You know sometimes you’re at a really great Taiko concert and it’s really quiet…say during a sweet, melodic fue piece, and someone backstage does the unthinkable and drops a pair of bachi during the set change…
So I was setting my bachi down on a padded chair during a hurried set change. I go to move drums (incorrectly, I might add) and then *ka-klunk-klunk-kaklunk* (wincing hard at this point) as they roll off the chair (or get knocked off. that would be a small saving grace).
But then it doesn’t stop there. Oh no.Â
*kaklunk-klunk*-*ka-klunk*-*ka-klunk-a klunk*-*klunk-kon-kon-korororo*
…right down the stairs. A *just shoot me now* moment right before I miss the setting on the second drum.
I did almost nail *daiichi*…and the Odaiko solo I did was decent…and then when we went out into the lobby, one of the audience members walked up and tucked the stray t-shirt tag (that was sticking out thorugh the whole show) back under my collar.
Joy of joys.Â
Normally I cut them out, but the 2 sleeveless red tees I had with me on the Shidara tour hadn’t been laundered yet, so I grabbed a spare out of the costume box.
oops.
3 school shows yesterday and a 2-hour concert. 3 school shows today and a show at an extended care facility (which was rescheduled from Monday). 3 tomorrow and a Jazz ensemble collaboration and workshop the day after.
hoowhee…it’s a killer schedule.
Since I have a minute I can also throw in the fact that I left Taiko Camp in great spirits,  (was a GREAT CAMP this year – Thanks to all the GVT folks, SFTD folks, Kim Teramoto & Greg Clark). Met up with Earle Fox back in Sac and got a late start (some time around midnight) northward. We hit Portland at 9:30am, had enough time to grab Kristy and get breakfast AND take a nap in the park next to the theatre before catching part of PT’s fall concert before we dashed off to get Earle to his plane.
Meanwhile some time around 2:00pm, the USDHS/Immigration & Customs folks are telling the Canadian border guards that there is an armed and dangerous killer from California heading toward the border, at which point many of those border guards leave their posts, citing the right to refuse hazardous duty…completely shutting the border down. I get there on schedule but then get stuck for about 3 hours before even getting up to the crossing, where I am pointed over to the *hut on the left* where I wait about another hour while they issue me a temoporary work visa, even though I don’t need one.
“You don’t need one, but I’ve issued you one anyway just in case.” Sez the Immigration Officer. I am left to wonder if it was because I had California plates (thanks, Mr. armed and dangerous fugitive guy!) or if I am on some sort of list now because this is the second time I am crossing with a vanload of drums, even though artists crossing the border don’t need visas to perform so long as we’re not doing anything in a restaurant or bar.
Oh…and I didn’t get the standard 6-month entry, either. I have to leave by the 13th of October (although that was the day I am planning to leave, it’s still a bummer to me).
All that misadventure aside, I am having a lovely time on Vancouver Island, and being on tour with Imafuku-san and Saihou Kotengu is a lot of fun.
I’ve got a wonderful homestay in a converted horse barn cottage, and my hosts are warmhearted and kind. I was a bit wary of the outdoor shower at first, but after the first *plunge* I am enjoying it a lot! Call me *cougar-bait* (more like mosquito-bait)…showering (in an open-air, well-plumbed shower with plenty of hot water) out in the woods is a glorious thing.
The view is spectacular. I’m right on the water. The main house has a lot of glass and a huge fireplace. The grounds (all 10 acres) are a mix of natural and wild and incredibly well-kept parts. I’ve seen bunnies, deer, geese, a heron and all kinds of birds. This morning I spotted some cool mushrooms in the center of the long gravel road that takes me up to the highway and stopped to get a closer look…wanna be mycologist that I am.
I keep expecting Tom Bombadil to walk out of the forest.
Ahh well.
There was a bit more *taikobaka-reliving-of-tour-craziness* as Eileen Kage ferried over from Vancouver yesterday, got to the theatre about 30 minutes before the house opened at which point she started helping with the lights.
One of the greatest blessings was heading back home to the cottage last night and Eileen and I getting back to the cottage and then being invited to share dinner with my hosts and their other guests (who had all seen the show and enjoyed it — always a good thing).
All in all, it’s a wonderful tour.