Hiroya “Hiro” Tsukamoto, a Japanese guitarist, will be returning to Carbondale on July 13 to play an intimate concert in True Nature’s Kiva. Having visited Carbondale several times over the years, he describes it as “one of my favorite small towns,” reminiscent of his grandparents’ village which he visited as a child.
Tsukamoto’s music is “eclectic, immersive and mesmerizing,” according to True Nature’s promotional copy. “Beautifully raw and cathartically emotional, Tsukamoto is a world-renowned, self-made musician.”
Now living in New York City, he arrived in the United States in 2000 on a scholarship to study at the Berklee College of Music. He has since traveled extensively within the United States and internationally.
Tsukamoto creates an immersive, dreamlike soundscape using his guitar and voice. His playing flows like poetry — a serene flurry of cascading notes — and one could easily believe that several guitars are playing at once. Rather, it’s Tsukamoto’s detailed fingerpicking that creates such rich textures.
Interviewed on Everything Under The Sun on KDNK in 2021, just before a spontaneous performance at the Third Street Center, Tsukamoto informed The Sopris Sun that his musical journey began when his father, a fan of bluegrass music, brought home a used banjo from the thrift store.
“Japanese people are interested in Western culture,” Tsukamoto said, “very much so after World War II.” When the war ended, Japanese instrument companies began manufacturing banjos, mandolins and guitars. His father played the fiddle and had bluegrass musician friends encourage Tsukamoto’s practice. Later in life, the stylings of Pat Metheny were also an inspiration.
His latest album, “Little River Canyon,” includes mostly songs written during the pandemic. “When the pandemic started, I didn’t have any inspiration because I was not traveling,” he stated. “Then I started to focus on music here in my place, to focus on the sound of the music.”
His previous album, “Places,” evoked travel and incorporated a looping pedal and more layered compositions. A few tracks were even based on places in Colorado, like the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. “Little River Canyon” by contrast is more simply acoustic, and “pure,” performed with one guitar all throughout and “almost like one take,” Tsukamoto said.
To be on tour again, “it’s a good feeling,” he continued, with many shows booked in July ahead of possibly returning to his hometown in Japan to play a concert later in August.
The show on July 13 is part of True Nature’s summer concert series which kicks off this Friday, July 7, with Natalie Spears, Gabrielle Louise and Ryan Dilts. Find tickets and details at www.truenaturehealingarts.com/events
To learn more about Tsukamoto’s music, visit www.hiroyatsukamoto.com