NATC

North American Taiko Conference wrap-up:




U Wash campus:
Pretty, green, and large. Most of the events were held in the student union and in nearby Kane Hall (appropriately named), and there wasn't a lot of food available. Stayed in the dorms, which were dormy. Felt like was at summer camp.

Snacks:
There was a cafeteria in our dorm, which was convenient for breakfast but not much else. The food was not bad, considering.




Adam certainly got enough food.

















On Saturday, we had an all-day tech at Benaroya Hall. Uwajimaya supplied bento for all of us, and Johnny provided us with endless snacks.

And, of course, there was a constant stream of snacks from the Uemuras.



Oedo Sukeroku panel & performance:
Now this was awesome. For the non-taiko folks out there, Oedo Sukeroku is the group that invented the slant stands that most groups now use, and they have been a huge influence on pretty much every taiko group that exists today.

There was also a slideshow of old, old photos...


...and a 15-minute performance, which included Kenny, Chizuko, and Tanaka (who have all studied extensively with Oedo Sukeroku). It rocked, of course, but Chizuko said they hadn't played together in over 20 years, and they didn't get a chance to rehearse.














It was awesome. The crowd went nuts.

They also did some workshops, but they were all on Saturday, during Taiko Jam tech, so we couldn't go.


And we got to see old friends...








...and meet a few new ones.


Thanks, everyone! See you in '09!