There’s a yellow suitcase marked ‘YA’ in the equipment closet.  During our practices, we regularly borrow equipment from the suitcase.  But more often, the yellow suitcase tags along as we help load equipment into and out of Juni’s car before and after practices.
‘YA’ stands for ‘Young Audiences of Massachusetts’.   It also represents a major part of Odaiko New [...]

Two weekends ago, I played taiko with my friends on a shady plaza overlooking the Charles River, followed by a free lunch.  Yes, the Waltham Riverfest was a cushy gig, especially compared to the other gig Odaiko New England was doing at the same time.  I’m sure the Boston Pride Parade was a blast, but [...]

So, here we are, coming out of our anniversary concert, and there isn’t much time to rest.
It’s my first chance to organize a gig.
I rashly volunteered to organize a performance for the Waltham Riverfest.  Megan Gleeson of the Waltham Cultural Council approached me about this performance some time ago, and since Waltham is my home [...]

For Juni:
She will paint you a musical story,
Of troops in all of their glory.
But tales of daring
Are not all she’s sharing.
She’ll throw in some goofiness, too.
On Yui, she’s totally groovin’
She’s got the whole audience movin’.
With a flip of a stick,
And her grin that’s so quick,
She inspires the whole taiko crew.
I’m sure that you’ve figured out [...]

Shin-En Revisioned
Doing fast triplets is hard
Most of us couldn’t
Colorful obi
We debated at great length
Finally, yellow
I wait nervously
When do I come in again?
I think I missed it
Cello, take, gong
Hira, vocals, Thunder God
It’s Kaminari
Senryu stands waiting
Sheilarae and Greg spaced out
All’s well that ends well

reVISION concert
a powerful performance
Mark and Juni proud
–Dave Buerger
Lying on sofa
Strong coffee, good book and cat.
Nothing else to do.
–Sheilarae Lau
Counting my bruises
Bags and circles under eyes
When is my massage?
–Kate Jurow
Carry Odaiko
on Saturday and Sunday
Muscle pain Monday
–Dave Buerger
Full throttle weekend
Ends with flowers and hugs
Then cozy napping
–Jasmine Hall