O WIND

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

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

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

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

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

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

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