely seen (read: killer!). He's got the unique 'slap' style like a combo of shamisen and bass. He sings, he plays drums as well, and my bad that I missed his performance 2 years ago *SOBS*

Anyway, these 2 brothers named Taro and Jiro (no, not the legendary Antartica dogs. Though I believe they might be legends in the future). The brothers were once said that their guitar skills, uhm, somewhat Miyavi-esque. Tbh, that was one of the reasons why I got to see them live. And yes, they reminded me of the Samurai Guitarist.

But that was only in a glance since they also mentioned about Miyavi as one of their influence in playing guitar (no surprise). Taro and Jiro were more merry, jolly, frisky etc etc on stage (I reckon the age factor. No offense, Miyavi.), also because they're BROTHERS! There's no need to do such technical communication on stage. I found it kind of bizarre whenever Taro (the older brother) called "Jiro... (let's do this)" and BAM. They killed the stage.

The brothers shared parts equally, meant that Taro was not the dominant one just because he's older or Jiro played less part than Taro. I had to admit that I enjoyed their show so much. I went there nearly clueless, only familiar with one song I played on Youtube, Silent Siren. I had no idea what kinda song they'd play. Like I always said, the most fave part of every Japs show I went was the Bahasa Indonesia part. Hahaha, Taro and Jiro were trying their best to communicate with the audience in Indonesian. He also used some slang terms. Nice try, Taro.

Taro and Jiro both played acoustic guitars but don't be fooled by the word 'acoustic' here. You'd see these guitar effects and pedals they brought to turn their acoustic performance into a rock n roll one. I play guitar for fun and when I saw them live I was like, "I should've played often from now on..." Jiro's 'ammos' were plentiful since he played the kick pad too. So technically Jiro sang and played both guitar-kick pad. What about the tempo? oh yes, he was too good at keeping it. Don't even ask about losing tempo to these 2 bros.

Taro

Jiro

They performed for about less than 2 hrs. They played some new songs from their first album. I had no idea what the titles were but I enjoyed them. Taro and Jiro said that their debut album (at that moment) was in progress and would be released next week (December 11th 2013). I tried to order the album online but then I remember about Indonesian troubled custom. I'd probably ask my friend in Japan to get a copy for me.

Silent Siren was played twice that night. Like seriously, the song was kickin ass. It wasn't an encore, no. We just loved the song so much. And yes, I would like to see them again, maybe on the next J-Music Lab? :)
ありがとう、深江公太朗と深江智二朗。

for more information about these deadly rockin brothers, you can visit them here.

Song Stories: Kasabian - Fire

This morning I just found out that one of Kasabian's songs which is my fave was about sex, or something sexual, as Tom Meighan and Sergio Pizzorno said on this video. I always checked on NME's website whenever I got on my desk. Idk, it's like a habitual activity in the morning. Duh!

The first time I read the lyrics, I thought about something related to drugs since there's this line "burn my sweet effigy" (smoke?). Another line "wire me up to machines I'll be your prisoner" (a prisoner of certain addiction?) and "find it hard to believe you are my murderer" (well, drugs the murderer?). But then when Premier League used this song to be an opening, I kinda changed my perspective, that the person here is on fire (excited, determine to do something (good)). Well, I was all wrong. So, let Kasabian do the math for ya...

P.S.: I like it when Sergio explained as if he had no clue that this song would be a blast. Hahaha. Simply brill. 

My December Concert Parade: TOTALFAT at Jak Cloth

Another late post but still worth to remember tho'. I blame myself for being so lazy blogging lately. Anywaaay... I started my December with another Japanese band's concert. Well, this time a punk/melodic-core band named TOTALFAT. I personally knew them since 2007 when their Hard Rock Reviver album released. Shun, Jose, Bunta, and Kuboty formed TOTALFAT in 1999 and their 1st album was released in 2003, so technically I was 4 years late. -___-

I didn't know my brother also a fan of TOTALFAT until I posted a song on Path where he dropped a comment. Too bad he couldn't come. So, I decided to give him a birthday present which I never did before hahaha. The night before the show, TOTALFAT had an intimate, well, that's too sweet for a band, ok friendly dinner and unplugged session at Home Ribs.

I never met these guys before, I never knew what kinda person they were. Just based on the videos and some interviews, I assumed they were nice. But the truth is: THEY'RE GENUINELY NICE. and funny, and crazy at the same time. BOYS.

I asked them to write birthday greetings for my brother and whatever message they wanna say. I told Bunta that my bro adores his drum playing and always wanted to be like him one day, so Bunta wrote a very encouraging message: You'll be the best drummer in Jakarta (which is an epic fail cause my brother lives in my hometown, Yogyakarta. My bad Bunta couldn't remember that.)

The guys only brought 3 additional persons with them, I believed they were the manager and the PAs. I was amazed by their efficiency. Well of course Shun brought his own bass, Jose and Kuboty brought their own guitars, and Bunta brought his own sticks and pedals. I mean, the simplicity and efficiency were totally proper. Not to mention for their extra sweetness, I gave each of them a gigantic bar of chocolate and some fried tempeh to the PAs and manager.

TOTALFAT played 3 songs in their unplugged session. The 1st song was requested by me. Ahem. Because I missed home at that moment so I want them to play Bruised. So happy since it was my first time watched them live. I tried to upload the video here but I guess the size was too big. Failed. Anyways, After a lively unplugged session, I took some photos with the boys. ;)

And finally the D-day! I arrived at Parkir Timur Senayan with my friend but unfortunately she couldn't make it til the show started. Too bad since I got the privilege TO BE WITH THE BAND ON STAGE. Kudos to the new buddies! Ta da~~~ I was standing next to Bunta Sugawara (kyaaa~~~) I didn't waste any second I got. Man, that feeling I got on the stage was priceless. Not to mention, THE VIEW. It was amazing to see their fans from where I stood.

I witnessed Bunta played drums next to, in front of, me! I know this pretty much of fangirling thing but trust me, there were a lot of guys who fell in love with this man. Like seriously he was 'attacked' by fanboys :D

I never thought that they played so good. Yeah, some bands are just good on the record but not-so-good on stage. TOTALFAT rocked the stage though they only played around 6 songs (thanks to the stupid rundown!) Room45, Party Party, Place To Try, the live version were better. Jose's voice reached the high notes smoothly. He always had this herbal syrup before he performed. Ah... a revealed secret.

Shun then made speech to the crowd. He said that he missed Jakarta and TOTALFAT had such longing to see their second home. Then he told a story behind the song Dear My Empire which I never heard before. Thanks for sharing it with us, Shun. It's such a deep song. And they started to play it... WOW!

Oh yeah, there was this funny moment on stage. It was Kuboty who suddenly said something in Indonesian. A long gag line... "nama gue Kuboty. Gue masih perjaka. Gue suka coli!" while pointing at himself, what he said was: my name is Kuboty. I'm a virgin. I love to masturbate. XD

Kubota Yohei is such a funny guy. He's a bit shy at first but once you knew him, he's a total nut! I had a little chit chat with him at the backstage before their turn. I always wondered did he wash his hair regularly? so I asked him that question. And yes, he said that he did wash his hair today. It was true. His hair smelled nice. LOL.

The show ended at 1:00ish AM. Thanks to the fans who didn't left the venue although TOTALFAT was the last band to perform that day. The crowd screamed for an encore but unfortunately there ain't one since it was only a fest. I do hope that someday TOTALFAT will come again for a concert. Before they got off stage, they took some pictures with the crazy fans as background. If only the venue was bigger, it would be more awesome.

I bought TOTALFAT t-shirts for myself and my brother. Bunta also gave me his signatured drum stick which made my day! 

and that's how I sum up my 2 nights with TOTALFAT. Would love to repeat it again sometimes in the future. ありがとうございます。。。＾＾

My November Concert Parade: VAMPS at Hyper Wave Fest

The 2nd time I went to Hyde's concert. The 2nd time I wasn't able to see him in person. The 2nd time I got brokenhearted. I didn't know where the hell all my luck was. Unlucky Rani.

Anyways...

Enough with the sadness. Actually I was a little bit lucky since I could afford the VIP section. Good Lord. Last year, I was only standing at the back. Not even the middle row. I was so exhausted and kept gasping for fresh air. L'Arc~en~Ciel's 1st concert was INSANE. Too crowd! I couldn't make it to the front row. Pity.

Since the first debut, VAMPS had me at the first single. Yes, Love Addict got me addicted. It was so refreshing. Apart from his musical genius in Laruku, Hyde's experimental project with K.A.Z has successfully became a hit. If you are Laruku fans, you might still find it a little in VAMPS, but just a little. The more you listen, the more you know that VAMPS' playful rock is so refreshing.

Personally, I adore K.A.Z's guitar playing. It's totally different from Ken's. The funny thing about their partnership was the way Hyde 'found' K.A.Z through the same way Tetsu did to him in Laruku. Hyde kept making fun of Tetsu who stalked him for a few months before finally addressed him in person. Hahaha. Hyde is too cute!

So... there was I. At Lapangan Kolam Renang Senayan. Hard rain, a raincoat, and an umbrella. It rained so hard for a while which literally made me wet from waist-to-toe.

The rain stopped exactly at 10-15ish mins before the show started. There you go, a line of impatient people rushed to the front stage.

I got this setlist from setlist.fm which I believe already leaked days before. And yes, the setlist was precisely accurate. These were the songs VAMPS played in Jakarta:

I was kinda satisfied with the sequence. Good for the audience mood. Mine included. Oh, before the show started, VAMPS' crews were bloody busy mopping the wet stage before putting all the properties needed. You know, Hyde's stand mic, coffin, etc etc. Like seriously, it took them more than I thought to finally get the stage done. 45-ish mins or so but that's fine. I myself didn't want something bad happened to my Hyde also. :')

The concert began with red lightings all over the stage. I noticed Hyde's coffin there, it was the centre of attention. Then the intro started, Hyde showed up in a see-through black shirt. See-through, unbottoned, bare chest. *GASPED* Good Lord, I was one lucky girl. He wrote an 'XIII' on his chest; number 13, unlucky number, number of death (in Tarot). Hyde is pretty much obsessed with such things. You know, that's so him.

One thing I loved the most from the concert was the part when Hyde started to communicate with us in Indonesian. His broken Indonesian articulation made me laughed so hard, I mean... he was sooo well prepared for certain words. He said that he wants to eat the coolest audience (which he never did) "Gue pengen makan penonton yang paling seru!!! Dimana yaaa???" and that was enough to made all the women screamed so too very loud. This man is indeed born with charm. I myself shouted at him, too, "EAT ME!!! OVER HERE!!!" well, it's all about fangirling when it comes to Hyde. ;)

K.A.Z was exceptional. He didn't lost any melody. His stage act was exceptional for someone at his age (that's a compliment, K.A.Z). My favorite part was probably when he had a face-to-face guitar moment with Hyde. 

K.A.Z brought all his custom made ESP guitars. So sugoi that he replaced his guitar in most every song. ESP guitars are just awesome!

As if my ultimate exhilaration was not enough, Hyde later made my whole heart fell to pieces. He messed with my emotion. What song? Sweet Dreams. I cried so very hard and I didn't know why. Hyde is more than just an idol, a rock star, or a genius musician to me. He's my savior. My kind of Jesus. He helped me through the worst moments in my life. He encouraged me to be a braver human being. Most people would find it strange since I only know him through his works as a musician but do you ever wonder what kind of magic music could bring to one's life? That happened to me. I knew his life story, his weakness, how he made all that imperfection turned into perfection... I was inspired by him. His songs are strong. So strong that they could move every fan's heart. You'll understand if you're a fan like me. No further explanation needed. :) 

In Sweet Dreams, I could relate to him in the deepest bond. The feeling of a distant lover whose heart is set on you. Wherever he goes, he always think about you like always wonder how do you look, what kind of clothes you wear, and the way he wants to share every single joy of his trip when he come back. Also, the reason why I cried because I couldn't meet him in person and he's about to go and I didn't know when I could see him again. I was only a few metres away and I could only cry so hard. I guess the camera guy caught me cried in frame which made me a little aware. What if Hyde might see me cried? Ah, that must be too normal for him. I remember last year when he cried during Forbidden Lover. I was that lucky. I saw him cried on stage.

I always had this unexplained mystical experience with Hyde. The only emotion which himself and I knew. I do hope he will come back sooner or later so that I could have the chance to see him in person. I've always wanted to show him the 'H'. I wish the very best for Hyde in the future. 愛してるよ～:')

I would like to thank Hyper Wave Fest for bringing him to Jakarta for the 2nd time. Though I wasn't that satisfied with HWF's people, but VAMPS' performance made all the inconvenience gone. Til we meet again, My Lifetime Obsession...