海を渡る者~ 生きゆく街に海を見る DVD Release~ Special Acoustic Live Report

All I could think about before coming to Japan this time were finding a place to live, yesterday acoustic live and Umi wo Miru DVD. I didn't worry about any annoying thing such as openning a bank account or registering for a mobile plan here ( I really miss the quick and super easy services at home). But, it's not something that can suddenly change in the near future. Oh well, I had such a good time at the live so all good!

海を渡る者~ Acoustic Live~

Ken-chan said, as well as the title suggested, 海を渡る者 (Those crossing the sea), is a continuation of 生きゆく街に海を見る (Looking at the sea from where you live). I'm pretty sure my interpretation of the concept is correct but I guess it'll be clearer when I have time to translate the concept story.  The live took place at a small bar with live music performance in Shimokitazawa. Thanks to Google maps I got to the live house where Hitosukui live took place. I went in, gave the ticket, bought my drink ticket, then to the stage where many people were smoking and drinking. Lucky I realized it was a different venue and took another 10 minutes to find the correct bar. Why does Shimokitazawa need to have that many concert venues? I missed only Umi wo Wataru so yay to me who was spinning around holding my phone while trying to figure out the direction (^^;). 

This was my first time to an acoustic live so I was a little surprised at how simple the setting was. Ken-chan with his guitar and mic, Kaoru-kun with two pianos, and Koji-san with his cello-ish bass plus a mic. But the sound turned out to be extremely good. In the past 1.5 years listening to Ken-chan's acoustic version on Niconico and Fresh, I have only ONE problem, the poor sound quality. Leaving that aside, Ken-chan's voice was powerful as always. Most songs were arranged and gave a different feeling. I love アイニイキル (Ai ni Ikiru) and 上昇 (Joushou) soooooooo much. The moment 上昇 was played, I went completely numb. Everything else was blocked except for 上昇. That's how much I love yesterday version of this song. As usual, Ken-chan missed some lyrics of a few song. And, his awkward pose, gesture and hand position when singing without his guitar. I personally thought all those were really cute. I could feel that he was very excited (and perhaps, nervous) so that is why he made more mistakes than other times. He smiled a lot more, he told the story behindメグレ MV making, he joked around with Koji-san and Kaoru-kun. When he came back for the encore and we stopped the chant, he was like "Is that all???" I've never seen him this normal and relax before! The live ended with Diary. For a moment I wondered why he didn't sing 心根・心音 but the reason is that it wasn't a 僕と君が、前を向くための歌 live~ 

After the performance was a quick autograph session. I reserved my copy online to get Umi wo Wataru, so I didn't line up. But instead, I was standing less than 10 steps away from him and was able to watch Ken-chan while waiting for my fellow Ken-chan's fan. 

I was really really really happy, that's all I can say whenever coming back from Ken-chan's live. 

For 90 minutes, I was able to forget all my worries, though my back was killing me from a long day at work orzzz. 

There will be a collaboration live between Ken-chan and Shindou Takatoshi (pianist) in November, but it's all the way in Nagoya so I'm not sure if I can go or not *cry*.

P/s: I'll definitely remember 404 Venue 

As always, please support the artist by purchasing original copy on KK's official Shop, CdJapan, AmazonJapan, or Itunes.

Visit KK's official site and Youtube channel for more information.

上昇 by Kamikita Ken~ Translation

Have been in love with this song since I first heard it from his live in April. Listening to it for the first time, I couldn't quite get the lyrics but I was drawn to these two lines
"Please never let your heart grows cold 
Even a fallen flower has a soul"

And once I understood the lyrics (according to my own interpretation), I cried.
I guess I shouldn't be saying all these songs describe my life, but if you are going through many things in life, I hope this song could be somewhat of a light, brightening even just a tiny little bit of your day like how it is to me

Joushou

Written and composed by Kamikita Ken (KK)

English translation by Makoto 

Just now, a dream had come to the end, scattering on the ground.
It was such a charming ending.
When this rain stops,
Will it make a rainbow crossing across the sky?

Please keep moving forward.
Even if you get lost and end up directionless,
Accept the challenge in front of you and take a step forward.
Fighting against (the challenges one faces in life) is an opportunity to grow up.
Until the day we could meet the not-yet-to-be-known tomorrow.
Fly high. Fly high. Fly high.
What you'll be able to find
Under layers of your memory
Is the stair, which will lead to your future.

The ones who wish for a peaceful tomorrow
The ones who continue to live on while being chased by something.
Please never let your heart grows cold
Even a fallen flower has a soul

On the pitch black east side of the sky
A sixth magnitude star, trying its best to shine
Although it can only emit a pale light.
Just like how that pale light is still visible
There must be someone who will find you and your light.
And someday, even this place will definitely turn into a beautiful memory.

Please keep moving forward.
Even if you get lost and end up directionless,
Accept the challenge in front of you and take a step forward.
Fighting against (the challenges one faces in life) is an opportunity to grow up.
Until the day we could meet the not-yet-to-be-known tomorrow.
Fly high. Fly high. Fly high.
The memories within your heart
Will show you a way to your future.

4th song from KK's mini album, TIDE
Cross-fade: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yleMFsZ_eeo
Please support the artist by purchasing original copy on Amazon Japan or CdJapan
Visit KK's official site and Youtube channel for more information

Kamikita Ken's 1st Mini-Album TIDE!!!!

OMG Yessssssss, finally YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.

I have been waiting for the info on his upcoming album since April! It totally worth the wait!
I was going to do a live report for the April live but well, things happened and I got so tired with assignments and final exams so yea....
Anw, except for his beautiful and powerful voice, and all the meaningful songs from Scoop, there were 3 important news in the live.

1. Three new songs were performed
上昇 (Joushou)
ブルータウン (Blue town)
フラワーパズル (Flower puzzle)

Personally I love the first two new songs so much. As usual, the songs Ken-chan wrote are full of messages. Listening to his music isn't just about listening to a song, as once you understand the lyrics, all of them will turn into a somewhat painful memory, or a story about one's life. And like I said before with Sekaowa's music, anyone who can't seem to understand Ken-chan and Sekaowa's music should be happy. There is no need to be ashamed, because your life is much brighter than ppl who get the messages behind those words. Although these 3 songs have a much happier vibe compared to the previous one.

2. Release tour in summer (in Japan, ofc ToT)
I hope he will broadcast it on nico nico again, because I'm pretty sure he already knew that there is a number of overseas fans. The Korean fan base seems to be quite strong~

3. 1st mini-album release!!!!!!
He told us the date, time and venues for live tour but nothing about the album back in April. But finally this morning, it has been announced that the album, called TIDE, will be released on 3rd August 2016 *clap clap clap*

The moment I saw his twitter, I rushed to cdjapan to order mine (although there is no reason for that lol).
The album consists of 7 tracks, which you can find more information on (and perhaps get your copies because I'm sure you'd fall in love with his music) cdjapan, amazon japan or Ken-chan's official site.
For now, you can listen to Blue town on youtube or nico nico
Can't wait for full lyrics of these songs to be published.

Oh btw, Ken-chan created a facebook account at last! I think Japanese netizens are slowly adapting to facebook. So many good news today!

Please support the artist by purchasing original copy on Amazon Japan or CdJapan
Visit KK's official site and Youtube channel for more information