I posted this in my local area (just moved!) but it relates more to everyone in the UK if they can get to London on the 9th.
Should be a great night out 
thanks Pete, but I’ll be at download festival 
we defo dont get enough of this in the uk, however, I am going to see Mojibei Tokiwazu tomorrow. He’s a nagauta player, I’ve never heard of him but I’m sure it will be good!
I should of posted this earlier actually, if anyone near or in Manchester feels dropping by it might be pretty kool.
Hi Liam.
if you check out hyperjapan.co.uk or Hibiki’s site http://www.hibikishamisen.com/Event_Schedule.html you might come across something oop north
There seems to be quite a bit of stuff going on in London but now I’ve moved to Amsterdam it’s going to be a bit quieter 
Mind you, it will give me time to work on my Jonkara Bushi, ha ha.
Man would I love to be over there.
Woot! Though I’m probably not going to be able to make it this year, I’m happy to see the Events section is being used!
Have you seen any Japanese society in Amsterdam? Perhaps there’s another shamisen player there?
Man, there are so many bands playing at Download fest. I bet a fortune is spent getting them out there. Whoa!! The Safety Fire is playing there! The screamer in that band went to school with my bass player’s girlfriend. We saw them preform in SF last month. They were pretty sweet. Very nice chaps as well
Pete,
You live in Amsterdam now?
AHH, I’m so jealous!
Thanks Pete, hyper Japan looks like fun. There will be something similar at the end of the year but probably not on that scale. Surely there is another shamisen player in Amsterdam, there’s gotta be!
Yep the download line up is pretty good this year!
Yes, in Amsterdam for a more relaxed lifestyle than can be had in London! Left behind quite a busy little J culture scene though.
I think there is probably a Japan society in Netherlands and maybe some other Shamisen players will emerge over here in the future, but for now it will be mainly solo plunking and the odd visit from H or a London visit.
Kevin, at least you got an embarrassment of riches what with all the Shamisen players where you are!?
Pete,
Yes, thats true. A lot of great players out here.btw I have followed you on youtube in the past, you have got a real good feel fore the instrument! (at least I think that was you...unless there is another "Pete" out there) anyway since you are in the netherlands area, you will probably meet my good good friend Dennis at some point in time. (Ronindennis is his user name on yt). He will probably tell you about the many violent disagreements we have shared in the past and how much he hates me and the "California Shamisen" idea. But hey, he is not a bad player and genuinely loves the "traditional" world of Tsugaru folk music. hes done some concert/events with a Japanese culture community out there so will probably have some good contacts for you.
Thanks Kevin. yep, if the vids are with Hibiki it’s me (usually a bicycle in the background too!)
Lego Shamisen! Why haven’t I thought of that
I should lobby for a special kit at lego or the local toysrus . . .
(clip from above mentioned Ronindennis)
edit . . . whoa I also like already the first clip from the other mentioned channel
I might be a lazy youtube searcher but thanks to this forum and all its worth to check out mentionings and recommendations that’s hardly a problem so thanks . . .
Duplos!! (the big sized legos) Wow, that brings back memories. I remember making the big flamethrower/rocket-launcher/machine gun attachment from Robocop 3 out of those blocks. 
Sounds like he’s getting a good percussive sound!
wow sounds nice the greatest things we did was (lego) guns with rubber bands and we (cousin on sleep over and I) would sneak around the house at night and also we would build cars that we would attach to our bycicles on a string and go for a ride the exciting thing was whether the cars would endure the ride . . .
Haha. Maybe Ronindennis will join bachido someday. Then again maybe not. Who knows? I promise to be nice to him and welcome him on board if he does join us and furthermore in the event that another epic quarrel should erupt between he and I , I promise to keep it off the bachido forum. I am just letting you all know this to reassure anyone who might have followed the epic attack of resentment I received a few years ago on youtube. I can apparently rub people the wrong way sometimes if they are Reeeeaaally just into the Tsugaru folk tradition and it`s presentation as a Japanese art and are not into modernizing it.
I am hoping to clear up my point of view with an article I am working on to submit to Kyle here in a bit. I am thinking of calling it “Planet Earth Shamisen”. It`s taking me a while cause I keep re writing it but hope to finish it soon.
Wow I missed the Lego discussion.
I don’t have any Lego stories I can think of at the moment though.
Well I’ll sleep on it I guess (as Grant Reimer says)!
Bernhard, Ahhhh… Good times, good times. Man, we could run really fast back then as well!
Kevin, one wonders if he’d join, as well as Greg. I would kinda think not. To put it simply and civil, Bachido doesn’t really seem like their “thing.” Anywho, if that happens, we should try to start “fresh.” I think that fiasco started as a simple misunderstanding, but then continued getting fueled by very emotional people. No real reason to continue the resentment several years later.
As reference to Calvin and Hobbes, that whole fiasco could just be referred to as “The Noodle Incident.”