Rachael Dadd

Amasan - the diving women of Toba

2012-02-24T03:12:00.009-08:00

Recently I went to the Umi no Hakubutskan (Sea Folk Museum) in Toba. Below are a few of the amazing photos I saw there showing the lives of the amasan - women who have been making their living for 10,000 years by diving for awabi (abalone), sazae (turban shells), and namako (sea cucumbers). A few skilled and experienced amasan are able to capture iseebi (lobsters) without a scratch. They can hold their breath longer than men and dive to great depths without scuba gear. The fishing methods they use are invaluable to the ecology of the sea as they do not encourage over-fishing. After the 2nd world war there was thought to be around 6000 amesan in Toba and Shima. Now their trade is starting to die out due to an unstable and sluggish market and the harsh working conditions, but there are still around 1300 women in the area who dive in this same traditional way, many of them now reaching 60 years old.

Pinning down some personal and collective thought in a new year blogweb: Japan`s anti nuclear movement, and the power of music and togetherness

2012-01-02T23:52:00.000-08:00

READ Japanese Translation

We have danced 365.25 pirouettes about the sun together for another calendar year, so it`s the time again to archive personal and collective thought and to reflect, ponder and then look ahead.

Maybe this blog is my attempt to pin down something of this from my perspective; an english girl with ropey Japanese traveling around Japan at a time of struggle and change here and across the globe.

Themes that keep rotating are not surprisingly a lot to do with Japan in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami: the loss of life, the kindness and consideration people are showing each other, and the growing anti-nuclear feeling among so many while Fukushima still leaks radiation into the sea, air and soil.

NUCLEAR POWER AND JAPAN

Since the begin of Japan`s nuclear history there has understandably always been a strong anti nuclear feeling. The Holocaust which claimed about 21,000 lives is still in living memory.

The Japanese government embraced nuclear power after US President Dwight D. Eisenhower began emphasizing the ‘atoms for peace’ programme in 1953. Now nuclear power accounts for 30% of the countries power, despite the probability of earthquake related accidents.

In 2007 there was a 6.8 magnitude earthquake that damaged a nuclear reactor. After this nuclear opposition arose, and then was quelled by the `nuclear is safe` campaigns by the Japanese government and the electric power companies. Since the 2007 incident TEPCO (Japan`s largest power company who`s responsible for the Fukushima disaster) boasted about the robustness of it`s containment vessels.

JAPAN`S ANTI NUCLEAR MOVEMENT IS GROWING

But now with the world watching a catastrophe too great for TEPCO to cover up, there is no `nuclear is safe` campaign, and a strong anti nuclear movement is growing. I often hear the word hosha, which means radiation. People are talking about it a lot of the time, and they are protesting about it in their music and art. I`ve heard about musicians and actors giving up their normal work to focus solely on the anti nuclear campaign.

Friends of ours with a baby live near the sea in Tsuruga and close by is a nuclear power station with a history of accidents and a 40day cover-up of radiation leakage in 1981. Recently residents have started a law suit against Japan Atomic Power Company who own the plant. (Read more about it on wikipedia - here) Yet our friends explained the complexity of the situation. Communities have become dependent upon power stations for employment. Areas have got rich and people (especially land owners who have sold land for high prices) have got used to new wealthy lifestyles. So there is local opposition to the anti nuclear movement. Many people want change. Others don`t.

anti nuclear power petition in Nagoya and badges by MARU

occasionally the harvesting of wind power,

slowly on the increase?

documentaries and adverts on the television reveal a growing solar power campaign

ARE WE TOUGH ENOUGH?

I can`t read kanji yet so there`s a lot that I`m missing, but sometimes I see `SAVE ENERGY` posters in cafes and shops. Isn`t this a very sensible idea that we should all be embracing? Aren`t we a lazy generation who`s grown up with luxury and comfort? Aren`t we very easy to manipulate by the electric power companies who want us to have all our gadgets a-whirring and a-blazing and a-profit spinning for them? Shouldn`t we all simply switch all the unnecessary gadgets off ?

click

(as I turn off my angle poise light)

tap tap tap

(as I dim my laptop screen)

"gambatte"

(come on Rachael try harder)

And shouldn`t the PACHINKO companies (as one example) be forced by the government to tone down their light pollution and electricity consumption? Pachinko(gambling parlors) are one of the biggest money wielders in Japan it seems, and probably one of the biggest energy guzzlers, closely followed by convenience stores, although this is just me guessing.

???

I suppose the pachinko companies have a lot of control over the government?

???

ponder

many are pondering

POSITIVITY, TOGETHERNESS, MUSIC

Since the earthquake I`ve experienced the kindness and consideration that people are showing each other in Japan, the coming together through music and other activities to support each other, the coming together to fight for the collective need for change. So even though Japan on the one hand feels like a risky place to live, I am being drawn more and more to stay because of the feelings of kindness, togetherness and positivity from Japanese people.

And through my experiences here I think I have a much better understanding of Japanese values such as kindness, consideration, patience, cooperation, positivity etc. Maybe these are characteristics deep in the Japanese psyche honed from the necessity for strength in numbers in the face of natural and man made disaster? Or could it more simply be seen as a sort of balancing act on mass - the desire to come together to make things good again after so much destruction and sadness?

Inadasan, a bass player I`ve been lucky enough to play live and record with, has 5 children and described the nuclear situation to me as a very very bad thing for the whole of Japan, like a dark cloud that has spread over everyone. He then spoke with such certainty in his voice about the importance of music.

The week after the Tsunami I played two concerts with Inadasan and a group of musicians that included Tennis Coats, Naoto Kawate, and Yamagisan who is an incredible improvisational percussionist from Sendai which was badly effected by the earthquake and tsunami. The concerts were to welcome her friends to safety in Osaka, and to raise some money for them as they had lost their home. The event was also simply to come together, to share, to make something positive. We played sessions in various groups. Inadasan, Yamagisan, Popo`s trumpet player Nobukisan and a 9year old girl from Sendai played with me. It was such a privilege to be part of it, and it made me realize more than ever the importance of music. It helps us come together and share collective thought and feeling. It helps people grieve, understand and accept. It creates strength and positivity. And it has been happening in this way all around the world for thousands of years.

Tennis Coats at the Guggenheim concert, the week after the tsunami

***Ichi and I will play at OTONOWA with Tennis Coats and Yumbo (Yamagisan`s band) in Sendai in February for a concert in support of the anti nuclear campaign***

Umeda Tetsuya (performance artist and musician) -

performing in Osaka the week after the Tsunami

Naoto Kawate and Michiko at Cafe Yugue, Kyoto

soon after the Tsunami

Playing with Yamagisan`s new percussion invention - beads in balloons -

at The Guggenheim last month

D . I . T - DO IT TOGETHER

I`ve always been a fan of D.I.Y.

School does`t really teach you what you need so you`ve got to experiment to find the skills and tools you need to do what you want to do. Many friends and contemporaries have found their way in life this way too.

Up until now I have mostly worked alone. But in the present climate I feel like it`s so important to join forces and do it together. Even if it`s simply for the positive experience of communication and sharing. But I expect much more can come out of it when you join forces and share skills and ideas. So recently I have decided to mostly focus on collaborations, both here in Japan, and with people in the UK and else where. For once I will make the most of the postal service.

JANUARY - ONIGIRI RECIPE EXCHANGE

One of the things I`m doing this months is sending onigiri (japanese rice ball) recipe sheets that I`ve made by post and asking for photos of people making them. Today Rozi Plain sent me pictures. Nice one Rozi!

If you`d like to take part please e-mail me your address at rachaeldadd@gmail.com

(It will most probably peta out at the end of January, but feel free to contact me after then, you may be lucky!)

onigiri - "better than a sandwich"

JUNE - UTROPHIA EXHIBITION, LONDON

In June there will be a group exhibition at Utrophia in London with Ichi, Rozi Plain, Francois, Kate and Jesse of This is the Kit and I expect others will join in too. We will do workshops and skill swaps, as well as showing our various projects and doing some concerts. Keep posted for more information.

HEADS TOGETHER IN JAPAN

In Japan, as well as the ongoing music collaborations with Inadasa, Yamagisan and a human beatboxer, among other musicians, I`m doing some textile collaborations with various friends for an exhibition here in March. I`ve also very recently started playing clarinet with my new friend David who is from New Zealand. For similar reasons as me he loves Japan and so keeps coming back too. He started out here as a graphic designer 20 years ago and formed an art and design collective who have exhibitions and run an alternative music venue in Tokyo. When he became disillusioned by city life and all that goes with it he moved to a mountain in Kamakura where he started Inaka Deluxe, a countryside collective. He has talked of his travels, learning a form of permaculture, learning about bees, building clay ovens, doing music and art workshops for both children and adults, and doing a lot in places that have been destroyed by the tsunami. A very inspiring fellow. He said something recently that has stuck with me - that in these times you need to be a change surfer. It sounds fun! We`d better limber up for 2012 and onwards!

Inaka Deluxe

change surfers

READ Japanese translation

Japan times again, getting ready for tour

2011-11-16T21:17:00.000-08:00

NAGOYA

hisashibuli

autumn rain and sun

aki no ame to ohisama

AT HOME

uchi

Ichi`s been creating new instruments and I`ve made him a stage apron

Ichi no atalashi gaki to apron desu

My new albums and textiles are ready to go

dekita!

BAGS

BADGES

& CD POUCHES

and the van is tidied, hovered, packed, oiled and ready to take us on our journey

ikimasho!

A shout OUT about NEW stuff

2011-10-20T16:04:00.000-07:00

Double A side SINGLE RELEASE 24th October

1.Claw & Tooth
2.Window
3. Animation by Betsy Dadd
4. Cine film by ICHI
5.An original piece of artwork in a badge

This is the second single to be released with these bite of the mountain badges. For previous single Balloon and all other release have a peek in the Broken Sound shop.

The badge comes complete with a download code to get all of the above, and the badge itself is a small part of the album artwork for album Bite the Mountain - a very big stitched mountain I made from old paper (sea charts, old book covers and scrolls from Japan, my scale book from school etc)

watch a film of me making the badges

There is a code to track your very piece. And there is an invitation to join the photo project, the idea being that the squares can be tracked to their next destination. News on the next stage of the project will follow when we've had enough photos sent in snapety-snap

here are the youtube quality versions of the films (you will get them higher quality with the single download)

TOOT TOOT
Also just around the corner is....

Japan Album Release BITE THE MOUNTAIN 5th November

Very excited to be having my album released in Japan. The first 100 purchases from SweetDreamsPress in Japan come with a free cdr of live and home recordings, (but just to warn you this may be an obstacle-course if you can't read Japanese. I'm reasonably computer illiterate so you may well have more luck than me if you're willing to persevere!)

Tour Adventures Around Europe

2011-10-12T08:21:00.000-07:00

G E R M A N Y

HANOVER

making old songs new again at our first date in Hannover with Emma Gatrill

Throughout the tour Emma added a certain magic touch with clarinet, harp, accordion and voice, and played some of her solo harp songs which were beautiful to hear in the many places we played. Chris Lucraft who runs Broken Sound played percussion - a hidden talent if ever I heard one. He also is responsible for many of these photographs (the reason he's not in many in fact). And Ichi played steel drum with me, as well as his own set in which he tried newly build instrument creations
peek at ICHI's cargo session here

Ichi, Chris and Emma
Thank you chaps!

MAGDEBURG

We had time in Magdeburg before 2nd date of the tour, and found a real life Hundert Wasser building to explore which we went on a mission to find after it was spotted from this wall

BERLIN

While in Berlin Dennis of Burning Eagle booking organised a house concert in his home, a cosy event with pumpkin soup to ward off the wind and rain. Thank you Dennis for the street roaming, the trip to the lake, for turning your bedroom into a dormitory. And of course thank you for organising all the lovely shows.

LAKE ON THE OUTSKIRTS

post-swim

LEIPZIG

one of our favourite places on route - Fischbar LEIPZIG, with it's piles of books and checkered floor, table-foot-ball in the next room, and a 3-storey-junk-shop-come-museum to visit the next day, not to mention Madeline and her amazing hot apple juice

One of Emma Gatrill's solo performances on harp,
and below a film of her joining me on Moth in the Motor

P A R I S

BOTANICAL GARDENS and NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM

ICHI'S CARGO SESSION

filmed in Paris with Renaud (the creator of The Cargo Sessions) and his daughter

see ICHI'S cargo sessions here

THE TEXTILE-ART CREATIONS OF AURELIE MATHIGOT

Since getting Aurelie Mathigot's book I've wanted to see her beautiful work up close, and while in Paris she invited us to visit her studio which was a true inspiration. I'm excited about our future swap - an embroidered cardigan for one of her incredible creations - I reckon I'm going to come up trumps

THE MAGIC LANTERN

while staying with Kate and Jesse of This is the Kit we experienced some lucky timing when Jamie of The Magic Lantern arrived to play with them in the Shakespear and Co. book shop in Paris. Usually with an ensemble but this time solo, his performance somehow managed to transport me to some serene far away place. As well as guitar he used kalimber which is a favorite of mine at the moment. The album is very highly recommended **********

T H E N E T H E R L A N D S

Ichi played at two experimental nights in The Netherlands on the final leg of our tour. The first was a regular event Gifgrond, and the second was in Rotterdam. Both nights were shared with a pair from Dresden - Schnaak - who performed some incredibly inventive guitar playing using a chopstick sized stick and some thwacking of drums with a bundle of canes, among other pleasing ear suprises

and finally home to the UK

and a new discovery - the beautiful PANGOLIAN- Horniman Museum, in London

favourite animal of the month

Balloon single/badge explained, and why I love Bristol

2011-09-14T01:12:00.000-07:00

Before I crack on and tell you why I love Bristol, I want to do a bit of a shout out about my Balloon single, which looks like this:

The badge comes complete with a download code to get Balloon, Sticking in Pins, Balloon video, and the badge itself which is a small part of a very big stitched mountain I made from old paper (sea charts, antique book covers and scrolls from Japan, my scale book from school etc)

There is a code to track your very piece. And there is an invitation to join the photo project, the idea being that the squares can be tracked to their next destination.... hopefully with an exhibition next spring/summer.

This is my submission and below is a short film of the making of this project which describes it better than words

order BALLOON BADGE from www.brokensoundmusic.com

And now I'll give some news of he last few weeks. Lots of inspirational goings on in BRISTOL:

STREET PARTY, EASTON

Impromptu session at our street party, wind section just out of the picture included 3 clarinetists, french horn, sax and a trumpet. ....and all living in the same street would you believe

ICHI'S HUMAN SIZED EARTH XYLAPHONE

getting tips from our neighbour who we met at the street party

FORAGE

A day in Boiling Wells, Bristol, organised by the marvellous Qu Junktions team. A magical array of sound art goings on amongst the foliage

Putting the bike trailer/suitcase to good use

Earth Xylaphone digging action, received lots of "who are you burying" comments

After a short improvisational performance by Ichi, we improvised by getting inside it 1 at a time! Sounded beautiful from within, not claustraphobic but cosy and you could feel the humming vibrations of the wood. Late in the day family of 4 children, youngest just 1 year old, climbed inside all together and stayed there for about 10 minutes. Finally it had to be dismantled. Destroying things is so quick in comparison to creating them! Ichi is already thinking about a new improved design.

Tall James's wind pipe organ creations

as an observer it was hard to understand but I gleaned that all had different instructions coming at them through their headphones. One participant was told to check her e-mails, another was told to ask if anyone wanted anything from the kiosk

APPLE AND MULBERRY PICKING

I went out along the cut in Bristol with a group who look after the wild apple trees. I got involved with a saw and came home with apples for a huge crumble

EXHIBITION by HIENZ JUNKINS (James from OLO Worms) at The Louisiana

with Music from myself, Ichi, Rozi, SJEsau and Found

Ichi in the cellar

Rozi Plain

SJEsau with some incredible projections he's been making

and now for a quick Europe Tour Plug...

EUROPE SEPTEMBER TOUR

me and Ichi are packed and ready

Sep 15th - Feinkostlampe, Hannover, Germany
Sep 16th - Volksbad Buckau, Magdeburg, Germany
Sep 18th - Fischbar, Leipzig, Germany
Sep 20th - Fluc, Vienna, Austria
Sep 22nd - Hafen 2, Offenbach, Germany
Sep 23rd - Kohi, Karlsruhe, Germany
Sep 24th - Oliver Peel Session, Paris, France
Sep 30th - Enuma, Dusseldorf, Germany

Bristol Introducing session

2011-08-31T07:45:00.000-07:00

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00jr38q

3 days left to listen,
slightly self indulgent 40minute chat about my album,
all the songs get aired and three of them were played live in the studio

Bite The Mountain Tour continued

2011-08-30T04:04:00.000-07:00

travelling forth pack-horses style

WINCHESTER

Greg Ashby warmed up the stage to the friendly crowd in Winchester Hyde Tavern with beautiful songs old and new. Incredibly excited about his new album in the making. His last (Greg's Songs) has had 'heavy rotation' (favourite Japanese phrase) in my player

www.myspace.com/gregashby

Rozi Plain with Kano

Ichi

and onwards to Reading South Street Arts

READING

Rozi

BRIGHTON

Perhaps my favourite show of the whole tour. Wilkomen Collective's Danny of Laish hired out a cosy basement room which became packed on selling out. Everyone in that room was a-glowing with good energy and the intamacy was truly helped along with the absence of any PA, or even plug sockets come to think of it. And I had the privilege of being joined by Danny, Marcus and Emma of the Wolkommen Collective, as well as the trusty Rozi and Ichi

POOLE

The last night of Club Anenome, although we reckon it's just hibernating, tentagles retracted, resting but poised for action when the time is next right, hey Paul!?

TRUCK FESTIVAL

Illustration of me and Kano at Truck by Tom Watson

WILDERNESS FESTIVAL

No photos of my performance, but lovely memories, wonderful warm crowd, a friendly heckler, apples from a tree given to those who could dance to my songs or who came on stage to join in, alone in the Wilderness, but not alone. Made some new friends including fellow Folk Guild Stage performers Steve Fin and Jack Cheshire.

the amazing art of balancing stones on show

GREENMAN FESTIVAL

CINEMA TENT

A week before Greenman we had our heads glued to screens making films. It was worth it. Thank you Arctic Circle for having us in your amazing space.

Here are photos of Ichi to film of Japan, Me to Betsy Dadd's animation, The Hedgehog ensemble (Bristol's finest Kano and Steve, Marcus and Emma of Wilkommen Collective, Ichi, Rozi and myself) to Hedgehog in the Fog by Yuriy Norshteyn, and Rozi Plain to Betsy Dadd's animation www.betsydadd.blogspot.com

CHEPSTOW

days song writing retreat

river severn, castle, gaps in the clouds, Japanese picnic

ATTIC

While I was in Chepstow Ichi was building new sounds from old

CAFE KINO

James Boyce played a beutiful set on a chair with Middle Ones singer singing too, on a chair

The new percussion instrument that Ichi made gave his set a home-made techno edge, while people of stokes croft gathered outside to watch

Bite the Mountain Tour halfway mark

2011-07-18T14:16:00.000-07:00

Me, Ichi, Rozi Plain, This is the Kit have been swirling about playing in the south of England on the Bite the Mountain Tour to mark the release of my new album, and to have fun hanging out and playing together again. I've been having such a lovely time with tooting brass, percussion and steelpan on my songs by all the pals above plus Kano on saxaphone and Andy Skellam on guitar. All has been super dooper but if I had to say what sticks out then the highlights sofar have been The album launch part 1 - King's Head in Crouch End, where the whole of Tristram added parts without even needing much of a rehearsal, and Ichi's set at Cafe Oto was tip top, he pulled out suprises even for me (and I've seen him 100's of times) - it was the perfect antidote to my nerves.

Now just over the halfway mark, off to Oxford in a few hours with Wig Smith to play at Modern Art Oxford and Truck festival.

Here's our tour so far in a few pictures

Before we set of to play shows Ichi was busy building new instruments in the attic, including new and improved stilts that double up as double bass

Meanwhile I was nervously unwrapping and listening to my album that plopped onto the doormat

Me, Ichi, This is the Kit, Rozi Plain and Whalebone Polly all had sets at the cosy Watts Festival in beautiful Devon

bed of bails

haybail fun

The arrival of Andy Skellam, preparing to drive into deeper Devon

After Watts festival we met up and camped for a night with the bicycle tour gang led by Jesse Morningstar. Most of the gang were from France in a band who's name I can't remember at the moment, but who I loved. A shame we couldn't manage it this year but determined to join them on bikes next year, toot toot, pip pip

We camped on Sean's (ex Moonflowers) farm in Seaton, and were treated to his salad leaves and hedgerow delights, thank you Sean

Ichi at Miss Peapods, Falmouth

Me and Kate of This is the Kit, Miss Peapods

Kano's drawing at the Cube, Bristol

side of the stage, The Cube, drawing to raise donations for the Tsunami appeal

The Cube

Ichi's set at cafe Oto, one of my highlights

dad's cake decorated by me, sister Betsy and Ichi

In April we planted Japanese gobo seeds in my mum's veg patch and low and behold they grew big and strong

and delicious

O WIND

2011-07-05T08:09:00.000-07:00

My brother George is designing Kites for ships for his PHD. Imagine how brilliant it would be to see the seas dotted with huge kites pulling ships. Another friend writes a blog on environmental issues and has written about these kites here http://jamesmapope.wordpress.com/

getting ready for tour

2011-06-28T15:30:00.001-07:00

JULY TOUR

I am making textiles and Ichi is fixing a sort of trailer suitcase on his bike ready for a super dooper tour. (although we will only be testing the bike trailer for a few shows, hopefully paving the way for a peddling future, we'll see) On tour we will be joined along the way by This is the Kit, Rozi Plain, Wig Smith and Tristram. Come and say hello x

to pre order Bite The Mountain go to http://www.brokensoundmusic.com/shop.htm

2011-06-28T04:43:00.000-07:00

Here's a film from Ichi's recent show in New York at Le Poiison Rouge, a night curated by Deer Hoof

COME AND SEE US TOURING TOGETHER SOON x

Rozi Plain and Tennis Coats

2011-06-26T15:23:00.001-07:00

2 things to be enjoyed.

Rozi Plain - my pal

And Tennis Coats - I saw Tennis Coats play at Cafe Kino in Bristol a few days ago when I supported them

Bite the Mountain

2011-06-15T07:45:00.000-07:00

This year I`ve had the privilege to make an album with my Japanese musician pals and the results are `Bite the Mountain` due for release pretty soon on Broken Sound in the UK and Europe. Then It will be released later in Japan.

For now here`s Tower Tower a song from the album which was filmed recently in a storage room at Utrophia art Space in London. I will post more about Bite the Mountain soon plus information about my tour in July with the brilliant Ichi, This is The Kit and Rozi Plain

Tsunami fundraiser at Kings Place

2011-05-26T00:50:00.001-07:00

Last month 10 of us put on a night of music, animation and live drawing at Kings Place in London to raise money for Japan Tsunami Redcross Appeal and Nomadamura, (an island south from the disaster who are inviting families who`ve lost everything to come and live there, as well as funding individuals from the island to go to the affected areas and to help) www.nomadamura.net

It`s recently been announced that from ticket sales and the market we raised a total of £1685.30 HIP HIP HOORAY

The night that happened in three sections: section 1 SOLO, section 2 TWOS and THREES with animation from Betsy Dadd and Beatrice Baumgarten, and section 3 ALL TOGETHER with live drawing from Louise Phillips.

During the night people drew the musicians from a table on the stage and sold the drawings on the market

At the end we cut the power and lit candles and played acoustically as a reaction to the nuclear power disaster in Fukushima

Here is a photo diary of the night

Kate (this is the kit), Wig Smith and Ichi at soundcheck

Me and Kate and the patient and level headed Neil doing sound

post sound check, pre performance

at the table on the stage

Wig Smith accompanied by Ichi on steel pan and me on clarinet

Kate and Lou Phillips drawing us from the table on the stage

Kate drawing shadows of cherry blossom

Ichi

at the table on the stage

Betsy drawing

Me and Kano on saxaphone, betsy`s animation projected, with all at the table drawing

Betsy`s animation to the rice song (recipe for onigiri/japanese rice triangles)

Rozi Plain and all with Lou Phillips doing projected live drawing

Kate and all

Carrie Hitchcock and all

Power cut

encore

curtsey

T H E E N D

www.thisisthekit.co.uk
www.myspace.com/roziplain
www.myspace.com/ichijapan
www.myspace.com/wigsmith
www.betsydadd.blogspot.com

KINGS PLACE, Tsunami fundraiser this friday

2011-04-12T03:58:00.000-07:00

hello everyone, the Kings place gig is just around the corner and this is the kit, rozi plain, ichi, myself and the hand plus others, are busy preparing, rehearsing as a group, making a hand-made program, baking cakes for the market, and working with the animation. It promises to be an amazing evening and even more so for the fact that all the profit will help the tsunami victims in Japan. So please come and join us. Get cheaper tickets ahead of time http://www.kingsplace.co.uk/music/folk-union/rachael-dadd-friends

I`ve been watching the disasters unfold in Japan to a nation of people I've grown to know and love. During my time spent travelling in japan over the last 3 years I have been shown a truly amazing amount of kindness & warmth. Always interested, always fun, so keen to learn and understand other cultures, Japanese people are incredibly welcoming and hospitable as a nation. I will always be indebted for the experiences I am continually given in Japan.

Please come together and share a night of music and projections from myself and friends (a lot of whom have also experienced such kindness in Japan. As well as lots of live music, there will be projections of animation and live drawing and we will show some of our time in Japan through photos and film)

All the profits of this event will be shared equally between the Red Cross Japan Tsunami Appeal and Nomadamura, an island community south from the disaster who are offering shelter and food for many families from the northern regions hit by the Tsunami.

www.myspace.com/thisisthekit
www.myspace.com/roziplain
www.myspace.com/thehandand
www.myspace.com/ichijapan
www.betsydadd.blogspot.com

rehearsing in Carrie's kitchen

FUNDRAISERS IN JAPAN

Just after the Tsunami a dark cloud of misery and worry seemed to be on everyone, even those in the South not directly effected. But almost straight away people started to organise fundraising concerts. I was involved in 3 concerts and in that atmosphere I felt like I discovered that music is even more important than I had previously thought. There was a really amazing feeling of unity and warmth. Everyone was so kind to one another. Even more so than usual. And I also got to play with some amazing musicians, some of whom I had never heard before. While the worry of radiation was making me want o leave Japan, I was discovering people and music that gaves me a very good reason to stay. Here below are some musicians I got to play with

Naoto Kawate

Tennis Coats

Umeda Tetsuya (performance artist and musician)

Makoto Inada

2011-02-28T19:52:00.000-08:00

TRIANGLE TOUR JAPAN

Rozi onboard

Rozi Plain came to join me and Ichi for 3 weeks of joyful triangle adventures around Japan.

She made a cosy nest in the back of our van. Her music was loved everywhere we went. So good to have her along with us.

Guggenheim, Kobe

Our first stop was Guggenheim in Kobe where we spent the first few days,

and where spring sprung up early to surprise us so we could have breakfast in the garden

Before playing our own shows, while staying at the Guggenheim we got to see Ishibashi Eikosan, Doddodo and the girl in the drawing below who`s name I don`t know, but who`s performance left me shaking at the knees it was so scarey. I didn`t understand the words but Eiichi told me after that she sung about chopping up boars and eating their hearts, and such things. She looked about 12 years old. I loved it and hated it at the same time.

I could have listened to Ishibashi Eikosan`s piano songs for hours, it was so beautiful and dark, amazing dischordant piano solos turning into flourishing harmony. Doddodo was lovely to watch. She had forgotten to bring her sampler which is her main instrument, but she played songs she could just about remember on guitar and paino and as she issuch a natural performer it was a joy just to see her having a nice time on stage

Recording at the Guggenheim

Inadasan recorded me playing the grand piano on his 4 track tape machine,

and later banjo with Rozi and Ichi

First show at Cafe Yugue, Kyoto

Daichan the proprietor, and creator of the most delicious bagels in the world

counting triangles

Playing in the Guggenheim

Colourful adventures in Kobe

Himeji

hungry, onaka suita

full, onaka ippie

Mountain Temple, Himeji

Okayama

Ferry to Naoshima Art Island

Naoshima used to be one of Japan`s rubbish dumping sites, which makes it all the more inspiring that it`s now an art island full of installations within various houses, a shinto jinja (above) and even the onsen has been turned into an installation with a giant elephant that stands above you as you wash

the beach on Naoshima was full of washed up beach glass, maybe from the rubbish dumping days. We spent over an hour hunting for triangular beach glass

Onimichi

Onimichi is one of my favourite places in Japan and one I think that you can`t capture on camera. There`s a magical feeling to the place....mountains, rivers and the sea, temples and jinjas and rope walks as the mountain`s alley ways lead you higher. I felt like I was in a Hayao Miazaki animation the first time I went there and then found out

it`s actually where the animator grew up.

Playing in an Old Cinema, Hiroshima

Hammamtsu

This chef specialised in dipping his own hands in the vat of boiling oil as he cooked tempura. This we heard later is not that uncommon, and embodies a tradition of Japanese crafts` men where by you must test your inner strength to produce something of real quality. The food was amazing, possibly the most delicious thing we`d ever eaten.

Kamakura

It snowed the night we stayed in this mountain house, inhabited by 5 people, plus many other snowed in visitors. We sledged and then made a bonfire in the snow. The next morning it was like spring

Tokyo

Calling in on Naoki Ijima`s (of Angel`s Egg) record shop,

and then calling in on Mayfair studio run by Eri`s family who are all designers

a quick photo in the elevator turned out like a photoshoped promo photo! And the following day we must still have unwittingly been in band promo shot mode. We went to an amazing onsen with Hiroshi (Tokyo organiser) and Maimai our good friend who helped us out on tour

Caps

stopped off to buy 3 matching fish caps from a workman`s clothes store

Nagoya

miss two oncores rozi plain

The final night of the triangle tour, Graf, Osaka

unbelievable really, the amount of effort that goes into things in Japan.

They made 3 tea blends at our final show and named them after us

Last days

Recording in the public bath (sento)

Packing

And so it was, The Triangle tour had to come to an end. Thank you Ichisan for organising such a brilliant tour. Farewell dear Rozisan x x x x

Recording under the snow and the musical tower

2011-01-28T22:28:00.000-08:00

RECORDING UNDER THE SNOW MOUNDS

SAPPORO, HOKKAIDO, NORTH JAPAN

Yumichan who I met in October when we played together in Sapporo came and joined in with the kitchen percussion recording for the song about making onigiri

Re-arranging Hedgehog (usually on piano) for organ and clarinet

This is Richard who`s studio I recorded in last week for 6 days. He was very nice to work with, attentive and patient, always choosing the best microphone for the job, and his microphone collection was pretty phenomenal. The most exciting microphone used in the 6 days was a telephone microphone, which was made of copper with a circle of holes in the end, and if I had a mantlepiece I`d want to put it there so I could look at it everyday!

THE BRIGHT WHITE DAYS ABOVE

when i popped up to see the day I had to squint into the bright sun shining off the snow.

When I walked past the park I witnessed what happens to all the excess snow. The army (who aren`t leagally allowed to fight) dump it in the park and errect scaffolding around it. Then they carve it into life size 4 storey famous building for a snow festival in February. I saw a middle-eastern style dome poking out from the scaffolding and grinned to think that it had been carved by the hands of a soldier!

Sapporo from Yagiya where I stayed in the hills for 3 nights

Tsulala

morning walk in snow shoes

THE MUSICAL TOWER

Here are photos of mine and Eiichi`s fairly last minute exhibition in Seant, Nagoya. While I was underground recording in Sapporo, Eiichi was searching through Nagoya`s junk shops so that when I returned I was greeted by his musical tower. To stand beneath it is to have music raining down from the horn on the top. Needless to say it`s our music that comes out, compiled by Eiichi the curator....

When Eiichi used to work as a shoe repairer, every day he took the off cuts of rubber and made these rubber people. In this exhibition there are just some of the 150 that he made over 5 years.

MAY YOUR 2011 BE FULL OF KINGFISHERS

2011-01-05T23:35:00.000-08:00

Japanese Christmas and New Year is pretty different to what I`ve known every previous year. Here`s a diary of my last 3 weeks including some food I`ve eaten, some music I`ve drawn, some old friends I`ve seen, Shinto Jinjas and Buddhist temples, museums and mountains, new shoes and a new years eve scratching cat

TOKYO

Rie of Small Color`s delicious traditional breakfast called teishokku

Small Color and their audience, Tokyo

The E-Jimas who looked after me so well when I lived with them for my first year in Japan

Naoki, Miwako, Leon and Tone

HAMAMATSU INSTRUMENT MUSEUM

a lot of beautiful banjos from around the world

a serpent from the UK

CHRISTMAS IN KYOTO

a Shinto Jinja up a small mountain

Oden (tasty steamed things) designed into a face by Daichan of cafe Yugue

Ichi and Suchan drawing

me and Mukuchan drawing

A happy belly at cafe Yugue, `gochaso sama deshita`!

a Buddhist temple made from stacking wood so presisely that no hammer, nails, glue etc. is needed....just wood!

my christmas shoes from Ichi fresh from the wrapping

a shoe and Ichi, playing in Osaka on Chritmas day

OOSAKA MINZOKU HAKUBUSTUKAN MUSEUM

world cultural museum

Ichi and an incredible sculpture by Taro Okamoto's "Taiyou no tou". It felt like the biggest thing I had ever seen made by a man. You can see it from miles away, like the angel of the north in England. When we were up close it made my knees bend and my stomach do little somersaults

A bad photo of a lady ploughing a rice field.

Later I want to make a whole blog about rice as I enjoy it everyday and it`s such an important part of Japanese culture

textiles from a remote part of northern China

textiles from Indonesia

BACK IN NAGOYA

a poster for our Triangle tour with Rozi Plain in February.

The poster and tour title was inspired by the pevious textiles and my new shoes

NEW YEARS EVE

during the day we walked to Tsurumai Koen, a park in Nagoya, and we spotted a kingfisher which felt like a rare treat amidst the metropolis of Nagoya. Ichi told me that to see a Kingfisher means you`ll have a good year.

A scratching cat.

Previously we had been out at a hidden talent party, where I performed a rap of Japanese tongue twisters while Ichi did breakdancing and scratching. The hardest part was not to laugh as part of our outfits were matching shorts and Ichi chose to wear his very high up his waist.

WALKING UP MOUNTAINS ON 1.1.11

Akemashite omedeto gozaimasu!

Happy new year!

May your 2011 be full of kingfishers

x x x

More adventures in Kyushu

2010-12-16T03:45:00.000-08:00

MORE ADVENTURING IN KYUSHU

I documented the first of mine and Ichi`s performances of our southern tour in a previous blog. As we traveled further south into Kyushu with Yasu our friend who organised the tour, we were looked after so well everywhere we went, fed home grown and home cooked food to warm our hearts and feet as it grew wintery, were greeted by attentive audiences, and witnessed some amazing Kyushu musicianship.

Also I got to be a cat for a minute on the island of Nokonoshima, pretty cool as I lived half the time in the world of Haruki Mirukami, truly transported to a world where cats can talk and fish rain down from the sky. Kafka on the Shore is a really amazing book, and was brilliant to read on tour as the characters traveled a route similar to us. My reality was quite blurred at times!

YAMAGUCHI

Shegeko San shelling the soya beans she grew. She cooked them for us with rice. Oiishi! Such a kind host who I want to see again one day.

FUKUOKA

Space Tetra

NOKONOSHIMA

Momokosan playing in Noconico cafe.

If I had to pick a favourite venue of our tour then Noconico cafe would be it. The island itself is agricultural, a mountain rising up out of the sea, a stones throw from the highrise metropolis of Fukuoka, but so so far away in so many ways. The cafe is tiny, but full to the brim of amazing colourful stuff: whales hanging from the ceiling, 7" records from china, old toys, children`s instruments...We stayed 2 nights on the island and were looked after so well by Shibattasan and Shokosan, the cafe owners. There is a video in my last blog of a communal performance, kitchen percussion at its best!

In Japan they know how to be cosy in winter. This is called kotatsu: under the table and within the blanket there is a glowing heater keeping us very toasty.

Ichi is a beautiful lady and I am a cat

KUMAMOTO

This is Impalanoheso. I loved their understated, beautiful, and subtly comic performance. www.myspace.com/impalanoheso

Chikasan looked after us so well and she also played in Kumamoto with us. Her music was mysterious and lovely. It was complimented well by Czech animation. www.myspace.com/zemankova
She took us to a beautiful place in the mountains the next day to eat the fattest noodles I have ever come across. Oiishi! And we ate a lot of Mikan

TRAVELING VIA VOLCANO ASO

YASU

Yasu did such a good job of organising for us and he`s a fun travelling partner. Thank you Yasu, so many good memories

NAGOYA

I played 2 nights ago in an old house in Nagoya with Bridget St John and Japanese musician Taku from Kyoto. Quite a magical evening.

Bridget St. John and her audience. She is a weaver of Warmth.

2010-12-11T17:17:00.005-08:00

Rachael Dadd ＠Hikari.B-st 2010.12.05

2010-12-05T05:40:00.000-08:00

OUR SOUTH JAPAN TOUR is under way, and the 8hr journey was sunny and warm and the service station we stopped at had delights not yet to be matched by any other. They included a pomegranite tree, a smokey valley, and a moth on the blue tiled wall in the men`s toilet.

Me and Eiichi had a salty air stroll before playing today in Yamanashi, and here we are at our gig today, Yamaguchi, 3pm sunshine, cats sniffing at Eiichi`s instruments, a pretty great day to start off our southern Japan tour

2010-11-16T23:24:00.000-08:00

JAPAN TOUR October - November

2010

Here is my photo and drawing diary of the past month in Japan. I traveled with Ichi north to the island of Hokkaido where we got to soak in many hot springs (onsen), and witness the beautiful scenery with the mountains (yama) and autumn leaves (kouyou). We also got to play to some lovely audiences and stay with some brilliant people along the way. To the left is our transport (an old post van), and to the right a bus stop at the foot of a volcano, Touya, Hokkaido.

Rainy morning, Mito

spiders (kumo), service station

moon (suki), Morioka

tape box, the van

Onsen hotel, near Sendai

Ichi, yoga

grasses, from the van window

me and Ichi playing in an old house, Hirosaki, where I also had an exhibition

ferry to Hokkaido

playing in Hakodate

roadside farmshop

Ichi

Yoga, Chaihana, Touya, Hokkaido

Touya, Hokkaido

kouyou

Chaihana, Touya, Hokkaido

Chikachan drawing me

Daisan and family Chaihana

opening act in Sapporo, Hokkaido (names I forget, but she was lovely and I enjoyed drawing to her music)

Luisan and Tamichan, Yagiya, Sapporo, Hokkaido

we were looked after and fed amazing homemade bread and blackberry jam for 3 days

ocha

ame

40hrs on the ferry back to Nagoya from Hokkaido

Tonchan`s garden, countryside near Kyoto

and home to Nagoya

Rachael's House Part 5 - O Wind

2010-09-13T02:15:00.000-07:00

My new Elephee EP is out today! You can order it from Broken Sound's shop, click here. Each limited edition CD comes with a hand printed cover made using a linocut I created. Here's the last of the series of songs filmed at my house - O Wind...

Rachael's House Part 4 - Knew Your Hands

2010-09-06T12:40:00.000-07:00

Here's the latest video from the series of songs filmed at my house. It's Knew Your Hands, which is also on my new EP Elephee - out Monday!

Rachael's House Part 3 - Your Storms

2010-08-30T03:59:00.000-07:00

This is Your Storms, from my forthcoming EP Elephee. It's part 3 of the live songs filmed at my house, there will be another new one next Monday. My EP launch is taking place at The Luminaire on Sept 5th, where I'll be joined by The Mariner's Children and This Is The Kit. You can get a ticket here. If you'd like to order my new EP, please click here.

Rachael's House Part 2 - River Swimmers

2010-08-25T05:15:00.000-07:00

Here's part 2 of the series of live songs that we filmed at my house. This is River Swimmers, which will be on my new EP- Elephee. There will be another new video next week...

Rachael's House Part 1 - Elephants Swimming

2010-08-17T08:05:00.000-07:00

The first song from my forthcoming EP 'Elephee'. It was filmed in my garden and there will be a new video each Monday...

buzzing about like bees, and all the golden goodness

2010-07-30T07:53:00.000-07:00

I haven't written a blog since my time in Japan which was full of new experiences that I wanted to record and share. But in actual fact I'm presented by many new sights, sounds and tastes all the time in my own country. So, before I return again to the very distant islands of Japan, I shall start to record some of what I've been experiencing closer to home.

I have just been touring for the month of July, playing in beautiful venues in beautiful parts of the UK. We reached most corners of the British Ilse, and I saw many places for the first time. Time slows down when you're traveling, you're like a child taking so many new things in. I no longer like to stay in one place for too long. I'm going to practise some more life lengthening, and find out how other people live along the way.

I was accompanied by Ichi (from Japan, my husband), Wig Smith (other half of The Hand), Carrie (responsible for these brilliant photos), and Alessi (who jumped from her ark to ours for 3 dates). One of the most memorable places for us all was the North Yorkshire Moors. We stepped up onto the high ground and flapped like birds in the wind. The sense of so much wide open space was rare and exhillerating. When it was time for our sound check we stepped down from the high ground to a sheltered hamlet, and into scandinavian-esque hut from a different time. Specifically built for live music, the acoustics were beautiful and so we didn't need a PA (which is how we choose to perform whenever possible.)

It's hard to decide which few places to go into detail about when so many left such an imprint. From the incredible acoustic space of the Union Chapel in London, to the Rude Shipyard Cafe in Sheffield with it's cosy bookshop upstairs via a staircase of steps each painted a different colour.

The New Orleans Jazz Club in the loft of an old sweet factory in Louth left a particularly strong impression. The walls were lined with photos of the jazz club members, right back to the days of black and white. There were amazing smokey murals depicting scenes from the streets of New Orleans, and frilly parasoles haging from the cieling beams. Throughout the night the true history and spirit of the place revealed itself to us. I noticed that the bar tender was in the old photographs as his younger self playing the clarinet. I chattered to him and found him so gentle and willing to talk about the history. He told me it had been running for more than 50 years and had never before let outsiders in to play (other than some famous american Jazz players). The jazz club chairman (in the painting playing the trumpet above the queen and behind Ichi playing the trumpet) a stickler for tradition, had not budged for years despite heavy persuasion from other comittee members. Only then, for the first time, had he caved in. And so somehow, there we were, The Hand and Ichi and Carrie, playing our songs, a historal moment within those dusty walls! It was humbling. Lovely people and so memorable. Thanks so much Mark and the others who helped it to happen. I hope many others can have the chance to play there.

Another very memorable day was joining in with the goings on in my uncle's garden in Durham, a jungle on a hill complete with chickens, bees and spiral stone sculptue that he's been building for years. Carrie is in the photo with the chickens. It was organised to raise money for Palestine. There was an Iraqi ude player who was incredible to watch and hear. Scales and rhythms so different to western music. He showed us a clicking of the fingers technique which almost blew my eardrums. Needless to say I hadn't any hope of mastering it. Later some people from Palestine and the Iraqi ude player sang songs from their shared Arabic repetoir and me and Carrie attempted an arabic dance.

All our buzzing about from corner to corner of the UK has been so rewarding in so many ways, like we're yielding honey at every step. In Durhum we had the treat of getting to look inside my uncle John's beehives. Among other things, I learnt about the different roles within the hive, the making of new queens, and the swarming of bees when they run out of space (something John has to work at to prevent). This video, taken by Ichi, shows the bees at work, and the bee keeper at work. It's incredible to see bees working like clockwork as a team, producing all that golden sticky goodness!

Coming Soon

2010-07-22T15:25:00.000-07:00

This blog will be up and running shortly...