Pipi and Kahoru's Drum Concert

Peipei and Kahoru are sisters that really like to work the system here at CCSI; they come just for the PE and then they leave.

So one day they had to leave early and I asked Kahoru why. "I have drum practice", she said. 

"Ah, are you in a rock band?"

"No, I play the big, traditional Japanese drum."

"That's very interesting."
"We're gonna have a concert this Sunday, wanna come?"

"Sure."

So she emailed me the information, and that Sunday after church I began to plot out my course from Kamatori  Eki (station) to Kashiwa Eki, a place I had never been before. After dealing with the trains for two hours and asking several patient Japanese people in broken Japanese how in the heck to get to Kashiwa, I finally arrived at the Kashiwa Cultural Center at 18:05, an hour behind schedule and five minutes into the concert. I went in through a side door and eventually found my way to the top balcony as the drum group finished it's first piece.

Very loud. I could hear the rumble of these drums even as I came up the steps outside of the building. But after this piece, I knew I was in for a show. The drumming was very synchronized and shook the room all the way to my loft in the far back of the room. I didn't realize it at this point, but I had actually photographed Kahoru, Peipei, and two of their brothers all in this one shot. The song built to a climax and faded out, but then...

...this guy. Apparently both the MC and leader of the drum squad, this guy kept me entertained even though I couldn't understand a word he said. I spoke with him briefly after the show and he proved to be a high-energy, decent guy. After speaking for a minute or two on stage...

...he joined some of his squad members, and rocked out on these drums for a while. Very loud song, a lot like the first. At some point during this song, I casually glance towards the corner of the stage, and then...

...yo, when did this get there? This great bass drum that I have only before seen in my dreams, how did it appear so vividly in front of me? Surely I must be dreaming, must've fallen asleep to the soothing sound of the Japanese drums which shook the whole room. I pinch myself. Nope, still awake. I try to resist the urge to run up to the stage and start banging on this beautiful thing, and shake the world with a huge bass sound. I was about to lose my inhibitions and rush the stage when suddenly...

...this lady, dressed like some sort of Japanese princess. She tells a couple jokes which I pretend to understand, and begins to play her instrument, which turned out to be...

...some sort of banjo-thing. It only has three strings, which are tuned by those large white mechanisms on the top. After a couple seconds of watching her play, I decide that this thing does function much like an American banjo. As for the lady, at first I thought that she was good, but after a minute or two, I realize that she is incredible. I neglected to get some sort of audio sample of her playing, but just look at her. Note the focus on the face of this virtuoso, this goddess of the banjo-thing. Not something you come by every day. She begins to play faster with more slaps and a crazier rhythm until it almost starts to sound like American bluegrass. I swear she's going to break all three of her strings clean off, but then...

...this guy joins her on the drums, and you can bet he's ready to rock. They build up to a hardcore rage, traditional Japanese style, and just when I thought it couldn't get any better...

...dancers. You can tell that these girls are really into the music, and that the background lighting has been carefully planned to match their outfits. After going on for a while, the song dies out, and then...

...those poor drums. Not only do they have two drummers apiece, but look at all the windup those guys are getting. I didn't give the drums very much chance of lasting through the rage portion of this song, but they did, miraculously, survive to the end of the thing. The lights go dark, and I can faintly make out some serious drum reorganizing on the stage. What on earth could be going on here?...

...more hardcore traditional Japanese drumming. Who would have guessed? Anyhow, look at the mad focus Kahoru has, even as she beats the daylight out of her large black drum. I'm starting to get the feel for Japanese rhythms and whatnot, but then...

...6 o'clock intermission. I polish my camera lenses, and wait around for about ten minutes. When the curtains rise again, I could hardly believe what was happening...

...this guy, playing the big drum. To be honest, the sound was a bit of a letdown, sounding more tommish than kick drummish. If I owned this thing, I would probably play it with a bass drum pedal, sample it, and rap over it, but apparently the Japanese have different ideas about music. Regardless of the disappointing sound of the thing, this guy lays down a pretty decent rhythm, and coming from backstage to join him...

...the goddess of the banjo-thing returns, wearing a different dress. The two of them, whom I've been told are married, jam for a solid ten minutes, and then...

...some impassioned speaking which I can't fully comprehend. After asking for some audience participation in the form of "when I say this, you say that", she began to sing a bluesy tune over a karaoke track. Yipes. After listening to so much truly live music the karaoke track, even though fully orchestrated, sounds so out of place that it might as well be a MIDI. The nuances that distinguish live music have been removed by the producer of the track, and I hear some violin track which has been just a tad over-compressed soft peak through the PA system. I've been told that they used to have people who played the actual instruments they needed, but those particular musicians were no longer a part of the squad. Even so, I'm a bit disappointed by this section of the show, but then...

 

...more dancers. Props to the drummer here. As a drummer, it is very difficult to follow a beat rather than to set it. But this guy pulled it off very well. This song had a pretty legit buildup, to the point where I almost forgot it was a karaoke track. After a satisfying climax, banjo-thing goddess said some more words that were lost on me, but then...

...wow, these guys are really going at it. Wait a sec, is that Kahoru in the middle? I guess it is. She's playing two drums at one time, the one on the left and the one on the right. Must be tiring, ne? By this point I was sure these drums were going to fall apart from being beat so frequently, but then...










...more drum abuse. The drum squad lays down a solid beat for a good ten minutes or so, and then...




















...more impassioned speaking. I still can't understand a word of it, but from the inflection of her speech and her enthusiastic demeanor I can tell something big is about to happen. She begins to play, then...



































...dancers that come into the seating area and rock out with the audience. Then I look to the stage where something big is happening...

...okay, it's still no kick-drum on steroids, but these long stick mallets sound much better than the short ones this guy used earlier. Also, Kahoru and her crew play some kind of bamboo fife. Pretty legit sounding instrument, but unfortunately with the the setup here, whoever was working sound probably couldn't boost the fifes loud enough without getting mad feedback from the bass drum. If I were in charge here, I would put the fifists on the opposite side of the stage, and ask them to stand closer to the mics. However, the sound guy did well with what he had. This song settled into a steady jam, and then...

...the dancers joined the rest of the drum squad on stage. Ayyy! The song built to a climax and died out, and the whole crew bowed, and then disappeared back stage. When the came back around to the front...
























...I took a group photo...

...and another one, and then...

...an up-close photo of the banjo thing goddess, and then...





























...I met Kahoru and Pipi's sister, Satori...



































...her friend, Mai...
























...and their brother, Riku...

























...and that was it. I helped out with putting the drums away backstage, and talked with some of the squad. Very talented people, and also very friendly. Props to Kahoru for being exceptionally helpful in getting me a bento and a ride back to Honda station. All in all, this particular concert was an enjoyable experience.