TAIKOPROJECT performs with Blush!

At the end of September and beginning of October, Jen, Liz, Courtney, Candice, and I had the pleasure of performing at a few gigs with Blush! Blush is a new pan-Asian girl band sensation, with members from China, Korea, Japan, India, and the Philippines. Victoria, JiHae, Natsuko, Alisha, and Angeli are all incredibly talented performers with amazing singing and dancing skills. The girls joined us at a couple of our TAIKOPROJECT rehearsals to get ready for the gigs, and it was so much fun having them with us! They told us that they had learned some taiko while they were in Hong Kong, so when we taught them a few lines to play for the gigs, they picked it up in no time.

Our first performance was at San Gabriel High School, and we performed right in the middle of the quad area. It was so hot! We played a minute or two of Here We Go Now to introduce Blush, and by the time we were finished we were all sweating! I felt so bad for Blush since they had to sing AND dance in the hot sun for another 20 minutes. The students really seemed to enjoy their performance, despite having to bear the heat.

The next day we performed at Redondo Union High School and thankfully it was in a shaded area, so it was much cooler. We tried something different this time and opened with a small segment of Expanding. Blush came on and did their thing, then we helped pass out posters, CDs, and bracelets. That night Jen, Courtney, and I met Blush at the Queen Mary to sound check for our performance the following day. While we were there, we got to bond a bit more with the girls and get used to the venue. My friend Dan Matthews from Afterschoolspecial was busily running around making sure the sound and lighting setup was running smoothly. Thanks, Dan, for all your help!!

The day after was the big performance. We all met up at the Queen Mary in Long Beach for the International Secret Agents, which is a huge concert that showcases the many talents of the upcoming generation. It's a touring concert that starts in Seattle, then works its way down to San Francisco, and makes its final stop in Long Beach. In previous years, ISA was strictly a 3-4 hour long, sit-down-only concert. This year however, they wanted to try turning ISA into an art festival. After we did our second sound check, we had some time to walk around and check out the different vendors and food trucks. We stopped by the Designs by Steppie booth and purchased some cute shirts and accessories.

At 2:40, Blush was the first group to perform and we opened with Expanding. Since we had so chances to rehearse with them, the performance was great! The crowd seemed to really like our intro and Blush's set. After we performed, Jen and I stayed to enjoy the festival and watch the other performances. Afterschoolspecial, New Heights, Clara C, B.O.B., Dumbfounded, AJ Rafael, Wong Fu Productions, and Far East Movement were some of my favorites. Sean Kingston closed the show, but Jen and I were exhausted from such a long weekend, so we decided to leave before his set.

Thank you to Derek Nakamoto for the awesome photos!

Working with Blush was such an incredible experience. They're all such amazing people and we wish them the best of luck with their careers! We hope to see them again soon!

Jen, Courtney, Liz, Candice, and I all got bracelets from each of the girls!