San Jose Taiko - Part 1

Maybe a week or so ago, I helmed a flight from SLC to Houston, and as I looked over the passenger manifest, I noticed a bunch of people going to BTR, which stands for Baton Rouge. I went back to investigate, and there they were, four girls with ridiculously-defined arms and shirts that read 'San Jose Taiko.' I figured it was a pretty good gamble that they were the San Jose Taiko and not just fans, and so I asked if they were going to BTR for a show. They said they were, and then they halfway flipped out when I told them what theater they would be playing at (what they didn't know is that I used to work at the Manship Theatre in downtown Baton Rouge, a fantastic new venue and also the only place in Baton Rouge where you could get away with a taiko show). The story of where I grew up ensued, and moved on to the story of their cross-country taiko tour, and ended with me being sorry I was going to miss their show in Baton Rouge and promising to catch a show someday, either on tour or at their home base in San Jose.
My dad is a big taiko fan, and my mother is a fan of music in general, and so I told them about they show, and they went. The next day they called to tell me that the show was great and that they got to meet the four drummers that met me. And my ex-boss from the Manship emailed to thank me for putting them in such a good mood for the show (though I think that between meeting a guy like me for half an hour and having the dedication to devote your life to pounding drums that are bigger than you for hours at a time, it's probably that second one that was responsible for the good mood).
I can recommend seeing an SJT show not even having seen one based solely on the 'bring it on' attitudes of Patti Jo, Meg, Britt, and Yurika. But soon I will be able to recommend a show because I have seen one. Stay tuned for Part 2...