Archive for the ‘Blogging’ Category
It’s a lot clearer than you might think!
Here’s Makoto in the Japanese TV drama “Hikon Kazoku” along with actor Sanada Hiroyuki:
And here’s Sanada Hiroyuki in LOST along with lead actor Matthew Fox (aka Jack):
Now, maybe it’s just me because I’m a huge fan of LOST… but dammit that is awesome.
Hey everyone! It’s not that I have anything special to say today… other than: today is September 15th. You all know what that day means. You should, anyway. Today is Aucifer’s 13th birthday. Here’s Atsuro on twitter:
The date’s changed to the 15th, meaning that today’s the anniversary of Λucifer’s debut. Thank you for all the messages!! All of us in the band are so happy to have been part of a group with such devoted fans. Once again, we thank you for your continued support!!
For the newbie fans of Λucifer, here’s a real quick refresher course into the history of Λucifer. Here’s how it all started back in the days. Well, for the anime version of Λucifer anyway. I like to think that this is sort of how it was in real life, too.
“One heck of a line-up. Climb’s Santa and Yuki. Neon’s Towa. Lucy Lane’s Atsuro. And…“
In case you didn’t realize, it’s been exactly 12 years today since Λucifer’s debut and their first release, “Datenshi BLUE.” Here’s Makoto’s post on it from his blog:
Λucifer’s 12th anniversary.
It’s been 12 years since Λucifer’s debut. It feels like all that time went by in a flash… Last year, we had our revival shows. This year, we have our new song to look forward to. We’re going to have the vocal recordings for that soon, so look forward to more pictures of that on Twitter and so! And to all the fans who have kept supporting Λucifer for these 12 years, I say this from the heart: thank you. (v^-ﾟ) We’re hoping for your continued support!!
In celebration of this festive day for all Λucifer fans alike, here’s something I promised I’d do ages ago: my top 5 favorite Λucifer guitar solos! Without further ado, let’s get started!
5. LUCY
Though it’s admittedly quite a basic guitar solo, it does sound delicious. A solo doesn’t always have to be flashy to be awesome, as this Atsuro-penned tune demonstrates.
4. Heavy Style
I’d actually forgotten how cool this solo was until I went listening through Aucifer’s discography, searching for their most badass solos. It’s weirdness combined with coolness. A lot of coolness.
3. See You
Aucifer’s one and only (?) acoustic guitar solo. And what a sweet one it is! Atsuro’s fingers are lovely.
2. Midnight Crow (Be-Trip Tour 2001 version)
While the recorded version of this song has an okay solo, Aucifer gave it a whole new look when playing it live. There’s a version of this song included on all three Aucifer live DVD’s, but my favorite is by far the one found on Be-Trip Tour 2001. The one on Last Tour 2002-2003 Energy, though more technically proficient, loses to the Be-Trip Tour 2001 one in… how should I put it… let’s call it the youthful energy. As for the one on the 10th Anniversary DVD, that one is of course again technically superior but to be completely honest with you, while the actual performance itself was great, I was disappointed in both the picture quality as well as the sound mix of this DVD. Thus, I think the best version of the song — and indeed, my favorite Aucifer DVD — is the Be-Trip Tour 2001 one.
Here’s a video of it to remind you:
1. Sekai de Ichiban Kirei na Mono
I know, I know, you probably think I’m crazy ranking this higher than that version of Midnight Crow. But I can’t lie to myself: I’ve always loved this solo the most. It’s really just perfection. Short and sweet perfection. Pure f’ing ear candy. That’s all I really have to say about it.
Edit: While we’re at it, here are the top 10 guitar solo picks from my trustworthy co-blogger here on Silent Melody, the good sir GN-0015:
10. DUMMY – A bit pain for ears at first to me, but it grew well inside me, and now I find the solo is quite cool.
9. HURRY – It is Towa’s bass that gave me multiple orgasms throughout the song, but the solo is awesome too!
8. CARNATION CRIME – Typical crazy Λucifer solo, but really really a perfect fit for the song.
7. Realize – The solo keeps the song’s upbeat tune, I like it so much.
6. TSUBASA – Double solo from two guitar gods is always cool!
5. Graduation – Really cool, can’t really explain but it’s just awesome.
4. C no Binetsu – Quick yet very relaxing to me. It’s my first Λucifer song, so it’s really nostalgic.
3. Desire – This one is just crazy in the most awesome way. The best song for me on the way to work.
2. LABYRINTH – Probably their quickest song, my blood always runs faster especially during the damn awesome solo. Perfect for listening while having sex.
1. Regret – My favourite solo from Yuki throughout his entire career. Perfect fit for the song, though having the thoughts of Yuki shaking his guitar in that manner in the PV quite ruins the mood XD
So what are your favorite Λucifer guitar solos? And again, happy 12th birthday to Λucifer!
…It’s just a shame I’ll never want to actually use them!
Thanks again to my girlfriend who I pester into buying me all this crap!
The previously reported event Cosmos Blackness organized by Sakura of Rayflower just finished.
Special guests included Rayflower’s Miyako among others.
Setlist:
Lion Heads:
1. Show for them, Sally’s mind
2. Zepet
3. Hitonigiri no Hana
4. Squall
5. Fujyuu Fujizai
6. Boku to Watashi to Jishin
7. Sora Kimi Umi ChiSession with Kaoru:
1. Kami to Hitsuji to Gasoline Stand
2. Rosario
3. Kumo wo Tsukamu You na Hanashi
4. PenthouseCIRCUIT9:
1. Usu Akari de Mitsume Ai
2. U Turn
3. Sanctuary
4. Ware ni Buki Ari
5. Go to the Emotion
6. miracleSession with IKUO & YUKI (Rayflower):
1. YYZ (Rush)
2. The Spirit of Radio (Rush)
3. Led Boots (Jeff Beck)
4. Scatterbrain (Jeff Beck)
5. Rosemary (original Yuki composition)
6. 21st Century Schizoid Man (King Crimson)Session with RYO&DEN (BY-SEX):
1. Phase Phase
2. breeze
3. Memai
4. Risoukyou
5. Need Your Love
6. Blackie Angel
7. No
8. Strawberry Shampoo
The Rayflower session was mostly comprised of covers of Western bands but as you can see, they also played an original composition by Yuki entitled “Rosemary“. I have the audio here that I managed to capture myself, missing just the brief piano intro.
Also, do watch their awesome cover of King Crimson‘s “21st Century Schizoid Man“, including a bit of on-stage rehearsal before actually kicking into the song. This was definitely the highlight of the whole show for me. I’m telling you, Yuki’s getting pretty damned good.
And speaking of buying stuff from Yahoo Auctions Japan, do take a look at what I won from there yesterday (or rather, begged my girlfriend to win for me. ゆみちゃんありがとーヽ(*＾ω＾*)ﾉ)
You’re looking at a clear file with hand-written Aucifer autographs (ie. not printed). The seller recalls these were done right after their debut for fans who purchased their CD, during their first tour. The best part? I snatched it for ￥500 (~US$6). Yes, there’s no typo there. Five hundred goddamned yen. That is less than what I spend on my weekly bottle of vodka.
Look out for my next post where I’ll announce the details of the upcoming Henkka’s Λucifer Autograph Guided Tour 2011 ～An Evening of LOVE&PAIN～. For fans of Aucifer, it’s an event not to be missed! For now, I can tell you that activities during this very special evening will include:
Here’s a fantastic, heartfelt report of Λucifer’s recent live at Bangkok, Thailand, contributed by reader HoTaRu. Thanks so much for doing it, miss! 🙂
I have been doing a little (well a lot) of reading lately on blogs, links and fan sites about /\ucifer and I was amazed at how their legacy lives on even after years have passed. New and younger generation have come to know and love them and their previous fans still adore them. For me, this is just one legendary band and I do hope they can create more music still. Almost everyone in their blogs, write-ups and fan sites are actually looking forward for new songs and new album from this group and every generation who comes to know them becomes hooked with them.
I for one have been hooked the moment I heard their music. I came to know of the band by the time they were already disbanded. I love manga and anime. One of my favorites is the manga by Mayu – Kaikan Phrase. The first song of the band that I heard was “TSUBASA” and I was really captivated by their melody and the vocalist’s voice…listening to the song altogether gave me a wonderful feeling, . The song also lead me to knowing that my favorite manga has an anime version and that a real band was formed based on this anime with members Santa, Towa, Atsuro and Yuki adopting the same name except for their vocalist Makoto. I dig the anime and the band that I really hoped I got to watch their live performances and was saddened at the thought that I got to know of them when they already disbanded… but hey, it did not change the fact that they are still are my all time favorite.
~ /\ucifer 10th anniversary celebration
When I heard that they will have a 10th anniversary reunion, I was so happy that I wished “if I would only be given an opportunity to watch them perform live, I would surely grab it without second thoughts” haha! (addicited?) I was so excited when their site opened but was a bit disappointed because their only performances were in Japan. I was still happy for their short comeback though. Few weeks later, they opened additional performance but still in Tokyo…phew…no chance still. Then came July…the day before my birthday, I opened their site and was shocked to see a press conference of /\ucifer LIVE IN THAILAND! *opportunity yay!* Came my birthday… it was my one special wish… “fly to Thailand to watch /\ucifer perform live”. LOL! I booked my concert tickets a week after the booking site opened. I booked them even before I booked my plane and hotel tickets! hahaha!
First time in a foreign country, first time seeing /\ucifer live and waiting for the day of the concert gave me anxious and excited feelings. Good thing, before I flew to Thailand, I get to meet an online friend who has greatly helped me get through almost every /\ucifer event but…. that would be another adventure to tell hahaha!!
rock on /\ucifer! \m/(>.<)\m/
It was already more than a month ago, September 25, 2010, one memorable day for me, the day of the concert. I never thought that the seats I got for me and my friend were really close to the center stage! о(ж＞▽＜)ｙ☆ ♫ Lucky! LOL! The crowd then in the stadium began to get thicker as the time to begin the concert proper is nearing. Cameras were not allowed, but you can see camera phones everywhere. Cute! I can really feel the excitement among the crowd.
~ this is how close we are to the stage haha!! didn’t expect it to be this close lol!
The lights went dim, the sound of LEGEND with the VTR flashback came up and you can hear the screams in the air. Then one by one the members entered the stage as their names flash on the big screens – SANTA, TOWA, ATSURO, YUKI AND MAKOTO – I was also shouting my lungs out because if I don’t, my heart might jump off my chest due to too much excitement. This has been my most awaited moment. A dream come true! Seeing them in front of me right now I don’t know if I should scream or I should cry… I choose to scream instead! LOL!
Then Makoto’s voice floated in the air, a bit modulated and round compared to his singing voice before, but still perfect to my ears.
The lights turned up at the stage – DATENSHI BLUE, the song that the band is most known for rang in the air. That melody and that voice I so admired so much which I only heard in videos and MP3 formats has now come to LIFE! “kyaaa!” Smooth voice… sweet melody… it was MY DREAM COMING TO LIFE RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME! OMG!! I think I’m gonna faint! LOL!! I know I was not the only one feeling this as I can hear the screams in the crowd, but my ears went deaf to that noise and focused on that wonderful melody which these 5 amazing guys is creating. Exhilirating and exciting!
Next up, CARNATION CRIME, then FURERU MAGMA where Makoto scoot down in front of the stage to greet the fans and did a little sensual dance which made the crowd shout even louder. In between songs, Makoto shouts in English “ARE YOU READY! which is totally cute (^^) Then everyone enthusiastically replied “yeah!!”
It was non-stop music and I can really feel the intensity in their songs. Then even louder screams from fan girls, well including me, can be heard in the stadium when Makoto pulled out a bouquet of red roses while singing DUMMY from the side of the stage and began throwing them to the waiting fan girls! Uwa~ *giggles* I was about to grab a rose that was about to fall into my hands when the girl beside me leaped in front of me, whoa (Oo)! Shock! She made me miss my chance T^T and I was totally disappointed. But then, I heard louder screams and when I looked up to see why…there was another bunch… waa!! But this time, I really didn’t hope I could still get one so I just enjoyed listening to the song when suddenly … he threw the whole bunch and a beautiful red rose fell right into my hand!! OMG! (ж＞▽＜)ｙ ☆ I’m the luckiest person alive now to be able to get a rose from my most adored vocalist uwa! What a treasure I could bring home! hahaha!! I LOVE YOU MAKOTO! (ж＞▽＜)ｙ ☆
~♥ my lucky rose! Arigatou! ☆-( ^-ﾟ)v ♥
Then after that, each of them gave their greetings. I can’t understand everything since it was spoken in Thai, but I can see from the fans’ reactions that they are enjoying each members introduction and greetings. First up was Towa, then Santa, then Yuki (which has the longest cheat cheats) haha! Makoto’s intro was short but still charming haha! Atsuro’s voice was quite hoarse though as he had been sick for quite sometime but still all good. I totally love all of them with their cute expressions while giving their best in greeting their fans in Thai.
One thing that is different in this performance though, you can see the guys enjoying and taking the time of their lives playing their songs. Yuki did a guitar solo which is totally totally AMAZING! Makoto singing eyes closed while lying down on the stage floor and focused by a camera and only seen on the wide screens made the crowd totally scream that I think my eardrums would break! lol!!!
Another one very memorable thing is seeing Makoto tease his band mates. He kissed Atsuro on the cheeks!! kyaaaaa (ж＞▽＜)ｙ ☆ then he kissed Yuki too! uwa~ so adorable! (me too! me too! hahaha!) ~(ж＞▽＜)ｙ ☆ It was to die for… those moments of seeing these guys fool around. hahaha! Ok…Makoto’s next target… TOWA…(LOL!) I can still picture vividly Towa’s face wincing while trying to avoid Makoto’s smooch! At one time Towa took the middle stage but was backing up while Makoto is trying to move towards him like telling him “don’t you dare Makoto” …hahahahahahhaha!!! Makoto is totally one of a kind! woooo!!!! LOL!
Okay for the songs, recalling them one by one, in between FURERU MAGMA and DUMMY in the first set, they had PLASMAGIC and JEALOUSY. After the greetings and introductions, they sang TSUBASA! Weeee! Well I totally screamed and sang with them because it is my all time favorite song, a very memorable song, a very special song haha! Then they sang TOKYO ILLUSION. And my heart melted when LOVE AND PAIN and SHOOTING STAR (another favorite) was played for a slower mood. Totally AWESOME! For a faster beat, ORANGE, JUNK CITY and C NO BINETSU. All the members are totally having fun! Yuki and Atsuro would go up front and so is TOWA and just jam. You see them dance along, and they are like partying along with their music. hahahaha! Also, as I can recall after C no Binetsu, Makoto was about to give his message for his Thai fans and while everyone was silent waiting for Makoto to speak, one of the guy audience called out “MAKOTO!!” and everyone burst into laughter as Makoto waved both his arms at the guy fan and everyone went screaming and laughing. LOL!! Ok, his message as I read (with translator tool haha!) from one of my source sites goes something like “I am delighted that the people did not forget /\ucifer (Ryushiferu). Thank you for the concert. I love you (phom rak khun)” hahahaha! I do hope it was the right message ‘coz I only understood the “phom ra khun” part. lol!!
Continuing with the songs, they had LUCY, EGOVISION and POKER FACE. For closing the first set, they had LABYRINTH and ended with the song MIDNIGHT CROW then they went backstage. A few seconds later, the crowd’s voice calling out for /\ucifer grew louder and louder and went into a total scream when the boys came out again for another set starting with the song REGRET then CASTAWAYS and another one of my most loved song SEE YOU, the song which totally made me cry the first time I heard it. *sniff* Seeing this song in YouTube, you can feel the sadness and longingness of this song. But there is this different feeling when Makoto sang this song during the concert. It was not sadness that you can feel in his voice.
See You "la la la la" (^^)
There was a hint of happiness, of gladness and you can see that smile in his face. The audience were also singing this song and there is gladness in seeing /\ucifer back on stage live. It gave me goosebumps… It made me feel warm inside… feeling that this band is still loved by everyone despite the times that had passed. So beautiful. The atmosphere inside the stadium is full of love for /\ucifer and so are the members to their fans. *gets teary eyed again* haha!
Makoto’s voice never faded, the sound of that voice after how many songs is still powerful, it’s still soothing. And the melody, all the others played is so alive and upbeat. It’s like you can hear their heartbeat with every music they create. Be it slow or fast tempo, this band is taking you to a different level of excitement song after song.
For the last encore, they sang DATENSHI BLUE. To everyone’s surprise, MAKOTO finally got to kiss the unknowing TOWA. hahahahahahha!! ICHIBAN!! LOL!
Before they totally leave the stage. Each of the members congratulated and hugged each other and you can see happiness in their faces, trying to hold back the emotions that’s overtaking them with the end of the tour. Makoto called the staff that contributed to the success of the tour. Then he suggested a photo-up with the audience. The instructions are in Thai but I believe what Makoto wanted the audience to do was when he shouts “DATENSHI” everyone should shout “BLUE” hahahaha! It was one of the happiest part of the concert. Everyone scrammed to get in the middle to be able to take part in the picture taking. They took three shots with everyone shouting “DATENSHI BLUE!”. In the last shot, Makoto said “chotto” and faced the audience with a smile and said “SMILE?” then everyone burst into laughter. Everyone cheered and the final shot was taken. The Makoto again instructed for everyone to hold hands and at the count of three… everyone jumped their highest JUMP! LOL!! After that everyone waved goodbye.
~ the final JUMP to commemorate the end of the concert together with the fans…yay!! Tanoshii desu! ≧(´▽｀)≦ ~ ♥☆ minna OMEDETOU GOZAIMASU! ♥♥ I WILL TOTALLY MISS THIS BAND ~♥♥
YUKI took off his shirt and threw it to the crowd.. kyaaa!!! Atsuro and Towa threw their remaining picks and Santa threw his drumsticks at the crowd and Makoto threw some of the water bottles (What the! hahahahaha!!) well I think everyone was expecting him to throw his shirt too but sadly… he did not. LOL!!!
Everyone cheered and shouted “RYUSHIFERU” and I can feel everyones heart even mine beating so loudly, never ever wanting the performance to end…. never wanting Ryushiferu’s performance to end. I want to cry but was holding back my tears. The reason was because I was so so so happy and blessed that I get to see my favorite band perform live for the first time and because I never wanted this band to depart, never wanting them to stop creating such wonderful music. Everyone is still hoping they make a comeback, make a new album, create new wonderful songs. It’s really amazing to see… but still…. it has to END. My heart hurts but my heart goes to all of them… each of them will be back to their own world, their own performances… and all we can do is support them individually…. but their songs and the name /\ucifer (Ryushiferu) will live on… in the minds and hearts of their fans… and the generations to come.
And for me…. UNFORGETTABLE… FOREVER…
I LOVE YOU /\UCIFER! You will always be my NO. 1. Zutto… zutto… \m/(>.<)\m/
♥ memorabilia of my adventure ♥
after-concert photo with the adorable /\ucifer vocalist Makoto *lucky*
Thanks again to HoTaRu! Finally, check out this awesome video of See You from the show.
