Playing GREEN GROWN MARCHE! 2023
Forgive me for once again adopting the novel approach of writing about something that happened years ago as though it were yesterday…
This time it’s an event I played two years ago.
Finally, I met SHUGO TOKUMARU in real life.
He told me on stage, “I’ve been your fan.”
I was so moved to hear that. Thank you!
In November 2023, I played the GREEN GROWN MARCHE! Autumn Harvest Festival as Yugo Morikawa (POLYGON HEAD). (It was a solo set, without the band.)
It was an outdoor event at GREEN SPRINGS in Tachikawa, with a wide-open sky above us. Kids were running around and a lovely breeze was blowing through. It was a wonderfully relaxed setting to play in.
A few things happened that day that I’ll never forget.
■ Sharing the Bill with Shugo Tokumaru
The highlight of the day? Finally meeting Shugo Tokumaru in person, of course! And then, during his closing set, he said something from the stage that I never saw coming…
“I’ve been a fan of yours for a long time.”
I was honestly thrilled. I’d been a fan of his music for ages, of course. I’d heard through a more established musician that he knew about my band, but that was a long time ago.
I hadn’t put out much of note since then, so I had no idea whether he still remembered me. That’s why those few words meant so much.
It felt as if all the years I’d put into making music had finally reached someone.
See the original post below ↓
■ An Unexpected Reunion
Something else funny happened that day. Since it was outdoors, there were already people around during rehearsal, and curious little kids kept wandering over. Then, right in the middle of soundcheck, my phone rang. It was Taro Honma, an old bandmate I’d long since lost touch with.
“I can hear a tune I recognize. Are you in Tachikawa right now?”
Apparently he’d been passing nearby and heard the rehearsal. He came straight over, and we had an unexpected reunion. Maybe he’d actually come to see me and was just playing it off as a coincidence. Either way, it was such a Taro entrance that it made me laugh.
A few other familiar faces came out to see me, too, which made me very happy.
■ An Unseasonably Warm Day
It was already autumn. COINN, who shared the bill, had even prepared “Kantarō, the Little North Wind,” a song from their family-friendly repertoire. That’s how chilly it was supposed to be.
But that day felt like early summer, perhaps thanks to the strange weather we’ve been having lately. I dug out the shorts I’d put away at the end of summer and wore them onstage.
In that improbably warm weather, with the trees dressed for autumn, I ran into an old bandmate, heard Shugo Tokumaru say he was a fan, got lovely feedback from people seeing me for the first time, and played the set just the way I’d hoped.
So many things had gone my way that I briefly wondered, “What if I’m imagining all of this and I’m actually still sitting alone in a dim room playing guitar?”
■ About the Festival
GREEN GROWN MARCHE! was a relaxed affair, with the scent of fresh produce and coffee drifting through between sets. COINN were wonderful, and the sight of children dancing on the lawn has stayed with me.
As it happens, I’d rehearsed with Nomura, one of the organizers, in a band years ago. We hadn’t shared a bill since, so I was delighted that our paths crossed again now that he was putting on events and had invited me to play.
(The organizers asked me to record this video to promote the event. ↓)
After my set, I sat down with Naomi Araki and Masaki Ichimura, who had come to the show, and we talked about all sorts of things over boxed lunches.
At the time I was just enjoying myself. Looking back, I realize what a luxury it was to have that time together.
(An album I used to play endlessly: Naomi Araki’s Tokyo Trad. ↓)
Writing it all down like this, I realize just how many good things came together that day. People crossed paths, music brought us together, and the dots joined up. Thanks again to everyone who was part of it!
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