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.

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。。。＾＾

LOKA

Ohayou gozaimaaasu~

How's weekend? Mine was awesome! My beloved Liverpool FC won in Anfield and before the match, I went to a concert.

Ok, where to begin? I went to Cikini Gold Center to watch a concert. Yep, a concert, a band. A rock band. Well, it's been a while since I went to L'Arc~en~Ciel concert last year... so I was a little bit excited this time cause I didn't know about the band at first.

WHAT'S THE NAME AGAIN?

Well... the band I watched on Youtube last month named LOKA. I didn't remember how I ended up on their channel but I was glad I got lost in CrossTheLimitRecords'. I watched their video Naked To My Soul and my eyes couldn't stop staring at the drummer. You know, first impression is the thing. This man got me at the first hit. Actually, Japanese music is not a new thing to me. I grew up with L'Arc~en~Ciel songs and Doraemon (I wonder when Nobita will actually grow up, ok, nevermind. Neeext~) but this band doesn't sound Japanese at all. Probably if I closed my eyes I wouldn't think that they're Japanese like seriously even the front man sings in fluent English! He's kinda remind me of One OK Rock's Taka who sings in fluent English as well but their music is a little bit different from OOR. It's heavy yet sexy. I don't know... sort of.

RAPING THE REPLAY BUTTON

I was lost in their channel for about an hour or so. That's more than enough to give my opinion about this band. Here's the video I watched, Naked To My Soul, 

you see, they're pretty much intimidating as Kihiro (the vocalist) shouted "I just wanna FUCK you!" (well, Kihiro... THAT's intimidating) anyway, I was headbanging on my desk (at the office, yes), didn't realise that til the end of the video. If you think that Naked To My Soul wasn't intimidating much, Kihiro still got more to come. Slick is another song with tantalize lyrics. I wonder, Kihiro, who's the girl that made you wanna get laid and turn you round and round? And oh, I love the way they add some synthesizer sound in this song... PLUS Kenichi's drumming skill is beyond god-like! 

as if it wasn't enough... I clicked on the next video called From Yesterday which apparently their latest single.

Dang! Second hook. This time the guitar player took my attention. Man, I love the way he played those distortions. Oh, the noises... precious sound to my ears. I raped the replay button literally LOL. 

An hour later, I was surprised by their Indonesia Tour Comment video (that's what happened when you're on Youtube, a video after a video after a video...). Indonesia Tour? Honto ne? and YES, it's real. The video was amusing! Each of them spoke in Bahasa Indonesia, not the formal one... the casual one or I may say 'bahasa gaul' cause Kenichi said, "ciyuuus? miapaaah?" like an alay LOL. I browsed their website just to make sure about the tour and yes it's official. Not to mention that big picture of Kenichi the drummer was quite a distraction, hahaha you better see them here. Last time I checked, I emailed the promoter and registered myself for the meet and greet session with them XD.

SONGS TO EVERY MOMENT

I had a week or so to get to know them more before the concert. So I got their previous discography on my tablet. 

I started to get intimate with them since I listened to their songs almost everyday LOL. I have to admit that they sound more American rather than Japanese, regardless the English lyrics. LOKA is rich in beats and distortions. Not only the raging-intriguing-intimidating lyrics that made their songs 'alive', I must admit that LOKA's musicality is somewhat brill. Apart from my admiration to Kenichi (ahem...), each LOKA's member is beast. I don't know about you but I think Oblivion Heart is the most LOKA one among the other songs. From the intro to the last hit, a perf combo. I fell asleep when I was listening to this song (WTF?). 



To those of you who don't want to look too weak for love thingy, I suggest you to sing one of these songs from the top of your lungs: Yellow Cherry and of course Oblivion Heart. If you're into those bad things then Naked To My Soul and Python will do good for you. 

Uhm... what else? In a bad mood or feeling down? Kihiro knows how to lift you up again. Left of Me, Hey God, Alive, and From Yesterday would do the magic.  

They also got some deep songs. Hey, rock stars are human too (aren't you, LOKA?). Well, I prefer deep as I try to avoid the word 'mellow' though I was quite mellow after that. I love Don't Ever Leave Me Out right from the first tune. You know, some rock stars are actually deep thinkers. They could make sad songs without looking broken or shattered. I actually love the lyrics. Thanks to you, Kihiro... the "so many reasons why I say so you know my everything" part was very moving. :')

And so I went to Cikini Gold Center that afternoon. It turned out that the concert was held on the rooftop! Coolness. I was alone. Yep, alone. All by myseeelf... don't wanna be all by myseeelf... (enough with the drama, Ran. Jeez...)

I joined those who wanted to meet LOKA as well. I noticed a fan girl on her cool wheelchair behind me. We had a little chit chat when the door finally opened......... there were four rock stars sitting on the couch. LOKA.

I was literally smiling from ear to ear. Last month I watched them on Youtube and now they're sitting right in front of me. A little glance to Kihiro the front man, a little glance to Katsumi the bass player whose hair resembled Sonic The Hedgehog, a little glance to Sin the guitar hero who seemed a bit shy, and... A COMPLETE EXAMINATION OF A MAN WITH THE LONG HAIR WHO GOT ME AT THE FIRST HAIR FLIP, KENICHI. I got the 2nd turn so I began to approach them...

FANGIRLING TIME!
I brought my tablet with me so that I could take some selfies with the boys. I asked them to do so and they said OK. So here's my selfies hahaha. Roc stars? what rock stars? they looked CUTE! :D

As if selfies weren't enough, I asked them to make ugly faces and stupid pose with me. And again, they're OK with that. Hahaha.

Done with the fangirling thing (though I thought it was too short, bleh...) and now I'm about to tell you their ripping performance. They're already great on the videos but watching them live is another story. It's worth every rupiah you spent on the ticket. There was this sudden hard rain like an hour before their performance. Everyone went down to the 4th floor, me included. I was waiting til the rain stopped. Luckily, this time I wasn't alone. I got my friend with me :D I told her if the the rain didn't stop then we're outta here cause we had Liverpool match to catch up.

The rain stopped and we walked to the rooftop again. Yadayadayada blahblahblah from the MCs and in a few minutes later LOKA appeared on the stage. Like FINALLY!

I haven't seen them live so I can say that my experience last Saturday was exceptional.

Kihiro's stage act was powerful, he talked the us the audience pretty often. I didn't say, "what?" or "huh?" every time he asked us something cause he's got the Cali tongue. Unlike Hyde-sama, he made me confused with his English, hahaha... 

Sin whom I thought was a shy guy turned into a beast on stage. He was energetically restless (WHAT?), well stage is definitely your playground, Sin... you knew how to play. I enjoyed his descants and yes I could stand there all night long to watch him strumming the green guitar.

Katsumi's bass guitar. Red. Fierce. He's another member whom I never thought could be so lively appealing. You did look so great, Katsumi. Yes, you did. I don't know what's with him and the green top but he seems keen on it very much. I don't know maybe he got many?

So... last but not least was the one who got me at the first hit. What's his name again? Kenichi. Holy Mother of God, he was topless (let me breathe for a second)... and holy cow, he's a badass drummer! No, there's no double bass drum like the ones I saw on the video. Actually, People, I have no words for Kenichi's drumming skill. Seriously, lost words. Thanks for posing before I left, Gorg!

I had to leave earlier to see my other love, Liverpool FC. If I had one word to sum up LOKA, that would be: SICK. I was more than please to be there, watched them nailed the stage and a little bit wet because Kihiro threw a water bottle, errrrrr... I also met Ilma whom I mentioned earlier above. She got a crush on Katsumi and looked too happy. We're both happy and still buzzing about LOKA til now. I feel you, Ilma... ;)

and that would be the end of my astonishing weekend. I do hope LOKA would come back here again for another tour. Sure thing they'd be big in the future.