Japanese drummers offer unique entertainment

A musical group at the Paradise Center had a lion that bit members of the audience while musicians just kept on playing.

The lion was actually Hiroshi Koshiyama, a member of Fubuki Daiko, Japanese taiko drummers, which performed at the Paradise Center Friday evening. In the "Shi Shi Mai (Lion Dance), Koshiyama in his Japanese style lion suit roamed the audience, sniffing at some and nipping at others. The audience was told that if the lion "bit them" it would bring them good luck. Koshiyama started with Paradise resident Logan Martin and his sons, Nolan and Ryland. It also snatched the cap from Plains resident James Seal, though he eventually coughed it back up. It also peeled an orange in his mouth and displayed a huge "bubble" after eating an entire pack of gum.

Koshiyama was one of four musicians - two men and two women - who gave the audience more than two hours of entertainment, which included a variety of drum numbers and a lot of athleticism. "I'm impressed with the rhythm and timing and how they can jump around and not miss a beat," said Dave Colyer, newly elected president of the Paradise Center.

The cost was $15 for advanced tickets, $20 at the door and $5 for children. The Paradise Center paid $4,300 to get the musicians to the center, said Karen Thorson, the center's secretary. Thorson said the center received a grant from TourWest/WESTAF to help offset some of the cost for its performing arts season. John Thorson, who manned the lights for the show, said they don't break even, but it's something the center wanted to bring to the community.

This is the second time for Fubuki Daiko to perform at the Paradise Center. The group, residing in Winnipeg, Canada, first appeared there in 2016. The 57-year-old Koshiyama was born and raised in San Francisco, but his parents were from Japan. Koshiyama and his wife, Naomi Guilbert, formed the group in 1995. They were soon joined by Bruce Robertson, who was originally from Massachusetts. Giselle Mak, originally from Hawaii, started touring with the group eight years ago. Guilbert's grandmother was Japanese. Each of them have compiled between 20 to 30 years of musical experience.

Fubuki Daiko, which translates to "Blizzard Drums," used two types of drums throughout their performance, along with an assortment of cymbals, cowbells, chimes, and a heavy steel instrument that Robertson called a cannon. The musicians also played the flute throughout the evening. But the large drums were the main source of sound. "I have very sensitive ears, but it was so good," said Carolyn Scott of Plains, one of nearly 90 people to attend the performance.

The musicians constantly displayed a high level energy, jumping between the drums and between each other, often twirling the drumsticks and themselves, occasionally sounding out with a verbal utterance. "It was impressive. I like the way you feel it all through you. It was pretty powerful stuff and very athletic," said Nicole Cockrell of Plains.

One member of the group gave the audience information on the upcoming number while the others made stage rearrangements. The 13 pieces ranged between three to 10 minutes. Koshiyama said they rehearse their musical pieces and choreography four or five hours a week. He said the constant movements take a lot of energy, but he added that their adrenaline is high. He said they used to do almost 70 performances a year, but now only do about 40. They've played throughout Canada, Mexico, Poland, and the United States, including Carnegie Hall in New York City, but they've never performed in Japan.

Most of the pieces were written by the members themselves. Koshiyama created much of "Covid Drive Thru" while waiting to get his Covid test. Robertson said part of the piece "Ocean" is similar to Led Zeppelin's song "The Ocean."

The musicians said they were pleased to be back in Paradise and noted how much the center has come along since they were there last. "This is one of the most memorable places we've played," said Koshiyama.

"They were really good and I think they were better than last time. I think this time they had more dancing and they were more visual," said Joy Nelson, who also serves on the Paradise Center board. Karen Thorson of Plains called them amazing. "Their performance was invigorating and inspiring," said Thorson. Doug Wilks handled the sound system.