shocker1
05-04-2007, 12:37 PM
Japanese musicians put their hearts into bluegrass
Thursday, May 03, 2007
http://www.timesfreepress.com/audio/audio_logo.jpg Maedolin -Download MP3 (http://www.timesfreepress.com/MEDIA/audio/metro/2007/may/maedolinTH0503.mp3)- By M. Trevor Higgins
Staff Writer
Hiroki Maeda and Tatzya Akiyama sat on Frances Pinion's couch in Flintstone, Ga., and gave new significance to an old bluegrass line. When they sang "bury me on the mountain, far away in my Blue Ridge Mountain home," they meant very far away.
Mr. Maeda, a mandolin player, came to Chattanooga from Hiroshima, Japan, three weeks ago. Vocalist and guitarist Mr. Akiyama arrived from Osaka, Japan, just last week. The friends will perform today and Friday at the 17th annual Boxcar Pinion Memorial Bluegrass Festival.
Until then, they are taking in as much bluegrass culture as possible.
"There is a big mountain, very beautiful," Mr. Maeda said, recalling a recent trip between Nashville and Chattanooga. "I was listening to a tape, JD Crowe and the New South. I was so moved, I was in my dream, I nearly cried."
As the men performed for Pinion family members and friends in the living room, Cindy Pinion, daughter of Frances and the late Boxcar Pinion, prepared food in the kitchen. A small sign on the refrigerator door translated the Japanese words for "good morning" and "thank you" and explained the Southern expression "ya'll."
"They know the song 'Blackberry Blossom,' but they've never seen blackberry blossom," she said of her guests. "So we made them blackberry cobbler."
The Pinions, who are hosting Mr. Maeda and Mr. Akiyama, provided them with transportation and introduced them to grits. Cindy Pinion said she met Mr. Maeda five years ago when he was studying and living in Nashville.
"He came to our festival. He wanted to hear good bluegrass," she said. "The Dismembered Tennesseans were looking for a substitute mandolin player. He said 'Sure, I'll play.' He learned all the songs and played about a year and a half. We became friends, stayed in touch."
Last summer Ms. Pinion and Mr. Maeda began discussing a return trip to the festival. Mr. Maeda decided to come early to travel throughout the Southeast. He visited the Chickamauga Battlefield, saw the Tour de Georgia bicycle race and, as an avid baseball fan, attended several Chattanooga Lookouts games. Last Sunday he performed during the service at Flintstone United Methodist Church.
Mostly though, he plays music, locally and with friends in Nashville. "We keep his pillow and his quilt handy when he comes in at 4 in the morning," Frances Pinion said.
"I love (the) chance to play with many types of music: folk, rock and roll, blues," Mr. Maeda said. "This country has much more opportunities to play and jam here than in Japan."
Mr. Maeda learned to play the piano as a child as rehabilitation work for his ears, he said.
"It's pretty boring playing classical," he said. His father introduced him to bluegrass and country. At age 19 he learned to play the mandolin and soon found work as a musician.
Mr. Akiyama grew up on the Rolling Stones and rock, but he found folk and bluegrass music while in college. This is his first trip to Chattanooga, and he is stocking up on music. Already, he has bought 30 CDs.
"In Japan, I can't buy bluegrass CDs in store," he said.
When Mr. Akiyama performs, he sings in English.
"Some bands in Japan sing bluegrass in Japanese, but I don't like it. I want to sing bluegrass in English," he said. "It's very difficult to understand, but I try. I have to study more. The most difficult thing is ****unciation."
Cindy Pinion said her visitors' English is much better than her Japanese, but most of the time neither is required.
"Bluegrass," she said, "there's just one big language, universal language."
E-mail M. Trevor Higgins at thiggins@timesfreepress.com (thiggins@timesfreepress.com)
IF YOU GO
The festival is held today through Sunday at the Raccoon Mountain Campground.
For a full schedule and ticket information, visit www.boxcarforeverbluegrass.com (http://www.boxcarforeverbluegrass.com/).
* The festival is a tribute to Boxcar Pinion who died in 1990.
* He earned his nickname while playing football in high school, and a teammate remarked that tackling him was "like trying to throw a Boxcar off the tracks."
* Hiroki Maeda and Tatzya Akiyama of Japan will perform as MaEdolin Cafe at the festival today at 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and again Friday at 1 p.m.http://www.timesfreepress.com/absolutenm/templates/local.aspx?articleid=14678&zoneid=77
Thursday, May 03, 2007
http://www.timesfreepress.com/audio/audio_logo.jpg Maedolin -Download MP3 (http://www.timesfreepress.com/MEDIA/audio/metro/2007/may/maedolinTH0503.mp3)- By M. Trevor Higgins
Staff Writer
Hiroki Maeda and Tatzya Akiyama sat on Frances Pinion's couch in Flintstone, Ga., and gave new significance to an old bluegrass line. When they sang "bury me on the mountain, far away in my Blue Ridge Mountain home," they meant very far away.
Mr. Maeda, a mandolin player, came to Chattanooga from Hiroshima, Japan, three weeks ago. Vocalist and guitarist Mr. Akiyama arrived from Osaka, Japan, just last week. The friends will perform today and Friday at the 17th annual Boxcar Pinion Memorial Bluegrass Festival.
Until then, they are taking in as much bluegrass culture as possible.
"There is a big mountain, very beautiful," Mr. Maeda said, recalling a recent trip between Nashville and Chattanooga. "I was listening to a tape, JD Crowe and the New South. I was so moved, I was in my dream, I nearly cried."
As the men performed for Pinion family members and friends in the living room, Cindy Pinion, daughter of Frances and the late Boxcar Pinion, prepared food in the kitchen. A small sign on the refrigerator door translated the Japanese words for "good morning" and "thank you" and explained the Southern expression "ya'll."
"They know the song 'Blackberry Blossom,' but they've never seen blackberry blossom," she said of her guests. "So we made them blackberry cobbler."
The Pinions, who are hosting Mr. Maeda and Mr. Akiyama, provided them with transportation and introduced them to grits. Cindy Pinion said she met Mr. Maeda five years ago when he was studying and living in Nashville.
"He came to our festival. He wanted to hear good bluegrass," she said. "The Dismembered Tennesseans were looking for a substitute mandolin player. He said 'Sure, I'll play.' He learned all the songs and played about a year and a half. We became friends, stayed in touch."
Last summer Ms. Pinion and Mr. Maeda began discussing a return trip to the festival. Mr. Maeda decided to come early to travel throughout the Southeast. He visited the Chickamauga Battlefield, saw the Tour de Georgia bicycle race and, as an avid baseball fan, attended several Chattanooga Lookouts games. Last Sunday he performed during the service at Flintstone United Methodist Church.
Mostly though, he plays music, locally and with friends in Nashville. "We keep his pillow and his quilt handy when he comes in at 4 in the morning," Frances Pinion said.
"I love (the) chance to play with many types of music: folk, rock and roll, blues," Mr. Maeda said. "This country has much more opportunities to play and jam here than in Japan."
Mr. Maeda learned to play the piano as a child as rehabilitation work for his ears, he said.
"It's pretty boring playing classical," he said. His father introduced him to bluegrass and country. At age 19 he learned to play the mandolin and soon found work as a musician.
Mr. Akiyama grew up on the Rolling Stones and rock, but he found folk and bluegrass music while in college. This is his first trip to Chattanooga, and he is stocking up on music. Already, he has bought 30 CDs.
"In Japan, I can't buy bluegrass CDs in store," he said.
When Mr. Akiyama performs, he sings in English.
"Some bands in Japan sing bluegrass in Japanese, but I don't like it. I want to sing bluegrass in English," he said. "It's very difficult to understand, but I try. I have to study more. The most difficult thing is ****unciation."
Cindy Pinion said her visitors' English is much better than her Japanese, but most of the time neither is required.
"Bluegrass," she said, "there's just one big language, universal language."
E-mail M. Trevor Higgins at thiggins@timesfreepress.com (thiggins@timesfreepress.com)
IF YOU GO
The festival is held today through Sunday at the Raccoon Mountain Campground.
For a full schedule and ticket information, visit www.boxcarforeverbluegrass.com (http://www.boxcarforeverbluegrass.com/).
* The festival is a tribute to Boxcar Pinion who died in 1990.
* He earned his nickname while playing football in high school, and a teammate remarked that tackling him was "like trying to throw a Boxcar off the tracks."
* Hiroki Maeda and Tatzya Akiyama of Japan will perform as MaEdolin Cafe at the festival today at 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and again Friday at 1 p.m.http://www.timesfreepress.com/absolutenm/templates/local.aspx?articleid=14678&zoneid=77