wig in a box

I normally don't write any negative things here.
Not that I am always happy though. I sulk time to time. I feel blue often time.
It is just that I don't see the point of sharing those feelings with the rest of world.

But I would like to share what lifts my soul up with people when I am feeling sad.
I just love this song. I am so grateful that I have this song in my life.
And you know what? I am going to sing this tune for the first time in public on Tuesday, I think.
Anyway, it is June, the pride month! The most appropriate time for it, isn't it?

Enjoy!
And enjoy the rest of the weekend as well:)

Thanks．And recording, here I come

From the window of Cocoa Bar in April

Many thanks for coming out today's gig at Cocoa Bar.
I was really happy to see new and old faces in the audience today.
My friend Kumi, who is gonna help us tracking at the Strike Studio came by.
I have known here since I was in 2 year-college 8 years ago. This will be first time for us to work together for my own project.
We have grown up, haven't we?
I am also grateful to have Tommy Hartman on percussion.
Dreamy Tommy is like my foodie brother. I think we talk about foods more than about music. He is dreamy but just killing when he sits on his cajon. I think we will have good time next week.


So my show with Shogo in NY is all done. It has been fun 6 months since last December.
He has been my mentor.  It is probably what it was.
We mostly talk about silly things that 12 year old boys would talk. He probably never realized I am a female. Ha.
I have been here in NY for 8 years. People come and go.
I have been jokingly telling this friend not to leave but hell no. I just have to wish him well now.
When I know so well that other people can't tell you what to do when you really know what you wanna do,what am I supposed to do?
Good luck, Mr. S!  Let us rock in studio next week.
By the way, for people in Japan. You will get to hear us live and hopefully on recording when I go home in August, I think. So please stay tuned.

Many thanks and love,
Yuki

ココアバーでのギグが無事終了しました。
むか〜し来てくれたお客さんや、最近であった色々な顔がみれて嬉しかった。お店もいっぱいになって安心しました。来週レコーディングを手伝ってくれるくみちゃんも来てビデオに撮って予習を真面目にしてたし。
八年前に二年制大に行ってたときの友達で、今回初めて自分のプロジェクトで一緒に仕事する。
まあ私たちって大人になったのね！って感じ。
カホンのトミー君も、素晴らしいし。食べるの好きでちょっと天然だけど。演奏はぱりっと決めてくれます！来週のレコーディングも楽しくやれるといいな。ぴしり。

そんなわけでさまた君を交えてのNYでのギグは全部おしまい。
昨年、俺はもうすぐ帰るとの事を聞いて、じゃあ最後に一緒にやってくださいます？とお誘いして昨年末の冬からの半年間、いや〜楽しかった。
メンターを持つというのはこう言う感じなんじゃなかろうか。
普段はひどい下品な話をしてる二人ですが。きっとあたくし男だと間違われてるんだと思いますよ。
八年もこういう人間の入れ替わりの激しい街に住んでると、本当に色んな出会いと別れがあって。
人擦れというか別れずれしてくる。
逆に遠くても好きな友達にはまめに連絡しようと心がけるようになるんだなあ。文明のおかげで簡単だしね。
彼にはかえんなよ〜っと冗談で言ってましたが、たとえどんなに近しくても他の人が腹から決めたことで覆せるものなんかほんとはないと思うんだなあ。覆せたとしても一瞬だと思うよ。皆ほんとに自分のしたいことをするのが最後は幸せだと思うし。
日本でのご活躍お祈りしておりますよ〜さまた！
（これをこっそり読んでいることはばれている。来週もスタジオでしっかりがんばりましょう。）
日本の皆さん、ちなみに夏にはそんなさまた氏とのライブそして来週レコーディングしたものを皆さんの前におだし出来るはず、です。まだ、はずですが。
そのへんはまたお知らせします。
ではではまた。

ラブ
ゆき

Upcoming gigs for May/June, recording. etc

Hello Hello.

I have been very busy. Quite a bit tired.

Hope all is well with you readers.

I just wanted to announce last minute gig for this weekend.

The pianist/composer/arranger I have been working for this past month is leaving NY for good.

So this is gonna be our last gig in NY. 

I know I will see him in Japan in summer but for those who haven't see us playing together, it is going to be last chance.

I have a lot of inspiration from him and it has been very fruitful time for me.

Also, the percussionist Tommy Hartman is just brilliant.

Hope you get to see us this weekend:)

I am also singing as a part of Make Music New York in June. 

My performance will take place at Fort Tryon Park, which also has The Cloisters and is absolutely one of my favorite parks in NY!.

They will place an upright outside. How cool is that!

I will write the reminder for it but I am posting that info as well here.

So many things are up.

I am recording a few songs the next week.

And Mondays is now something to look forward to for a very particular reason.

That is what I have been up to.

 I will write again soon.

Ciao.

May 14th  Sat 4PM 

Yuki an Cuties

@Cocoa Bar

21 Clinton Street 

New York, NY 10002 

No Cover 

All ages

www.cocoabarnyc.com

Take F,J,Z to Essex St.

 or D to Grand Street

Yuki Ishiwata-vocal

Shogo Samata-keyboard

Tommy Hartmann-Cajon

-------------------

June 21st Tue  2-4PM 

Make Music NY

@Fort Tryon Park

Riverside Dr and Dyckman St, Manhattan, NY

Open to public, all ages

Take the A to 190st or Dyckman St 

http://makemusicny.org

By the way,  I think I now have more than 100 pictures of Prospect park. I love you more each day, P.P!

temptation

Thank you all for coming out tonight.
Despite the nasty weather, I was so glad to see many of you  there this evening.

Tomorrow  is another fun day for us. We are playing with Robin's Egg blue at Blue Owl in the East Village.  I baked bunch of cake for tomorrow too.

I finally got to realize that pound cake is called so because you use each pound of butter and sugar.
I knew the fact, but I had never made it with such big portion till now.
But they all came out nicely.
So I  have to be a good girl and not touch these cake until tomorrow....

Thank you for coming-Tonight'show is on ustream!

This year's first performance....

Oh my my. It was so much fun.

Such a blessing way to start a new year!

Thank you for coming in the snowy day.

Thank you Zsaz, Chihiro and Shogo for playing with me.

Thank  you for having us, Tea Lounge people.

And...thank you for helping me out for everything , Kaya, Kota and Matt. Engineer, Manager/Designer, and Accountant? what a special team.

And thank you for watching ustream!

I didn't tell this out loud, but tonight we were actually live broadcasting our show. 

Mainly, I wanted my people in Japan to see my show. 

And those who missed it in the NYC area, you can still catch the show from

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/yuki-and-cuties-tea-lounge

Seriously, how lucky am I to have all these wonderful people around me?

It is going to be a great new year.

But for this weekend, I am gonna take a nice rest...

I kinda forgot my body itself is an instrument. I know I have to deal with so many things by myself at this point, but I better learn how to be diva who doesn't even move a finger except when she sings ( just sometimes, not all the time!)

For what is worth, we are actually still in Dec 2010 in lunar calendar.

Let me settle some stuff  down before the lunar new year, to get ready for busy prosperous new year to come.

Hope see you at Cafe vivaldi and Blue Owl!

Love love love and peace!

今年の初パフォーマンス。。。

や〜、どっひゃ〜としたけど、楽しかったな〜。

幸先よしですな。

この雪っぽい天気の中（気合いでとめたけど）来てくれたひと、ありがとうだし、

一緒に演奏してくれた、ちひろさん、しょうごくん、ジャージュありがとう。

ティーラウンジ、そもそも演奏させてくれてありがとう。

会計士、ステージマネジャー／デザイナー、エンジニア、の素晴らしいチームをやってくれてた

マット、こうたくん、かやちゃんありがとう。

そして、そして、、日本からustream見てくれてた皆さんありがとう。

ほんとにほんとにほんとに嬉しいや。

NYでは宣伝してませんでしたが、実を言うと今夜、ustreamで生放送してました。

遠い人達に見てもらえるって本当に嬉しいね。すばらしき２１世紀の文明と今年は友達になりたいです。

見逃した方

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/yuki-and-cuties-tea-lounge

で見れますので、良かったら。

しかし、今日のこと一つとっても周りの人ありきの私です。

恵まれてることに心から感謝。今年はきっと良い年になると思う。

なので今週末はちょっとのんびりさせてもらおうっと。。。

私は楽器を体の中に入れてるってことを忘れないようにしなくては。

近年健康優良だったのでつい過信してしまったわ。

まだまだ何足もわらじ（宣伝だ、なんだとかさ）をはいて、演奏をやらなきゃいけないし、別にそれはいいけど、でもやっぱり私はどうあがいても、単純おばかなシンガーなわけだし、できないことはわりきりなりきりディーバ（やな言葉だけど）になってどんと構えることを学ばなくっちゃ。

まあ、そんなこんなですが、実は旧暦では今師走です。

実を言うとそういったことをとても気にしてます。

２０１１はよくなる気がするので、旧暦師走の間に後ろ手に回りまくってる２０１０の事後処理をして、新たな年に備えまーす！

では、次はカフェ・ビバルディでお会いしましょうね！

おやすみなさい。

TODAY-tea lounge at 9pm

I had a much needed hair cut today. Thanks Daichi for fabulous styling always!

I am so so ready for tomorrow. See you there.

-------------------------

This week's cuties are following:
Zsaz Rutkowski-cello
Chihiro Shibayama-cajon
Shogo Samata-keyboard, awesome arrangement
Yuki-singer/songwriter
We just had our rehearsal yesterday. We will be rocking!

---

Tea Lounge
837 Union Street, Brooklyn
Subway : Q to 7th Ave, 2/3 to Grand Army Plaza or M/R to Union St.
http://www.tealoungeny.com/directions
Cover: Free!
But we would truly appreciate your donation for working musicians.
(suggested:$5 )

rehearsal, oyakodon, recharting, and a gig.

Had a rehearsal for the gig on 12th today.

There are still things to be get done but it will be fun.

Hope you can make it.

The attached is flyer. My slot is 7:30pm.

I was listening to Steve Jobs commencement speech at Stanford  

earlier today to sort of motivate myself.

It's a great speech so I won't go in details here, just watch or listen to it.

Anyway, if I answer what he says in the speech, 

what I feel at the end of the day is,

I love what I do. 

I am just hoping what I do loves me back as much.

Well if not, I will do my best to make that happen.

１２日のためのリハでした。

まだやらなきゃいけないことはありつつも、でも楽しくなりそうです。

是非、是非来てください。

チラシを載せてます。私は七時半頃だそうです。

気が向いたので、朝アップル創始者のスティーブ・ジョブズのスピーチを

聞いてちょっとモチベーションをあげてみました。

聞いた事なければ是非。

彼の言う事に応えるなら、

私は自分のやってる事を愛してますよ、って胸を張って言える。

私の方も自分のしてる事に愛されてるといいな、と思うだけ。

そうじゃないなら、愛されちゃうくらい頑張ってますわよ。