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Published: September 4th 2006
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G Spot
Noriko, Akiko, Aki & Ange waiting in the Long Term 'G' carpark at Tullarmarine Ohayou
What a fantastic trip! Preparing for this trip has been an adventure in itself, not the least of which involved me getting over the fact that I had been invited! I felt like the gawky kid in Grade 6 that had been invited to play with the Year 12 students - a big deal for me! Not only did I get to stretch my drumming wings, but I also managed to learn about 3 new Japanese words - a bit pathetic on my behalf considering I spent 5 days with predominately Japanese speaking people.
We departed Melbourne on a lovely crisp sunny day - everyone excited about our adventure into warmer climes. We were a bit of a novelty at the airport check-in with trolleys full of big drums & stands and just a small amount of hand luggage. A long day of travelling via Perth saw us in Broome at 8pm (10pm Melbourne time) it was warm and surprisingly humid.
Our first morning beamed bright and hot (it was really hot dry heat during the day - then it got warm and humid at night - a little weird). A quick stroll just above the mangroves
Koetsu
Toshi & Junko's son, entertaining himself at the airport while we take over the check in lounge had me enjoying the sand between my toes and enjoying the beautiful turquoise waters. A rehearsal in the civic centre that day really challenged the ears. It was really really loud - almost unbearable! & that's saying something for someone who loves belting away on these things.
Two Taiko Gigs: We were invited to perform at two events at the Shinju Matsuri Pearl Festival - an annual event. The first a VIP gig where punters shelled out $150 to be seated in the outdoor cinema & feast on seafood. It was warm & humid, with condensation building on the drums and on the stage floor - making conditions a little challenging. We performed a 4 piece set at which by the end of it we were soaked in sweat. I felt like Jennifer Beals out of
Flashdance with sweat flinging from me at every stroke - OK I wasn't wearing a leotard & leggins & wasn't looking as particularly svelte as her in my taiko performance pants, tabi(white Japanese split socks) hachimaki(white headband) & carpenters apron - & I wasn't prancing around the stage pretending to audition for the lead role in some Broadway musical! But I did manage
to do my flying bachi (drum stick) trick - you know the one where the girl lets go of her bachi mid performance and it acrobatically flies across the stage - equally as spectacular as Jennifer's prancing I'm sure!
The second performance was the Shinju Matsuri Music Festival. We were part of a collective group of musicians. It became fairly obvious at the 'soundo checku' (Japanese for 'sound check') that afternoon who the professionals were & who went to practice for one hour each week. I was beginning to think that I should really have been volunteering to be the other acts "roadie" rather than a legitimate part of the billing!
But as my dad says 'we made a clean sweep in Broome' (my dad is renoun for his atrocious puns). We were the last act to perform & the crowd literally went wild. We'd finished our 3rd & final piece. We were all dripping with sweat (again) & heaving from the exertion - the crowd begged for more, so Toshi got us up for another piece - again more eruptions from the punters, but we had nothing left in the tank. It was a real buzz.
Broome (Bloom) at last
Toshi, Akiko, Aki, Koetsu, Alex, Ange, Noriko & Junko Wearily we made our (slow) way back to Melbourne. 8pm flight to Perth & then the Red-Eye back to Melbourne. Can't say I'd recommend that particular itinerary to anyone & especially not with Virgin! Not a pillow or blanket in sight - the flight was particularly uncomfortable.
Now that I've made friends with the big kids in Year 12 & we've established our own 'in' jokes I'm sure the next big gig won't be so daunting for me. If anyone is interested in catching one of our gigs, let me know & I'll alert you to any upcoming events.
Hasta luego amigos
Sayonara
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Sharon Quick
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Congratulations!
Can't tell you how much I enjoy reading about your exploits! Trust no damage was done with the flying bachi!