ICHI`s newest invention

4 in ONE! ICHI will air his new musical invention in various styles this weekend 

Sat 16th - BLUE LAGOON FESTIVAL, LONDON, Secret location to be revealed
https://www.facebook.com/events/587126357969862/

Mon 18th - VILLAGE UNDERGROUND, LONDON, Supporting the marvelous Rozi Plain
https://www.facebook.com/events/133037153516812/

www.ichimemos.blogspot.com

2 Winter Festivals this February to warm your cockles!

2nd Feb - SHHH FESTIVAL comes to london with its eclectic mix of quiet and unusual music in the fantastic setting of hampstead’s heath street baptist church. Other acts include THIS IS THE KIT and ICHI

http://thelocal.tv/listings/eventdetails/2-feb-13-shhh-festival-heath-street-baptist-church-hampstead/

16th Feb - LAGOON FESTIVAL - A THEMATIC NIGHT OF PROMENADE PERFORMANCES

SECRET LOCATION TO BE REVEALED! I`ve heard rumor of an empty swimming pool being turned into a performance space...

I won't be playing at this one but ICHI will, alongside SPEAK GALACTIC  

and WILL NEWSOME

https://www.facebook.com/events/587126357969862/

A film by ICHI to put the HAPPY in New Year

Here`s a film by ICHI for his Japanese alphabet song. A friendly salute to you all for 2013!



www.ichimemos.blogspot.com

Patchwerk for Christmas from Willkommen Records

Willkommen Records has just sewn together musical squares, each 30seconds in duration, from 28 Willkommen artists and friends. Merry partakers include Rozi Plain, This is The Kit, Gravenhurst, Mary Hampton, Francois Marry and a load more, including me and ICHI... and here it is for your ears


and nip here for more info and links to all involved

http://www.willkommenrecords.co.uk/1572/2012/12/21/1572

ROZI`S BBC6 Session with Lauren Lavern

Last week we joined pal Rozi Plain on the radio. ICHI played steel pan and I played clarinet and sung and Shuki came too and got quite a few mentions by Lauren Lavern, who is a lovely woman and just the same in real life as she is presenting her radio show. Also in Rozi`s band was Sam from band Being There and Jamie Harrison who`s album is a gem - warm, funny and musically brilliant with lines like `your bedroom smells like a sausage`.

Listen back to the session here

visit Rozi`s site www.roziplain.co.uk and get her album it`s brilliant

Rozi with our baby Shuki Jim in the BBC6 music studio

Hauschka`s prepared piano demonstration

Bristol Jam festival has been going on recently with an exciting line-up of improvised acts and workshops curated by QuJunktions working with Bristol Old Vic theatre. The one event that I managed to get to was Hauschka`s prepared piano talk. He was so nice and said some really great things...something about how we musicians tend to roam old habits, the things that we know work for us and are safe. We do this especially during live performances when we don`t want to mess up in front of lots of people. He found putting bits in the piano threw him off his old tracks and he totally welcomed this. And he said that in his experience audiences really enjoy it when you step away from what`s safe and you take risks in front of them.  

He had all sorts in the piano. The aluminum candle holders and piano tuning rods are things I want to try in my upright at home. The components from vibrators made some amazing drones. He told us how he was held up at USA customs and quizzed on his suitcase of vibrators! Luckily they believed him when he explained "but I`m a musician".

Good old Hauschka. What a lovely and inspiring fellow he is. Here`s a short snippet of his impromptu performance that he did after a talk much longer than scheduled, and below is a photo of the pile of tools he`s excavated from the piano during the performance.

Films of Friends - Rozi Plain, Spider Belly, Woodpecker Wooliams, Two White Cranes

R   O   Z   I       P   L   A   I   N

This is Rozi - you may already know her and her music. She has been my buddy for years and we sometimes play music together. She has just released her 2nd album J O I N E D   S O M E T I M E S   U N J O I N E D and it is something very special, especially the vinyl edition that I have which I have had on heavy rotation oh yes. Here she is www.roziplain.co.uk

and here is a marvelous new video made by James Haskins of Olo Worm

(note steel pan by Ichi)

******************************************

S   P   I   D   E   R        B   E   L   L   Y

This is Andy Skellam aka Spider Belly. Another music buddy of many years. A craftsman of many incredible songs and a procrastinator who sits on them. But I am patiently waiting for his album as I know it will be something very special. He will play at the Grain Barge in Bristol with Woodpecker Wooliams tomorrow - 25th October https://www.facebook.com/events/187900078011789/

******************************************

W   O   O   D   P   E   C   K   E   R        W   O   O   L   I   A   M   S

This is Gemma Woodpecker aka Woodpecker Wooliams, a musical acquaintance who i`m yet to meet in person but who ICHI has played alongside, and who I know snippets of well from her glitchy new album THE BIRD SCHOOL OF BEING HUMAN. Playing with Spider Belly tomorrow (25th Oct) Grain Barge, Bristol https://www.facebook.com/events/187900078011789/

******************************************

T   W   O        W   H   I   T   E        C   R   A   N   E   S

This is Roxy, a bristol musician who has morphed and evolved in many shapes and waves: Roxanne The Early Years, The World is Not Flat, Mountain Parade and the latest solo project Two White Cranes. She will tour in Japan this November with maverick guitarist Naoto Kawate. Here she is fronting Mountain Parade. https://www.facebook.com/events/425297237517763/