I've been doing promo for my Japanese album and touring around the countryside playing keys for Shing02's band.  I have a little break now, so I'm exploring for a couple days.  Tonight I am staying at a serene temple on Koyasan, a mountain outside of Osaka.  It is part of the Shingon Buddhist sect, and the monks are extremely generous and hospitable- the dinner was an amazing array of organic dishes.  This is so refreshing to be here!

Emi

I just returned from the World Music Expo (WOMEX) in Copenhagen, Denmark.

What an awesome city: they have a legacy of jazz and cool sites like Christiania (a commune that builds their own bikes, cooks the best vegetarian food, and has a venue where Bob Dylan played!)

I enjoyed Ghanaian star King Ayisoba and his two voices (http://www.myspace.com/kingayisoba).  Valravn is a Nordic folktronica band with a hypnotizing vocalist and traditional instruments I've never seen before (http://www.myspace.com/valravn).  Staff Benda Bilili (http://www.myspace.com/staffbendabilili) is incredibly inspirational- they've overcome physical and financial challenges to perform on stage today.  When they harmonize, the energy and purity of it blows you away!

*update*

My Japanese album is set for release early next year, and we're releasing digital singles starting this month, so stay tuned!

Also, my English album is recorded now- can't wait for you to hear it!

"Tak" you always for your support ;)

Stay warm,

Emi

buon giorno, bonjour, alo

I've been traveling for these past weeks in Europe.

Getting to experience different realities of speech, dress, etiquette has been eye-opening.  I find it gives perspective for your own lifestyle as well as music.

I want to give a quick update to introduce some of the inspiring characters I have met along the way.  I'll add pics later!

Zoriah- war photorapher 

He told me when he went to Iraq, soldiers exclaimed "What?  You came here on your own money?  And you're not getting paid? You must be really crazy."

His experiences of which photos are picked by publishers, his meetings on the road, are stories we should all know.

Fixi- accordionist/producer

An amazing artist in Paris that warmly welcomed us into his studio.  He makes French-traditional/hip hop with his band Java and produced an incredible album with Tony Allen (master of Afro-beat and drummer for Fela Kuti).  

Finally Russell Jones- DJ

With extensive knowledge of the world's music, his radio set on Diesel Radio out of Hackney, London takes you on a journey. Really. I had a fun time introducing my album and being interviewed on his show.

I also got to reunite with Yael Naim and David Donatien- and they are being as prolific as ever.  I can't wait for what they have to share with us in the near future.

Thanks to you everyone I've met along the way!

Emi

I went to the Danjiri Matsuri in Kishiwada, Osaka this month!

Neighborhoods practice year-round here for this festival.  It involves carrying a wooden shrine at a hurtling pace through narrow streets.  The intensity of the speed and energy is astounding, especially when the cart lurches around corners.  

This is no doubt an age-old ritual of relieving stress with music and drinking.  The shrine moves as if it has a life of its own, and the event has been known to have some accidents, but this year it was relatively safe.

For an idea:


They also have a braided hairstyle that is a local tradition; it's been around even before the import of cornrow braids to Japan!


Finally, taking brand-mentality to the next level of... fair food.
A crepe with louis vuitton wrapping.

The next day I returned to Tokyo for a show at the Roppongi Hills arena.






It was my first time playing with this bassist and guitarist, and they were both wonderful.  I was inspired by the Danjiri Festival's teamwork, and thought that how bandmates work together is quite similar: we work to carry a song and transfer that energy to the audience. 

That evening I had dinner with a nice band from France, Sanseverino.
He started out as a comedian before turning to music.



I wish I understood more languages in order to appreciate more jokes!!

Today I took a day trip to Sendai for a Jazz Festival.

It is amazing how time flies, and how much space you can cover in a moment via a bullet train.  It was a great festival with stages all over the town.  They had a beautiful grand piano to play on too!  I had fun trying their local specialty "zunda" bean cake before catching the 5pm shinkansen back. 

It's pouring today in Tokyo, but yesterday we had perfect weather to shoot a music video in Shibuya.  We shot some amazing scenes in the busiest of intersections- I look forward to showing you guys!  We watched Shibuya come alive- from the early trucks, to the business men and women commuting in dark suits, and gradually various shopkeepers, fashionistas, and tourists came out in dabs of color.  I've never seen Tokyo so early in the morning, but the sky was a beautiful light blue and pink.  A very serene quiet.

I love seeing new sides of places!  I wonder if I know Tokyo a little better now... :)

I hope you all are well wherever you are~

Emi

It feels new to watch August end without preparing school supplies!

taken at Club Quattro on June 24th, 2009. 

enjoy! 

Emi

Hey there,

Last summer I toured as the vocalist/keyboardist for Shing02's band.  We toured as a crew of MC (www.myspace.com/shing02), DJ (http://www.myspace.com/sscanlous), keyboard/vocals, violin (ayumi takeshima), drums (motoki yamaguchi), and occasionally biwa (Japanese traditional lute) and taiko (traditional percussion).

We went from the northern tip to the southern islands of Japan, and it was a mind-opening experience.  I learned a lot about the Japanese culture, from its hip-hop scene to it's radical traditional artists, to the best eats in little towns! 

It's all documented in this new DVD:


I composed the piano soundtrack for it, yay!  I had always wanted to create instrumental tracks for a film.

The DVD includes a bonus music video for "Wankyoku" ("Bay Song".)  The lyrics are in Japanese, but the main message is "If the world seems cold, that's only because you're warm."



best,

emi