By: Shandra Back<\/p>\n
As people file into the First Church of Boston on Thursday night, they aren\u2019t here for church, but
\nthey are expecting a spiritual experience.<\/p>\n
The Yaima Music Project, based in Seattle Washington, has finally graced the city of Boston for
\ntheir tenth anniversary tour: Moongate. The duo, Multi-Instrumentalist and Producer Masaru
\nHigasa and Vocalist Pepper Proud, distinguish their sound as \u201cCascadian Folktronic.\u201d<\/p>\n
A steady stream slips into the space through a portal that looks suspiciously like a door.
\nFollowing feet forward, the room gulps onlookers into a swirl of purple heat.<\/p>\n
A woman glances back at the bouncer.
\n\u201cAre we going to dance tonight?\u201d she asks.<\/p>\n
He takes her eyes in a smile and says, \u201cOh yes, for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
As people fill the space, their faces don\u2019t meld together into an anonymous crowd. They remain
\ndistinct, weaving and hugging friends known or new.<\/p>\n
The intimate crowd grows tighter and people find their seats in the few rows in back. Many
\nchoose a plot on the expansive floor, jackets becoming bedding and shoes laid gently at the
\nfoot.<\/p>\n
The looming organs stare down, but tonight isn\u2019t their night.
\nMichael Hewett, guitarist of genres ranging from progressive metal to Spanish classical, strolls
\nout on stage, long hair flowing in an unruly yet kempt fashion.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have to say, I\u2019m tripping in this space,\u201d he says, taking in the pulsating purple. \u201cIt\u2019s so magical
\nin here.\u201d<\/p>\n
As his barefoot toes control the soundboard, Hewettt\u2019s fingers pluck flamencos and sonatas.
\nThe looping reverberations sync with his movements, yet the sound seems to have no source.
\nIts origin, a blanket.<\/p>\n
After Hewett finishes, he descends the three steps dividing crowd from performer and the
\nbarrier dissolves and unites.<\/p>\n
During the break, Higasa and Proud walk out into the stage space and a curious anticipation
\nrises from their presence.<\/p>\n
Higasa touches sound and thus begins an ascending drone.<\/p>\n
Left hand in the air, Proud brings the attention up to her fingertips. And as her arm movements
\nelongate into the body, it becomes apparent that she wants fluidity. The crowd, composed of
\nindividuals, soaks in her gentle request.<\/p>\n
Slowly the bubbles begin to rise.
\nProud, bringing a cease to the curiosity, exhales her vocal cords.<\/p>\n
In an instant, honey coats the walls of the darkened space. It seeps in through bare feet. An
\ninhalation and it has coated everyone\u2019s insides, like a warm tea, bringing in health and vitality.<\/p>\n
\u201cMove freely if you feel it,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
And we do.<\/p>\n
Throughout some of their most popular songs like Force and Rise, fans must know every word,
\nyet instead of singing along, they express the lyrics through movement. Each bubble inhales the
\nenergy in a different form. Yet the space is coursing with fluidity. Limbs responding to each
\npulsation of sound.<\/p>\n
Seconds become the length of sound as they move to the next. And the crowd seems shocked
\nwhen Proud shares that this is the last song of the night.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you for sharing this moment and this lifetime with us,\u201d Proud says and the duo ties up
\nthe night in an ethereal exhalation.<\/p>\n
And then it\u2019s done. No encore. The two stroll offstage the same as they strolled on, leaving
\neveryone to pull on their jackets, shoes and re-enter the streets of Boston feeling a bit giddily
\ndisoriented as the calm melds again with the city.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By: Shandra Back As people file into the First Church of Boston on Thursday night, they aren\u2019t here for church, but they are expecting a spiritual experience. The Yaima Music Project, based in Seattle Washington, has finally graced the city of Boston for their tenth anniversary tour: Moongate. The duo, Multi-Instrumentalist and Producer Masaru Higasa […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20911,"featured_media":38575,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1525,1523,15],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38574"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20911"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38574"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38574\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38576,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38574\/revisions\/38576"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38575"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38574"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38574"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38574"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}