Es VOL.28／29 第 28 回 Hirohito Furui／第 29 回 Hitoshi Okamoto

●○◦ From music freak Es Vol.28 & Vol.29

GARNET CROW (vol.28)
word scope in m.f.Es

It has been a few months since I last wrote. How have you all been?
This is Furui from GARNET CROW.
I keep thinking it will start getting warmer soon, but the wind is still cold...
Please take good care not to get sick. (Written at the end of March.)

I was wondering what to write about this time, but our live show has just ended,
so I thought I would tell you a little about it.
It is a shame that I could not introduce it before the show,
but I am truly grateful that so many of you came to each venue this time as well.
We held a countdown live at the end of the year, then had a few months' break before this show.
Since the countdown had been in Osaka, we kept the best parts of that set list
while also including songs from last year's album *Memories*
and *GOODBYE LONELY ～Bside collection～*, released on February 29.

This time, in addition to our regular drummer Kaichi Kurose
and bassist Masato Ohashi, who is celebrating his tenth year supporting GARNET CROW,
we were joined by the string players led by Daisuke Ikeda.
There was a section where we performed original versions centered on strings,
as well as the now-customary Hitoshi Okamoto corner,
so the overall show was relatively varied.
Along with Ikeda-san's amusing talk and Ohashi-san's light-footed steps,
there were also our unscripted GARNET CROW MC battles... (^^;
We were happy to spend a warm, at-home-feeling time with everyone, filled with plenty of □.

This is what a GARNET CROW stage is like,
but if there is anyone who has never seen us before,
I hope you will experience our stage, with its laughter and its moving moments, at least once.
Thank you for reading all the way to the end this time too!!

■Coupling Best
*GOODBYE LONELY ～Bside collection～* NOW ON SALE

Selected from all the coupling songs released between the debut single “Mysterious Eyes” and the latest single “Misty Mystery,” based on fan requests.

【First Press Limited Edition: 2 CDs + DVD】
GZCA-5244–45　¥3,990 (tax included)

【Regular Edition: 2 CDs】
GZCA-5246–47　¥3,200 (tax included)

Latest information →→→ www.garnetcrow.com

GARNET CROW (vol.29)
word scope in m.f.Es

The season has come when fresh green leaves are out and even the breeze feels pleasant. How have you all been?
This is Hitoshi Okamoto from GARNET CROW.

Apparently my constitution changed somewhere along the way from being young to becoming an old man,
and my hay fever disappeared at some point.
For one □ day, I did have a day when I felt itchy and thought, “Is hay fever making a comeback!?”
but nothing came of it afterward, so I have been enjoying peaceful days.
So these days I want to keep aging naturally, without resisting □,
while keeping a youthful spirit.

Recently, I took part in the music event [OTODAMA OTODAMA SNOW STUDIO 2011-2012 “The First Sign of Spring from the Snowy Mountains”] in Niigata.
It was the winter version of last year's [OTODAMA OTODAMA SEA STUDIO 2011 “Let the Song Ride the Sea Breeze”] at Zushi Beach.
As you would expect from a live house at a ski resort, it was a landscape of pure snow.
I could see the snow falling outside through the live house window,
and the view of it from there made a strong impression on me.
I think I finally understood what it means for snow to fall “softly and steadily.”
What a wonderful expression in Japanese.
Snow falls softly and steadily, softly and steadily...

Sorry for saying something so self-indulgent without knowing the hardships of snow country.
But it really is something I could never see in the area where I usually live...

The live show itself was fun to perform in a warm, intimate atmosphere.
And on the same day, among the other performers was Sunplaza Nakano-kun!
That was one page of my youth—no, actually, it goes back even further. After puberty.
Of course, I got to hear some of his famous songs from the Bakufu Slump era. I was so moved.
It really drove home to me once again that hit songs become hits for a reason.

Since it was also my first time in Niigata, it was a very fulfilling trip for me personally.
The local specialty tare katsudon we were served backstage was GOOD.
For someone from Kansai, the soy-based sauce may taste a little strong,
but it lets you experience the local flavor.

However, I missed out on eating soba this time.
Even at the station there, I could smell the broth wafting around.
It was irresistible... I can remember it all over again...
What a shame. If I get another chance, I definitely will!

■Coupling Best
*GOODBYE LONELY ～Bside collection～* NOW ON SALE

Selected from all the coupling songs released between the debut single “Mysterious Eyes” and the latest single “Misty Mystery,” based on fan requests.

【First Press Limited Edition: 2 CDs + DVD】
GZCA-5244–45　¥3,990 (tax included)

【Regular Edition: 2 CDs】
GZCA-5246–47　¥3,200 (tax included)

Latest information →→→ www.garnetcrow.com