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Order your “30 Days to Better Shime” printed workbook/CD/desk calendar set today for delivery at Taiko Conference!

I’ve just finished preparing printed sets for round three of the “30 Days to Better Shime” program, Aug 22 through Sept 20.  Hundreds of taiko players from around the world will be joining me for 30 days of at-home shime practice!

Order your set today by sending me an email (kris at OnEnsemble dot org) or calling 310-350-8825!

About the program -

30 Days to Better Shime is a one-of-a-kind program of shime-daiko drills, challenges, and tests to improve small drum technique!  Daily, 15-minute exercises cover a wide range of topics, from basic hand coordination, to timing, and creativity.  Participants use the program’s workbook and companion audio files to learn key drills for improving speed, control, and dexterity.  The program has been utiziled by over 400 taiko players in 13 countries

Here is a little advertisement I put together for the debut performance of the taiko games!

Here’s a link to some photos from our performance at the Californai WorldFest by Tony Finnerty:

http://flipperty.smugmug.com/gallery/8976487_pYHhS/6/600596645_8GTEo#600595720_MnYor

On Ensemble will be teaching and performing at the 2009 Taiko Conference here in Los Angeles! The bi-annual Conference is one of the taiko community’s most important events and we’re extremely excited about it!  On Ensemble is facilitating the Summer Taiko Institute immediately prior to Conference, where participants will receive and help complete a new composition for the community!  Each of On Ensemble’s members will teach one or more workshops within the Conference itself.  We’ll be performing at the two Taiko Jam concerts.  And Kris will also be debuting his four, brand-new “taiko games” with the help of taiko players from around the country!  It’ll be a busy, fun week!

Register for Taiko Conference here.  Registration due by July 24!

Get tickets to Taiko Jam here.

Come see Kris’ demonstration, Friday August 7 at 12noon on the JACCC Plaza (244 S San Pedro St, 90012)!

We’ve had an amazing couple of days at the California WorldFest!  It’s one of the best music festivals I’ve ever been to or performed in.  First of all the Grass Valley/Nevada City area is really cool.  It reminds me a lot of the Mt. Shasta area with it’s beautiful scenery and super friendly people.  In fact Maz and I ended up staying with one of my good high school friends whom I hadn’t seen for a years while we were in Grass Valley.  We had a mini Mt. Shasta High reunion.

I’ve been completely blown away by the other bands at the WorldFest.  You know a band is really good when they make you realize you like something that you never knew you did.  I totally had a moment like that watching the Old Blind Dogs work the audience into a hypnotic dancing frenzy.  The band’s rhythms and vocal harmonies were so tight it was ridiculous and I thought  “Wow, I didn’t know I liked Scottish roots music.”

After our two performances on Friday Maz, Kelvin and I stayed to watch the evening acts play on the main stage.  We didn’t have very good seats and then out of the blue someone offered us these amazing seats not ten feet from the stage (Thanks Dale!).  The headline act was the Indigo Girls who were fantastic.  Amazing energy, great song writing, great vocal harmonies and just great music.

On Saturday we got the play the main stage ourselves.  We were the opening act to the opening act of the opening act to the opening act of the opening act of Los Lobos, the East L.A. legends themselves!

We’d like to thank Dan Dewayne and the entire staff and volunteers at the WorldFest.  Everyone was so friendly and helpful, great to work with and to top it off there were even free massages for the artists backstage!  Also a big thank you goes out to Yoko-san who made us sound great and to Thad for putting half of On Ensemble up for the weekend.  Hopefully we can make it back to Grass Valley next year!

We’ll be performing on the main stage at the California World Fest at 5:30pm on Saturday evening and the performance will be broadcast live on KVMR 89.5FM, Nevada County’s public radio station.  You can also listen to the broadcast on-line at the KVMR website!

We’re having an amazing time at the World Fest so far!  We had two performances today and then stayed to watch the Wailing Souls and the Indigo Girls.  I’ll post more soon!

Four, all-new “Taiko Games” for the 2009 Taiko Conference!

PERFORMERS NEEDED!

I am very pleased to announce that I have completed the composition of four taiko games to be presented to the community at the 2009 Taiko Conference!  From a simple, two-person counting and drumming game, to an intense version of tic tac toe for Nidan-style drums, the games are really unique, and really fun!  They will be released under the Free Art License so that all taiko players can enjoy and build on them!

I need your help!  I’ve been working on these pieces for six months, but now I need people to help me perform them!  24 people, in fact.  I am looking for volunteers of all taiko levels to help me demonstrate these pieces to the Taiko Conference attendees on Friday, August 7, at 12:15pm.  Volunteers needn’t be registered for the Conference, and Conference attendees can participate as well.  If you’re in town and available, please join me!

First, a bit more about the games… (more…)

On Ensemble this weekend at the California Worldfest!  We’ve heard a lot about the Worldfest and we’re very excited to be a part of this year’s lineup featuring eight stages of music an dance from around the world.  It should be a ton of fun!  We’ll be performing Friday and Saturday, here’s our schedule:

Friday July 17th
10:00 am    Pine Tree Stage
1:30 pm     Workshop at the Discovery Stage
4:00 pm     Welcome Stage

Saturday July 18th
2:30 pm     Welcome Stage
5:30 pm     Meadow Stage