I’m going to this event tomorrow night:
http://www.hawaii.edu/uhmmusic/events/2012-04.htm#Shamisen
Anyone ever heard of them? I’m not exactly sure what to expect, so maybe I should post a review on Friday.
You are in for a treat!
As the blurb in the link says, Kinzaburo (on flute in the picture) and Ginzaburo (on drums) are both winners of the National Tsugaru-Shamisen Competition in Tokyo. They are great players, obviously, but are also very funny performers in Japanese - I hope you get a feel for that at the concert. They play several nights a week at Oiwake, a folk song pub in Tokyo, and I think both of them might have performed the night Kyle and I went there a few years ago.
Kyle - did you post any video of this on YouTube?
Looking forward to hearing about the show in your review, Wesley.
Aaah!! They are really awesome! Two of them recently played at Shamisen Katoh’s concert hall. Anyway, as Gerry said, they play regularly at Oiwake, the minyou bar in Asakusa. Gerry and I went to see them together. It was very entertaining.
You will not be disappointed. 
They put on a great show, and are humorous as well.
Ugh, it was a free concert, and was first come first served, and filled up like 20 minutes before I arrived. So I didn’t get to see the concert.
The video is not at all what I was expecting. I’m so used to the Tsugaru jamisen being instrumental only. When you add a shime-daiko, shakuhachi (? can’t tell), and shinobue, it sounds very matsuri-like.
They will have a workshop/lecture tomorrow morning on campus which I will be attending.
One of the other doctoral composition students here is from Tokyo and a good koto player. She said she told one of the shamisen players about my banjo-shamisen concerto. I’m not sure he’d be completely interested, since it goes WAAY beyond minyo. But it’d be good to get some exposure, I suppose
Oh no!! 
I’m sorry to hear that.
Yeah, they really rock the stage. They do instrumental tsugaru shamisen pieces, as well as folk songs and modern compositions. At Oiwake, they bring people up from the stage to join in. It will always be a highlight of Japan for me.
How was the workshop?
Definitely! With the ease of communication these days, I’m sure a player will be found by passing your concerto around a little bit.
The workshop did some of the stuff you described. They taught the dance to “Soranbushi.”
Funny thing, the guy who was actually interested was the FATHER, oldest member of the group. He whipped out a blues riff and “Ol Suzanna” on the spot. Everyone else gave me the “あっ そう?” meaning “Really?” (“But you’re CRAZY and there’s no way on Earth I’d ever TOUCH that”)
He also let me hold the thing. It’s a lot heavier than mine, I don’t know if that’s Tsugaru in particular, or just really high-quality. (You can tell how good a banjo is by its heaviness.) Probably both.
Let’s Photo!
http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/557861_764702259049_66803672_34605805_1450676697_n.jpg
The guy in the middle is a Colorado-based shakuhachi player.
I think I recognize the American shakuhachi player from when mike penny and I performed in Colorado as monsters of shamisen . Thanks for sharing the pic and review of their workshop.
His name is David Wheeler, and he served as the translator and occasional shakuhachi on ensemble pieces. He said he knows Kevin, Mike, and Kyle (not sure if meant in person or not).
Yes David Wheeler. We (Mike and I) did meet him in person about a year ago in Colorado. He seems very dedicated and sincere. Small world I guess.
Oh, David Wheeler! I never met him in person yet, but I talked (via email) a lot with him and his wife about shakuhachi/shamisen, and sent them a first edition of Shamisen of Japan to critique. Yeah. They are in it for real, and really nice people. I believe they hold yearly hougaku workshops on there property.