My first Japanese "Game Day"
So yesterday was my first Japanese show! It was actually an exhibition and the band’s second performance of the season. American drum corps do four to six shows a week, while Japanese drum and brass bands do shows roughly once a month…a grand total of four or five a season. The reason for this is that the people in these bands are students or have jobs. Nights and weekends are the only opportunities to rehearse, so if you have to do 30 shows a season…you’re going to lose lots of practice time.
Saturday morning (show day) rehearsal began at 9:30 AM, so I was up at 8:15 to get some breakfast and do some last minute uniform fitting. Here's a candid shot of Palm (from Thailand) and myself talking about something funny while we have some final adjustments made to the uniforms.
During this morning rehearsal we hit a bunch of big chunks of the show and then did a run through. After the run through, the entire band cleans the gym, loads the trucks, eats, and then goes to a little good luck prayer service in the gym (I’ve recently learned that Tendi is not a religion but, rather, a way of life…many of the Tendi people are Buddhist, Christian, and (in parts of the world that aren’t Japan) Jewish. I’ll explain Tendi in more detail at some other time…I’m still kind of figuring it out.
Anyways…as we were preparing to depart, Suey asked me to ride in a car with Hiro, Bahn, Ose, Mitsiyoshi, and himself over to Rainbow Hall (laugh it up) in Nagoya (the complex is pretty huge). I was kind of excited because it gave me the opportunity to bond with some of these guys outside of rehearsal. Here's a picture of Suey, Hiro, and myself. Suey marched 2006 Cavaliers and said he wouldn't take the picture unless I wore his "Gears" around my neck. :)
You might be wondering how I bonded with them when I don’t even speak their language. Well…we did what any multilingual group of trombone players might do…we taught each other every dirty word in our respective languages that we could come up with! I learned essential Japanese phrases such as “pubic hair,” “penis,” and “boobs.” I’m ashamed to say I’ve forgotten them already, but I’m sure they’ll remind me on Tuesday at rehearsal when it’s clear I’ve forgotten. On my end, I gave them a ten minute lecture on the differences between the words “bitch,” “slut,” and “whore.”
So once we got to Rainbow Hall the brass line went to the competition area to do a rehearsal of the encore material with the other groups. Let me tell you…the Japanese really know how to cheese it up. This performance was part of the Nagoya festival and consisted of marching bands AND many baton groups as well. For the encore, they started with two vocalists singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” as a duet…then a rock band (synthesized) and a HUGE Japanese gospel-type choir joined them for the chorus (with every other group, including Aimachi, clapping and dancing like excited fools behind them). Next, all of the bands played “Over the Rainbow” and ended the piece with each of us throwing out our right hand (in jazz-hand type fashion) and waving to the audience for the next three to four minutes.
After the encore rehearsal, we ate lunch and chilled out in stands in the practice gym. The practice gym is lined exactly like the main floor and each group comes in for ten minutes, does a run through, and maybe hits a spot or two. We were on last, so we got to see almost every group do their run.
I was BLOWN AWAY! As we walked in from the encore rehearsal, the first group we saw was an elementary school marching band. First of all…we don’t even have elementary school marching bands in the United States. Second of all…they had straight legs, kept straight lines and played REALLY LOUDLY!! Without exaggeration, they were better than half the high school marching bands in the U.S. And they aren’t even half way done with their season yet!!!
And the baton stuff…don’t even get me started! It’s really a beautiful art form; I wish there were more groups like this in America. Maybe I’ll start a baton class when I have my nonprofit arts organization. The festival featured groups ranging anywhere form five years old to the Japanese national champion.
Then…MY FAVORITE…the Nagoya ALL GIRLS High School Drum and Brass Corps. OH MY GOD!!! They were the most bad ass thing I’ve ever seen in my life. When there snare line came forward for their feature I almost ran away…these girls’ faces had “I’ll kill you with my bare hands” written all over them. Not only were they intimidating, but they had incredibly straight legs, and could stagger breathe like mofos. They played loud for long periods of time with NO holes in the sound…and their hornline wasn’t even that big! I think I’m going to by the video just so I can show people this group!
We got suited up into uniform and it was time for our run. Here's Takeshi and I in uniform.
We did the each piece one at a time and then we were ready for the real thing. Aimachi has kind of a cool vibe. We were all just chilling in the hallway two groups before we were going on. Chatting about whatever. Palm and Mate were teaching me how to say “Good luck” in Thai…”Cho deeeee na!” and I was trying to get the mellophone section to pronounce “McDonald’s” correctly. It’s not really their fault, though…their word for it is spelt something like “MacaDonoald’s”. “Seven Eleven’s” are spelt “Sebun Erebun.” Sorry, I’ve gotten off topic.
So it’s a very relaxed vibe...until the group before us goes on and we enter the final holding area. It’s a very small almost pitch black room (only a little light from the outside hallway manages to get in). I look to my right and the drum line is totally still looking straight forward looking like they’re about to stab someone with their sticks. Everyone I was just talking to is falling into this mood as soon as they enter the room. What was a pretty light atmosphere is now a ball of intensity about to explode. When the group before us finishes, the door lady puts her hand down signaling for us to take the field. We don’t march out, we all just kind of purposefully walk. I think it’s pretty cool and actually more impressive looking. So as soon as the first Aimachi uniform comes out of the tunnel, the crowd erupts…pretty sweet.
We get into opening set…the announcer starts speaking (I have no clue what he’s saying. Then…all of a sudden he goes into English. “Ladies and Gentleman…Boys and Girls…IT’S SHOWTIME!” If I wasn’t so nervous, I might have cracked up at the corniness. Later, Yuko assured me that they don’t usually say that, it must have been just the Nagoya Festival.
Anyways…the show went well, it was my best run through so far. I’m still getting used to the technique (but after watching the video, I’m pretty much looking like everyone else) and I’m playing pretty well now! It was kind of funny…at this exhibition they also added these huge laser light effects to everyone’s show. Nobody really informed Chris and I of this which kind of scared the crap out of us. Here we are during one of the opening impacts. We have a few holes at this show, obviously.
We did the encore, which was still a little corny but REALLY fun. There’s something about dancing with hundreds of people to a jazz version of “Over the Rainbow;” everyone’s giving thumbs up, clapping, jazz hands, etc…it MAKES you smile!
We packed up…grabbed a snack (Japanese pastries), got back in the car with full uniforms on minus the marching shoes (which I had to replace with my brown casual shoes. Not only would this sequence of events be breaking every Cadet uniform rule…but black pants and brown shoes is just poor fashion sense!
Once we got back to Ikeo, everyone helped clean the uniforms, shoes, unload the truck and put away instruments. At The Cadets, pretty much everyone does their own individual stuff by themselves. At Aimachi…EVERYONE helps EVERYONE out. I don’t know which way is quicker…but the Aimachi way is certainly a little more fun.
We all got together and watched a video of the show afterwards and then Aimachi was done for the night. Coz took a bunch of us to a Roman House (like Roman noodles…but authentic and incredible). I have thanked Coz more than anyone else in my life…I’ve been here for almost two weeks and I’ve spent…about 15 dollars. Pretty much if I point to a menu and say “What is this?” he calls the waiter over and orders it. If I touch a souvenir Hatsumi tells me it’s a present for me. Chris and I joke that if we pointed to Nagoya Castle and asked what it was, we’d be living in it by that night. I’ve been fortunate to meet a lot of really generous people in my life. These also seem to be the happiest people I know…obviously that’s not a coincidence.
Ok…well I’ve run into the five picture maximum problem again…so I’ll add more in another entry. Enjoy!
Saturday morning (show day) rehearsal began at 9:30 AM, so I was up at 8:15 to get some breakfast and do some last minute uniform fitting. Here's a candid shot of Palm (from Thailand) and myself talking about something funny while we have some final adjustments made to the uniforms.
During this morning rehearsal we hit a bunch of big chunks of the show and then did a run through. After the run through, the entire band cleans the gym, loads the trucks, eats, and then goes to a little good luck prayer service in the gym (I’ve recently learned that Tendi is not a religion but, rather, a way of life…many of the Tendi people are Buddhist, Christian, and (in parts of the world that aren’t Japan) Jewish. I’ll explain Tendi in more detail at some other time…I’m still kind of figuring it out.
Anyways…as we were preparing to depart, Suey asked me to ride in a car with Hiro, Bahn, Ose, Mitsiyoshi, and himself over to Rainbow Hall (laugh it up) in Nagoya (the complex is pretty huge). I was kind of excited because it gave me the opportunity to bond with some of these guys outside of rehearsal. Here's a picture of Suey, Hiro, and myself. Suey marched 2006 Cavaliers and said he wouldn't take the picture unless I wore his "Gears" around my neck. :)
You might be wondering how I bonded with them when I don’t even speak their language. Well…we did what any multilingual group of trombone players might do…we taught each other every dirty word in our respective languages that we could come up with! I learned essential Japanese phrases such as “pubic hair,” “penis,” and “boobs.” I’m ashamed to say I’ve forgotten them already, but I’m sure they’ll remind me on Tuesday at rehearsal when it’s clear I’ve forgotten. On my end, I gave them a ten minute lecture on the differences between the words “bitch,” “slut,” and “whore.”
So once we got to Rainbow Hall the brass line went to the competition area to do a rehearsal of the encore material with the other groups. Let me tell you…the Japanese really know how to cheese it up. This performance was part of the Nagoya festival and consisted of marching bands AND many baton groups as well. For the encore, they started with two vocalists singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” as a duet…then a rock band (synthesized) and a HUGE Japanese gospel-type choir joined them for the chorus (with every other group, including Aimachi, clapping and dancing like excited fools behind them). Next, all of the bands played “Over the Rainbow” and ended the piece with each of us throwing out our right hand (in jazz-hand type fashion) and waving to the audience for the next three to four minutes.
After the encore rehearsal, we ate lunch and chilled out in stands in the practice gym. The practice gym is lined exactly like the main floor and each group comes in for ten minutes, does a run through, and maybe hits a spot or two. We were on last, so we got to see almost every group do their run.
I was BLOWN AWAY! As we walked in from the encore rehearsal, the first group we saw was an elementary school marching band. First of all…we don’t even have elementary school marching bands in the United States. Second of all…they had straight legs, kept straight lines and played REALLY LOUDLY!! Without exaggeration, they were better than half the high school marching bands in the U.S. And they aren’t even half way done with their season yet!!!
And the baton stuff…don’t even get me started! It’s really a beautiful art form; I wish there were more groups like this in America. Maybe I’ll start a baton class when I have my nonprofit arts organization. The festival featured groups ranging anywhere form five years old to the Japanese national champion.
Then…MY FAVORITE…the Nagoya ALL GIRLS High School Drum and Brass Corps. OH MY GOD!!! They were the most bad ass thing I’ve ever seen in my life. When there snare line came forward for their feature I almost ran away…these girls’ faces had “I’ll kill you with my bare hands” written all over them. Not only were they intimidating, but they had incredibly straight legs, and could stagger breathe like mofos. They played loud for long periods of time with NO holes in the sound…and their hornline wasn’t even that big! I think I’m going to by the video just so I can show people this group!
We got suited up into uniform and it was time for our run. Here's Takeshi and I in uniform.
We did the each piece one at a time and then we were ready for the real thing. Aimachi has kind of a cool vibe. We were all just chilling in the hallway two groups before we were going on. Chatting about whatever. Palm and Mate were teaching me how to say “Good luck” in Thai…”Cho deeeee na!” and I was trying to get the mellophone section to pronounce “McDonald’s” correctly. It’s not really their fault, though…their word for it is spelt something like “MacaDonoald’s”. “Seven Eleven’s” are spelt “Sebun Erebun.” Sorry, I’ve gotten off topic.
So it’s a very relaxed vibe...until the group before us goes on and we enter the final holding area. It’s a very small almost pitch black room (only a little light from the outside hallway manages to get in). I look to my right and the drum line is totally still looking straight forward looking like they’re about to stab someone with their sticks. Everyone I was just talking to is falling into this mood as soon as they enter the room. What was a pretty light atmosphere is now a ball of intensity about to explode. When the group before us finishes, the door lady puts her hand down signaling for us to take the field. We don’t march out, we all just kind of purposefully walk. I think it’s pretty cool and actually more impressive looking. So as soon as the first Aimachi uniform comes out of the tunnel, the crowd erupts…pretty sweet.
We get into opening set…the announcer starts speaking (I have no clue what he’s saying. Then…all of a sudden he goes into English. “Ladies and Gentleman…Boys and Girls…IT’S SHOWTIME!” If I wasn’t so nervous, I might have cracked up at the corniness. Later, Yuko assured me that they don’t usually say that, it must have been just the Nagoya Festival.
Anyways…the show went well, it was my best run through so far. I’m still getting used to the technique (but after watching the video, I’m pretty much looking like everyone else) and I’m playing pretty well now! It was kind of funny…at this exhibition they also added these huge laser light effects to everyone’s show. Nobody really informed Chris and I of this which kind of scared the crap out of us. Here we are during one of the opening impacts. We have a few holes at this show, obviously.
We did the encore, which was still a little corny but REALLY fun. There’s something about dancing with hundreds of people to a jazz version of “Over the Rainbow;” everyone’s giving thumbs up, clapping, jazz hands, etc…it MAKES you smile!
We packed up…grabbed a snack (Japanese pastries), got back in the car with full uniforms on minus the marching shoes (which I had to replace with my brown casual shoes. Not only would this sequence of events be breaking every Cadet uniform rule…but black pants and brown shoes is just poor fashion sense!
Once we got back to Ikeo, everyone helped clean the uniforms, shoes, unload the truck and put away instruments. At The Cadets, pretty much everyone does their own individual stuff by themselves. At Aimachi…EVERYONE helps EVERYONE out. I don’t know which way is quicker…but the Aimachi way is certainly a little more fun.
We all got together and watched a video of the show afterwards and then Aimachi was done for the night. Coz took a bunch of us to a Roman House (like Roman noodles…but authentic and incredible). I have thanked Coz more than anyone else in my life…I’ve been here for almost two weeks and I’ve spent…about 15 dollars. Pretty much if I point to a menu and say “What is this?” he calls the waiter over and orders it. If I touch a souvenir Hatsumi tells me it’s a present for me. Chris and I joke that if we pointed to Nagoya Castle and asked what it was, we’d be living in it by that night. I’ve been fortunate to meet a lot of really generous people in my life. These also seem to be the happiest people I know…obviously that’s not a coincidence.
Ok…well I’ve run into the five picture maximum problem again…so I’ll add more in another entry. Enjoy!
posted by Matt at 9:22 PM
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