By MICHELLE HERBISON
GEORGE Kamikawa and Noriko Tadano’s appearance on Australia’s Got Talent last year certainly spread the word about the Japanese duo’s unique blues-folk fusion sound.
After starting out as humble Melbourne buskers, Kamikawa told the Independent the pair had been flying around the country attending large festivals and even a remote Queensland mining town to perform.
“It was real far away,” Kamikawa recalled.
“They picked us up and we played like a mining company party. They got quite drunk and were happy.
“Before the show we already played festivals but now we’re going interstate – it’s a bit different to what it used to be.”
Kamikawa’s infectious blues guitar, harmonica, stomp-box and vocals paired with Tadano’s traditional Japanese banjo-like shamisen wowed judges and audiences when they appeared on the channel 7 show last year.
“Your voice is incredible,” show judge Brian McFadden told Kamikawa at the duo’s audition, while calling Tadano’s shamisen “the banjo with the paint-scraper thing”.
“It worked really, really well.”
The pair was among crowd favourites with their striking traditional Japanese and blues fusion stage appearance and entirely unique renditions of blues favourites such as Shake Your Money Maker.
Despite his new-found fame, Kamikawa still finds time for his beloved busking at his regular spot in Melbourne’s Bourke St Mall.
“Busking has always been good for me. The crowd hasn’t changed so much but more people are asking, ‘Can I take a photo with you?’ and stuff because they saw me on the TV show.
“Buying CDs is pretty similar to what it used to be but people are very friendly and say, ‘I saw you on TV’. It happens quite a lot.”
Kamikawa and Tadano are recording a new album to release next year, featuring more original blues tracks than previous albums.
“It’s all in English,” Kamikawa said.
“I have one Japanese song I’ve been playing at the Blues Train, Sake Blues. People sing, ‘Sake, sake’, and know the meaning of sake so it works but if I make normal Japanese songs they have no idea,” he laughed.
George Kamikawa plays Queenscliff’s Blues Train on 14 December, 18 January and Motor City Music Festival in March.
