WHAT
WAS THAT ABOUT? It’s like
appreciation for this country. [referring to another song he played but not appearing
in this video] My intuition, my intuitionish expression. I cannot explain well so that’s why I play. IS
SOME OF YOUR MUSIC JAPANESE INSPIRED? Yes. Like the third song I played,
“Takibi,” bonfire, it’s inspiration from my grandparents. HOW DID THEY INSPIRE
YOU? My childhood. When I recall my childhood. That scenery made me write that
song. The bonfire and the smoke going up in the sky. YOU GREW UP IN KYOTO? I’m
from Kyoto, a very traditional city. But somehow I picked up a five-string
banjo because my Dad was a crazy guy. And he brought me a banjo one day and
asked me to play it. A new instrument for me. I didn’t know how to do it so I
was just playing around with it. Yeah, that’s the story.
Guitarist/composer
Hiroya Tsukamoto at the Walk a Crooked Mile Bookstore concert series, Mount
Airy Philadelphia.
