North America Guitar Tour
Chapel Hill 3 Days
July 21-23, 2014
The first person to contact me after I made this trip public was Mr. D from North Carolina. He said that there was a neighbor who had become paralyzed due to a stroke, and he often went there to play the guitar. He sent me a very timid message saying that he would be grateful if I could stop by. Of course, I replied, "I'll go." Mr. T, a friend from middle and high school, also lives in this state, and since I had a little extra time, 2 nights and 3 days, I decided to go to this friend's house first, and then visit Mr. D's house the next day, the 22nd. North Carolina is about the size of Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku combined, and it could take a whole day if I'm not careful, so I decided to decide the time after arriving at my friend's house.
When I entered North Carolina from South Carolina, it felt like the width of the road, the curves, and the scenery had changed completely, as if I had come from the different country. It was a relatively easy journey from Myrtle Beach, taking just under four hours by navigation, but it was drizzling rain, and the dilapidated stores in the small towns I passed looked like scenes from a movie, so I stopped the car several times on the way and had a leisurely trip.
Mr. T's house is a charming detached house surrounded by forest, and it felt like we had come straight from the coast of Hayama to Karuizawa. We had been together in Washington State for several years after graduation, so we met relatively often, and this was probably the first time we had seen each other in about two years.
After arriving, we briefly updated each other, then I sent a message to Mr. D asking him to tell me his address because I would be visiting him tomorrow, and when I entered the address I received back into my iPhone navigation system and checked the distance from my current location, it said 7 minutes. I thought it must be a mistake, so I re-entered the address, but it was still 7 minutes. Up until now, it was normal for it to be at least 3 hours away, and at most 8 hours or more, so 7 minutes is a miraculous distance. When I showed Mr. T the address, he said he had also gone to see the house next door to see if he could move there. As soon as I realized that the only thing he had planned to do was go to a nearby convenience store, my mood immediately shifted to rest mode. Even though I took a break in Nashville, I had already traveled over 10,000 km, and there was still more than twice as much to go (including travel after the main part of the trip). It's better to rest when you can. At the time, Mr. T was working the night shift and had taken the day off while I was there, but he had a habit of sleeping in the afternoon, so I was able to have a long talk with his wife, J, whom I met for the first time since 1992.
The next day, I went to Mr. D's house with Mr. T, and after saying hello to his wife, we went to the house across the street. Mr. T saw the house next to Mr. D's house and muttered, "I came to see this place." I don't remember his name because I forgot it or forgot it even if I asked him, but I think playing here was one of the highlights of this trip in a way. He was so seriously ill that I could only speak through his caregiver, but when I started playing, he smiled and his mouth was clearly singing. He smiled even at my stupid jokes, and it was a precious time where I could feel the power of music in real time. I wish I could perform in more situations like this.
That night, I ate with Mr. T and his wife at a nearby restaurant, and then Mr. T and I drove to the area around the university. He said he wasn't dissatisfied with the villa-like environment, but he missed people. I can understand that. I was also inspired by the young people.
While I was staying at Mr. T's house, I received information from Mr. L in Washington State that there would be a fingerstyle contest in Indiana in a few days (Mr. L is the person who introduced my "Will You Dance?" video to Janis Ian). When I went to the contest page, they were still accepting applications even though it was a few days before the event. There was no problem with the schedule for going, but the big problem was that I had decided to go to Staten Island, New York in the evening the day after the contest. According to the navigation system, it will take more than 12 hours, and even if I drive through the night, I'm not sure if I will make it. Looking at the details of the contest, it says that the first round of judging will start in the afternoon, then the top five will compete in the finals, and if I make it to the top three, I will perform on stage that night. I want to win if I participate, but if I make it to the night stage, it will be a lot of work to get to Staten Island. In these situations, I choose to "regret doing it rather than regret not doing it." This trip itself was made possible with this idea in mind. After completing the registration, I looked at the details again and saw that the prizes for 1st and 2nd place were guitars, and 3rd place was $100. A guitar would be too much luggage, so I was only aiming for 3rd place.
The next morning, I received some rice balls that Mr. T had made for me on the way, and after promising to meet again, I headed for our next destination, Kingsport, Tennessee. The photo below shows the James Taylor Bridge, named after James Taylor, who was born in this state.
*People appearing in this article are listed by their initials until their identities can be confirmed.
Contents
Introduction
Until Departure
Seattle
To California
Day Off
Sunnyvale
To La
LA 2 Days
To Tucson
Albuquerque
To Colorado (beginning of Miracle)
Berthoud
Denver
to Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City 2 days
To Texas
San Antonio
Georgetown
Dallas
Houston 2 Days
Benton
Nashville (CAAS)
Roswell
Tampa 2 Days
Miami
Orland 2 Days
Myrtle Beach
Chapel Hill 3 Days
Kingsport
To Indiana
Indiana State Fingerstyle Guitar Festival
To Staten Island
Manhattan
Phillipsburg
Nazareth (Martin Guitar Factory)
To Massachusetts (end of Miracle)
Methuen
To Montreal
To Buffalo
Meadvill A Day Before
Meadvill Ghost Hotel
Detroit
Chicago
Minneapolice
Spin Off #1
Spin Off #2 "EU Tour IN 2008 / Until Departure
Czech 1
Czech 2
London
Liverpool
Chesham
To Germany
Lemgo
Ingolstadt
Bregenz
To Italy
Florence
The Last Gig
Going Home