Tuesday, June 19, 2012

The Belated Japan post


I had the pleasure of spending nearly 3 weeks in Japan recently, the first time I had an extended visit since I spent the summer of 1991 in Kyoto (save several days in Okinawa in 2009, but that's pretty far from the main Japanese islands).

So I figured I'd commemorate the trip by posting some of the songs I wrote when I was there 20+ years ago. It's a bit less timely than it might be (I'm already on the next work trip), but what the heck?

Pastoral #1: written here, where the Kamo river splits in Kyoto. Full story reported on this blog about a year ago. Also available is the more-orchestrated version, Pastoral #2 (at Bandcamp).

Another Sunrise: inspired by the time difference between my girlfriend (in California at the time) and me, and the odd hours I had to get up to hit a pay phone with my phone card. We wrote lots of letters, and had occasional email access, too.  It feels like a totally different world.

Kumiko (at Bandcamp): OK, this one wasn't actually written in Japan. It was written about my undergrad linguistics TA. I believe that alone makes her traceable on the internet, but I don't imagine anyone will be so inclined. Also available in a version (Live at East Campus!) by Dr. Lüst, the band I was in while taking her class...