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Wow… I’m well into my 30s now!  This is unofficially my and Shoji’s 25th year of playing taiko.  Can you believe it?  How special it is to still be playing with each other.  Thanks Shoj for all the great years.

Last year was a pretty good year for me personally.  Although things were tough for loved ones around me, I felt like I did a lot of growing up.  I finally feel comfortable being the person I am.  It’s in my nature to be a follower and I’ve always been told I should make an effort to be a leader, but that’s asking someone to be someone they are not.  I feel like I can be a quiet leader and supporter.  I feel confident with the skills that I have to be strong.  I don’t have to be “over the top” or a “go-getter” to be respected.  I’ve finally found out that I just have to be myself.

Some highlights of being 30:
-Driving across country and back SAFELY with Kris.
-Putting on a successful show at the Ford Amphitheatre with TAIKOPROJECT featuring guest artists San Francisco Taiko Dojo and making Tanaka-sensei proud.
-Going to Japan once to visit Courtney, going back a second time to help Kris receive his “natori”.
-Playing with TAIKOPROJECT in Hawaii.  I MISS Hawaii.  Thank you to Kenny and Chizuko Endo for being a big part of who I am.
-Adopting two abandoned kittens that Byron (my roommate and fellow TAIKOPROJECT member) found.  We nursed them, gave one away to Yuri and kept the other one who Mika named “Tabi”.  She has three grey feet and one white foot.
-Courtney’s return from Japan!!!  A year is long.
-Shasta Yama with On Ensemble.  Always awesome to play for the home crowd.
-Our home concert “Yobu”.  At first it started to feel like, “why do we do this to ourselves?”  But then, when the show started and we saw our family, friends, and fans, it was definitely worth it.  Thank you all for coming!

Here’s to another year.  Hope this one is better.

Aww… I didn’t get a chance to take many pictures of Shasta Yama, but once again my parents and Mario Rubino (the producer) delivered. It was a very successful show. Mario thinks there were over 1,000 people who came! Even with all the smoke from the insane wild fires around the area and the rising gas prices, people came. What a special event this has become. Shoji said that this is the biggest outdoor taiko festival in the nation and I’d have to agree with him.

I have a lot of thank yous. First and foremost, my dad and mom, Russel Baba and Jeanne Mercer for putting on this awesome event every year and, of course, for believing in us and supporting our vision. Mario Rubino for believing in my mom and dad. Michelle Fujii for the constant vision and role she has played in our path. Mark Miyoshi for the beautiful drums and constant support. And, thank you to Laura Masunaga and Tadashi Kameda (Shoji’s parents) who were the reason why my mom and dad moved up to Mt. Shasta in the first place. What an awesome community that rallied behind Shasta Yama. I am honored to go back every year to make awesome music.