THE FIRESIDE CHAT!
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THE FIRESIDE CHAT! |
Sounds Unlimited: Any special meaning behind the name Chiemi?
Chiemi: My name (pronounced "chee-eh-mee") means "blessed one" in Japanese. My mother gave me Chiemi as my middle name. Chiemi consists of three Japanese Kanji (picture language as opposed to the phonetic Hiragana characters) characters that mean thousand, blessing/benevolent and beautiful/lovely.
Sounds Unlimited: You are a composer and a performer based out of Boston. Are you a native Bostonian? Why Boston?
Chiemi: I was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, where I grew up. I came to Boston in 1988 for college at Boston College. My cousin (who of my cousins was closest in age to me) was a senior there and I wanted to go to a college where I had a relative.
I do not have much extended family in the States. My father is first generation
from Salzburg, Austria. My mother is the daughter of Okinawan immigrants who
came to Hawaii to work in the sugar cane fields in the 1920s. My grandmother
was one of those "picture brides" --girls of marrying age who were sent by their
families to Hawaii on a boat for better lives and to save their families from
having to pay doweries. My father came to the U.S. after completing his
education in Austria. My mother went to school in Hawaii. Neither was familiar
with the whole U.S. university thing, so I went and visited my cousin the Summer
before I applied, liked Boston College and Boston and came here when I graduated
from high school.
Sounds Unlimited: How would you describe your style of music?
Chiemi: I was recently asked in another interview for five words to describe my music.
My words were: Melodic, Soulful, Whimsical, Deep and Progressive Folk. Melodic
because the tune (as opposed to the layers in the music) is what often comes
through foremost. Soulful and Whimsical are related to (perhaps a product of)
the writing process I've described above. Deep is because since I reflect on
the "pieces" over time, I like to find new texture or levels to or in the
"pieces" when I work them into a whole. Progressive Folk is because, while I
think I would fall into a folk category, I am modern--i.e. not along the lines
of any one tradition, whether American, Irish ballad, etc.
Sounds Unlimited: Who and/or what inspires you to write?
Chiemi: Some experience (or person or conversation etc.) will strike me and I
will think--ahhh--- here it is, the last verse (or verses) to that chorus I
wrote a year ago and those sequences I jotted down two years ago. Look--a whole
song! It depends. Sometimes the music is first or part of it, then the words
or vice versa or a mix of the two. Sometimes an experience is so compelling
that I write a whole song at once.
I think music comes from --is born of --people's souls. That is, if it is in you, you just have to let it out. That
is what happens when I compose. There are stories, humorous or poignant
phrases, tunes, note or chord sequences, etc. running about in my psyche and
also impressions, ideas, etc. I have kept a journal since I was 12 years old
and written these things down. These are all, in a sense, puzzle pieces.
Sometimes I jot down music. Sometimes just a turn of phrase. Sometimes I have
what I think is a chorus for a song, complete with music, but no verses. Or
vice versa. Then, I may experience something that connects the dots, so to
speak.
Sounds Unlimited: What would Chiemi's "idea world of music" look like.
Chiemi: Sorry, I don't understand this question....
Sounds Unlimited: For me, music is the beat of the world; especially the part that surrounds me.
In my world, music would be available for everyone who enjoys it. It would not be
commercialized and it would not be politically scrutinized. We wouldn't love
every music genre. We will, however, appreciate the tiniest creativity of a song
in its complete form. Regardless of where we are from, what we do, what we look
like, or how we behave, we would be able at least communicate through sharing
the common love of music.
Chiemi: I see. For me, music is the world we all live in synthesized through the souls of those
individuals who are composers. That newly original music then gets sent forth
back into the world when performed to be experienced and maybe even part of a
new process for new music. I believe music is organic for this reason --it is
produced by and of people--human beings who grow and live and transform
themselves. A musical piece is itself a transformation of the outside world
seen through a person's inner world, which is always in process of being shaped
by his or her experiences. When performed, the piece goes through another layer
of transformation, springing from the soul of the performer at that particular
moment and place. Even if you do not like a particular genre, you may still
appreciate a line or aspect of a piece in it because you connect to some human
element in it you recognize. If more viewed music as this sort of
communication, to touch and connect to other human beings, as opposed to being
hung up on classification and excessive mechanical perfectionism, I believe the
world would be a better place.
Sounds Unlimited: What do you love about composing?
Chiemi: That process of coming to a point where the song "puzzle" comes together--the
epiphany--that moment of "aha!" I love that it happens to you--like each
song's got it's own "geist" (German word for ghost) or spirit that makes itself
known through the composer. It is humbling. I feel as if I am but a conduit for
something much bigger than me. I love music for that reason--it is bigger than
us --bigger than any one person and best of all, can transcend time.
The key part for me, is writing these "pieces" down. When I write
things down,
it is like magic--it causes me to remember them. I also remember when I
wrote
the "piece" down so I can find and maybe meld or edit it for what I
want to use
it for.
Sounds Unlimited: Do you have a particular instrument you like writing for?
Chiemi: Voice, for sure.
Sounds Unlimited: How come?
Chiemi: Because that is my primary instrument. I sang first, then learned piano and
guitar to accompany my singing. I love to sing and have sung since I was a
little girl. It is something I was born with that was initially untaught.
Sounds Unlimited: What's something else people should know about you?
Chiemi: I have a new Cd out, "Grid-Songs," which is available from my website:
www.ChiemiMusic.com .
I am on a compilation CD --"The Burren Project" with some other singer-songwriters
that is going to be released at the release party showcase on April 7th at The
Burren in Davis Sq., Somerville, MA. My website has a clip from the new version
of "Fall Into Me" that you can listen to and more information about the project.
Sounds Unlimited: What kind of events do you perform for?
Chiemi: I have done many types of events. I have sung at weddings, luaus (where I
danced hula to my music), fundraisers (i.e charity balls, fund runs, etc.). I
also have performed in classical music competitions, at church, in a liturgical
music setting, an acapella group and in chorale groups.
Currently, I perform monthly at Dalias in Brookline,MA and at an open mic held
The Burren, where I came to meet James Johnson.
Sounds Unlimited: So, what would you like to be when you "grow up?"
Chiemi: Don't know. I like to learn. I like to change. I like to live. Aside from
being a singer-songwriter, I am also an attorney, which is a different sort of
performance, but performance all the same--just in a courtroom as a stage. But
being both of these things is not a question of choosing one over the other. I
am both. In doing both I am just living my life to the fullest as I know how to
at this point. What comes next, what I will be, I don't now know. Whatever the
next natural step is, I guess. Depends on what opportunities my life brings. I
am totally open to possibilities.
Sounds Unlimited: Mahalo Chiemi!
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